11 top picks from Disney California’s Food & Wine Festival

11 top picks from Disney California’s Food & Wine Festival

The Disney California Experience Foodstuff & Wine Competition, a two-month celebration of California cuisine at Disneyland’s sister concept park in Anaheim, has returned this thirty day period with additional than 60 new food stuff and consume things for visitors to consider.

So I tried out them. Not every single product mind you, but I asked much more than a dozen park workforce, as very well as competition booth staff, for their tips. Then all through the day I requested other festival-goers for their picks and pans to decrease my overall caloric use, and I even now had a several duds (skip the artichoke pizzetta). It’s certainly truly worth performing a bit of research to get the tastiest bites and the greatest bang for your buck this calendar year.

Tasting food and drink items at the Disney California Adventure 2023 Food & Wine Festival nmarketplace.

Tasting foodstuff and consume objects at the Disney California Experience 2023 Food items & Wine Competition nmarketplace.

(Disneyland Resort )

Given that its founding in 2006, the pageant has grown to turn into one of the most well known once-a-year points of interest at the Golden Point out-themed park. In its to start with 12 months, there have been just two booths offering bite-size parts of seasonal meals products. Now there are 12 booths exactly where people can acquire sample-dimensions goods, as nicely as 10 foodstuff stands and eating places throughout the park supplying festival foods and drinks, nevertheless not all in chunk-size or minimal-priced parts.

Park people can buy particular person meals and drink things for $5 and up or obtain a Sip & Savor Pass for $59, which permits buyers to consider a combine of 8 foods or non-alcoholic drink goods at most venues. This year’s competition runs by means of April 25.

The competition celebrates the bounty of California’s generate, beers, wines and its multi-ethnic delicacies. There are specific booths devoted to major state crops like avocados, berries, garlic, artichokes, peppers, nuts and cheese. There’s also the Uncork California wine yard, serving condition-developed varietals, and the California Craft Brews backyard garden celebrating craft beers from San Diego (Ballast Issue and Harland Brewing) and much further than.

A couple of years again, the pageant introduced a couple of vegan things created with plant-primarily based Impossible Burger protein. It was so preferred with park readers that DCA is going big with plant-based products this 12 months. Apart from a bevy of vegetarian and vegan offerings sprinkled all through the pageant booths, the park’s Paradise Yard Grill restaurant has switched to an all-plant-based menu for 2023.

On opening weekend (March 3-5), DCA was packed with guests who plainly came to eat. Strains at the festival booths had been prolonged by 10 a.m. — a 50 {dd3cf16dc48cbccde1cb5083e00e749fe70e501950bc2e0dea1feff25a82382f}-hour in advance of they opened — and they stayed extended throughout the day.

To assist make festival-heading a little bit simpler, right here are my picks for my beloved new bites of 2023 and a several suggestions on how to defeat the strains.

Kenny's Family Cheesecake, at the Disney California Adventure 2023 Food & Wine Festival.

Kenny’s Spouse and children Cheesecake, at the Berry Patch booth, is one of the very best food items products at Disney California Adventure’s 2023 Food & Wine Festival.

(David Nguyen/Disneyland Vacation resort)

Ideal bites at the pageant

Although every food item and most of the beverages this 12 months are new this year, but longtime fest-goers will realize some beloved dishes of the earlier that have been modified up this yr with fresh new flavors and toppings.

Smoked Honey-Habanero Chicken Wings — Best of the fest this calendar year is this large part of four to five seasoned drumettes and wings in a finger-licking, not-as well-scorching sauce. Cluck-A-Doodle-Moo booth.

Extremely hard Gyro Fries — Managing a near 2nd is this hearty Greek-model part of plant-based mostly Unattainable Beef served with waffle fries, onions, cucumbers and tomatoes with tzatziki and cauliflower cheese sauces and a wedge of pita bread. Paradise Backyard Grill.

Difficult Al Pastor Taco — A single of the finest vegan objects I’ve experimented with at the DCA fest capabilities well-seasoned Not possible Pork with bites of grilled pineapple and a spicy avocado tomatillo sauce on a heat flour tortilla. Avocado Time booth.

Grilled Peach Toast — This delightful mix of flavors begins with toasted sourdough bread, topped with ricotta-mascarpone cheese spread, arugula salad and grilled peaches. Pacific Wharf Café.

Impossible Nacho Mac & Cheese — Mac ‘n’ cheese has often been a very best-seller at the pageant just about every year, however the recipes are often changing. As in earlier a long time, there are two diverse mac ‘n’ cheese choices this yr. I most relished the Unachievable Nacho Mac & Cheese, which arrives with olives, jalapeños and guacamole and it’s very a big part. Avocado Time booth. But for American meals and meat-lovers, there is also the decadent Carbonara-Garlic Mac & Cheese featuring Nueske’s Peppered Bacon and Parmesan cheese. Garlic Kissed booth.

Petite Burrata — Burrata cheese, zesty pesto sauce, freeze-dried balsamic, tomatoes and olive jam are served on a slice of grilled ciabatta bread. The flavors ended up good, but my ciabatta was a bit soggy. Nuts About Cheese booth.

Mickey Mouse-formed Macaron — This yummy oversize French-inspired macaron sandwich cookie is crammed with caramel ganache and topped with peanuts and Snickers sweet bar pieces. Nuts About Cheese booth.

Kenny’s Household Cheesecake — Freshness is the greatest aspect of this miniature cheesecake on graham-cracker crust topped with a blended berry compote. Berry Patch stand.

The Disney California Adventure Food & Wine Festival booths.

The Disney California Experience Food & Wine Pageant characteristics food stuff served in short-term booths, like Cali-ente noticed here, together the concept park’s significant boardwalk.

(Disneyland Vacation resort )

What to drink

Beer and wine rates are on the superior facet at DCA. But there are loads of non-alcoholic cocktails, espresso and fruit drinks. Below are some fantastic bets:

Horchata Cold Brew — Cold brew coffee blended with horchata, a Mexican rice and cinnamon consume. Of this year’s sweet drinks, it is the most effective. Cappucino Cart, Pacific Wharf.

Central California Cooler — This fruit juice blend features apple, orange and lemon juices mixed with puréed peaches. It’s fewer sweet than lots of of the beverages this 12 months. Golden Dreams booth.

Apple Tequila Colada — I’m sugar-averse when it will come to cocktails, but the tartness of the tequila and bite of Aperol balance the sweetness of the coconut product and apricot purée. D’LISH booth.

Beating the strains

Just like at the county honest, many park-goers appear mainly to attempt new food items goods through the festival time. The strains can get pretty prolonged through the lunch and meal several hours, so in this article are my recommendations for lowering the wait.

Use the totally free Tasting Passport to map out what you’re likely to get in advance, then go to any festival booth and buy and fork out for all of the products at the very same time. Then you can bypass the acquire line at each and every booth and go straight to the foodstuff select-up window with your receipt. The attendant will cross off the item you’re choosing up, then return it to you so you can choose it other booths.

Commence your tasting working day deep into the park at Paradise Backyard Grill and operate your way back again to Buena Vista Square. The lines are constantly longest the nearer you get to the park entrance.

Buy the Sip & Savor Go. You may well not save a large amount of bucks this way, but the pass can be worn close to your neck on a lanyard and is funds-cost-free. Just snap a tab off the plastic pass at the cashier’s station when you order.

For much more, stop by disneyland.disney.go.com.