As invited media, Disney provided WDWNT with a gift card for food and beverages, so some of the following coverage was hosted. As always, WDWNT will still provide our honest thoughts on all below.
The 2025 Festival of Holidays has begun at Disney California Adventure. In this review, you’ll find our thoughts on all of the new menu items available at the festival.
DCA Festival of Holidays Locations
Festival Marketplaces
The marketplaces are all in the Performance Corridor.
Holiday Duets
Holiday Duets is outside The Little Mermaid ~ Ariel’s Undersea Adventure.
Food:
- 🆕Al Pastor Mac & Cheese – $9
Beverages:
- 🆕Trumer Brewery Doppelgänger Northern Lager – $17
- 🆕Trademark Brewing Perfect Gentleman West Coast IPA – $18.50
- 🆕Great Notion Brewing Northleft Hazy IPA – $18.50
- 🆕Kern River Brewing Co. Winter IPA – $18.50
- 🆕Holiday Hops Flight – $20.50
*NEW* Al Pastor Mac & Cheese – $9
with tortilla crumble and cilantro
This is a solid riff on mac and cheese. The meat is tender and flavorful, blending well with the creamy, cheesy pasta. The crushed tortilla chips are a good textural stand-in for the traditional breadcrumbs. We just wish there wasn’t so much cilantro on top.
This is also available as a half portion in The Holiday Duet with the Savory Kugel Mac & Cheese.
Rating out of 7: 5
A Twist on Tradition
A Twist on Tradition is outside Sonoma Terrace and Wine Country Trattoria, near the San Fransokyo Square lagoon.
Food:
- 🆕Holiday Turkey Leg – $16.75
Beverages:
- 🆕Salted Caramel Brownie White Russian – $19
*NEW* Holiday Turkey Leg – $16.75
with cranberry sauce
Yes, we’re giving a turkey leg a 7. But trust us. The herby, robust flavor and seasoning permeate through the skin into the meat, which is juicy and tender and basically shredded under our forks. A bite with the included cranberry sauce really turns it into a delicious Thanksgiving dinner in a single turkey leg.
Rating out of 7: 7
*NEW* Salted Caramel Brownie White Russian – $19
Vodka, coffee liqueur, oat milk, and cookie butter and chocolate fudge syrups garnished with salted caramel whipped cream and a brownie
As the name implies, this is a very sweet drink. The brownie garnish is just a basic glazed brownie bite, nothing special. At first it just tasted like sweet milk, but a stir evened the flavors out and helped us taste some of the vodka. Still, don’t get this if you’re not a fan of drinks that could double as dessert.
Rating out of 7: 5
Brews & Bites
Brews & Bites is next to A Twist on Tradition, next to the lagoon.
Beverages:
- 🆕Garage Brewing Co. Churro Ale – $17
- 🆕Brewery X Apricot Shhhwheat Ale – $17
- 🆕Unsung Brewing Co. Chocolate Snowball Blonde Ale – $17
- 🆕Study Break Peppermint Mocha Hard Seltzer – $17
- 🆕Irish Hot Cocoa Cocktail – $19
*NEW* Irish Hot Cocoa Cocktail – $19
Irish whiskey, Hot Cocoa by Joffrey’s with cookies and cream flavors, melted chocolate, hazelnut purée, and Irish cream syrup garnished with whipped cream
The first sip was just a straight blast of Irish whiskey with a touch of hot cocoa. All the cookies and cream settled in the bottom. Stirring helped tamp down the alcohol flavor and bring the chocolate to the forefront. While it’s not bad, it’s still $19 for a small drink that’s just hot cocoa with a splash of whiskey.
Rating out of 7: 4
Grandma’s Recipes
You’ll find Grandma’s Recipes near the main entrance to Avengers Campus.
Beverages:
- 🆕Café de Olla Carajillo Cocktail – $19
*NEW* Café de Olla Carajillo Cocktail – $19
Spanish liqueur, Joffrey’s Mexico Origin Coffee, whole and condensed milk, and house-made spiced piloncillo syrup topped with a chocolate dulce de leche sweet cream and garnished with a mini pan dulce
This coffee cocktail is rich and sweet, with a unique piquancy we couldn’t quite place. We got all the flavors of the spicy café de olla but it didn’t balance out the sweetness of the condensed milk and piloncillo. It came with a mini pan dulce, which, while cute, was unfortunately stale.
Rating out of 7: 4
Favorite Things
Favorite Things is outside Golden Zephyr, across from Seaside Souvenirs.
Beverages:
- 🆕Winter Citrus New York Sour – $18.50
*NEW* Winter Citrus New York Sour – $18.50
Bourbon, Aperol, grapefruit and lime juices, winter citrus syrup, and sweet & sour mix garnished with a float of red wine
A perfect Christmas cocktail! The refreshing citrus plays perfectly with the red wine float on top and melds into a warming bourbon-spiked finish. We thoroughly enjoyed this and would order it again.
Rating out of 7: 7
Merry Mashups
The Merry Mashups booth is across from the main entrance to Avengers Campus, near Golden Vine House – A Disney Vacation Club Welcome Home Center.
Food:
- 🆕Holiday M&M’S Éclair – $7.75
Beverages:
- 🆕Tropical Holiday Punch – $9
- 🆕Blue Tropical Cocktail – $18.50
*NEW* Holiday M&M’S Éclair – $7.75
filled with milk chocolate mousse and topped with whipped ganache and M&M’S Milk Chocolate Minis
While the presentation is adorable, the taste leaves a lot to be desired. It’s not fresh at all. The eclair tasted bland and stale. The icing and ganache were just sweet. The milk chocolate mousse was fine but it was the only redeeming quality here.
Rating out of 7: 2
*NEW* Tropical Holiday Punch – $9
Pineapple, orange and lemon juices, blue raspberry syrup, and coconut purée garnished with a blue raspberry gummy candy (Non-alcoholic)
Despite its electric blue color, the flavor of this beverage is fresh and juicy, with the sweetness coming from the blend of juices as opposed to anything artificial. It’s a nice blend of tropical juices with coconut. The gummy is a basic blue raspberry gummy slice.
Rating out of 7: 3
*NEW* Blue Tropical Cocktail – $18.50
Rum, pineapple, orange and lemon juices, blue raspberry syrup, and coconut purée garnished with a blue sugar-coated pineapple wheel and a dark rum float
This cocktail adds white rum and a dark rum float to the blue tropical holiday punch, giving it a nice bite and a tiki drink flavor profile. We enjoyed this with the rum added.
Rating out of 7: 5
More Festival of Holidays Food Around the Park
Paradise Garden Grill
Paradise Garden Grill is in Paradise Gardens Park, next to Goofy’s Sky School.
Food:
- 🆕Tacos Dorados de Camarón – $14.49
- 🆕Al Pastor Torta – $15.49
*NEW* Tacos Dorados de Camarón – $14.49
Two shrimp tacos fried to a golden brown topped with zesty slaw, salsa roja, salsa macha, and crema served with Spanish rice and refried beans
These two tacos packed a punch! The shrimp isn’t individual shrimp but a seasoned shrimp patty. The protein and salsas are definitely on the medium to hot side — if you’re spice-averse, steer clear.
The slaw on top reminded us of curtido, a fermented vegetable relish. We deducted some points because the hard shell tacos were soggy and basically disintegrating by the time we ate them, partly due to the amount of salsa on the tacos (and partly due to rain).
Rating out of 7: 5
*NEW* Al Pastor Torta – $15.49
Pineapple achiote-marinated pork with chorizo beans, avocado spread, tomatillo salsa, cilantro, and onions served with tortilla chips
This is a decently mid torta with some heat. The hefty portion can easily be shared when cut in half. The real star of this dish is the grilled pineapple, which adds a nice touch of complexity to cut through the spice of the slightly dry al pastor and the pickled onions.
Rating out of 7: 4
Terran Treats
Terran Treats is a cart in Avengers Campus, outside Guardians of the Galaxy – Mission: BREAKOUT!
Food:
- 🆕Strawberry Basil Churro – $7.50
*NEW* Strawberry Basil Churro – $7.50
Strawberry sauce, basil dust, and whipped topping
This is probably our favorite churro of the festival. The basil works well with the strawberry sauce and sweet whipped cream, adding a pleasant herby earthiness.
Rating out of 7: 5
Rita’s Turbine Blenders
Rita’s Turbine Blenders is in San Fransokyo Square, outside Aunt Cass Café.
Beverages:
- 🆕Hot Blueberry Cider – $7.79
- 🆕Bourbon Berry Elixir – $18.50
*NEW* Hot Blueberry Cider – $7.79
Hot blueberry apple cider (Non-alcoholic)
It tastes like warm cranberry-blueberry juice. We got a whiff of fake blueberry before we even took a sip. There’s barely any apple flavor at all — you have to keep drinking it to taste it — or even a hint of mulling spices that would make it feel like cider.
Rating out of 7: 2
*NEW* Bourbon Berry Elixir – $18.50
Hot blueberry apple cider with bourbon
This is literally just the same “cider” with a shot of bottom-shelf bourbon. It doesn’t improve it at all, and if anything, the small size and inflated price make it even more of a disappointment.
Rating out of 7: 1
Cocina Cucamonga Mexican Grill
Also in San Fransokyo Square is Cocina Cucamonga Mexican Grill. It’s next to San Fransokyo Maker’s Market.
Beverages:
- 🆕House-made Orange Yuzu & Cranberry Agua Fresca – $7.29
- 🆕Tequila Sunset Agua Fresca Cocktail – $18
*NEW* House-made Orange Yuzu & Cranberry Agua Fresca – $7.29
with cinnamon and clove
This was refreshing and unique! The best way we can describe it is that it tastes how a simmer pot smells. The fresh citrus and tangy cranberry juices are great together, and the cinnamon and clove give it a delicious complexity.
Rating out of 7: 6
*NEW* Tequila Sunset Agua Fresca Cocktail – $18
Tequila, orange, and Yuzu & Cranberry Agua Fresca with cinnamon and clove
The yuzu-cranberry agua fresca tastes just as good with the addition of tequila. The alcohol flavor works well with the juices and spices for a different take on the classic cocktail.
Rating out of 7: 6
Smokejumpers Grill
Smokejumpers Grill is in the Grizzly Peak area, outside Soarin’.
Food:
- 🆕Spicy Cajun Loaded Fries – $8.99
*NEW* Spicy Cajun Loaded Fries – $8.99
Cajun fries topped with hot links, cheddar cheese, corn, and bell peppers
Shortly before we dug into these fries, a Cast Member walked by and told us these were one of her favorite new items for this season. We quickly learned why. These are packed full of flavorful heat that never gets overpowering. The crispy crinkle-cut fries are sprinkled with Cajun seasoning and what tasted like buffalo sauce. There’s a good amount of cheese and lots of thin hot link slices. The bell peppers are roasted to provided some vegetal sweetness. We loved these.
Rating out of 7: 6
Outdoor Vending Locations
Outdoor vending locations are throughout the park.
Food:
- 🆕Mint Chocolate Chip Cotton Candy – $6.50
Beverages:
- 🆕Holiday Acrylic Flute with Purple Cotton Candy Mimosa – $22
*NEW* Mint Chocolate Chip Cotton Candy – $6.50
Oh boy, and not in a good way. This seasonal cotton candy says it’s mint chocolate, but we tasted absolutely no mint and only the faintest hint of chocolate on the aftertaste. The only reason it’s not a 1 is that the cotton candy was still fresh with a good texture.
Rating out of 7: 2
The new blackberry cotton candy introduced this fall is also still available.
*NEW* Holiday Acrylic Flute with Purple Cotton Candy Mimosa – $22
This mimosa is decent but nothing spectacular. It tastes premade without being offensive. It’s a sweeter mimosa with a candy flavor but not really a cotton candy taste.
The flute is transparent with a yellow-gold ombré design. On one side is “Tis the Season” in white with the Disneyland wordmark in gold. On the reverse is a large golden Mickey snowflake. Small white stars and snowflakes are across the surface.
Rating out of 7: 4
Review Video
Stay tuned for the video version of our reviews.
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