6 best things to eat at Knott’s Boysenberry Festival ...Middle East

The Knott’s Boysenberry Festival is really the only place on Earth where you’ll find more than 100 dishes drizzled, dipped and drenched in the signature fruit that started it all more than 100 years ago on the Knott’s family farm.

The 2026 Knott’s Boysenberry Fest will run daily from March 13 through April 12 at the Buena Park theme park.

ALSO SEE: Knott’s Boysenberry Festival 2026 tasting card and a la carte menus — See the list

I spoke with Knott’s Berry Farm Vice President of Food & Beverage Laura Brubaker about the six best things I ate during the Knott’s Boysenberry Festival media preview event on Thursday, Feb. 26.

1) Boysenberry Beef Brisket over Mac and Cheese

Gold Mine Trail Booth and Calico Railroad Bar

Mac and Cheese is one of my four basic food groups — so this was naturally the first thing I wanted to try.

The Mac and Cheese booth had the longest line during the media preview, and it was worth the wait.

The creamy pasta and tender brisket bathed in tangy boysenberry barbecue sauce were everything I was hoping for.

ALSO SEE: Knott’s Berry Farm to open new chicken and boysenberry restaurant

Mac and Cheese topped with some sort of meat has become a staple during the Knott’s Boysenberry Festival.

“Every year, we always want to lean into a couple of meats,” Brubaker said. “We try to switch it out every year. We did beef tips last year and pulled pork the year before. We haven’t done brisket in ages.”

2) Sweet Boysenberry Tamale

Chow House Booth

The Sweet Boysenberry Tamale confused me because it was served alongside all the savory items during the media event.

The more I looked at the tamale, the more confused I got. Nothing looked like it should.

The boysenberry blended into the masa gave the tamale a grey tint. The deep purple filling looked like jam. The lavender cream cheese zig zagged on top gave the whole thing an otherworldly appearance.

Fortunately, my mouth and my stomach didn’t care what it looked like. As long as it was good — and it sure was.

ALSO SEE: Knott’s Berry Farm closes 7 attractions heading into Boysenberry Festival

The unique flavor twist was unlike anything I’d ever had before.

The Knott’s culinary team wasn’t sure what to use for the sweet tamale filling: Boysenberry syrup, turnover filling or pie filling.

“We tried them all and the turnover filling was just the perfect one,” Brubaker said. “The boysenberry cream cheese goes really nicely with it.”

3) Reuben Ball with a Spicy Boysenberry Thousand Island Dressing

Silver Bullet Booth and Wilderness Dance Hall

I spent a long time staring at the lightly breaded ball trying to figure out what was inside based on the description.

One bite and I knew immediately it was a Reuben sandwich stuffed inside a panko breaded ball about the size of a tennis ball.

ALSO SEE: Six Flags regional season pass bundles together Knott’s and Magic Mountain

It was a big surprise and fun to eat — two key components of any Boysenberry Festival. Unexpected mashups are what keep me coming back to food festivals.

“One of my favorite sandwiches is a Reuben,” Brubaker said. “And every year, the Turkey Ball is our No. 1 seller.”

This year’s Reuben sandwich twist on the traditional Turkey Ball is filled with corned beef, cheese, sauerkraut and rye bread with a boysenberry dipping sauce on the side.

4) Boysenberry Cajun Shrimp with Vegetarian Creamy Orzo

Wilderness Dance Hall

The large tailless shrimp were drowned in a boysenberry broth and served atop a delicate and buttery orzo pasta.

“I’ve done grits. I’ve done polenta,” Brubaker said. “So this year I said to myself, ‘I haven’t done orzo in a long time.’”

The shrimp was tasty and the orzo was addictive. I could have eaten this all day.

5) Boysenberry Shortcake Sushi Roll

Ghost Town Bakery

I eyed the sushi roll for a long time trying to figure out if it was actually sushi. It certainly looked like sushi, but it tasted like cake.

“I want people to think it’s sushi,” Brubaker said. “We did a little buttercream that looks like wasabi.”

The shortcake layers meant the tasty dessert changed with each bite.

6) No-Bake Lemon and Boysenberry Cheesecake

Miner’s Mac and Spuds

This cheesecake was the best thing I ate during the Boysenberry Festival media preview.

It was light, creamy and dreamy with just a hint of lemon.

“I love lemon and boysenberry together,” Brubaker said. “It’s just delicious. So that one was a no-brainer.”

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