I recently visited Busch Gardens Williamsburg for its annual Food & Wine Festival, which for the 2025 season features over 150 international flavors at 18 themed food and beverage locations spread across the theme park. The 2025 festival introduces over 80 new food and beverage offerings, including new menus inspired by Poland and China.
Photo © Busch Gardens Williamsburg
Busch Gardens Williamsburg’s Food & Wine Festival offers sample-size portions and sampler passes that allow you to try 10 or 15 of the food and/or beverage offerings. As a vegetarian, I was excited to explore the festival’s meat-free and plant-based eats.
I had the 10-item sampler, which, as of this posting, cost $70. The park also offers a 15-item pass for $90.
Given the heat and humidity, I needed to stay hydrated and opted to use all 10 on food items over the course of two days.
So let’s dive in to see what this vegetarian ate:
Pierogis — Poland (11/10)
If you’ve been to Busch Gardens Williamsburg’s Food & Wine Festival in the past and think you’ve seen and tasted it all, you are mistaken — the pierogis at the new Poland booth are worth the trip alone. This Polish delicacy is a soft dumpling filled with potato and cheese, accompanied by a delicious caramelized onion jam and topped with sour cream. The tanginess of the onion jam paired well with the savory but mellower potato filling. The flakiness of the crust was another highlight.
I will talk about these pierogis to anyone who will listen. I told myself I wouldn’t use any of my sampler items again, but I was so tempted to order another round of these.
Roasted Garlic Tortellini Pesto Salad — Herbal Infusion (10/10)
The booth was out of this dish on my first day at the park, and I am so glad I came back. I’ve eaten a lot of tortellini in my life, and I think this might have been the best I’ve had. The roasted garlic flavor permeated through every bite and was supported by the creamy cheese filling. I was worried the basil pesto might be too overpowering, but it meshed well with the cheese and garlic.
This was another dish I would have ordered again. And if it were available as a permanent menu item at the park, it would be a must-eat every time I visited.
Bourbon Chocolate Tart — BarKastle Spirits (10/10)
Rich Chocolate Ganache, Pecan, Graham Cracker Crust & Whipped Cream
While I had no issues finding savory vegetarian-friendly items at many of the booths, there were several where the desserts were the only meat-free offerings. As someone with a chronically sweet tooth, I had no qualms with that. I had the excuse to eat dessert after dessert.
My first sweet treat was the Bourbon Chocolate Tart at BarKastle Spirits in Oktoberfest.
Arroz Doce Cremoso — Brazil (9/10)
This was a slightly less sweet offering but still delicious. I really liked the contrast in texture between the creamy rice pudding and the toasted coconut on top. The notes of coconut and cinnamon yielded a unique flavor profile.
Koshary — Africa (9/10)
Consider me hooked on Koshary. This Egyptian dish was a fusion of flavors and textures — rice, tender pasta, lentils, all topped with crispy onions and an earthy, tangy tomato sauce. Each bite tasted and felt different from the last. I left wanting to recreate it at home, but I would prefer to return to the festival and indulge in copious amounts of it between coaster rides.
Brown Butter Bourbon Blondie — Highland Spirits (8/10)
This was another victory for my sweet tooth. The Jim Beam bourbon whiskey flavor permeated through each bite, while the walnuts added a subtle crunch to each bite. It wasn’t as sweet as I anticipated, which I really appreciated. The notes of brown butter were certainly present. It was also one of the heftier sweets that I ate, so it’s a good bang for your buck.
Lemon Ricotta Cake — Italy (8/10)
I’m not a huge fan of lemon-flavored foods, but the lemon notes in this delicious cake were very muted. The cake itself was moist with a slight tang from the ricotta. The almonds on top weren’t as plentiful as I would have liked, but they added a nice crunch to each bite..
Sopapilla Cheesecake Bar — Mexico (8/10)
This was another decadently delicious dish. The cinnamon sugar pastry was elevated by the sweet cream cheese. The two flavors worked together in harmony. The pastry itself had a slight crunch, which contrasted scrumptiously with the softness of the cream cheese. It was one of the sweeter items I had, but the cream cheese offset the cinnamon sugar sweetness well.
Panda Dessert Bun — China (7/10)
Steamed Dessert Bao & Coconut Caramel Sauce
While this was possibly the cutest dessert I’ve ever had in my life, the taste and size were disappointing. I was hoping for a sweeter flavor from the coconut and caramel sauce, but the bao provided a unique texture (but again, the sweetness was very muted). It was also very small compared to the other desserts I had, so it isn’t the highest value. But as a fan of anything panda-related, it sure was cute!
Maltagliati — Italy (3/10)
Fresh pasta, Basil Pesto, Olives & Sundried Tomatoes
I almost didn’t order this, and sadly I wish I hadn’t. I’m not one to call something overly salty — I gleefully ignore high sodium warnings. But between the olives and what appeared to be capers, every bite was drowning in salt and brine. I love sundried tomatoes and basil pesto, but unfortunately, they were overshadowed by the high salt content. This was the only dish that I couldn’t finish.
Busch Gardens Williamsburg’s Food & Wine Festival runs Thursdays through Sundays from April 24 – June 22, 2025 (plus Memorial Day).
To learn more, visit the Busch Gardens Williamsburg website.
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