Disney California Adventure’s 2025 Food & Wine Festival is officially underway, running now through April 21, 2025! This annual festival is a paradise for food lovers, offering an array of delicious bites and beverages, special festival activities, unique entertainment, and exclusive merchandise. This year, the festival features eight marketplace booths—California Craft Brews, Cluck-a-Doodle-Moo, Garlic Kissed, Golden Dreams, LA Style, Mercado de Antojos (a newbie this year!), Peppers Cali-ente, and Uncork California—along with specialty menu items at select restaurants throughout the park.
To make the most of the experience, I opted for the Sip & Savor Pass, which comes in increments of four or eight tabs, allowing guests to sample small bites and nonalcoholic beverages from the festival offerings. There's even a Magic Key discount! With my pass in hand, I embarked on a delicious adventure, trying a variety of dishes and drinks. Here’s a breakdown of everything I tasted at this year’s festival:
California Craft Brews
Lemon Pepper Wings with Garlic Ranch – $9.00 – 7/10
Crispy, zesty, and flavorful, though a little overly tangy. The wings were better than the drumstick.
Sloppy Joe Slider featuring IMPOSSIBLE Beef with Cheese – $8.00 – 6/10
A decent plant-based option, but the texture was a bit too soft for my liking, and the flavor wasn't anything special. It didn't look particularly appetizing in its presentation, but did taste better than it looked.
California Punch (Mango purée, guava nectar, cucumber syrup, and lemon juice, garnished with a mango chile lollipop) – $8.00 – 8/10
Refreshing, sweet & fruity, and slightly spicy! My sister liked this one more than I did, as she likes mango and guava flavors more than me. The mango chile lollipop was a little bit too much for us so we just took it out.
Cluck-a-Doodle-Moo
Asa’DOS (Grilled skirt steak and chipotle chicken with Spanish rice and salsa verde) – $9.75 – 5/10
Was not a fan of this one. The Spanish rice was not good at all - too mushy and spicy. The meat was good and tasty, but the dish as a whole didn't really go well together and just didn't sit right.
As you can see from the picture too, it also didn't look particularly appetizing with the limp green onion and the meats and tortilla tossed on the tray.
Garlic Kissed
Sirloin Gruyére Mac & Cheese with black garlic chimichurri and garlic butter crunch – $9.00 – 9.5/10
Creamy, cheesy, garlicky goodness! One of my (and my sister's) absolute favorites of the festival. The meat was a little hard to eat, just because you couldn't really cut it (both because only plastic utensils were provided, and because it's hard to cut on top of the mac & cheese) and it was served in large chunks. But, both the meat and the mac were really delicious and paired nicely.
While this was our favorite food of this year, my sister preferred the Sirloin & Mashed Potatoes from last year's Festival more.
LA Style
Mini LA Street Dog (Jalapeño mayo, pepper and onion relish, Nueske’s Applewood Smoked Bacon, and crispy onions) – $9.50 – 9/10
Spicy, smoky, and packed with flavor. I really enjoyed this one and even went back for a second later in the day. The peppers are pretty spicy and the mayo is very messy, but it had a ton of flavor that I enjoyed. A good one to try with the Sip & Savor Pass.
Western BBQ Burger Bao (Sweet barbecue sauce, Nueske’s Applewood Smoked Bacon, and crispy onions) – $8.00 – 8/10
A perfect blend of sweet and smoky flavors in a soft bao bun. I really enjoyed this one, and would definitely get it again, however, there was not nearly enough BBQ sauce. It was a bit dry and lacked flavor when you didn't get the BBQ sauce.
It was pretty similar to the Cheeseburger Bao from last year, but I preferred the Cheeseburger Bao to this one.
Mercado de Antojos
Birria Mac & Cheese (Onion-cilantro sauce and tortilla crunch) – $9.00 – 8/10
Rich, cheesy, and packed with bold flavors—definitely a must-try. Honestly, I didn't like this one at first, but then the flavors really grew on me.
This was another dish where I felt like it was really good and delicious, but didn't necessarily all go together. The birria and the mac and cheese are good together, but I didn't love the tortilla crunch or the sauce.
My other complaint is there was a TON of oil pooled at the bottom. But, as I said, I really enjoyed this one, so I still would rate it high.
Café de Olla Tres Leches Cake (Café de olla-infused tres leches topped with piloncillo chantilly, cinnamon, and a Mickey-shaped cookie) – $7.75 – 6/10
I love tres leches cake but don't love coffee flavor, and unfortunately the coffee flavor was just too strong for me and my sister. If you like tiramisu or coffee flavored dishes, you'll probably love this one! Just wasn't for us.
Raspberry Horchata (Raspberry, almond, and cinnamon syrups, rice pudding, milk, and condensed milk, garnished with skewered raspberries) – $7.50 – 10/10
Hands down my favorite item of the festival—perfectly balanced and deliciously creamy, with the right amount of raspberry flavor! No notes. Simply delicious.
Cocina Cucamonga Mexican Grill
Strawberry Horchata (Sweet rice beverage with cinnamon and strawberry purée) – $6.99 (S&S Eligible) – 7/10
Unlike the Raspberry Horchata, which was made with raspberry and cinnamon syrups, the Strawberry Horchata was made with strawberry purée and cinnamon spice, which unfortunately led it to have a very seedy texture and a very chalky taste. My sister liked it still and drank it, but I did not think it compared at all to the Raspberry Horchata.
Corn Dog Castle
SoCal Corn Dog (Rolled in fries and topped with tomato and pickle relish, American cheese, and house dressing) – $10.79 – 7.5/10
Crispy, indulgent, and full of nostalgic flavors! This one was really interesting. It was basically like a hot dog topped with loaded fries. If you've had and liked loaded fries from Smokejumpers before, you'll like this one. I liked it a lot more than my sister did!
Terran Treats
Crème Brûlée Churro (Pastry cream, strawberry coulis, and crushed brûléed sugar) – $7.25 (S&S Eligible) – 9/10
A fantastic combination of textures and flavors—a must for churro or Crème Brûlée fans! This was our first eat of the day and it was a good one! While I found the pastry cream to lack flavor, it was made up by the crushed brûléed sugar. When you got a bite of everything, it was just beautiful. Definitely try this one!
Final Thoughts on the 2025 Food & Wine Festival
Overall, I found this year’s festival to be slightly less enjoyable than last year's, but still lots of fun! While I didn't hate anything I got, I was not blown away by any of the foods I tried, versus last year I got several dishes multiple times because I liked them so much. However, I do think the entertainment and merchandise offerings have stepped up a lot more since last year!
The Raspberry Horchata was my absolute standout drink, and the Sirloin Gruyére Mac & Cheese was my favorite dish. If you’re planning to visit, I highly recommend grabbing a Sip & Savor Pass to maximize your tasting experience.
Beyond the food, there’s plenty more to enjoy at the Food & Wine Festival, from culinary demonstrations to live music and even the return of Soarin’ Over California for a limited time. Whether you’re a foodie, a Disney fan, or just looking for a fun day out, the 2025 Disney California Adventure Food & Wine Festival is definitely worth a visit!
Have you been to the festival yet? What was your favorite bite or sip? Let me know in the comments! And if you'd like to plan a trip to the Food & Wine Festival, head to my Book Now page and let's get you there!
-Jill
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