Best food at Busch Gardens Food & Wine Festival 2024
We visited Busch Gardens Tampa Bay for the annual Busch Gardens Food & Wine Festival 2024, and we’re sharing the best food items we tried.
Busch Gardens Tampa Bay Food & Wine Festival 2024 runs on Saturdays and Sundays through May 19, 2024, beginning at noon on each festival day.
2024 marks the tenth year of this festival at Busch Gardens Tampa Bay, with nightly concerts, each Saturday and Sunday (included with admission). Musical artists performing include Goo Goo Dolls, Starship, Tauren Wells, Owl City, and Gavin DeGraw. However, the festival food is the main attraction for many theme park guests.
We were invited to the VIP Preview of the Busch Gardens Food & Wine Festival 2024 where we were allowed to preview some of the Food & Wine Festival food and beverage booths the day before the festival started. That evening, we experienced some of the same food and beverages guests can buy during their day at Busch Gardens, but since it was a preview, many new and returning items were unavailable.
Nevertheless, we enjoyed several items during this special preview and we’re sharing our picks for the best food items at this year’s festival.
Best Food at Busch Gardens Food & Wine Festival 2024
Bobotie
We tried all the food items at the South African food and beverage booth, including a version of lemon meringue pie and “Bunny Chow,” which consists of a hearty curry stew with Indian spice served in a small bread bowl. Both were good; however, our favorite item was the Bobotie, which returns to Food & Wine this year.
According to Busch Gardens’ description, Bobotie includes ground beef with flavors of turmeric and curry and a touch of sweetness from raisins and apricots. It is finished with a custard and then baked.
We compared this item to a breakfast casserole. The egg custard gives the feeling of comfort food from the southern areas of the United States and the ground beef paired well with the other components. Our group members plan to get this again on a future weekend since we enjoyed it so much.
Chicken Empanada
Another returning item that made our best list is the Chicken Empanada at the Argentina food and beverage booth. This empanada consists of chicken and cheese wrapped in a flaky pastry, which is fried and topped with a smoky and spicy tomato adobo sauce.
Of the items we tried, these empanadas brought the most kick. And while the adobo sauce will not overwhelm most guests, those opposed to “spicy” foods might steer clear of this one.
Despite that, we found the sauce brought good heat and flavor and the chicken and cheese came well prepared. In addition, we appreciated the larger portion size as this was easily sharable. Of course, if you like empanadas, get this one for yourself. We will not judge you for failing to share.
Halifax Donair
Before attending this event, we had no idea what a Halifax Donair was. We would have guessed something from Canada based on the name, and that would have been correct since these new food items can be purchased from the Canada food and beverage booth.
The menu description for the Halifax Donair reads, “The Canadian version of a Gyro is this Greek-style beef wrapped in Pita, Sliced Onions, and Tomato, topped with Sweet Condensed Milk and Garlic Sauce.” We enjoyed this despite the odd feeling of eating a gyro from Canada.
The beef had above-average flavor for this type of item and the topping brings the entrée together. Though we would have preferred a sturdier pita, the balance of the pita bread, beef, and other components made this a new festival food item that most guests will value.
Honorable Mentions
Two other new food items we tried during the preview were enjoyed almost as much as the Halifax Donair: the Hot Smoked Salmon Sandwich (from the Canada booth) and the Green Curry Chicken Pie (from the Australian booth).
Hot Smoked Salmon Sandwich
This sandwich does overwhelm with robust flavor, but the Hot Smoked Salmon Sandwich still provides a pleasant festival food experience.
The menu description reads, “Cherry and Oak Smoked Salmon served with a Spicy Maple Syrup Cole Slaw encased in a Brioche Bun.” Though we would have preferred a more significant portion size, this festival item delivers on the promises of the menu description.
The salmon comes reasonably smoked, enhancing its flavor and the slaw brings just enough spicy maple syrup to the sandwich without overwhelming any other component. The brioche bun does more than hold this sandwich together; it provides just enough hearty texture and flavor to allow the salmon to shine .
Green Curry Chicken Pie
The Australian food and beverage festival booth presented an unexpected version of Aussie cuisine, including a Green Curry Chicken Pie in a pastry shell (we noticed this same pastry shell was also used for several other festival dishes this year).
The chicken pie consists of ginger, bamboo shoots, chicken, green curry, and basil, with prominent flavors in this dish revolving around the chicken, basil, and ginger.
For those expecting a spicy kick from the curry, this curry does not have those characteristics. Still, we found the green curry worked well with the other components and this festival item should work for those who enjoy chicken with an Asian-themed twist.
Busch Gardens Food & Wine 2024
Guests can buy Food & Wine Festival Sampler Lanyards starting at $70 for ten samples. Please visit the Busch Gardens website for more information about the Food & Wine Festival.
Our trip to Busch Gardens Food & Wine for this preview provided a pleasant experience and we thank Busch Gardens for the invitation. We look forward to returning to try several of the new festival food offerings at the event through May 19, 2024.
We also have several articles on our website from visits to other theme park food festivals, including Disney’s California Adventure Food & Wine and Epcot’s Flower & Garden Festival. We wish you a fabulous time trying out theme park festival food on your next visit to Busch Gardens or any other theme park.
