Our team tried the Tampa Sol Garden menu at the Busch Gardens Food Festival. Read our thoughts on the honey-glazed pork and mustard-dipped spring rolls here.

We were invited out to Busch Gardens Tampa Bay for the opening night of the Food, Wine, & Garden Festival that runs on select days through May 10. However, the opening night turned stormy very quickly. Thus, we only got to try one of the Busch Gardens food festival cabins on opening night of the Food, Wine, & Garden Festival, Tampa Sol Garden – Cabin 8. However, we left, in the rain, pleased with our first two dishes of this event. Still, do not worry, we will be returning today to try miore food!

The Busch Gardens Food, Wine & Garden Festival is officially in full swing, and our team of hungry reporters fought through the greenery to find the best eats of the season. If you find yourself wandering near Cabin 8, also known as Tampa Sol Garden, you’re in for a pork-centric showdown. We rolled up to the window to see whether these dishes lived up to their floral descriptions orwere just “festival filler.” Here is the breakdown of what we found.

The Review: Pork, Pickles, and a Little Bit of “Crunch”

Tampa Cuban Spring Rolls ($8.99) Crispy rolls stuffed with Cuban-style pork, ham, cheese, and pickles, served with grainy mustard dipping sauce.

Let’s be real: none of us is likely whipping up Cuban sandwich-inspired spring rolls in our own kitchens on a Tuesday night. That’s what makes this a solid festival option. It’s exactly what it says on the tin. Is it a “perfect” Cuban sandwich? Of course not! Bread purists might shed a tear, but as a theme park snack, it’s a winner.

The Tampa Sol Garden order comes with two rolls, making it perfectly shareable (unless you’re really hungry, in which case, “sharing” is just a suggestion). The grainy mustard dipping sauce is the MVP here; it truly enhances the flavors of the ham and pork. Our only gripe? We wish the wrapper had a bit more of a shatter-inducing crispness to it. It was good, but a little extra time in the fryer would have made it legendary.

Busch Gardens Food Festival: Food, Wine, & Garden

Sage-Honey Glazed Pork Tenderloin ($9.99) Juicy pork tenderloin brushed with an aromatic sage honey glaze, served alongside roasted baby carrots.

If the spring rolls were the fun opening act, this tenderloin was the headliner. The pork was impressively juicy and tender, which isn’t always a guarantee at a high-volume festival. The sage-honey glaze works incredibly well; it’s aromatic without tasting like you’re eating a candle.

This Tampa Sol Garden dish is also quite shareable, serving up two distinct pieces of pork and two baby carrots. However, while the pork was consistent, the carrots were a bit of a gamble. Some were perfectly roasted, while others were a bit inconsistent in texture and flavor. Still, for under ten bucks, getting a high-quality protein that isn’t deep-fried is a refreshing change of pace.

Busch Gardens Food Festival Sampler Lanyard

To get the most out of your visit, the Sampler Lanyard is a mechanical necessity for any serious foodie. For 2026, lanyards start at $65 for 8 items or $75 for 12 items, providing a significant discount over individual menu prices. If you are an Annual pass member, you can snag an 15-item lanyard for the price of 12—it’s basically the “VIP pass” for your stomach.

These lanyards are valid for any food, wine, craft brew, or cocktail across all festival cabins. Since most dishes range from $8.99 to $10.99, the math works in your favor by the third or fourth stop. Just scan and snack. No fumbling for your wallet while trying to balance a plate of pork tenderloin.

Event Details: Busch Gardens Food, Wine & Garden Festival

The Food, Wine, & Garden Busch Gardens food festival is a marathon of flavor, running Fridays through Sundays from early February through May 10, 2026.

In addition to the 17 food cabins scattered throughout the park, the event features:

• Live Concerts: National acts performing at the Festival Field every weekend.
• Topiary Displays: Larger-than-life horticultural masterpieces perfect for your “I’m outdoorsy” Instagram photos.
• Wine & Stein: Extensive pairings of local craft brews and international wines.

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!

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