Rating Disney California Adventure Festival of the Holidays new Sip and Savor food options
Festival of the Holidays has returned to Disney California Adventure at Disneyland Resort, and with it comes limited-time holiday food. Here is my ranking from least favorite to favorite.
If you’re unfamiliar, Festival of the Holidays at Disney California Adventure celebrates diverse cultural festivities with specialty entertainment, merchandise, characters and, of course, food. The Festival Marketplace and park restaurants offer lots of holiday food options. With the purchase of a Sip and Savor Pass, guests can try six different food and drink items. But not all items are included with pass.
Below I’ll include photos of the “picture ready” foods put on display for the media by Disneyland Resort, followed by a photo of what I received when ordering the same item in the park. The following four foods ranked are options included with the Sip and Savor pass and are brand-new for 2025.
Al Pastor Mac & Cheese
Found at Holiday Duets Festival Marketplace
The first photo features The Holiday Duet which includes both the Savory Kugel Mac & Cheese as well as the Al Pastor Mac & Cheese. The latter is a new food option for 2025, which can be seen separately in the second photo.
The macaroni is thoroughly covered in creamy cheese which isn’t too salty. The al pastor is a salty and crispy pork. When the two are enjoyed together as one bite, it makes for a balanced taste of comfort food. Tortilla crumbles give it a bit of extra crisp.
Strawberry Basil Churro
Found at Terran Treats
The base is a standard churro warmed up to order. It’s topped with a heap of whipped cream, a strawberry drizzle and basil dusting. It was a nice, not too sweet treat, assembled in front of me after ordering. If you’re a fan of churros, this is definitely one to try.
Holiday M&M’S Éclair
Found at Merry Mashups Festival Marketplace
If you’re looking for a photogenic dessert, this is one at the top of the list. In addition to its beauty, it is another option that appeases your sweet tooth while also not being too sweet. In recent years I’ve found that theme parks are making their desserts less sugary. I personally like that, and I think it makes guests more likely to order a second dessert when they’re not dealing with a sugar rush. Although the pastry was slightly dry, the chocolate mousse creamy filling was a nice balance and M&M’S Minis on top give it a crunch for a nice balance of textures.
Spicy Cajun Loaded Fries
Found at Smokejumpers Grill
This item is the perfect amount of spicy for my taste buds. I didn’t find it to be too hot, but each element has a bit of spice on its own. I suggest staying away from this one if you don’t like the heat. Although the meat links don’t immediately seem hot, it kicks in after a moment in your mouth. The fries were crispy and covered in a Cajun dry spice. And the whole dish was drizzled in Red Hot, or some similar sauce. Although Cajun flavors aren’t typically my favorite, this twist on it made my tastebuds happy.
Although it’s not new this year, I would be remiss not to mention the delicious Pumpkin Cheesecake Bread Pudding at Aunt Cass Café in Disney California Adventure. To plan accordingly, I suggest picking up a free Festival Guide. Try the items I’ve mentioned along with many other food and drink options at Disneyland Resort during the holidays, running now through Jan. 7, 2026.
Jeff DePaoli is a live event producer and podcaster living in Los Angeles. He can be heard as the voice of Disney Trivia on Alexa as well as the host of “Dizney Coast to Coast” podcast, where he and his special guests share honest opinions on all things Disney at DePodcastNetwork.com.
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