Planning a trip to Busch Gardens Tampa Bay for the Food, Wine & Garden Festival? Read our review of the recent service delays and changing food quality.

We recently headed back to Busch Gardens Tampa Bay on a Sunday afternoon to check in on the Food, Wine & Garden Festival. While the event showed incredible promise during opening weekend, our most recent visit was a reminder that even the best theme park festivals can have “off” days. Between service hurdles and inconsistent food quality, it was a day of highs and lows at the park.

The Lanyard Logjam at Busch Gardens Tampa Bay

As always, we recommend purchasing a sampler lanyard to get the best value out of the festival. However, our adventure hit a snag before it even started. While the Busch Gardens ambassadors took our payment quickly, they failed to actually activate the lanyard. It was disappointing that over a month into the event, ambassadors struggled with a task as common as lanyard activation. This led to a significant delay in our afternoon, proving that even “Main Street Magic” requires a bit of operational grease to stay smooth.

Food Review: Hits and Misses

Our Food, Wine & Garden Festival culinary journey started on a low note. The BBQ Salmon Bites, which were a standout earlier in the festival, were below average this time around and lacked the bright lime flavor we enjoyed previously.

Things took a turn for the better at the Root & Reserve Cabin. We tried:

• Beet & Burrata Salad: A very solid festival item, though perhaps not the “influencer” food that wins over the masses.
• Red-Wine-Braised Short Ribs: These were good, but the portion size has noticeably shrunk since opening weekend. Interestingly, the cabin had run out of the advertised parsnip puree. They substituted the silky minted pea mash (usually found with the lamb steak at Cabin 5), which actually paired quite well with the rib.

For dessert, we tested the Strawberry Shortcake Kabobs. While colleagues raved about these on opening day, we found them just “fine.” The menu describes them as vanilla cake and strawberries, but our skewers were dominated by cake and chocolate brownies (which weren’t even on the description). If you want a dessert, we still recommend the Vanilla Whoopie Pie instead.

We ended at Cabin 14: Savor the Season, where we previously got the Brisket Stuffed Potato, with the Grilled Shrimp and Pork Skewers. Unfortunately, the downward trend continued. While the shrimp had great grill marks, they were cold in the center. The pork was overdone, and the baby peppers were inconsistent. It was a far cry from the quality we saw at the start of the season.

Busch Gardens Tampa Bay Rides and Attractions

During our visit, the Skyride was unfortunately out of service during its already short operating hours. However, we did make it over to Phoenix Rising. Even with a Quick Queue, the slow loading process meant a 10-minute wait at the gantry. If you are visiting on a weekend without Quick Queue, you should realistically expect a wait of at least 45 minutes for this attraction.

Food, Wine & Garden Festival

The Busch Gardens Food, Wine & Garden Festival has blossomed into one of Tampa Bay’s premier spring events, running weekends through May 10, 2026. This year, the festival expands its traditional focus on global flavors to include stunning horticultural displays, featuring intricate topiaries and plant sculptures inspired by the park’s diverse animal residents.

Culinary enthusiasts can explore over 15 food cabins offering more than 65 seasonal items. Highlights for 2026 include sophisticated plates like Red Wine-Braised Short Ribs and Herb-Crusted Lamb Steak, alongside returning fan-favorites such as the Lobster Roll.

The festival’s energy is anchored by a diverse concert lineup at the Festival Field, featuring acts such as Flo Rida, Air Supply, and Hanson. Access to these headline performances and the festival grounds is included with park admission. For the best value, “Sampler Lanyards” are available in 8 or 12-item increments, allowing visitors to taste their way through the park while enjoying the backdrop of world-class roller coasters.

For an event that started with so much momentum, this Food, Wine & Garden Festival visit was a disappointment. The inconsistency in food preparation and the lack of basic ambassador training on lanyards made for a frustrating Sunday. We hope to see Busch Gardens Tampa Bay tighten up these operations as the festival continues on select days through May 10. For more tips and theme park updates, visit us at MainStMagic.com.

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.