If you’re looking for the best food and drinks at this year’s Disney California Adventure Food & Wine Festival, these are the ones I couldn’t get enough of!
Can’t decide which food and drinks you want to put on your must-try list for the ? Well, we headed to the festival ––which runs from March 1 to April 22, 2024 ––to taste everything, and we’ve found the items you absolutely have to grab.
Below, I’m sharing my picks for the best food and drinks at this year’s Disney California Adventure Food & Wine Festival. Don’t miss these dishes and drinks when you visit! They’re a great way to put your Sip and Savor Pass entitlements to use, too.
Impossible Beef Stroganoff
The Impossible Beef Stroganoff from the new Earth Eats festival marketplace. Photo by Heather Adams
Where to Find It: Earth Eats | Price: $9.00
I’ll admit, I’m a bit biased when it comes to beef stroganoff; it’s one of my all-time favorite dishes. But when I tasted this plant-forward version made with crumbled Impossible “beef” instead of traditional meat, I was blown away. It tastes just like classic stroganoff, with a light gravy-inspired sauce, a drizzle of sour cream, and some wonderfully flavorful bites featuring noodles, onions, mushrooms, and more. I definitely went back for a second round on this one!
Impossible Chicken Parm Bites
The Impossible Chicken Parm Bites from Earth Eats. Photo by Heather Adams
Where to Find It: Earth Eats | Price: $8.50
If you’re a fan of the classic chicken parmesan combination of breaded chicken, hearty tomato sauce, and plenty of ooey-gooey melted cheese, you’ve got to make your way to the Earth Eats festival marketplace to try out this plant-forward version. Like the stroganoff above, the Impossible Chicken Parm Bites are made with plant-based “chicken” –– and I’m here to tell you that you won’t even notice you aren’t eating true chicken! The flavors are just right on this dish, and it’s even kid-friendly (my little one loved the sauce!).
Butterscotch Banana Churro
The Butterscotch Banana Churro from Willie’s Churros. Photo by Heather Adams
Where to Find It: Willie’s Churros | Price: $7.25
Whether you can’t ever have too many churros or you’re someone who isn’t the biggest churro fan, let me just say you need this one in your life! I’m rarely someone who heads straight for Disneyland’s specialty churros, but this special Food & Wine Festival offering just might be one of the best ever offered. The Butterscotch Banana Churro is a classic churro rolled in banana sugar, topped with butterscotch frosting, and then covered in a thick layer of butterscotch drops and banana chips. It’s not too sweet or sugary, but just right in its balance of sweet banana and that savory butterscotch flavor… and the frosting is amazing!
Springtime Bouquet Mimosa Flight
The Springtime Bouquet Mimosa Flight from Uncork California. Photo by Heather Adams
Where to Find It: Uncork California | Price: $18.00
Each year, there’s a new mimosa flight to try at the DCA Food & Wine Festival, and this year, it’s all about seasonal spring flavors. While you can opt to order a full-size mimosa and try the flavors individually, I love trying the flight ––which includes all three of the seasonal flavors ––first to find my favorite of the bunch. This year, it was tough to choose just one! The Springtime Bouquet Mimosa Flight is hands down the best flight I’ve tried in all the years I’ve been to the festival, with a wonderfully balanced mix of options that are so delicious and light.
My personal favorite of the trio was the Chrysanthemum Mimosa, which features rock melon and chrysanthemum syrups along with prosecco and lemonade. However, the Hibiscus Rose and Apricot Lavender mimosas were also so good, I’d totally recommend single glasses of those, too!
Mickey-Shaped Macaron Made with Snickers
The Mickey-Shaped Macaron with Snickers from Nuts About Cheese. Photo by Heather Adams
Where to Find It: Nuts About Cheese | Price: $7.75
Mickey-shaped foods simply taste better ––but year after year, the Disney California Adventure Food & Wine Festival welcomes back this sizable macaron, and it only seems to get more delicious! This oversized Mickey-shaped macaron is stuffed full of peanut butter and chocolate mousse in between two light and crispy cookies. Crack it open, and you’ll find big chunks of Snickers bars inside, too! The top of the macaron is covered with chocolate and chopped nuts, rounding out the delicious candy bar-like treat.
Chile Relleno Empanada
The Chile Relleno Empanada from Peppers Cali-ente. Photo by Heather Adams
Where to Find It: Peppers Cali-ente | Price: $8.50
If you love a good chile relleno or simply enjoy some heat and spice, head to Peppers Cali-ente over in the Grizzly Peak area. This tucked-away festival marketplace features a menu that’s jam-packed with spicy options, from the drinks to the food. And the Chile Relleno Empanada is a standout pick of the entire festival. Perfectly light in its crispy shell, this dish packs a big punch. It’s definitely spicy, so you’ll want to make sure you can handle the heat! I love that it’s a sizable empanada, too, giving you some solid bang for your buck (or Sip and Savor entitlements).
Cheeseburger Bao
The Cheeseburger Bao from California Craft Brews. Photo by Heather Adams
Where to Find It: California Craft Brews | Price: $8.50
Craving a cheeseburger? You’ll find it in this wonderfully flavorful bao! The Cheeseburger Bao at this year’s DCA Food & Wine Festival may not look anything like a traditional burger, but it captures all of the flavors of a wonderfully cheesy, sauce-covered one perfectly. In fact, I found this to be a perfect copycat of In-N-Out’s beloved cheeseburgers ––though the bao bun itself was so much fluffier and lighter than a burger bun, I’d say it’s even better!
Cheese-Pizza Flavored Wings
The Cheese-Pizza Flavored Wings from Cluck-a-Doodle-Moo. Photo by Heather Adams
Where to Find It: Cluck-a-Doodle-Moo | Price: $8.50
If you’re thinking chicken wings that taste like a slice of cheese pizza sound a little crazy, you aren’t alone. But I’m here to tell you that you absolutely HAVE to grab these wings when you visit California Adventure during the Food & Wine Festival. Poised to be one of the hottest items of 2024, the Cheese-Pizza Flavored Wings smell exactly like their name suggests, but I was pleasantly surprised by the seasoning, the perfectly-cooked meat, and the amount of wings in each serving. They’re so good, I went back for seconds… okay, thirds!
Thanks to Disney for inviting us to the opening day of the 2024 Disney California Adventure Food & Wine Festival, where we were able to try out the new offerings and experience entertainment like “Confection Purrfection with the Superkitties.”
