Loaded Bavarian Pretzel Review: Is Parkside Fare’s Upgrade Worth $15.99?
We tried the Loaded Bavarian Pretzel at Universal Studios Florida’s Parkside Fare kiosk near Springfield, USA. Is the new Loaded Bavarian Pretzel at Parkside Fare worth $15.99, or should you spend that on a Krusty Burger platter instead? Here’s our full breakdown.
Parkside Fare, the food and beverage kiosk tucked between Springfield, USA and DreamWorks Land at Universal Studios Florida, recently refreshed its menu and look, and the standout addition is the Loaded Bavarian Pretzel. At $15.99 before any annual pass discount, it is not a cheap snack, so we grabbed one to see whether it earns its spot on your park food budget, or whether that money is better spent twenty steps away at Krusty Burger.
What Is the Loaded Bavarian Pretzel?
Served up in a sturdy cardboard tray, this golden-brown Loaded Bavarian Pretzel from Parkside Fare brings a full charcuterie experience right into the palm of your hand. Generously dusted with coarse white pretzel salt, the base is warm, glossy, and baked to a deep reddish-brown finish.
Folded onto skewer sticks and resting right across the center loop of the pretzel is a pile of cured meats. Tucked into the side loops are sliced dill pickles to add a tart crunch, along with two dipping cups featuring warm beer cheese sauce and tangy mustard. With the green, outdoor Parkside Fare kiosk in the soft-focus background, it’s a picture-perfect, savory theme park snack ready to share between rides.
The menu describes it simply as a giant pretzel loaded with cheese sauce, pickles, charcuterie meats, and DijonFare’s answer to a snack that feels mustard. It is Parkside Fare’s answer to a snack that wants to feel a little more substantial than your average park pretzel, without becoming a full entree.
Loaded Bavarian Pretzel Foodie Thoughts
The Loaded Bavarian Pretzel itself is large, and it is salted properly, which matters more than people give it credit for. A lot of park pretzels either go too heavy on the salt or barely season the dough at all, and this one lands in the right spot.
The charcuterie element is where you should set expectations. You get two kinds of meat, but they come out as six slices, not the fanned-out, artfully arranged charcuterie board look the name might suggest. That said, the format actually works in your favor here. Since the pretzel is split and the meat is laid out in slices, you can build little pretzel sandwiches as you go, which makes it feel more interactive and honestly more filling than if everything had just been piled on top.
The cheese sauce with the Loaded Bavarian Pretzel is standard park cheese sauce, nothing new here, but it does its job of tying the pretzel, meat, and pickles together. The Dijon mustard is a genuine highlight. It has real bite to it, not the flat, barely there mustard packets you sometimes get at quick-service spots, and it is the ingredient that keeps this from tasting like a one-note snack.
Overall, this is a nice upgrade from Parkside Fare’s previous pretzel offerings, and it shows in the execution. It is a well built snack that takes the basic park pretzel concept and actually does something with it.
Should You Get This or Pay for a Quick Service Entree?
This is really the question that matters, since Krusty Burger sits right there with entrees in a similar price range. The Krusty Burger Platter runs $13.99 for a third pound burger with secret sauce, cheddar cheese sauce, a giant tomato slice, lettuce, and crispy fries. Step up to the Krusty Burger Combo at $18.99 and you add a shake, or go bigger with the Clogger Burger Platter at $17.99, a two thirds pound burger loaded with applewood smoked bacon on top of everything else. Bumblebee Man’s Taco Truck is also close by with tacos and nachos at a slightly lower price point than the burgers.
Here are our thoughts: the Loaded Bavarian Pretzel is a good snack, but at $15.99 it is priced close enough to an actual entree that portion size becomes the deciding factor. It is probably too much food for one person to treat as a snack, but it is a genuinely great option for two or three people to split, especially if you are pretzel people who want something more interesting than the classic version without committing to a full sit down feeling meal.
Solo or Group Dining?
If you are on your own and you are hungry for an actual meal, the Krusty Burger Platter at $13.99 is the better value, since you are getting a full burger and fries for two dollars less. Still, if you are looking to share something a little different with your group, or you want a mid-afternoon bite that is more interesting than fries, the Loaded Bavarian Pretzel earns its place on the Parkside Fare menu. However, in fairness, the Loaded Bavarian Pretzel will taste better than anything at Krusty Burger.
Additional Universal Orlando Resort Theme Park Dining Reviews
For more theme park dining reviews, visit MSM News every weekday at noon Eastern Time. Additionally, we sometimes post bonus theme park dining reviews. As always, eat like you mean it!
Expertise. Ease. Value.
Ready for your bucket list trip? Our trusted partner, MEI-Travel, will handle the planning so you can focus on the memories. They offer free vacation planning services and have nearly 20 years of experience creating memorable vacations.
Contact for a fee-free, no-obligation quote today.
