15 New Foods We Tried At Disney California Adventure's Food & Wine Festival That You May Also Want To Try For Yourself
Hello folks, we're Brian and Andy! And along with being senior editors here at BuzzFeed, we're also big fans of Disney and good food...which means a combination of the two lands perfectly within our Venn diagram. This is why we were really, really excited to head over to Disney California Adventure for their annual Food & Wine Festival and try out all the different offerings they had this year.
Now, of course, there is no way to try ~all~ the foods, so what we did was look up the foods that sounded not only delicious, but also unique or interesting, and try those.
Alright, now for what you came for: Here are all the foods we tried and our honest opinions on them:
1.Impossible Beef Stroganoff
What's in it: Egg noodles tossed in a mushroom cream sauce with Impossible beef and sour cream.
Where you can get it: Earth Eats in the Hollywood Land (Hollywood Studios area).
What we thought:
Brian: I grew up on beef stroganoff so I was excited to try this. I have to say that it tasted pretty much how I remember it, and if you've had Impossible Beef, you know that the texture and flavor is very similar to real beef. However, I will say that a big reason it also had the classic beef stroganoff flavor was because it used real sour cream — which makes this a vegetarian dish and not a vegan one.
Andy: I LOVE beef stroganoff, and TBH this was a solid vegetarian version! It still tasted meaty, but I felt like the Impossible meat didn't quite have that beef flavor you'd expect the dish to have. It was almost more like a turkey stroganoff. But the sauce was still very tasty.
2.Carnitas-style Pork Belly
What's in it: Fried pork belly topped with Tajin Habanero seasoning and served with esquites corn mac salad.Where you can get it: LA Style in the Hollywood Land (Hollywood Studios area).
What we thought:
Brian: Hands down I think this was my favorite thing I ate all day. I am a big fan of pork belly, and this was nicely cooked, not at all spicy, and pretty well seasoned — though I could have used a tad more Tajin. Now, the mac salad I was not big on, and honestly, I would have preferred maybe some tortillas with it to make it into tacos.
Andy: The pork had some really nice depth of flavor, and you could taste just a hint of the Tajin. I also would have liked just a liiiiiiittle more spice. As for the macaroni salad, I'm actually a pretty big mac salad fan so I thought it was good, but I know mac salad is a divisive dish. It had a little more spice than the pork, so the kick gave it a nice flavor profile.
3.Baja-style Fish Taco
What's in it: A battered vegan fish taco topped with cabbage slaw, cilantro-lime crema, and pico de gallo.Where you can get it: LA Style in the Hollywood Land (Hollywood Studios area).
What we thought:
Brian: This was maybe the thing I was most curious to try. I've never had fish vegan anything, and I wanted to know how spot-on they could get the flavor. The vegan fish taco filet piece I got was a little cold, but it still tasted really good. It tasted like fish (I really couldn't and can't understand how they got it to taste like it), and even the texture was shreddy like fish. Definitely worth trying if you're vegan!
Andy: I didn't get a ton of fish flavor here...instead I mostly just tasted breading. But the taco as a whole was tasty, and there was a mild hint of spice to the slaw. Overall, a really nice vegan option, but if you're going in looking for a one-to-one comparison to a real fish taco, you might be a little disappointed.
4.Cheese Pizza-flavored Wings
What's in it: Fried chicken wings topped with pizza-flavored seasoning and served with ranch dressing.Where you can get it: Cluck-A-Doodle-Moo in Paradise Pier, close to The Little Mermaid: Ariel's Undersea Adventure.
What we thought:
Brian: I didn't love these. I think the idea sounds interesting, but the wings tasted like they had been coated in pizza chip seasoning and oregano. Also the seasoning coating had a mushy texture because of the grease on the chicken. And to top it off, I think the ranch had dill in it (?) which gave the wings an off flavor.Andy: I agree with Brian that this tasted like wings coated with, like, pizza-flavored Dorito dust? The chicken itself was nicely cooked, but the wing still seemed a bit dry overall due to the dry coating. IMO, the dill ranch dip saved it a little, but you definitely have to like dill.
5.Cheeseburger Bao
What's in it: A bao filled with cheeseburger filling and topped with Thousand Island dressing, grilled onions, pickle, and tomato relish.Where you can get it: California Craft Brews in Paradise Pier, close to The Little Mermaid: Ariel's Undersea Adventure.
What we thought:
Brian: I wasn't sure what to think of this, but I really liked it!!! To me the flavor reminded me of a McDonald's Cheeseburger (there is something so tasty and familiar about a McD's Cheeseburger). I think I could've gotten another one or two, TBH.
Andy: Honestly, bao and cheeseburgers are pretty much my two favorite foods, so there was no way I wasn't going to love this. It was so good! To me, it was very much like a Sonic cheeseburger — very pickle-forward. The bao was nice and fluffy. I could eat three of these.
6.S’mores Caramel Tart
What's in it: A graham cracker tart shell filled with caramel and dark chocolate ganache, and topped with a toasted marshmallow.Where you can get it: California Craft Brews in Paradise Pier, close to The Little Mermaid: Ariel's Undersea Adventure.
What we thought:
Brian: I am not big on overly sweet things, and I really thought I wasn't going to like this one because of the caramel, but boy was I wrong! I LOVED it. It was a delicious dessert that wasn't too sweet (the caramel wasn't overly present) and looked like it could be in a display case of a fancy Parisian patisserie. Andy: This was sooooooo good, and I was amazed at how light the texture was while also being rich and satisfying. It was almost like a slightly denser mousse. The only thing I'll say is it didn't taste much like a s'more to me; the marshmallow and graham were getting overwhelmed by the chocolate and caramel. But as just a chocolate and caramel tart? Heck yeah.
7.Carbonara Garlic Mac & Cheese featuring Nueske’s Peppered Bacon
What's in it: Mac & cheese topped with a carbonara garlic sauce and peppered bacon.Where you can get it: D-Lish in Performance Corridor (across from Wine Country Trattoria).
What we thought:
Brian: Mac & cheese is one of those foods that lots of people have opinions about — from what cheeses to use to how it should be cooked. I will say, I am not one of those people and thought this mac & cheese was perfectly fine; the real stars here are the toppings that I wish there were a little more of. Andy: To prove Brian's point, I actually really liked the texture of this mac and cheese, but I'm one of those weirdos who likes my mac to be light on cheese. The dish was very smoky and peppery, but it felt like something was missing to take it to the next level. I also think it's one of those things that would probably be better fresh off the pan. Still, I had no problem digging into this.
8.Olive Oil Cake
What's in it: An olive oil cake with lemon curd, and topped with candied lemons, strawberry crunch, and lemon-lime gelée.Where you can get it: D-Lish in Performance Corridor (across from Wine Country Trattoria).
What we thought:
Brian: I know olive oil cake has been having a moment for a minute now, and I have never tried it so I was really interested in trying this one out. Off the bat, really liked it because, again, it wasn't too sweet (it reminded me of Girl Scouts Lemonades cookies). The cake itself is moist and more on the dense side because of the olive oil, and the lemon curd really gives it a nice tartness. Andy: I am a sucker for a lemon cake, and this was a very tasty one! The cake itself is very dense and rich, but the citrus helps keep it light. It was very simple, but also very good in its simplicity. Some might find it ~too~ simple, but you can also get this with ice cream at Clarabelle's if you want, which would definitely jazz it up.
9.Chicken Lollipop
What's in it: A beer-brined chicken leg served atop poblano mashed potatoes, with caramelized fennel, and fried carrots.
Where you can get it: Hollywood Lounge in the Hollywood Land (Hollywood Studios area).
What we thought:
Brian: LOL, I don't know why they called it a Chicken Lollipop, because for some reason, I thought it was going to be like a chicken meatball served on a stick like a cake pop. The chicken was fine, but for me I really thought the poblano mashed potatoes were the standout. At first, I thought it was, like, a mashed pea situation (I really like peas) because the poblano not only made it green but gave a more earthy sorta green vegetable flavor to the potato, and I was into it.Andy: I was also expecting more of a lollipop than a drumstick, and was slightly disappointed that I wasn't about to eat something weird. The chicken was a little lacking in flavor to me, but the mash was delicious and had just a touch of spice. Overall, this was a nice small bite, but forgettable.
10.Shrimp Papas Locas
What's in it: A cheddar and bacon hash brown topped with jalapeño cheese sauce and chipotle shrimp.
Where you can get it: Peppers Cali-Ente located near Redwood Creek Challenge Trail in Grizzly Peak.
What we thought:
Brian: This one I was disappointed with because I thought I would really like it, and I wanted to like it. The hash brown was good, and the cheese sauce had a good kick of spice in it. However, all the components together were a bit underwhelming in flavor.
Andy: Interesting...it was almost like nachos but with a hash brown base instead of chips. The spice level was nice, but the shrimp didn't have much flavor so they were kind of a non-factor.
11.Chile Relleno Empanada
What's in it: An empanada filled with a chile relleno stuffed with Oaxaca and Cotija cheeses.
Where you can get it: Peppers Cali-Ente located near Redwood Creek Challenge Trail in Grizzly Peak.
What we thought:
Brian: The chile relleno empanada MORE than made up for the shrimp dish. I love both chile rellenos and empanadas, and I never thought of combining these two together, and for me, it was a match made in heaven. It was tasty and very, very cheesy. However, small warning because this one is pretty spicy.
Andy: This had a surprising amount of spice, which I loved! It was also much cheesier than I expected. I think if the shell had been crispier (not sure if that's a factor of cook time or it sitting for a bit too long after frying), this would have been my favorite of the day, but unfortunately, the shell was a little soft. Still, bonus points for portability.
12.Mickey-shaped Macaron
What's in it: A macaron filled with caramel ganache and pieces of Snickers bars.
Where you can get it: Nuts About Cheese in Performance Corridor, next to Carthay Circle Restaurant.
What we thought:
Brian: I had a bit too many sweets by this point and sat this one out. I will say this one was very Insta-worthy!
Andy: This was very rich and very sweet, it would be really tough to eat the whole thing. It was almost the size of my hand! But if you were to split it with another person (or maybe two other people, TBH), it's a tasty bite. It was a little heavy on the peanut and light on the chocolate for my taste.
13.Blueberry Pancake Cold Brew
What's in it: Cold brew (coffee), maple syrup, brown butter syrup, and oat milk topped with a blueberry sweet cream garnish and cinnamon-flavored cereal crumble.
Where you can get it: Golden Dreams in Performance Corridor, next to Carthay Circle Restaurant.
What we thought:
Brian: I am big cold brew drinker!!! But I tend to drink it with just a bit of almond milk or non-dairy creamer, so I wasn't sure how I would like this. Surprisingly, it wasn't overwhelmingly sugary — it was sweet, don't get me wrong — but the overall flavor was the strong cold brew. I also didn't get the taste of blueberry pancakes, to me it tasted more like cold brew mixed with one of those flavored creamers they sell around the holidays.
Andy: I also didn't taste blueberry pancakes at all, but what I did taste was a perfectly good cold brew. Maybe ours was just a little low on the blueberry cream? If you just go in expecting a sweet iced latte, you'll be satisfied.
14.Raspberry Almond Cake
What's in it: Almond cake topped with a raspberry mousse and fresh raspberries.
Where you can get: Uncork California in Performance Corridor, next to the waterfall.
What we thought:
Brian: The cake itself was fine, if a little on the bland side. However, the raspberry mousse was delicious, and I really wish it had come with more of that because it truly made the cake. Andy: Agreed, I didn't get a ton of raspberry flavor here, which made the whole cake a little bland. There was some almond flavor, but not enough to stand on its own. The cake was quite dense. If this had included a couple more raspberries and more of the cream, it would have been really good!
15.Butterscotch Banana Churro
What's in it: A churro rolled in banana-flavored sugar and topped with butterscotch icing and banana chip crumbleWhere you can get: Willie’s Churros at the entrance to Grizzly Peak from Buena Vista Street.
What we thought:
Brian: One thing I am going to do any time I go to Disney is get a churro. I am also not opposed to having a churro that breaks away from the classic Disney Churro. But this one for me is a nope, because it's, well, SWEET. It's really perfect for anyone who really has a sweet tooth or enjoys an indulgent sugary treat every once in a while.Andy: Holy sweet! I have a sweet tooth so I absolutely devoured this, but there was so much sugar that my teeth literally hurt a little after. I don't think I could eat both pieces, but just one was perfect. The flavors really punch you in the face here, so you definitely have to like banana and butterscotch a lot, but if you do...you're gonna love this.
If you're interested in checking out the Food & Wine Festival for yourself, it's currently running now until April 22, 2024. You can find more information about it over at the Disneyland Resort website.
Note: BuzzFeed was provided tickets and passes to Disney California Adventure Food & Wine Festival, but was under no obligation to give a positive review!
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