The Disneyland Food and Wine Festival is an annual event held at the Disneyland Resort’s Disney California Adventure Park featuring a variety of culinary offerings, wine tastings, cooking demonstrations, and special dining experiences.
The festival celebrates the art of food and wine, offering guests a unique and immersive culinary experience within the magical setting of the Disneyland Resort. From March 1 through April 22, 2024 guests can sample a wide range of gourmet dishes, wines, and beverages inspired by California cuisine, as well as attend workshops and seminars led by renowned chefs and sommeliers.
DISNEYLAND’S FOOD AND WINE FESTIVAL HAS MANY WAYS TO ENJOY THE EVENT
One of the best options to taste as many delicious items as you can at the Food and Wine Festival, while also saving a few dollars, is the Sip and Savor Pass. In previous years, guests would purchase the pass that would have 8 tabs you’d tear off and hand to a cashier. This year there have been a couple of changes that are huge improvements!
The Mouse in charge must have heard guest complaints because there are now two options you can purchase. Now, you can choose a pass that includes either 4 or 8 digital coupons that you can redeem for select food and nonalcoholic beverages at participating Festival Marketplaces and dining locations.
The Sip and Savor Pass with 8 item credits sells for $61.00. However, Magic Key holders can present their valid pass and a photo ID to get a discounted price of $56.00.
The NEW Sip and Savor option with four item credits sells for $31.00. It’s important to note there are no discounts available for this Sip and Savor Pass options
There is also a new way to redeem the coupons as well. Guests no longer have to worry about losing tabs from their lanyards or coupons not being acceptable for a multitude of random reasons. Now, the Sip and Savor Pass is scannable. Cast Members scan the back of the pass at the location. Then, enter the 4-digit code also located on your pass at checkout.
WARNING: Make sure you don’t share this code on social media, etc if you plan on using it more. The code does not change and if you share it before you run out of coupons it seems anyone can use it. The scan code may be connected to your PIN, but I’m not 100% sure.
DISNEYLAND’S FOOD AND WINE FESTIVAL MARKETPLACES
While Disneyland’s Food and Wine Festival is very different than the one you’d find at WDW EPCOT there’s always something for everyone. What makes Disneyland Resort special is it focuses on California Cusine which is a huge melting pot of options!
I’ll start with the spots we had a chance to try food from.
D•Lish – Enjoy delicious sweet and savory dishes sure to delight!
At D•Lish we tried the Carbonara Garlic Mac & Cheese featuring Nueske’s Peppered Bacon. It was delicious (pun intended). This dish was incredibly flavorful and really did taste like carbonara with Mac Noodles. My only issue wasn’t flavor it’s dryness. While I understand it’s really difficult to make large-batch noodle dishes my only wish is it was a little saucier. 8/10
We also ordered the Huckleberry-Citrus Cooler. I typically stay away from drinks like these because they tend to be overly sweet. However, the Huckleberry-Citrus Cooler was fantastic. The drink was incredibly refreshing and flavorful, and I didn’t feel the need to water it down. Yes, Grandma needs to water down her juice. 10/10
Garlic Kissed – Stop by to savor mouthwatering dishes and specialty beverages.
At Garlic Kissed we got the Grilled Top Sirloin with roasted garlic-gruyère smashed potatoes and black garlic chimichurri. This dish was so good I wanted to bathe in the Chimichurri sauce! The mashed potatoes were creamy and flavorful, and the Top Sirloin, while served well-done, was so yummy! 10/10
LA Style – Feast on favorite Southland food-truck flavors.
At LA Style we tried the new dish, Carnitas-style Pork Belly with esquites corn mac salad featuring Tajín Habanero. I really wanted to like this dish. However, the Pork Belly was incredibly dry and tough. The Mac Salad had so much Tajín I couldn’t taste anything else. I think the chefs need to troubleshoot this one a little longer. 2/10
Nuts About Cheese – Let us introduce you to wine’s best friends.
Nuts About Cheese has changed completely this year. The menu is smaller and they got rid of my favorite car snack to take home, the Cheese and Crackers plate. Instead, you can order Big Bad BBQ Pulled Pork Mac & Cheese with crispy dill pickle onions. This dish was pretty good. I really liked the added crunch of the crispy dill pickle onions, and the BBQ Sauce wasn’t overpowering. However, if I were to choose which Mac & Cheese was better I would go with the Carbonara Garlic Mac & Cheese featuring Nueske’s Peppered Bacon at D•Lish. 7/10
We also tried the Mickey-shaped Macaron made with SNICKERS bar pieces! The macarons at Disney are always delicious. They always have great texture and ratios. However, while this one was yummy I wanted more SNICKERS! 8/10
This is where we tried our first alcoholic beverage and it was FANTASTIC! Do not hesitate and run to get the PB&J Whiskey Shake! It’s so good it made me happy dance while drinking it. I even went back later in the night to get another one. 100000/10
Peppers Cali-Ente – Snack on hot ‘n’ spicy fare with a Cali twist!
Even though we shared these items so far, at this point we were starting to slow down. So between the Shrimp Papas Locas and the Chile Relleno Empanada with Arbol pepper salsa and Oaxaca and Cotija cheeses, we chose the Empanda. Whooo! This did not disappoint. The Chile Relleno Empanada is a great Vegetarian option full of flavor and a crispy, flaking crust! Order this! 10/10
California Craft Brews – Cheers to a round from California’s best local breweries.
It was time to round things off with another dessert. So we grabbed the new item, the S’mores Caramel Tart. The Tart is incredibly rich and hard to finish. The filling if very thick and made me yearn for a giant glass of milk. I’m sure this dessert is gonna hit the spot for someone, it just wasn’t us. 5/10
Earth Eats – New! Balance your palate with plant-forward fare.
We decided to watch down everything with another cocktail, the Watermelon Cucumber Mojito. I don’t usually like cucumber anything cocktails, but I actually enjoyed this one. I highly recommend removing the rind off the watermelon garnish before drinking. Otherwise, the cocktail gets overwhelmed by that specific flavor. If I go back on a super hot day I would order this again. 7/10
Cluck-a-Doodle-Moo – Rally for these sliders, wings ‘n’ beer—a sports fan’s dream!
We decided to grab another refreshment and tried the Kiwi-Apple Lemonade. This drink is cloyingly sweet. I needed to pour some out and add water to drink it. The littles are going to love it, but it’s not for me. 3/10
I’m so ready to go back to try items from the Market Places that we missed!
- Golden Dreams – Tempt taste buds with well-seasoned eats and nectarous drinks.
- Uncork California – Sip vino by the glass or try a flight.
WHAT ELSE IS THERE TO DO AT DISNEYLAND’S FOOD AND WINE FESTIVAL?
The Disneyland Food and Wine Festival isn’t all about eating and drinking. You’re still at Disney California Adventure Park! For a short time, Soarin’ Over California is back and they’re giving out free cuties. There are also a couple of new shows for you to enjoy.
Right outside of The Little Mermaid: Ariel’s Undersea Adventure you can find Cookin’ with the Jammin Chefs! This show is adorable! You get to see Clarebelle, Daisy, Chip and Dale, as well as a trio of drummers and Chef Gouda, cook up a dance spectacular storm!
There’s also the Confection Purrfection with Disney Junior’s Super Kitties. This show is great for the littles. While you enjoy sipping your drink, your kiddos get to decorate cupcakes for a Super Kitties birthday party! Of course, the party wouldn’t be complete without a surprise visit from Minnie Mouse!
There are also two Live Music Shows with the Paradise Garden Bandstand & Palisades Stage!
DISNEY CALIFORNIA ADVENTURE FOOD & WINE FESTIVAL CULINARY DEMONSTRATIONS AND MERCHANDISE!
For an extra fee, Guests can attend seminars and demonstrations to enhance their Festival experience! The Wine and Mixology Education & Tasting Seminars are 45 minutes long and each session is presented by a beverage industry professional. Culinary Demonstrations are mini cooking lessons and offer attendees step-by-step instructions and recipe ideas focusing on a single recipe, ingredient, or technique.
Click here for the Full Schedule of Culinary Demonstrations
You can also purchase exclusive Food and Wine 2024 Merchandise while attending the event. Items include kitchenware and apparel. And, of course, it’s not a Disneyland Resort event without exclusive Minnie Ears!
