The Knott’s Berry Farm Boysenberry Festival is a fan-favorite, annual event that celebrates the park’s historic roots and its connection to the berry that put the park on the map — the boysenberry. Visitors to the park now through April 16 have the opportunity to indulge in a range of dishes, from savory foods with a boysenberry twist to one-of-a-kind specialty desserts and drinks that can only be found during this season.
There are more than three dozen total items, including the new cauliflower bites with a boysenberry curry drizzle and a boysenberry waffle topped with whipped cream and boysenberry maple syrup. A great way to indulge in the new boysenberry delicacies during the festival is by purchasing a tasting card priced at $55. The tasting card offers six tastings from a selection of boysenberry-inspired dishes and drinks.
We had the opportunity to visit the park and try a wide assortment of dishes and drinks specific to the Boysenberry Festival. Here are the top 10 food items that are must-tries when visiting the park!
10. Loaded Potato Bowl with Boysenberry Cheese Sauce, Bacon, and Chives
This dish can be found at the Wilderness Dance Hall, which is near Fireman’s BBQ and Calico River Rapids. The combination of Potatoes with all the seasoning items makes for a very filling dish. In addition, the boysenberry cheese sauce adds a fruity but not overpowering flavor to the item. This is a fantastic dish to include if you’re sharing multiple items with a group of people.
9. Boysenberry Panna Cotta with a Shortbread Cookie
The Panna Cotta is one of the best desserts you can try at the Boysenberry Festival. The cake itself has a soft, rich flavor, but isn’t overly rich to the point that it tastes dry. It may also seem on the smaller side, but it’s actually quite filling when you taste it in person — two of these dishes were able to be shared by a group of four.
8. Cajun Shrimp Po’ Boy with Coleslaw and a Boysenberry Remoulade
The Shrimp Po’Boy is one of those eccentric dishes that you would never associate with a boysenberry. However, the Boysenberry Remoulade brings a hint of fruity flavoring to the classic shrimp sandwich. In the end, you get a great-tasting sandwich with a subtle berry flavor that is sure to be a hit.
7. Boysenberry Waffle with Whipped Cream and Boysenberry Maple Syrup
The Boysenberry Waffle is another one of those dishes that is deceptively small for how much it will feed not only you but multiple people in your group. This dish can be found at the Ghost Town Bakery near GhostRider and the Spurs Chop House. It’s important to note that this isn’t just a waffle with boysenberry maple syrup — the boysenberry is baked INTO the waffle itself. This is one of the best waffles we’ve ever had and this dish is a must-try when visiting the festival!
6. Salmon, Cucumber, and Orzo Salad with Boysenberry Dressing
If you’re looking for a larger, meal-type dish, the Salmon, Cucumber, and Orzo Salad is the dish for you. Located in the Wilderness Dance Hall, this salad is a very decently sized portion and is a healthier option than some of the other food items in the Boysenberry Festival. You get a sizeable piece of salmon, and the boysenberry dressing complements the salmon and salad quite nicely.
3, 4, and 5. Boysenberry Frosé, Boysenberry Hefeweizen, and Boysenberry Mud Slide over Ice (all alcoholic)
Spurs Chop House, located at the front of the park by GhostRider, is home to some of the best drinks in all of the Boysenberry Festival. The Boysenberry Hefeweizen is a great drink just like all of Knotts’ boysenberry beers, but the Boysenberry Frosé and Boysenberry Mud Slide over Ice take the cake in terms of unique and delicious libations. The frosé is like an alcoholic smoothie and the mudslide combines creamy milk with boysenberry flavoring, and these two drinks are among the best drinks at any food festival anywhere.
2. Beef Barbacoa over Mac & Cheese with a Boysenberry Chipotle Crema
The Beef Barbacoa can be found on the patio outside the Wilderness Dance Hall, and although you might be cautious about a Boysenberry Mac & Cheese, the Boysenberry Chipotle Crema brings a wonderful fruity flavor to this dish. This dish comes with a lot of food and can easily be shared by multiple people.
1. Boysenberry Sausage on a Hoagie with Boysenberry Mustard
Although the aforementioned dishes are some of the best at Knotts’ Boysenberry Festival, the absolute must-try dish is the Boysenberry Sausage. You heard us right — the sausage itself tastes like boysenberries! This is one of the most unique dishes you will ever experience, and the Boysenberry Mustard adds a sweet and bitter complement to the dish.
