The 24 Pixar Fest Foodie Offerings We Tried (+ Our Recommendations)
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A couple of months ago, Disney released the 2024 Pixar Fest Foodie Guide and we were floored by how many items would be offered throughout the event. Over 80 new and returning treats are now available for guests to try.
The last Pixar Fest took place in 2018, and it didn’t have nearly the amount of food and drink that are being presented this year. I asked various cast members around the resort if Disney is trying to make Pixar Fest an annual foodie festival of sorts and while no one could (or would) say for sure, the general consensus was learning towards a “yes”.
No complaints here. Personally, we love the food festivals DCA puts on every year, especially Food and Wine Festival. Combine our love of trying new foods with our resounding millennial-loyalty to the Pixar characters we grew up with and Disney has a recipe for success.
There was no way we were going to be able to try everything in the three days we were there (we were also trying Season of the Force offerings as well), but we gave it our best. In total, we tried 24 Pixar Fest offerings in three days. Some were great, some were just ok and some were downright bad. In this list, we’re going to show you what we tried and what we liked/didn’t like about them, along with information such as price, where they’re sold, etc.
Finally, they’re in no particular order. Let’s get into it.
1) Panda Apocalypse
Location: 4*Town Favorites Marketplace (Performance Corridor)
Price: $6.75
Magic Key Discount: No
Mobile Order: No
Rating (out of 10): 7
This dessert features several layers of chocolate chunk brownie and New York-style cheesecake, finished with a topping of orange and red cream cheese frosting. It is inspired by Mei Lee’s (Turning Red) favorite fictional band, 4*Town.
The brownie portion was moist, not dry in the slightest. However, it was mostly all frosting. Additionally, the sweetness from the frosting overtook the hearty-ness of the brownie instead of complimenting it. All in all, it was good, but it isn’t something I would plan a visit to park around.
2) H2O-Rita
Location: Elemental Table (Performance Corridor)
Price: $17.00
Magic Key Discount: No
Mobile Order: No
Rating (out of 10): 8
The H2O-Rita is one of two cocktails offered at Elemental Table. It’s made with a tequila base and mixed with blue curacoa syrup, lychee nectar, yuja puree, lime juice and garnished with a rock candy stick. Essentially, it tasted like a blue-raspberry margarita.
Admittedly, the serving size took me by surprise (in a good way) as I was expecting a much smaller cup. The price tag is on par with most cocktails at the Disneyland Resort (maybe a buck or two cheaper, actually).
The rock candy stick gives the drink “gram” appeal, but doesn’t add much of anything to the flavor profile. The drink isn’t too strong, leading me to believe that there isn’t much tequila in it. If you enjoy margaritas, though, you’ll certainly enjoy this.
3) Ramon Nachos
Location: Studio Catering Co. in the Backlot
Price: $12.99
Magic Key Discount: Yes
Mobile Order: Yes
Rating (out of 10): 10
It’s an interesting choice on Disney’s part to omit the possessive from Ramon Nachos (for example, Ramon’s Nachos), but that’s just a nit-picky thing on my part that 99.99% of the remaining population cares nothing about. That’s literally my only “complaint” as these nachos were absolutely on-point.
The chips seem to be the same ones used in the Lobster/Barbacoa Nachos at Lamplight Lounge. They’re thick, crispy, salted just enough, and don’t sog under the pressure of its toppings. Speaking of toppings, they include grilled chicken, queso blanco, refried beans, pico de gallo, salsa verde, cotija, serrano peppers and radishes.
Again, no complaints here. The chicken had a smokey flavor profile and wasn’t dry. The flavor combination of the queso, salsa verde, and serrano peppers was astonishing. If I had to list a negative, it would be the amount of queso. There wasn’t much and I wish there was more. That’s it, though. Highly recommend.
4) Nobody Like U Cooler (non-alcoholic)
Location: 4*Town Favorites Marketplace (Performance Corridor)
Price: $7.50
Magic Key Discount: No
Mobile Order: No
Rating (out of 10): 9
The Nobody Like U Cooler is the sole drink offering at the Turning Red marketplace and to me, was the clear winner of all the drinks we tried (including the cocktails). It is made with a Joffrey’s Raspberry Rose Tea base, finished with white cranberry, lime & orange juices and cherry syrup, garnished with an orange wedge gummy.
Obviously, this drink is sweet, fruity and is essentially candy in liquid form. I didn’t find it offensively sweet, though, and orange is the flavor that comes through prominently. That tells me it’s the citrus saving this drink from being too sweet.
5) Sea Monster Friends Parfait
Location: Jolly Holiday Bakery (Disneyland)
Price: $6.79
Magic Key Discount: Yes
Mobile Order: Yes
Rating (out of 10): 6
The Sea Monster Friends Parfait sold at Jolly Holiday Bakery is layered with graham cracker crumbs, mascarpone cheesecake, berry blue gelatin and blue chantilly topped with an edible Luca chocolate decoration.
We were fairly split on this one, as Kisha felt the flavor of the gelatin grossly overpowered the dessert (and had a bad taste to begin with). While I didn’t mind it too much, I can agree that it definitely overpowers the rest of the ingredients.
The cheesecake and graham crack crust alone, without the gelatin, worked well together and unlike other parfaits we had during Pixar Fest, the crust wasn’t soggy and had an actual crunch to it. However, once you add the gelatin to the mix, it definitely takes it down a few notches.
6) 2319 Shake
Location: Schmoozies! (DCA)
Price: $9.79
Magic Key Discount: No
Mobile Order: Yes
Rating (out of 10): 9
The 2319 Shake was one of our favorites from Pixar Fest. If you don’t know what “2319” is, it was the code used in the animated film Monsters Inc. whenever a human-related contamination was found. One of the scarers in the film, George Sanderson, was often the ill-fated victim of this.
The shake is sold at Schmoozies, which is located in Hollywood Land near the entrance to the Backlot. It’s a shake made with orange, vanilla, guava and pineapple, topped with shaved coconut, whipped cream and garnished with an orange cone.
Much like most shakes from Schmoozies, it’s huge! Both of us split one and it was still too much. If you’re coming with a group of three to four, there would plenty for everyone to get multiple spoon fulls. That helps to stomach the nearly ten dollar price tag. Again, we loved this one and wouldn’t hesitate to get it again.
7) Joyful Mac and Cheese
Location: Hanger Management marketplace (Backlot)
Price: $8.50
Magic Key Discount: No
Mobile Order: No
Rating (out of 10): 3
This is where things take a turn for the worst. If you read my initial post about the then-upcoming Pixar-themed marketplaces, I mentioned how I felt the offerings at the Hanger Management booth were, at best, underwhelming and lazy. I get it, Disney needed to satisfy picky eaters, but this, in my opinion, was too dumbed down.
I knew I would hate it, but for research purposes, we tried the Joyful Mac and Cheese. We almost ordered the half and half dish, which featured a split plate of the Joyful and Angry Macs, but we just couldn’t stomach the idea of eating the red-dye loaded Angry Mac.
In short, the Joyful Mac and Cheese was a slight step up from its boxed counterpart, but a massive step down from mac dishes you’ll find throughout the resort (such as the Truffle Mac & Cheese at Hearthstone Lounge). Our dish, in particular, was cold, the Cheeto puffs were stale and the macaroni was overcooked. We both felt it would’ve been slightly better had the puffs been crushed and baked into the mac.
Needless to say, it’s a hard pass for us. If there’s an individual in your family (or perhaps it’s you) who is a picky eater, this is their safe option. Outside of that, I’m going to recommend staying far away from these dishes as there are other, far superior options throughout the resort.
8) Pixar Fest Cake
Location: Plaza Inn (Disneyland)
Price: $9.29
Magic Key Discount: Yes
Mobile Order: No
Rating (out of 10): 7
This cake is the flagship offering during Pixar Fest and is one of the only returning items from the 2018 event. As such, we had to try it. It’s sold at Plaza Inn which is located adjacent to the entrance to Tomorrowland in the hub. You cannot mobile order anything here, but the cake slices are readily available near each cash register.
We were happily surprised by how moist the cake was, especially considering how mass-produced it is. The red, yellow, and blue colors you see are simply food coloring to give it that Pixar flare and thus, do not add any flavor to it. The frosting was sweet, as you’d expect, but didn’t overpower as it was layered evenly with the cakes.
It isn’t something I would go out of my way to get, but if I found myself near Plaza Inn and wanted a slice of cake, the Pixar Fest Cake fits the bill nicely. I will say that the price point is way too high for what is essentially a basic (albeit good) slice of cake.
9) Pineapple Coconut Float
Location: Tropical Hideaway (Disneyland)
Price: $9.29
Magic Key Discount: No
Mobile Order: No
Rating (out of 10): 8.5
This was another favorite treat of ours. It’s sold at Tropical Hideaway in Adventureland and is inspired by the Pixar short film, “Lava”. It is made with Dole Whip pineapple soft serve, blue Dole pineapple-coconut juice, strawberry “lava” (syrup) and topped with a turtle gummy.
I’m not a huge fan of coconut, so I was a bit worried that I wouldn’t like it but honestly, the coconut didn’t come through as much as I thought it would. It actually helped to balance out the sweetness from the pineapple and strawberry syrup nicely.
Again, this is another item I feel is priced too high, even by Disney standards, but it’s definitely splittable between two people. Additionally, this location doesn’t offer mobile order and does not give Magic Key discounts. Despite the lack of competition from mobile order, the line here can get long. So plan to arrive close to opening (11am) if you want to avoid that.
10) Una Papa Loca!
Location: Troubadour Tavern (Disneyland)
Price: $10.49
Magic Key Discount: Yes
Mobile Order: Yes
Rating (out of 10): 7.5
The Una Papa Loca! is one of two baked potato “snacks” offered at Troubadore Tavern during Pixar Fest. If you’re unaware, Troubadore Tavern is a walk-up style snack stand situated near the entrance of Fantasyland Theatre.
The baked potato is topped with various ingredients, including chicken, cheese, avocado salsa, sour cream, onion, cilantro and spiced corn chip crumble. In case you’re wondering, those “spiced corn chips” were essentially crumbled up hot Cheetos.
Our only real complaint was the potato itself could’ve used seasoning as we felt there wasn’t any. They seemed to heavily rely on the toppings providing all the flavor, which they did. However, the potato having an appropriate amount of seasoning would’ve made this decent dish a great one.
11) Mood Stabilizer Cocktail
Location: Hanger Management marketplace (DCA - Backlot)
Price: $17.00
Magic Key Discount: No
Mobile Order: No
Rating (out of 10): 6
This Pixar version of a Makers Mule was decent enough. Again, the size of the cup took me by surprise as Disney doesn’t usually serve cocktails in cups this big, but I’m not complaining. The watermelon came through in a big way, making this a rather refreshing drink on a hot day. Which is something you usually don’t associate with a bourbon-based drink.
12) Mr. Potato Head Churro
Location: Churro cart near Goofy’s Sky School (DCA)
Price: $7.25
Magic Key Discount: No
Mobile Order: No
Rating (out of 10): 10
The Mr. Potato Head churro is sold at the churro cart near the stand-by entrance to Goofy’s Sky School in Paradise Gardens. This is one of three special churros offered for Pixar Fest and was he hands-down winner of the three.
There’s literally nothing I didn’t like about it, except maybe there was a tad too much chocolate sauce used on mine. As you can see in the photo above, my churro was practically swimming in it.
The saltiness from the chips (Lays, essentially) blended in perfect harmony with the sweetness of the churro and chocolate. I went into this wanting to dislike it but one bite in and I was hooked. I would order this again and again.
13) Firetown Mac & Cheese Bites
Location: Troubadore Tavern (Disneyland)
Price: $11.49
Magic Key Discount: Yes
Mobile Order: Yes
Rating (out of 10): 8
These mac and cheese bites were getting a lot of hate online, so I was eager to try them for myself as I’m known to indulge on these whenever I see them on a restaurant’s appetizer menu. To make them even more appealing, Disney used gouda cheese (which I love) and tossed them in a four-chili rub to give them a spicy kick.
I’m a bit of a wimp when it comes to spice, but I found these to be tolerable. If you’re a connoisseur of all things spicy, you may even find these not spicy at all. To me, they are more about the flavor of spice rather than containing an actual heat.
My only two complaints were the price and the lack of an accompanying dipping sauce, which I feel it needed. I ordered a side of BBQ sauce with mine, but it doesn’t come with the dish on its own. Offering a chili-spiced ranch or even a jalapeño-queso dip would’ve been fantastic.
14) Mixed Emotions Popcorn
Location: Troubadour Tavern (Disneyland)
Price: $8.79
Magic Key Discount: Yes
Mobile Order: Yes
Rating (out of 10): 8.5
This popcorn has every reason to be hated but to be honest, we thoroughly enjoyed it. In the box, you’re given a mixture of ube-flavored popcorn, M&M chocolate candies, freeze-dried skittles and pretzel sticks. I never would’ve imagined that these four ingredients would work so well with one another, but they do.
For the price, you’re given a rather decent portion size. The popcorn is served in a box with theming to the original opening-day lands of Disneyland; Adventureland, Frontierland, Fantasyland and Tomorrowland. I wish it was served in a bag instead of a box, though, as that would’ve been easier to stash in my backpack, but I digress.
15) Red Panda Bao
Location: 4*Town Favorites marketplace (DCA - Performance Corridor)
Price: $9.00
Magic Key Discount: No
Mobile Order: No
Rating (out of 10): 6 (7 with the sauce)
The Red Panda Bao is a jumbo vegetable and pork stuffed bao served with a side of chili-garlic dipping sauce. It takes inspiration from Mei Lee, the main character in Turning Red, who turns into a giant red panda when she experiences strong emotions.
The bun was cooked to perfection, however, we felt there should’ve been more stuffing inside considering this is being billed as a “jumbo” bao. Additionally, the pork was mostly flavorless. However, once you add that chili-sauce to the mix, it kicks it up a couple notches. It’s spicy, but not unbearably so. Without the sauce, it’s a fairly basic bao not worth going out of your way for.
16) Kol Nut Cookie Whoopie Pie
Location: Elemental Table marketplace (DCA - Performance Corridor)
Price: $7.00
Magic Key Discount: No
Mobile Order: No
Rating (out of 10): 8.5
This dessert sold at the Elemental Table marketplace takes inspiration from the rocks from Pixar’s sleeper hit, Elemental. It’s two cake cookies baked with cocoa powder, with cream cheese frosting sandwiched between and topped with crushed cinnamon candies.
All told, this dessert was delicious. The hero is the creamy frosting in the middle, but the cake cookies were perfectly moist with the cinnamon candies on the top cookie giving it a “burnt” texture, without actually being burnt. It was an all around great dessert option.
17) Lotso Berry Lemonade
Location: Troubadour Tavern (Disneyland)
Price: $9.99
Magic Key Discount: Yes
Mobile Order: Yes
Rating (out of 10): 6.5
The Lotso Berry Lemonade is made with strawberry-flavored lemonade with a sweet cream topper and “garnished” with an Outshine strawberry fruit bar. Yes, you get a whole ice cream bar included with your lemonade.
This drink is practically liquid sugar and is delicious, but only in small doses. Here’s a tip, use the ice cream bar as a stir-stick to mix the lemonade and the sweet cream together. It gives it a thicker consistency and ups the ante on the overall flavor.
18) Blackberry Churro
Location: Tomorrowland Churro Cart (Disneyland)
Price: $7.25
Magic Key Discount: No
Mobile Order: No
Rating (out of 10): 1
I never thought I would be giving a Disneyland churro such a low rating but for us, this blackberry-flavored churro was a miss. While we all know the flavoring for the churros is often artificial, Disney usually does a better job at hiding the taste. That wasn’t the case here, as it had “artificial” written all over it.
The banana-strawberry dipping sauce didn’t help matters, as it wasn’t anything to write home about either. All told, there was nothing redeeming about this churro for us. For our money, we’ll stick with the traditional churro or head across the esplanade to pick up the above-mentioned Mr. Potato Head churro.
19) Carnitas Wet Burrito
Location: Paradise Gardens Grill (DCA)
Price: $13.99
Magic Key Discount: Yes
Mobile Order: Yes
Rating (out of 10): 6
The Carnitas Wet Burrito served at Paradise Gardens Grill is from the eatery’s special Coco-inspired menu during Pixar Fest. For me, it falls under the category of didn’t hate it, but didn’t love it either. It was simply ok. The filling inside the burrito was decent, but I felt the carnitas could’ve used more and/or better seasoning.
The tortilla itself is really where it fell apart for me. Perhaps it’s because I’ve been spoiled with fantastic Mexican food, but I found the tortilla to be doughy and flat in flavor. If there was an option to make this dish a burrito bowl, I would likely rate it much higher.
20) Multi-Colored (Sulley) Churro
Location: Hollywood Land Churro Cart (DCA)
Price: $7.25
Magic Key Discount: No
Mobile Order: No
Rating (out of 10): 5
The Multicolored Churro (or what I affectionately refer to as the, “Sulley” churro) is sold at the Hollywood Land churro cart. Sometimes the cart is placed in the Backlot and other times it’s parked near the entrance of the Backlot.
This churro is one of three Pixar-themed churros offered during Pixar Fest and to be perfectly honest, it was only mildly better than the blackberry version discussed above. The flavor from the white-cherry drizzle comes through in a big way and distracts from the churro. If you like artificial white-cherry, you’ll love this.
21) “Adventure is Out There” Cold Brew
Location: Troubadour Tavern (Disneyland)
Price: $6.79
Magic Key Discount: Yes
Mobile Order: Yes
Rating (out of 10): 9
The “Adventure is Out There” cold brew is the final Pixar Fest-themed treat we tried at Troubadour Tavern. It’s made with dark chocolate cold brew with a butterscotch cream topper and garnished with confetti quins and a wafer cookie.
We all know the running joke about Disneyland and their cold brews. My personal favorite (and the only one worth getting more than once) is the Black Caf at Docking Bay 7. This cold brew, however, was exceptional and came extraordinarily close to claiming that title. This needs to stay on the regular menu once Pixar Fest concludes.
22) Chile Verde Chicken Flautas
Location: Paradise Gardens Grill (DCA)
Price: $13.99
Magic Key Discount: Yes
Mobile Order: Yes
Rating (out of 10): 6
This dish is also from the Coco-inspired menu at Paradise Gardens Grill and much like the burrito discussed above, was also in a gray area in terms of how we liked it. Reason being is the chicken inside the flautas was flavorless with seemingly no seasoning at all. Disney relied solely on the toppings to provide all the flavor. Additionally, the accompanying refried beans tasted like they came out of a can.
23) Silenzio Bruno! Sandwich
Location: Jolly Holiday Bakery (Disneyland)
Price: $14.99
Magic Key Discount: Yes
Mobile Order: Yes
Rating (out of 10): 9
The Silenzio Bruno! sandwich is served at Jolly Holiday Bakery located near the entrance to Adventureland in the hub. It’s a cold sandwich on an Italian roll filled with chopped ham, salami, provolone, lettuce, tomato, pickled onion and pepperoncini with Italian dressing and served with house-made potato chips.
Kisha reports that the sandwich is the perfect meal on a hot day. It isn’t overly dressed, contains the perfect amount of filling (not too much or too less of a certain ingredient) and the bread itself seemed hallowed as to not contain too much bread, which is a common issue with sandwiches.
24) Red Velvet Tres Leches Parfait
Location: Paradise Gardens Grill (DCA)
Price: $7.49
Magic Key Discount: Yes
Mobile Order: Yes (does get taken off mobile order from time to time)
Rating (out of 10): 9.5
The Red Velvet Tres Leches Parfait was probably the most delicious dessert out of everything we tried. It’s served at Paradise Gardens Grill and is layered with a pink cinnamon mousse, churro crunch, red velvet cake and orange mousse, garnished with a chocolate skull decoration.
All the flavors of this parfait came together so well that it was hard to put down. We both regretted not getting our own. So why did I give it 9.5 and not 10? The churro crunch in the middle had no crunch to it at all, which was a bit of a let down. Had it been crunchy as advertised, this parfait would’ve exceeded a 10.
Planning a Disneyland vacation? If so, be sure to consult my 2024 Disneyland Refurbishment Calendar to stay on top of ride closures. Also, learn about the different aspects of dining, such as mobile order and advance dining reservations, by reading my 2024 Disneyland Dining Guide. Furthermore, learn about the recent changes to Disney’s DAS program here. Finally, for great pricing on Disneyland, Disney World, and Disney Cruise Line vacation packages, visit my partners at Get Away Today (use code “INKED10” for $10 off your purchase).
