Foodies flocked to Disney California Adventure once again as the annual Food & Wine Festival got underway with 12 food booths offering small plates highlighting California-grown ingredients.
The 2023 Food & Wine Fest kicked off Friday, March 3 and runs through April 25 with local, celebrity and Disney chefs offering cooking tips during culinary demonstrations, tasting seminars and signature events.
SEE ALSO: Everything you can eat and drink at Disney’s Food & Wine Festival – See the list
The centerpiece of the festival are the 12 marketplace booths offering 11 new food items during this year’s event. DCA eateries and food stands as well Downtown Disney restaurants also serve festival fare.
A Sip and Savor card with eight tabs good for individual items at food and beverage stands throughout the festival costs $59 with a $5 discount for Magic Key annual passholders.
You don’t have to buy your food at the booth where it’s served. The best bet is to figure out everything you want to eat and order it all at once from the register stand with the shortest line. Then you can pick up your food whenever you want. The Peppers Cali-ente booth had the shortest line on opening day next to the rusty water wheel for the Grizzly River Run — way off the beaten path of all the festival traffic.
The festival is great for foodies who love to sample and share while grazing from one booth to the next while on an epicurean adventure.
I tried all 11 new foods on the menus of the festival marketplace booths and here’s what I liked from best to worst at DCA’s 2023 Food & Wine Festival.
Artichoke Pizzetta: artichoke and roasted garlic cream cheese with sun-dried tomatoes, pickled onions, and lemon olive oil-drizzled micro greens, at the Disney California Adventure Food & Wine Festival on Friday, March 3, 2023, in Anaheim. (Photo by Mark Rightmire, Orange County Register/SCNG)
1) Artichoke Pizzetta
Artichoke and roasted garlic cream cheese with sun-dried tomatoes, pickled onions and lemon olive oil-drizzled microgreens — $7.25 at I Heart Artichokes
It doesn’t sound good, but the Artichoke Pizzetta was the best thing I tried at the festival booths. I wanted a full-size pizza of this tiny pizzetta. I couldn’t stop eating it.
The artichoke and roasted garlic cream cheese takes the place of tomato sauce on this “pizza” — which tasted more like a pita and dip appetizer.
You may want to find a high-top table to eat this one if you don’t want olive oil dripping down your wrist as you wander throughout the festival.
Petite Burrata: grilled ciabatta with tomato and olive jam, burrata cheese, pesto, and freeze-dried balsamic, at the Disney California Adventure Food & Wine Festival on Friday, March 3, 2023, in Anaheim. (Photo by Mark Rightmire, Orange County Register/SCNG)
2) Petite Burrata
Grilled ciabatta with tomato and olive jam, burrata cheese, pesto and freeze-dried balsamic — $8.75 at Nuts About Cheese
The burrata wins the prize for the best looking dish at the festival — and it was among the best tasting as well. It’s also the hardest thing to eat at this year’s event.
Good luck sharing this thing. It’s maybe three or four bites — but they are deliciously unforgettable. The tasty appetizer has a great crunch and bright flavors that pair well with the squishy cheese.
The teeter-tottering dish amounts to little more than hand-passed wedding hors d’oeuvre — which makes the nearly $9 price tag really steep. Make sure to use your Sip & Savor pass on this “petite” item to save a little money.
BBQ Beef Brisket Slider featuring Fiscalini Farmstead Smoked Cheddar with dill pickles on salt and pepper brioche, at the Disney California Adventure Food & Wine Festival on Friday, March 3, 2023, in Anaheim. (Photo by Mark Rightmire, Orange County Register/SCNG)
3) BBQ Beef Brisket Slider
Smoked Cheddar with dill pickles on salt and pepper brioche — $9 at Cluck-A-Doodle-Moo
The chewy, savory brisket with tangy sauce had a bacon consistency and flavor that made this slider a winner. The snap of the dill pickles added a sweet crunch.
The $9 price point is a bit steep — even by Disneyland standards. Use your Sip & Savor pass on this one to save a buck or two.
As advertised, this is only one slider — which makes it hard to share. But who would want to? Make your friend or loved one get their own. It’s that good.
Expect this festival favorite to be back on the menu for years to come.
Impossible Al Pastor Tacos: al pastor taco featuring Impossible pork with grilled pineapple and avocado-tomatillo sauce, at the Disney California Adventure Food & Wine Festival on Friday, March 3, 2023, in Anaheim. (Photo by Mark Rightmire, Orange County Register/SCNG)
4) Impossible Al Pastor Taco
Plant-based pork with grilled pineapple and avocado-tomatillo sauce — $7.25 at Avocado Time
A taco is easy and expected at a food festival, so it’s always a delight when it delivers.
Disney does everything right with this taco — right down to the tortilla. The tangy pineapple is not something I would normally expect — but I loved it.
The biggest concern going in was the Impossible “meat” that can be inconsistent — but the plant-based pork was a huge winner with this taco.
The grazing nature of the festival means there’s only one taco here. That makes this dish harder to share. But who would want to? These tacos are delicious.
Wash this one down with the pucker-up sweet Blackberry-Lavender Lemonade also served at the Avocado Time booth.
Elote Paleta: sweet corn paleta with parm crema, chile-lime seasoning, corn crunch, and cilantro, at the Disney California Adventure Food & Wine Festival on Friday, March 3, 2023, in Anaheim. (Photo by Mark Rightmire, Orange County Register/SCNG)
5) Elote Paleta
Sweet corn paleta with parm crema, chile-lime seasoning, corn crunch and cilantro — $6 at Golden Dreams
One of the things I love about a food festival is trying new things that I would never normally order and discovering a new taste that I simply fall in love with.
The Elote Paleta fits that bill at this year’s festival. It’s fun, creative and just a bit outside my comfort zone.
This creamy Mexican popsicle tastes just how it looks: creamy and corny with just a hint of heat. The biggest surprise: The sweet corn flavor of the ice cream. Corn kernels add an unexpected chewy nature to every bite. The Tajin sprinkled on top gives the cool and refreshing treat a fiery kick.
I enjoyed the paleta so much I found myself scooping the melted ice cream off the bottom of the bowl and licking my fork clean.
Smoked Honey-Habanero Chicken Wings, tossed in honey-habanero seasoning at the Disney California Adventure Food & Wine Festival on Friday, March 3, 2023, in Anaheim. (Photo by Mark Rightmire, Orange County Register/SCNG)
6) Smoked Honey-Habanero Chicken Wings
Tossed in honey-habanero seasoning — $8.50 at Cluck-A-Doodle-Moo
The finger-licking good honey-habanero seasoning tastes just like Lay’s barbecue potato chips.
The wings had a gentle punch and a nice crunch. They would go good with nice, cold beer — which the festival has in abundance.
The four wings were enough to make a hearty single course on any epicurean festival tour or share with friends as you stroll around the event.
Camarones a la Diabla, spicy shrimp with California chile and cilantro rice at the Disney California Adventure Food & Wine Festival on Friday, March 3, 2023, in Anaheim. (Photo by Mark Rightmire, Orange County Register/SCNG)
7) Camarones a la Diabla
Spicy shrimp with California chile and cilantro rice — $8.50 at Peppers Cali-Ente
As the Diabla name suggests, the shrimp dish has a little bit of fire that spreads throughout your mouth like a culinary inferno the more you chew.
This one is hot by Disney theme park standards. If you like spice, this shrimp dish is for you.
The rice base plays the role of fire extinguisher to the hot sauce-slathered shrimp.
I could have eaten an entire bowl of the Camarones a la Diabla — but the small boat was more than enough to get a good taste and move onto other dishes at the festival booths.
Kenny’s Family Cheesecake topped with mixed berry compote, at the Disney California Adventure Food & Wine Festival on Friday, March 3, 2023, in Anaheim. (Photo by Mark Rightmire, Orange County Register/SCNG)
8) Kenny’s Family Cheesecake
Topped with mixed berry compote — $6.50 at Berry Patch
The presentation of this cheesecake in a cup means you have to dig all the way to the bottom to get the entire taste in one bite — from the fruit topping to the graham cracker crust at the bottom.
The dense, thick cheesecake sticks to the roof of your mouth. Flavor-wise, the mixed berries on top didn’t break through as much as I hoped or expected.
I desperately wanted to love this cheesecake since the recipe comes from Disneyland resort president Ken Potrock’s family delicatessen — which stood across the street from Yankee Stadium in the Bronx.
But overall, it was pretty standard issue fare — a little drier than I typically like my cheesecake.
Beef & Barley Poutine: potato bites with braised beef short rib, cheese curds, stout gravy, and lager micro sponge, at the Disney California Adventure Food & Wine Festival on Friday, March 3, 2023, in Anaheim. (Photo by Mark Rightmire, Orange County Register/SCNG)
9) Beef & Barley Poutine
Potato bites with braised beef short rib, cheese curds, stout gravy and lager micro sponge — $9 at D-Lish
The Beef & Barley Poutine somehow didn’t come together as a cohesive dish — no matter how much I tried to get all the elements into one bite.
The braised beef short rib was tasty, but it didn’t blow my socks off. The tater tots were a little overcooked — likely on purpose to hold up under the weight of the meat and gravy.
I felt like I was eating off the kids’ menu with this overly safe and ultimately uninteresting dish.
Impossible Nacho Mac & Cheese: cheddar mac featuring seasoned Impossible ground beef, tomatoes, olives, jalapeños, and guacamole, at the Disney California Adventure Food & Wine Festival on Friday, March 3, 2023, in Anaheim. (Photo by Mark Rightmire, Orange County Register/SCNG)
10) Impossible Nacho Mac & Cheese
Cheddar mac with seasoned plant-based ground beef, tomatoes, olives, jalapenos and guacamole — $7 at Avocado Time
I love mac n cheese, but there was just something weird in the mix with this year’s offering.
On paper, this one sounds like a winner with a stew of ingredients that should go well together. But there was just something off — and for me it was the mystery “meat.” There was just a strange texture and mouthfeel to the “ground beef.”
Impossible meat can be hit or miss — and this one was definitely a big swing and a miss for me.
It’s disappointing because mac n cheese should be an easy layup for the festival chefs that typically include multiple takes on the crowd-pleasing dish. This one feels like a forced corporate tie-in that had to find a place on the menu.
Try the Buffalo Mac and Cheese at Paradise Garden Grill instead — another festival variation of the classic.
Roasted beet and goat cheese flatbread with basil pesto, at the Disney California Adventure Food & Wine Festival on Friday, March 3, 2023, in Anaheim. (Photo by Mark Rightmire, Orange County Register/SCNG)
11) Roasted Beet and Goat Cheese Flatbread
With basil pesto — $7.25 at Golden Dreams
Bland, dry and tough are not the words you want to associate with anything you’re eating. Unfortunately, this year’s festival flatbread was all of the above.
Related Articles
UFO over Disneyland? Mystery solved of hovering black rings in viral videos
Everything you can eat and drink at Disney’s Food & Wine Festival – See the list
Disneyland reaches out to next generation of forever fans with fresh new entertainment
Disneyland brings Marvel-themed ‘Rogers: The Musical’ to Hyperion Theater this summer
Disneyland warns Guardians of the Galaxy riders to avoid dangerous TikTok trend
Not everybody is a pesto fan and this is a lot of pesto for a little softball-sized flatbread. Toss in roasted beets and you’re not going to win too many more fans.
This one started off at a disadvantage and went downhill from there. It just didn’t do anything for me. There’s plenty to eat at the festival. Try something else.