It’s never easy deciding what to eat on the Knott’s Merry Farm menu that has more than 100 holiday food and drink items to choose from — but somebody has to do it and I’m always happy to help.
The Knott’s Berry Farm winter holiday season runs through Jan. 4 with a host of shows, entertainment, food, merchandise and decor at the Buena Park theme park.
ALSO SEE: Everything you can eat at Knott’s Merry Farm — See the list
Knott’s Berry Farm Vice President of Food & Beverage Laura Brubaker talked about a few of her favorite items on the Knott’s Merry Farm menu during a media preview.
What should you eat and drink at this year’s Knott’s Merry Farm?
I taste-tested 10 of the best menu items available during Knott’s Merry Farm and put my favorites in order to help you decide what to get the next time you’re at the park.
The Waffle Tower available at Santa’s Christmas Cabin on the Knott’s Merry Farm winter holiday menu at Knott’s Berry Farm. (Photo by Brady MacDonald, Orange County Register/SCNG)
1) Waffle Tower
Santa’s Christmas Cabin
Served with chicken tenders, mashed potatoes and maple syrup
I always eat with my eyes before I eat with my mouth.
The Waffle Tower was the one thing on the holiday menu I was most excited about before I even set foot in the park.
“Every time we open Santa’s cabin, we always want to do something really neat out of the kitchen,” Brubaker said. “This year, I thought it’d be really cool to do chicken and waffles.”
All the individual items sounded good to me. It was just a question of how they would all go together.
Fortunately, the Waffle Tower delivered. The only question was how to eat it. Getting all the elements into a single bite was virtually impossible.
Pollo Guisado available at Casa California on the Knott’s Merry Farm winter holiday menu at Knott’s Berry Farm. (Photo by Brady MacDonald, Orange County Register/SCNG)
2) Pollo Guisado
Casa California
Puerto Rican-style chicken stew
The traditional Latin stew made with roasted chicken, potatoes, carrots, onions, chiles and green olives tasted like Christmas in a bowl.
The warm soup would be perfect on a Southern California winter day when the ground is wet, the sky is gray and there’s a little chill in the air.
Krampus Fries available at Wilderness Dogs and Drinks on the Knott’s Merry Farm winter holiday menu at Knott’s Berry Farm. (Photo by Brady MacDonald, Orange County Register/SCNG)
3) Krampus Fries
Wilderness Dogs and Drinks
Served with pulled pork, cheese sauce and pickled red onions
This nachos-style loaded fries basically swaps out tortilla chips for crinkle cut fries.
You can eat this with a fork or use the grooves in the fries to load up each bite with some pulled pork.
It’s easy to share, but why do that? As the name implies, you’re already on the naughty list.
The Krampus in the menu title refers to the mythical horned creature who punishes naughty children during the Christmas season as the dark counterpart to Santa Claus.
Snickerdoodle Pumpkin Bar available at Ghost Town Bakery on the Knott’s Merry Farm winter holiday menu at Knott’s Berry Farm. (Photo by Brady MacDonald, Orange County Register/SCNG)
4) Snickerdoodle Pumpkin Bar
Ghost Town Bakery and Farm Bakery
I’m a sucker for food mashups and this one surprised me because I’m not a big fan of snickerdoodle cookies or pumpkin pie.
The result was a dense cake cookie with the soft, chewy consistency of the cinnamon-covered sugar cookie crossed with the sweet, creamy flavor of pumpkin pie.
It’s always a pleasant surprise when you combine two things you don’t like and get something you love.
Santa’s Turkey Dinner Muffin available at Santa’s Christmas Cabin on the Knott’s Merry Farm winter holiday menu at Knott’s Berry Farm. (Photo by Brady MacDonald, Orange County Register/SCNG)
5) Santa’s Turkey Dinner Muffin
Santa’s Christmas Cabin
Served with a side of Brussels sprouts
Santa’s Turkey Dinner Muffin definitely put me in the Christmas mood.
This is another vertical meal with a scoop of mashed potatoes balanced on top of a turkey stuffing muffin all smothered in gravy.
It tasted like a deconstructed turkey pot pie with a side of Brussels sprouts.
“I’ve done turkey balls the last couple years,” Brubaker said. “I wanted to do a snowman muffin.”
The stacked starches definitely look like a culinary snowman. All it needed was a julienne carrot nose and a couple of peppercorn eyes.
Turkey Corn Dog available at Strictly-on-a-Stick on the Knott’s Merry Farm winter holiday menu at Knott’s Berry Farm. (Photo by Brady MacDonald, Orange County Register/SCNG)
6) Turkey Corn Dog
Strictly-on-a-Stick
Made with a stuffing-seasoned batter and served with a side of French fries and boysenberry mustard dipping sauce
The stuffing-seasoned batter gave the theme park classic a bit of a Thanksgiving twist with the boysenberry mustard sort of serving as a side of cranberry sauce.
The handheld nature of the corndog makes it the perfect theme park meal. You’ll just have to eat the fries first so you can walk and eat at the same time.
Ham Dinner Beef Burger available at Sutter’s Grill on the Knott’s Merry Farm winter holiday menu at Knott’s Berry Farm. (Photo by Brady MacDonald, Orange County Register/SCNG)
7) Ham Dinner Beef Burger
Sutter’s Grill
Cheeseburger with a slice of ham topped with honey mustard
This whopper of a sandwich literally puts the ham in a traditional hamburger.
“If you like Hawaiian spiral ham, Sutter’s Grill is going to be the place to go,” Brubaker said. “You can get it on tater tots, on your pizza or in your burger.”
This is better than your average theme park burger and the thick slice of ham kicks the whole thing up a notch.
Prosciutto Pizza available at Prop Shop Pizzeria on the Knott’s Merry Farm winter holiday menu at Knott’s Berry Farm. (Photo by Brady MacDonald, Orange County Register/SCNG)
8) Prosciutto Pizza
Prop Shop Pizzeria
White sauce pizza topped with prosciutto and arugula
This is pretty much what I would order if I went to a pizza place. A ricotta layer takes the place of traditional marinara sauce.
I usually prefer to explore and experiment when I’m at a food fest — especially one with more than 100 items on the menu.
So this wasn’t much of a reach for me. More a familiar comfort food.
Sparkling Cranberry Lemonade available at Chow House Ice Cream on the Knott’s Merry Farm winter holiday menu at Knott’s Berry Farm. (Photo by Brady MacDonald, Orange County Register/SCNG)
9) Sparkling Cranberry Lemonade
Chow House Ice Cream
I always order lemonade wherever I go. So this was another comfy choice for me.
This holiday spin on the classic combined two sour flavors that added the tart taste of the cranberries to the tangy sweetness of the lemonade.
The floating cranberries and flavor boost plussed-up my go-to drink of choice just enough to put a pleasantly refreshed smile on my face.
Dubai Chocolate Bar available at Ghost Town Bakery on the Knott’s Merry Farm winter holiday menu at Knott’s Berry Farm. (Photo by Brady MacDonald, Orange County Register/SCNG)
10) Dubai Chocolate Bar
Ghost Town Bakery and Farm Bakery
Dubai chocolate might be one of the biggest food trends of the moment — and the Knott’s bakery team has created its own version of the popular treat.
It looked like a chocolate hockey puck from the outside. But it’s what’s on the inside that has turned Dubai chocolate into a viral food trend.
The filling blended a creamy pistachio paste with crunchy strands of pastry dough.
This is a great choice for dessert if you’re curious about the chocolate sensation or a fan of the latest fad.