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BEST of the FEST: What to Eat and Drink at the 2021 Festival of Holidays at Disneyland Resort!

November 19, 2021 ,

We’ve had a great time eating and drinking our way around The Festival of Holidays at Disney California Adventure.

It’s time!

This year’s festival runs from November 12th, 2021 through January 9th, 2022, and has a lot to see, do, and EAT. We got our snack on at several of the booths that opened for the festival and we have some OPINIONS.

We made it through a BUNCH of unique treats — some of which we loved, others which we’d skip. Now that we’ve gone through our snack list, we’re putting our festival expertise to use and bringing you the 2021 Disney California Adventure Festival of Holidays BEST of the FEST!

BEST Eats and Drinks of the FEST

The fest featured some returning favorites and some new winners! So, what was good enough to make our list?

Nashville Hot Turkey Slider at Winter Sliderland

Forget Nashville Hot Chicken, it’s all about the Nashville Hot Turkey now! This treat has appeared at the Festival of Holidays in the past, but returned this year from a 4-year hiatus. We were SO thrilled to see it was back.

Hot Nashville Turkey

The meat was tender and juicy, and it had a spicy kick from the sauce, making it fantastically flavorful. The little pickle slice it’s served with was also a nice touch, as it added some coolness to contrast the spice. Our only complaint was that the bread felt a little stale. But, other than that, this was a total WIN in our book. Try it yourself for $7.50.

Click here to see the FULL REVIEW of Winter Sliderland!

Beef Pot Roast at Winter Sliderland

Winter Sliderland makes our favorites list for ANOTHER treat as well — the Beef Pot Roast! This is made of a potato roll filled with beef pot roast, topped with horseradish cream and green onions.

Winter Sliderland

Just like with the Nashville Hot Turkey, the meat in this dish was wonderful — tender and flavorful. The onion and carrot pieces topping the dish were cooked well (not too soft and not too crunchy) and added a nice texture difference to the dish overall.

The horseradish flavor is pretty prominent though, so be warned if that’s not a flavor you love. But, if you are okay with horseradish, we think this is a snack worth trying! You can get it for $8.50.

Click here to see the FULL REVIEW of Winter Sliderland!

Holiday Stuffing Mac & Cheese at Favorite Things

This snack was a TOTAL delight. It’s made of creamy mac & cheese, topped with holiday stuffing. Though it wasn’t cheesy enough for a cheese pull video (we love a gooood cheese pull), it was still incredibly delicious.

Yep, we’re still big fans!

The stuffing flavor went wonderfully with the mac and cheese, and the panko crumbs added a nice texture difference to each bite. It’s an item we’d totally get again. Simple, flavorful, delicious. What’s not to love?! You can grab it for $7.75.

Click here to see the FULL REVIEW of Festival Favorites!

Holiday Spiced Wings at Merry Mashups

Next up we’ve got a bit of a controversial choice(!!) — the Holiday Spiced Wings from Merry Mashups. While one of our reporters did NOT like these at all, our other reporters DID. So, we’re including it on this list, but note that you might fall into the “love it” category or this might be a miss for you.

These wings are served with citrus cranberries. There was a strong sweet taste from the cranberries, with a little bit of citrus flavor in there to balance things out.

Holiday Spiced Wings

The chicken itself was also REALLY flavorful, and the toppings made it even better. Savory chicken wings + sweet cranberries = one yummy snack (at least for some). You can try them for $8!

Click here to see the FULL REVIEW of Merry Mashups!

Honey Guava Pisco Punch from Merry Mashups

If you’re looking for a tasty drink at the Festival of Holidays, one of our favorite picks is the Honey Guava Pisco Punch from Merry Mashups! The drink is made of Pisco brandy, guava juice, spicy honey syrup, ginger, and lime juice. It’s priced at $14, and you can add in a Mickey-shaped jingle bell glow cube for $5.50.

Honey Guava Pisco Punch

This drink is SUPER yummy! It has a little bit of kick to it too, which was really nice. It wasn’t overly sweet from the honey and fruit juices, but also wasn’t overly smokey from the Pisco. There was a wonderful balance there and a great depth of flavor.

Click here to see the FULL REVIEW of Merry Mashups!

Shrimp & Grits at Holiday Duets

If you want some more savory bites, we’d recommend the delicious Shrimp & Grits with Andouille Sausage from Holiday Duets. This has been one of our favorite dishes in the past, and this year was no different.

Shrimp & Grits

The dish was really salty, but also extremely flavorful. The grits were a good portion size and the sausage was tasty! We didn’t really taste too much of the spices, but we’d still say this dish is a winner in our books. You can get it for $8.

Click here to check out the FULL review for Holiday Duets!

Braised Pork Belly Adobo at Holiday Duets

The Braised Pork Belly Adobo from Holiday Duets is another favorite of ours. The pork belly is served with garlic fried rice. This is a returning dish that we’ve gobbled up in the past, and we enjoyed again this year.

Braised Pork Belly Adobo

It was very salty, but the pork belly was nice and fatty and DELICIOUS! The rice had a great sticky and almost crunchy texture to it too, which was good. You can give this a try for $7.50.

Click here to check out the FULL review for Holiday Duets!

Impossible Chorizo Queso Fundido from Brews & Bites

You didn’t think we’d make this list without including MORE cheesy dishes, did you?! Over at the Brews & Bites booth, you can grab the Impossible Chorizo Queso Fundido with House-made Tortilla Chips.

Chorizo Fundido | 2019

Creamy cheese + Impossible Chorizo to add a bit of spice and a texture difference + house-made, wonderfully crunchy chips = deliciousness! You can get it for $7.

See more about Brews & Bites here!

Pabana Cachaça Colada from Holiday Duets

If you’re looking for a tropical drink that feels like something you’d love to have poolside, then the Pabana Cachaça Colada is for you! The drink is made with Cachaça (Brazil’s national spirit), passionfruit, banana, mango, coconut cream, and lime.

Pabana Cachaca Colada

The texture of the drink was THICC, but it was still really good. It was sweet and had a strong banana flavor, and was something we really enjoyed! You can grab it for $14.

Click here to check out the FULL review for Holiday Duets!

Calamansi Melon Lemonade from Holiday Duets

If you’re looking for a refreshing drink that’s non-alcoholic, you can grab the Calamansi Melon Lemonade – made with Calamansi (also known as Philippine lime), cantaloupe, and house-made lemonade.

Calamansi Melon Lemonade

It was actually quite tart and reminded us of clementines. We liked that this drink wasn’t overly sweet. So, if you’re looking for something with a good balance between sweet and tartness, this could be a great pick!

Click here to check out the FULL review for Holiday Duets!

Reuben Potato Bites from Twist on Tradition

The Reuben Potato Bites dish is a returning item from 2019, and we were SO happy to see it was back at the festival this year. This dish is made of tater tots topped with Russian dressing, corned beef, and rye toast crumbles.

Reuben Potato Bites | 2019

If you love the flavors of Reubens and tater tots, we have a feeling this will be something you’ll LOVE. It’s savory, a decent portion size, and so flavorful. You can get it for $7.

Click here to see more about A Twist on Tradition!

Esquites Carnitas Mac & Cheese from Merry Mashups

This is another CONTROVERSIAL pick alert! The Esquites Carnitas Mac & Cheese from Merry Mashups features Oaxaca and Cotija cheeses with spiced puffed rice.

Esquites Carnitas Mac and Cheese

While some members on our team felt like this dish just had WAY too many textures going on, others really enjoyed it. So, you’ll have to taste it for yourself and let us know what team you’re on! You can get it for $8.

Click here to see our full review of Merry Mashups!

Pineapple-Coconut Ration from Terran Treats

If you’re looking for a sweet treat that’s a bit unique, the Pineapple-Coconut Ration from Terran Treats might be a good pick. This snack is made with a pineapple-flavored spiral churro dipped in a coconut-flavored glaze and sprinkled with toasted coconut.

OoOoo

The wonderful and perfectly crunchy pineapple churro paired really well with the coconut glaze on top, giving us some Pina Colada feels. The toasted coconut on top might not be for everyone, particularly if you don’t like that toasted coconut texture. BUT, if you’re okay with the texture and you like those tropical flavors, this is a unique and fun churro worth trying! You can get it for $6.25.

Learn more about Terran Treats here!

Cinnamon & Sugar Holiday Tart at Making Spirits Bright

Finally, when it comes to sweets, one of our favorite picks was the simple but tasty Cinnamon & Sugar Holiday Tart at Making Spirits Bright! It looks like a fancy pop tart, but really tastes like a DELICIOUS sugar cookie! Plus, it’s topped with cinnamon icing and festive sprinkles, and filled with a cinnamon filling that‘ll have you saying “YUMMMMM” as soon as you take a bite!

Cinnamon & Sugar Holiday Tart

If you like wintery spices and sugar cookies, we have a feeling this simple snack will be a BIG hit. You can try it for $6.

Click here for the FULL review of the Making Spirits Bright booth!

BEST Booth of the FEST

Alright, now that we’ve gone through ALL of the worthy items, it’s time to take things a step further. We’re revealing our picks for BEST of the booths at the fest. If you’re only visiting a few booths, we say these should be the ones!

BEST BOOTH — WINTER SLIDERLAND

Our pick for best booth at the fest is…Winter Sliderland! In terms of its food items, both the Nashville Hot Turkey and the Beef Pot Roast were winners in our books. The non-alcoholic Prickly Pear Tea Lemonade was also quite nice with a predominantly lemonade flavor, mixed with a bit of that pear taste.

Winter Sliderland Spread

Overall, we enjoyed how flavorful the items at this booth were. The chicken had a great spicy kick to it, and the pot roast was so yummy. If you’re looking for fun flavors in dishes that are still approachable, these are a good pick. They were hearty and tasty, spicy and savory, and overall just a delight to eat (and drink).

Click here to see the FULL REVIEW of Winter Sliderland!

RUNNERS UP

Holiday Duets

When it comes to runners-up for best booth, we had a few picks. First up, we have the Holiday Duets booth. This booth was SO close to being the best booth because we truly loved a lot of the options here! Between the fatty and delicious pork belly and the yummy shrimp and grits, we were happy campers enjoying the treats this booth had to offer.

Holiday Duets Spread

Plus there were those 2 drinks — a non-alcoholic and an alcoholic option — both of which made our best of the fest list in terms of individual items. Out of the two, our favorite was the non-alcoholic Calamansi Melon Lemonade since it was less sweet. But, the alcoholic Pabana Cachaça Colada was good too, with a strong banana flavor!

Shrimp & Grits and Braised Pork Belly Adobo

Overall, if you’re looking for a booth with a solid array of sweet drinks and savory food, this is a great spot.

Click here to see our full review of the Holiday Duets booth!

Favorite Things

Favorite Things was another one of our favorites (how appropriate). The Holiday Stuffing Mac & Cheese here is a fantastic option!

Mac & Cheese

There’s also a Hibiscus Ginger Mezcal Mule here that is totally Instagrammable and tasty if you’re a mezcal fan (just be prepared for a STRONG, smokey mezcal flavor).

Mezcal Mule

The booth has a variety of drink options (including a beer flight) and tasty treats that are sure to satisfy your holiday hunger!

Check out our full review of Favorite Things!

Merry Mashups

Finally, we have the Merry Mashups booth. This is our controversial pick for one of the best booths. Some in our group LOVED the Holiday Spiced Wings and the combination of sweet flavors from the cranberries and savoriness from the chicken (others weren’t big fans, so you’ll have to try it yourself to see what side you’re on!).

One of our reporters also really enjoyed the Esquites Carnitas Mac & Cheese. It’s got a LOT of textures going on, so that could be an issue for some, but one of our reporters thought it was delicious!

Merry Mashups Spread

So, if you’re looking for some flavorful and fun dishes and are willing to try 2 controversial best of the fest picks, this could be a good spot to check out.

Want to see our FULL REVIEW of Merry Mashups? Click here!

Best of the Fest for Kids

Now let’s talk about the best option for kiddos! While there are a few different options that kids would enjoy at the festival, our top 3 picks are:

Gingerbread Cookie with Sprinkles at Grandma’s Recipes

The cookie was a total winner for us. The gingerbread cookie itself was nice and thick, and it had the perfect amount of soft, chewiness.

Gingerbread Mickey

It’s a sweet and simple Mickey-shaped treat that we think kids will really enjoy. You can grab it for $5.25.

See our FULL review of Grandma’s Recipes here!

Cinnamon & Sugar Holiday Tart at Making Spirits Bright

Another easy pick for kids is the Cinnamon & Sugar Holiday Tart from Making Spirits Bright! Sugar cookie + cinnamon filling + cinnamon icing + festive sprinkles — there’s really NO way to go wrong here (unless your kiddo isn’t a fan of those flavors).

Cinnamon Filling

Overall, if your little one is a fan of those sugar cookie and sort-of cinnamon roll-type flavors, we think this will make them very happy (and might give them a bit of a sugar rush, so be warned!!). The tart is priced at $6.

See our review of the Making Spirits Bright booth here!

Berries ‘n’ Crema from Grandma’s Recipes

Grandma’s Recipes makes it on the kid-friendly list for another item this year — the Berries ‘n’ Crema drink! This drink is priced at $6.50 and is made of Huckleberry, Strawberry, and Raspberry House-Made Syrup, Condensed and Whole Milk, and Fruit-Flavored Cereal Topped with House-Made Strawberry Whipped Cream. That’s a LOT going on in one drink!

Berries ‘n’ Crema

Overall, the drink itself was interesting (a bit of a weird combo with the milk and ice, but still neat to try). It’s a lot like drinking a bowl of fruity cereal, which is why we think it could be a big hit with kids!

Berries ‘n’ Crema

It was pretty sweet (again, probably another win for the younger ones) and was a fun drink to try because of the ingredients in it and the whipped cream and cereal on top. If you’ve got a younger one who likes cereal and milk, this could be a great pick for them and something fun to try!

See our FULL review of Grandma’s Recipes here!

Instagram Winner

It’s true, we tasted some SERIOUSLY amazing flavors recently, but some of these eats and sips had some seriously good looks too. A few years back, we introduced the most Instagrammable item of the Fest to give some love to the PRETTIEST items with the best presentation or “wow” factor, even if they may not taste that great. Here is our pick for this year:

Honey Guava Pisco Punch with Mickey Jingle Bell Glow Cube at Merry Mashups

While this next item isn’t shaped like a Mickey, it is a very pretty color, has an awesome garnish, and (for an additional cost) you can add an AWESOME jingle bell Mickey-shaped glow cube to it!

Honey Guava Pisco Punch

The Honey Guava Pisco Punch (which is made with Pisco brandy, guava juice, spicy honey syrup, ginger, and lime juice) is undoubtedly a pretty drink in terms of color and it looks even better if you get the Mickey jingle bell sipper on top. Plus, it tastes great too! You can check it out for $14 (plus $5.50 for the glow cube).

See our review of the Merry Mashups booth here!

We had a BLAST at Festival of Holidays at Disney California Adventure. The best part? This festival is sticking around for a while (through January 9th, 2022) so you’ll have plenty of chances to grab seconds (and thirds!) of all your favorites.

Merry Mashups Booth

Want to truly master the Festival this year? Click HERE to find our FREE DFB PRINTABLE to help you master the Disney California Adventure Festival of Holidays! And stay tuned for more news.

Click here to see REVIEWS of ALL of the 2021 Festival of Holidays eats!

Which of these bests do YOU want to try? Tell us in the comments! 

The post BEST of the FEST: What to Eat and Drink at the 2021 Festival of Holidays at Disneyland Resort! first appeared on the disney food blog.



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