The 7 Best Holiday Foods At Disneyland And Disney California Adventure

Mickey-shaped garlands adorn Main Street U.S.A., the 60-foot Christmas tree twinkles with lights and snow dusts the turrets of Sleeping Beauty's castle, even when it's 78 degrees. The winter holiday season is in full effect and no one gets more gussied up for it than Disney.

Both Disneyland and Disney California Adventure go all out with decorations, special events and an over-the-top cultural mishmash of battered, fried, sugary, boozy treats.

For two months -- from November 8 to January 6 -- you'll find seasonal snacks throughout both theme parks. If you truly want to experience the magic of Christmas weight gain, head to Disney California Adventure's Festival of Holidays, which features (count 'em) 14 booths serving holiday food and drink.

Pork belly adobo at the 2019 Festival of Holidays in Disney California Adventure. (Taylor Jaxson for LAist)

()

Braised Pork Belly Adobo with Garlic Fried Rice

This Filipino-inspired dish is a fan favorite. Fall-apart tender pork belly is topped with crunchy chicharrones, creating the perfect contrast of textures. Sprinkled with green onions and served with a side of rice, it's a small, salty, garlicky dish, about the size of an appetizer. You'll find it on the walkway from Buena Vista Street to Carsland, at the Holiday Duets booth, which often has the longest line of all the festival's booths. Now you know why.
$11.25
Holiday Duets booth in Disney California Adventure

Cranberry sangria at the 2019 Festival of Holidays in Disney California Adventure. (Taylor Jaxson for LAist)

()

Cranberry Sangria

This boozy libation is a great match for the pork belly adobo, which is convenient since they're sold at the same booth. It doesn't have chunks of fresh fruit but the drink is filled with an array of indistinguishable fruity flavors. When temperatures are still warm in mid-December, the cranberry sangria, made with red wine and fruit juices, is a good way to cool down.
$7.75
Holiday Duets booth in Disney California Adventure

Habanero hibiscus margarita at the 2019 Festival of Holidays in Disney California Adventure. (Taylor Jaxson for LAist)

()

Habanero Hibiscus Margarita

If you'd rather add heat to your day, the habanero hibiscus margarita combines tart jamaica and spicy habanero syrup. Rimmed with chile powder and garnished with a lime wheel and a sprig of dried hibiscus, the blood-red cocktail adds color and a powerful kick to the classic margarita. Look for it at the Merry Mashups booth, located in front of the Golden Zephyr attraction at Paradise Gardens Park.
$13
Merry Mashups booth in Disney California Adventure

A pork al pastor naan taco at the 2019 Festival of Holidays in Disney California Adventure. (Taylor Jaxson for LAist)

()

Pork al Pastor Naan Taco

Drool alert! This underrated taco deserves a lot more hype than it gets. Fluffy, chewy naan is loaded with pork, pineapple chunks and a drizzle of cilantro-lime Greek yogurt. The result is a Mexican, Indian and Mediterranean flavor bomb that combines Christmas and Diwali into a single dish. Grab extra napkins while you're at the Merry Mashups booth because the tacos are a bit greasy.
$8
Merry Mashups booth in Disney California Adventure

A milk and cookies churro at Hollywood Land in Disney California Adventure. (Taylor Jaxson for LAist)

()

Milk and Cookies Churro

Did you think you were going to leave Disneyland without eating some sort of churro? Around the park, you'll find an impressive assortment of holiday variations on the snack. They include peppermint, sugar cookie, horchata, toffee, sugarplum, turtle (chocolate sugar with caramel pecan dipping sauce) and Christmas tree, which is covered with red, green and gold sprinkles and comes with a cup of cherry pie filling for your dipping pleasure. We're suckers for the milk and cookies option, which is a chocolate chip cookie and a cookies-and-cream sugar churro with a sidecar of vanilla icing. It's so good, Santa may skip the cookies this year. You can find it at the churro cart across from the entrance of Mickey's PhilharMagic show at the Sunset Showcase Theater.
$6.25
Churro cart at Hollywood Land in Disney California Adventure

Candy cane beignets at the Mint Julep Bar in Disneyland. (Taylor Jaxson for LAist)

()

Candy Cane Beignets

Disneyland has taken one of its most popular snacks and dusted them in powdered sugar and candy cane bits, adding a rosy hue to its warm, fluffy beignets. Lighter and more airy than donut holes, they taste like a candy cane in dough form. That's a good thing. The seasonal variation can be found at the Mint Julep bar located in New Orleans Square between the French Market Restaurant and the Disneyland Railroad stop. If you want a break from waiting in lines, use the Disneyland app to pre-order this treat. Choose your pick-up time and when you walk up to the Julep's mobile order window, your fresh beignets should be waiting for you.
$5.49 for a three-pack or $8.99 for a six-pack
Mint Julep Bar in Disneyland

Holiday Pozole

Skeptical that an American theme park can do justice to Mexican cuisine? Chill. Disneyland has been serving Mexican dishes for years. Each theme park has its own Mexican restaurant -- Rancho Del Zocalo at Disneyland and Cocina Cucamonga at California Adventure -- and they're both hits. Throughout the parks, you'll also find plenty of Mexican dishes, like pozole, a hominy soup often made with pork or chicken. The vegetarian version at Disneyland comes with all the traditional adornments: shredded cabbage, tomatillos, serrano chiles, lime wedges, radishes and tortilla chips. On a chilly night, head to the Harbour Galley, a small, quick-service spot across from the Haunted Mansion exit, for a warm bowl of Mexican comfort food. The holidays wouldn't be the same without it.
$11.49
Harbour Galley in Disneyland