The 17 Offerings From the 2024 DCA Food and Wine Festival We Loved

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A couple of weeks ago, we attended our very first Food and Wine Festival at Disney California Adventure and let me say, it was an awesome experience.

We deviated from our usual tactic of hitting every attraction we can and devoted the entire day to trying as many of the foods as we could, while also checking out the festival’s live music and vibes.

While we didn’t get around to trying everything (we can only eat so much, after all), we were able to try quite a bit - a total of 20 different foods and drinks. Not all were hits, though.

In this post, I’m going to discuss 17 of those 20 that were we enjoyed, what we liked about them, what we didn’t like, etc., in hopes it’ll help you decide whether or not you’d like to try them yourself. Some of them will be listed in a single list, as I grouped one or two into one photo.

Before we get to the list, be sure to also read my post, The 2024 Food & Wine Festival Sip and Savor Pass: 8 Things to Know. If you’re wanting to try multiple food offerings, you’ll want to purchase this pass because if you use it correctly, you’ll end up saving money with it.

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#1 - The Frozen Old Fashioned

Marketplace: Golden Dreams

Price: $7.00

Let’s begin with dessert, shall we? The frozen old fashioned is a non-alcoholic bourbon-flavored ice cream bar, with bitters crema, orange zest glaze and topped with cherry spheres (bobas).

Many online have stated that while it’s delicious, it doesn’t taste anything like an old fashioned and there’s no hint of bourbon. I disagree. I did get a hint of bourbon in the ice cream, but it dissipated quickly. The main flavors I got from it were the orange zest and cherry.

To be fair, yes, it didn’t taste like an old fashioned, but I don’t think it was ever intended to. It has all of the old fashioned elements in an ice cream bar, hence the name. Honestly, there wasn’t anything about it I didn’t like.

#2 and #3 - Blueberry Pancake Cold Brew & Fig Matcha Latte

Marketplace: Golden Dreams

Price: $7.00 (Fig Matcha) / $7.25 (Blueberry Pancake)

Golden Dreams was the first marketplace we tried in the morning when the festival began, so it was only natural that we needed a quick caffeine boost.

I ordered the Blueberry Pancake Cold Brew, a returning favorite of festival goers. It’s made with Joffrey’s Coffee, a variety of syrups, oat milk and blueberry flavored sweet cream and garnished with what Disney describes as, “cinnamon-flavored cereal crumbles”. In other words - Cinnamon Toast Crunch.

Kisha ordered the Fig Match Latte. It’s made with matcha, soy milk, coconut and simple syrups, fig oat sweet cream and garnished with matcha powder.

I liked the Blueberry Pancake just fine but honestly, I didn’t get much blueberry out of it. Additionally, I found the cereal topping to be nothing more than a novelty as they got soggy rather quickly and got lost in the unbearably think ice Disney uses for their cold brews.

The Fig Matcha Latte, on the other hand, was a surprising hit for me. I’m not much of a matcha fan, but this drink won me over. Perhaps it was the sweetness from the fig that balanced it out? Either way, I would order it again.

#4 - Grilled Top Sirloin

Marketplace: Garlic Kissed

Price: $9.00

The Grilled Top Sirloin at the Garlic Kissed booth was in my top three favorite festival offerings. You’ll receive several pieces of grilled sirloin steak with black-garlic chimichurri, on a bed of roasted garlic-gruyere mashed potatoes.

It’s difficult for a theme park to prepare steak bits for the masses without it becoming dry. While, admittedly, the steak was a bit overcooked, the seasoning was incredible. Throw in the garlicky flavors of the chimichurri and potato mash and you have a winning dish.

#5 - The Olive Oil Cake

Marketplace: D*Lish

Price: $7.00

For my money , the olive oil cake was the clear winner of the dessert options. Yes, it beat out the frozen old fashioned. The cake itself was much like a Twinkie, but more dense. It’s glazed with lemon curd and topped with vanilla bean Chantilly, finished with fresh candied lemons, strawberry crunch and a lemon-lime Gelee.

Don’t be fooled by the name, as it seems olive oil has more to do with the baking process of the cake, rather than a visual ingredient. Furthermore, the “lemon-lime Gelee” is straight-up flavorless jello. I didn’t get any lemon-lime from it at all. It’s more of a decorative piece than anything.

Those two things aside, both Kisha and I thoroughly enjoyed the olive oil cake. The lemon flavor wasn’t overbearing, it was lite and refreshing, and the sweetness of the cake was the perfect follow-up to the hearty grilled sirloin dish we just ate.

#6 - Carnitas-style Pork Belly

Marketplace: LA Style

Price: $9.00

Forgive the photo above, but the lighting was horrible in this area of the park and I was having focusing issues with my camera.

Moving on to the food. For this dish, you’re served a small helping of amazingly seasoned pork belly with a side of mac salad, topped with Tajin habanero.

I’ll be perfectly honest, I didn’t give the mac salad the time of day. I had zero interest in it. I did devour the pork belly, however, as it was delicious. It was fatty, but that’s to be expected with pork belly. Additionally, it wasn’t dry in the slightest. We thoroughly enjoyed it.

For what it’s worth, Kisha did eat the mac salad and loved it. She said it wasn’t soupy like mac salad can sometimes be, but not dry either. She also felt the flavor from the Tijin habanero elevated it greatly.

#7 - Butter cake a la mode

Location: Clarabelle’s Hand-Scooped Ice Cream

Price: $7.99

Many don’t realize that the marketplaces (festival booths) aren’t the only locations where you can find special festival offerings. Many of DCA’s year-round eateries have gotten into the festivities as well.

One such eatery is Clarabelle’s, located adjacent to Fiddler, Fifer, and Pratical Cafe (or simply…Starbucks) on Buena Vista Street in the park’s hub.

Their festival offering is the butter cake topped with vanilla ice cream, fresh strawberries and whipped cream. It’s a simple dish that we both loved!

Keep in mind that yes, you can use your Food & Wine Sip and Savor pass for the butter cake here, but not any other item on the menu.

#8 - Cheese Pizza-Flavored Wings

Marketplace: Cluck-a-Doodle-Moo

Price: $8.50

This one wasn’t on many people’s “favorites” list but admittedly, I have a fairly basic palette and I’m not too hard to please. Though my palette has gotten a bit more refined in recent years, I still like to throw it back from time-to-time, and pizza flavored chicken wings fits the bill nicely.

I see what others are saying about the wings being too dry, as mine were, but only a little bit. Perhaps I got a good batch? Not sure, but they weren’t that bad. The seasoning consisted of what I can only describe as the same “dust” you would find on pizza-flavored Pringles. That’s not necessarily a bad thing, though.

I preferred to eat them without the ranch, but Kisha used it as she felt the wings needed it. I was perfectly fine without as I’ll take a solid dry rub over a saucy mess anytime.

#9 - PB&J Whiskey Shake

Marketplace: Nuts About Cheese

Price: $16.00

The PB&J Whiskey shake was, to me, the clear winner among the drink selections. Both alcoholic and non-alcoholic. The shake is made with a peanut butter whiskey (Screwball, possibly), raspberry liquor, vanilla ice cream, Joffrey’s Mexico Origin coffee, with peanut butter and raspberry syrups.

As stated above, this was my favorite drink of the festival. I didn’t get any hint of raspberry at all, but both the peanut butter AND whiskey were apparent. I had no idea peanut butter and whiskey went so well together.

Its price does sting, but it isn’t far off from the usual price you’d pay for cocktails. I initially complained (to myself) about the portion size but considering how strong it was, I feel like they couldn’t make it any bigger without things flying off the rails from those who can’t handle liquor well.

Keep in mind that because this is an alcoholic drink, you cannot use your Sip and Savor allotments for it and there are no Magic Key discounts either.

#10 - BBQ Pulled Pork Mac & Cheese

Marketplace: Nuts About Cheese

Price: $9.00

Initially, neither of us had any interest in this one, as even I felt it was too basic, but we had a couple of spare allotments on our Sip and Savor Pass and didn’t want to waste them. Honestly, I’m glad we ended up trying it.

For the most part, it’s your garden variety mac and cheese (not low quality, but definitely not great) topped with a decently seasoned, fairly dry pulled pork. What helped to save it, though, was the crispy dill pickle onions hiding underneath the pulled pork.

I’m not saying they elevated this offering into a gourmet-level dish or anything, but for me (again, basic palette) the crispy dill onions lifted it out of obscurity. If there’s a picky eater in your group, they’ll almost certainly enjoy this.

#11 - Chile Relleno Empanada

Marketplace: Peppers Cali-ente

Price: $8.50

The Chile Relleno Empanada ended up being Kisha’s favorite food offering. It was a last-minute decision as we initially wanted the Shrimp Papas Locas, but switched to this and no, we don’t regret that decision.

It’s an empanada with a roasted chile inside, topped with arbol pepper salsa, Oaxaca and Cotija cheeses. While not overbearing, the empanada did have quite a kick to it. However, the “kick” was mostly flavor based, instead of novelty heat. It dissipated quickly without the need of a drink.

For me, this offering landed a spot in my top three. Every flavor worked cohesively and had a perfect amount of heat. Additionally, the pastry had zero sogginess to it. It had a nice crisp and flakiness to it.

#12 - Tangerine Tiki Cocktail

Marketplace: Cluck-a-Doodle-Moo

Price: $17.00

This was our second alcoholic drink during the festival and while I strongly favor the PB&J Whiskey shake, the Tangerine Tiki cocktail came in at a close second.

The cocktail is made with dark rum, vanilla-citrus liqueur, tangerine and lime juices, honey syrup and garnished with a dried red pineapple wheel.

It was close to the middle of the day when we ordered this, so this lite and refreshing, tropical drink hit the spot. Though I feel there was a lot less rum in this drink than the amount of whiskey in the shake.

#13 - Napoleon churro

Location: Churro Cart near Redwood Creek Challenge Trail

Price: $7.25

We’ve had our fair share of Disneyland churros. Normally, we stick to the tried and true churro with traditional cinnamon sugar. For the festival, however, we broke from that and tried the Napoleon churro from the cart in Grizzly Peak.

It was more than we were expecting, as it’s actually two churros rolled in strawberry sugar and topped with whipped cream and chocolate drizzle. In a word…it was OUTSTANDING. The only criticism I have, and this is mostly personal preference, is I would’ve preferred a dark chocolate sauce to balance out the sweetness from the strawberry.

While I’ll always love the classic Disney churro, I wouldn’t be mad to see the Napoleon become a permeant fixture at this churro cart.

#14 - Mickey-Shaped Macaron w/ Snikers

Marketplace: Nuts About Cheese

Price: $7.75

As you can see in the photo above, this thing was HUGE. I’ve never had a macaron before, but I have seen them and don’t recall them being this size. I guess they had to justify the nearly $8 price tag somehow.

The macaron is in the shape of Mickey Mouse and made with caramel ganache, Snickers pieces and topped with peanuts. As a fan of Snickers, I thought it was good but at the same time, it was way too big. Definitely bring a plastic baggy for this one.

#15 - The Fun & Fruity Beer Flight

Location: Festival Beer Garden near Paradise Grill

Price: $18.50

During our mid-day break from the festival, we headed over to the Festival Beer Garden to watch a local band, Westside 6, perform a set. While there, we decided to order the Fun & Fruity Beer Flight.

All the beers were good, but the clear stand-out was Fuzzy Logic Peach (number two in the photo above). I’m not sure how to review beer as I don’t drink it often, but it had a great taste. It was on the lite side, refreshing and didn’t give me that bloated feeling other beers do.

#16 - Cheeseburger Bao

Marketplace: California Craft Brews

Price: $8.50

In the interest of transparency, let me state that this was another dish that I had no interest in trying. Kisha, on the other hand, loved it and insisted it be added to the list. So here it is.

My better half reports that the cheeseburger bao tastes exactly as it’s named - a cheeseburger. The bao wasn’t dry at all and the meat inside was flavorful. Topped on the bao are the same ingredients you’d find on a burger, thousand island dressing, grilled onions, pickle and relish.

#17 - Carbonara Garlic Mac & Cheese

Marketplace: D*Lish

Price: $9.00

The final dish on this list was also our favorite, the carbonara mac and cheese featuring Nueske’s Peppered Bacon. If I could imagine a perfect mac and cheese dish, it would be this one.

The saltiness from the bacon pieces, in combination with the garlic, in addition to the crunch from the bread crumbs, elevates this otherwise simple (but classic) dish.

There’s a reason why it continues to reappear, festival after festival. If you’re only going to try one dish at the California Food and Wine Festival, make it this one.

Planning a trip to Disneyland? For information on tickets, be sure to read 10 Best Disneyland Tips: Park Tickets for advice. If you’re visiting during the Food and Wine Festival, read The 2024 Food & Wine Festival Sip and Savor Pass: 8 Things to Know. To read about our recent experience at the resort’s newest restaurant, read Our Experience at Great Maple Modern American Eatery. Finally, to save money on your Disneyland tickets and vacation packages, see our friends at Get Away Today.

I want to hear from you…

Did you attend this or last year’s California Food and Wine Festival? What did you try and which were your favorites? Is there anything on this list you would’ve left off or added on? Sound off in the comments below.

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