Seven Seas Food Festival Review

The Annual Seven Seas Food Festival is in full swing at SeaWorld

We were invited down to SeaWorld, Orlando on Friday to try out some of the food at the annual Seven Seas Food Festival. Here we got to try out some of executive Chef Hector’s favorite items at the festival.

From then we headed out with our 10 item sampler to try out some more of what the festival had to offer. We have been fans of the food festival for a while now and it’s sampler really is the best value for money at any food festival at the theme parks in Orlando.

Some interesting notes about this years festival before we dive into our thoughts and photos.

This year Fridays are included in the festival for the first time. Which runs every Fri, Sat and Sunday through May 3rd.
There are over 180 distinct items on the menus this year.
70+ craft brews.
60+ unique food items.
50+ wine and spirits.
The sampling lanyard is the best way to try the food and drink at the festival and can save you over 40% if you purchased each item individually. Lanyards can be purchased at the event or in advance. Pass holders get extra sampler choices.
Concerts as always are included with the price of admission. To see who is playing the festival check out this link. Billy Ray Cyrus and Sean Paul are just some of the acts.
The festival pathway that runs from near the entrance to Bayside Stadium is closed this year. New stalls have been opened near to Sesame Street Land.

Let’s get on with our thoughts on the festival. We visited on a Friday and after the media event concluded the park was relatively quiet but it was also very very chilly. Check out the photos below.

Food Review

SevenSeasFoodFestivalEvent2020Map — Here’s the layout for the food festival this year. The event pathway along the bottom is closed. The walkway is still used on concert days though.

At the media event we got to try three items served up by head Chef Héctor Colón himself. From the Italian Market the Palermo Fontina Cheese Meatballs. From the Asian Market the Char Siu pork Bao bun and finally the rainbow cheese cake cone from the Sweets market.

The meatball and the cheesecake cone were great items. I ended up eating 3 of the meatballs while we were in the media area. The pork bao bun was tasty but it was very sweet.

Even though it was a very cold day the cheesecake was very easy to eat. A good start to the day with these three items.

Some items that were on show but not available to eat were:

Duck and Mushroom Bowl — I tried this on a different day, the duck tastes great but the broth is a little less flavorful.

Vegan Ceviche — Have not tried this food item yet but there is a dedicated vegan market this year. The impossible burger looks and tastes great.

Oyster Po Boy — Haven’t tried the Po Boy yet but it is definitely on the list.

Cricket Crusted Bison slider. Yep it is crusted with insects. More on this one later on…

When we were let loose from the media pen and into the park, it was time to try some other items from the stalls themselves. (not before getting an Ice Breaker construction update of course which you can see here)

German Market

First up we both grabbed the Pretzel Wrapped Bratwurst. Sam has had it before and claims its one of his favorites. It was good and went down well. Sort of like a sausage roll in back in the UK. As you can see the prices for items vary between 4-8 dollars but you can get any food item on the sampler lanyard.

The beer cheese fondue is tasty.From the Caribbean Market, Sam opted to grab the El Jibarito Kobi Slider. He enjoyed it but it was not his favorite item of the day.

Brazilian Market returned this year with my favorite the Picanha Steak. Great cut of meat but on a chilly day you have to eat it quickly before it goes cold.

Steak Picanha — Brazilian Picanha Steak served with oven roasted potatoes and tomato chimichurri.

Here we also grabbed the Salchipapa which are sausage and fries topped with a choice of sauces. Turned out pretty similar to cheesy fries with some added fried sausage.

As the night fell it really started to get very cold. Mako was closed due to the wind. The park was pretty empty with a small amount of people enjoying the DJ’s located near to shark grille.

Cricket time (not the sport)

One final stop on the way out of the park was for the Cricket Crusted Bison Slider.

The slider was interesting but I could have done without the coca cola cricket relish. I would have it again but maybe next time without the crickets.

Final Thoughts

The SeaWorld Seven Seas Food Festival is always good value for money. Concerts are included with park admission which happen every Saturday and Sunday. Fridays don’t seem to have big lines for the food. The sampler is a great way to try out new foods for a good price. We enjoyed our day at SeaWorld and will definitely be back to enjoy the festival. Me and Sam both have already gone through an 18 item sampler that annual pass holders can purchase.

So if you are looking for a great selection of food at really good prices compared to other food festivals, make sure to check out the Seven Seas Food Festival at SeaWorld.

If you want to see Sam and Jackie’s thoughts on the Festival check out the video below taken earlier in the Festival.