The Wild Tortilla Replaces Tot Topia at Busch Gardens Tampa Bay
Wild Tortilla Busch Gardens replaces Tot Topia in Pantopia with street tacos and esquites, and it is included on the Busch Gardens All-Day Dining Plan.
The Wild Tortilla has opened at Busch Gardens Tampa Bay, taking over the Pantopia location formerly known as Tot Topia. The long-rumored taco concept turned out to be real. It’s also part of the All-Day Dining Plan (which Tot Topia never was), and based on our recent visit, it is already more popular than Tot Topia. The big question is whether this is a genuinely upgraded taco stand or just another United Parks taco counter wearing a sombrero.
We have a future visit to The Wild Tortilla planned to try the menu items for a weekday noon theme park dining review. During our most recent visit, we got a look at the operation. Many things looked promising. However, we still have concerns.
What Is The Wild Tortilla at Busch Gardens?
The park describes The Wild Tortilla as a spot for street-style tacos, fresh toppings, and bold Mexican-inspired flavors. Busch Gardens lists it under the cuisine label “International,” which is a very theme park way to describe a taco stand. The listing is flagged as new on the park’s dining page and marked as included with the All-Day Dining Deal.
The concept sits in the same footprint as Tot Topia in Pantopia. If you remember the tater tot window, you know where to go. If you never visited Tot Topia, you are not missing a lot of history, just a lot of tots.
The Wild Tortilla Menu and Prices
Here is the full menu with prices as provided for our visit. Each of the three street taco orders includes three corn tortilla tacos, a side of esquites (Mexican street corn served off the cob), plus salsa and a lime wedge.
Tacos at The Wild Tortilla Busch Gardens Tampa Bay
| Item | Description | Price |
| Carne Asada Tacos | Carne asada, white onions, cilantro, esquites, salsa verde, lime wedge | $18.99 |
| Pork Pastor Tacos | Pork pastor, diced pineapple, white onions, cilantro, esquites, salsa roja, lime wedge | $17.99 |
| Camarones Tacos | Fried shrimp, chipotle slaw, mango relish, esquites, salsa verde, lime wedge | $18.99 |
| Taco Trio | One order combining all three street tacos | $18.99 |
Sides and Appetizers
| Item | Description | Price |
| Totopos and Guacamole | House made tortilla chips with homemade guacamole | $13.50 |
| Nachos | House made tortilla chips, diced tomatoes, pickled jalapeños, sour cream, chipotles in adobo sauce, Gehl’s cheese sauce | $15.99 |
| Elote | Street corn with chipotle mayo, cotija cheese, and tajin | $8.99 |
Desserts at Wild Tortilla Busch Gardens
| Item | Description | Price |
| Churro Bites | Mini churros tossed in cinnamon sugar with chocolate sauce | $8.99 |
| Churro Sundae | Vanilla or chocolate soft serve, mini churro bites, caramel and chocolate drizzle | $9.99 |
Beverages
| Item | Price |
| DASANI Bottled Water | $5.29 (2 for $8.50) |
| Bottled Coca-Cola Products | $6.79 |
| Bottled Beer (Bud Light, Michelob Ultra, Modelo, Dos Equis, Corona, Pacifico) | $14.29 |
| Drink All Day Souvenir Cup | $21.99 each, second day $10.29 |
The souvenir cup is good at over 20 locations and is limited to Coke fountain products.
The Wild Tortilla and the All-Day Dining Plan
This is the biggest practical difference from Tot Topia. Busch Gardens marks The Wild Tortilla as included with the All-Day Dining Deal and states that all tacos are available on the plan. Tot Topia was never part of the plan, so anyone carrying the plan had to pay out of pocket for tots or skip the stop entirely.
One caution. The park’s page clearly covers the tacos, and the esquites come with them, but it does not spell out whether the nachos, guacamole, elote, or churro desserts count as plan items. Ask at the register before you assume. With tacos at $17.99 to $18.99 for three, the plan makes this stop a much easier sell. If you are paying another way, that price is the real question, and we get to that below.
Saying Goodbye to Tot Topia
Photo by Jon Self
We covered Tot Topia fairly thoroughly while it lasted. If you want the full history of what used to occupy this spot, here are our earlier takes on the Wild Chicken Tots, which we called the heaviest snack in the park, whether the loaded tater tots were worth it, and our review of the loaded cheesy tots.
Tot Topia was a fun, indulgent, very Busch Gardens snack stop, but it was always more of a novelty than a meal. It also sat outside the dining plan. The Wild Tortilla is a full entrée concept in the same spot, which gives it a much wider audience from day one. That likely explains why it already looks busier than Tot Topia ever did.
Will This Be Another Basic United Parks Taco Stand?
Photo by Jon Self
We do have concerns. United Parks already has plenty of taco quick-service dining options, and our experience has been that they are fine but forgettable. We covered the street tacos at Panini Shores Cafe at SeaWorld Orlando in our SeaWorld tacos review, and the Kookaburra Kitchen Tex-Mex review and dining tips for Aquatica Orlando tells a similar story. We have also eaten at the taco food truck at Adventure Island, and those tacos were very basic too.
The pricing does not help the nervousness. Three street tacos at The Wild Tortilla run $17.99 to $18.99. When we reviewed Panini Shores, three street tacos were also $18.99, and we described them as fine but nothing special.
So why the optimism? The menu reads more upscale than those Orlando counters. Consider what is on the page:
- Corn tortillas instead of the generic flour option
- Pork pastor with diced pineapple, salsa roja, white onions, and cilantro
- Fried shrimp tacos with chipotle slaw and mango relish
- A side of esquites included with every taco order
- House made tortilla chips and homemade guacamole
- Elote finished with cotija and tajin
That is a legitimate street taco playbook. Whether the kitchen can execute it at theme park volume is the part we are watching. A good menu description and a good taco are two very different things, as anyone who has read a United Parks menu knows.
What We Would Order First
If we were ordering with the plan, the Taco Trio is the obvious starting point since it lets you try all three styles in one order. The Camarones Tacos are the most different from the basic tacos at other United Parks locations, so they are the one we would use to judge whether this concept really is a step up. The Pork Pastor is the lowest priced taco order at $17.99 and has the pineapple and salsa roja working for it.
The Wild Tortilla Quick Facts
- Park: Busch Gardens Tampa Bay, Pantopia area (former Tot Topia location)
- Food: street tacos, nachos, guacamole, elote, churros
- Tacos: $17.99 to $18.99 for three corn tortilla tacos with esquites
- All-Day Dining Plan: tacos included per the park
- Drinks: bottled Coke products, bottled water, and six bottled beers
- Souvenir cup: $21.99, second day $10.29, Coke fountain products only
The Wild Tortilla looks like a clear upgrade over Tot Topia for most guests, mainly because it offers real meals and works with the All-Day Dining Plan. Whether it is a true upgrade over the taco stands we have tried at other United Parks properties will come down to execution and portion size. For now, the more thoughtful menu is a good sign, and the early crowds suggest guests are on board. We will have individual item reviews coming soon.
For more theme park-related news and information, visit MSM News. As always, eat like you mean it!
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