I will be the first one to admit that I have never really enjoyed your typical theme park food experience. The quality is generally poor and the service slow, but over the past few years we have seen a renaissance of food across some of the major players in the industry. Kings Island not only has embraced this new foodie trend, but has raised the bar high for what park food can be.
With Executive Chef James Major at the helm, the culinary team at Kings Island has transformed the park’s food from average to extraordinary. From meat to produce to dessert, everything is now sourced locally and prepared in-house. No corners are being cut and they are making every effort to have the finest food in the business.
During our recent trip to the park for Coasterstock, to say we were impressed would be an understatement. Here are our thoughts on the new Kings Island eats and sweets:
How has Kings Island differentiated their food offerings from other parks?
Andrew: In the best way possible! I think my trips to Kings Island’s Miami River Brewhouse were the first time I’d ever experienced an in-park restaurant that you could physically remove from the park, place it on a strip of chain restaurants in any suburban area in America, and you wouldn’t know that the food, menu options, and atmosphere originated out of a theme park setting. The food was a step above anything you’d find at a chain sports bar, and frankly, it was refreshing to experience an “actual” restaurant inside a park. The usual suspects — burgers, chicken fingers, and pizza, as well as Kings Island’s famous Blue Ice Cream – were readily available around the park as well, but if you were looking for something a little “upscale” without leaving the park, Miami River Brewhouse was the perfect spot. While we didn’t get to Coney Barbecue or get to experience one of the unique “Chef’s Plates,” it’s clear to me that Chef Major and the Kings Island culinary team are eager to reimagine theme park food in the best way possible.
John: At first glance, Kings Island’s food offerings are in line with other similarly-sized regional parks. You have your classics — burgers, pizza, funnel cakes, etc. As Andrew said, the usual suspects. But when you take a closer look, you start to find the more unique eats crafted by Chef Major and his team. Both regionally and internationally inspired, the food offerings at Kings Island change seasonally and even weekly in some locations (such as weekly variations of the park’s signature pull-apart bread — more on that below). Foodies — both those who are adventurous and those who are more picky (hi) — will have no issue finding something that suits their taste buds at Kings Island. And we weren’t even at the park during one of its food-heavy festivals.
Kyle: Since Kings Island is my home park, I’ve got to witness first hand their change in food offerings over the past few years. You can definitely see how the park has taken a deep dive into what is offered and how it’s prepared. I will also note the Miami River Brewhouse and how it has evolved over the recent seasons. I remember when the location turned into the Reds Hall of Fame Grill and the food being totally new and delicious, with amazing burgers, pulled pork, and house-made chips. Little did I know that the park would step up their game in that building again with Miami River Brewhouse.
Sometimes a catered meal at a park can be underwhelming, how did Kings Island’s buffet options compare?
Andrew: I work in an industry where there are a lot of buffet meals, and I feel like that “underwhelming” can be extended to just “buffet meals” in general. That said, Kings Island truly pulled out all the stops with both dinners during Coasterstock. While burgers, hot dogs and chicken tender might not sound that exciting from a taste perspective, the addition of grilled onions with both the burgers and hot dogs, homemade “Saratoga Chips” and an incredible Baked Potato Salad made the first night’s dinner go from good to great.
We never Sausage a plate of dinner! @KingsIslandPR and @chefmajor72 continue to pull out all the stops for #Coasterstock! pic.twitter.com/cnBlR2yyQq
— Coaster101.com (@Coaster101) July 10, 2021
The KI F&B team was just showing off on night two, with Smoked Chicken, Pulled Pork, and Smoked Kielbasa, accompanied by Mac & Cheese, Green Beans, Corn Souffle and Power Coleslaw. I like to throw around the North Carolinian card a lot when it comes to barbecue, because to me, pulled pork has to stand out a lot for me to think it’s “good.” Spoiler alert: Every bite of night two wasn’t just good. It was amazing. The pork. The sausage. The mac and cheese. The corn souffle. The slaw. Every single bite left me wanting more.
Kyle: I’ve had my share of buffet meals at parks and it usually ends in disappointment or even with almost unedible food left on my plate. The days of prepackaged, frozen meals are gone at Kings Island and they are absolutely leading the industry when it comes to large group catering. Like Andrew mentioned above, every single item was a hit.
John: Kings Island has set the bar very high. I’m a borderline vegetarian (aside from burgers, keep reading), so I’m sometimes concerned that I’ll leave a meat-heavy buffet hungry, but that wasn’t the case either night at Coasterstock. Although the first night’s buffet included burgers, the second night was meatless for me. But I think I ate more the second night than I did the first night! The sides were SO GOOD. As Andrew mentioned, the mac and cheese, the green beans, the corn souffle and the slaw were all home runs.
What was your favorite meal at the park?
John: The Pub Burger at Miami River Brewhouse, hands down. I’m a self-proclaimed burger snob, and I like to think that I have relatively high standards when reviewing burgers. The Pub Burger was so good that I had it for lunch two days in a row, forgoing one of my all-time favorite dishes, chicken and waffles.
The meat (locally sourced, as I learned from Chef Major) was cooked perfectly, resulting in a juicy burger that was packed with flavor. It didn’t even need seasoning or sauce that so many burgers rely on. I came to Coasterstock directly from a vacation in Chicago where I spent five days trying any burger I could get my hands on. The Pub Burger rested comfortably among the ranks of some of the best burgers I’ve had in 2021 (and I’ve had a lot). And the side of amazingly crispy tater tots was the icing on the cake.
Kyle: For me, the Miami River Nachos at the Miami River Brewhouse were the best thing I’ve ever had at the park. Not only were they priced very fairly, but you got a huge portion. I usually don’t order nachos because they are messy and get soggy quickly, but these were easy to eat and held up to all the fixin’s. The homemade corn chips are topped with a blend of seasoning, pulled pork, bacon jam (oh yeah), beer cheese, and a southwest sauce. I loved them so much I had to get them the next day too. As a matter of fact, I want some right now!
Andrew: I don’t throw this term around lightly, but my Saturday lunch at the Miami River Brewhouse is among the very best theme park meals I’ve ever had. I ordered the Brew Brew Platter, which is essentially an appetizer sampler that featured BBQ Pork Spring Rolls, Buffalo Chicken Rangoon, and Smoked Chicken Wings.
Going back to lunch – the Brew Brew Platter at Miami River Brewhouse is the best meal I’ve ever had in a park & no exaggeration, the wings are some of the best I’ve ever had, anywhere. BBQ Spring Rolls, Buffalo Chicken Rangoon, & Smoked Wings. So good. –@stilwell #coasterstock pic.twitter.com/0uyhH3gcfK
— Coaster101.com (@Coaster101) July 10, 2021
The Spring Rolls had a perfect balance of sweet and savory flavor, the Buffalo Chicken Rangoon reminded me of Buffalo Chicken Dip, which is one of my favorite appetizer dips, and the smoked chicken wings weren’t just the best chicken wings I’ve ever had in a theme park, they’re among the best wings I’ve ever eaten, from anywhere. Perfectly smoked, perfectly seasoned. I could have eaten a dozen wings. This meal was quite literally a *chef’s kiss.*
With the addition of a new pastry chef, the dessert options at the park have grown exponentially. What impressed you the most about the new sweets collection?
Andrew: I’m don’t have the biggest sweet tooth, but when I saw that the Sweet Spot’s Sugar Cookies were six for $2 on Friday, I had to try them. It was National Sugar Cookie Day after all. They were soft, moist, and had the perfect amount of icing and sprinkles on them. If you go to Kings Island, do NOT miss out on these cookies — they’re a perfect snack for wandering the midways and walking between rides.
John: When Chef Major touted his cinnamon pull-apart bread at the French Corner on International Street, I knew I had to try it. I’m fiercely loyal to Dollywood’s world-famous cinnamon bread, so I was skeptical.
Coaster101 writer John carefully analyzes Kings Island’s cinnamon pull-a-part bread.
While I doubt anything will ever top Dolly’s cinnamon bread, this was absolutely delicious. The cream cheese icing was a little overbearing, but the bread itself was phenomenal. I quite easily could have finished an entire loaf all by myself.
Kyle: I am a huge Kings Island blue ice cream fan so when I saw that the Sweet Spot candy shop had blue ice cream fudge truffles I had to try them. They exceeded my expectations—they were sweet but not too sweet and tasted exactly like its frozen counterpart. Highly recommend if you are a fan of the local favorite.
If you could add one thing to the Kings Island food lineup what would it be?
Andrew: I’m extremely biased here. These parks hire executive chefs for a reason, so, to me, there’s not a place at Kings Island for national chains like Subway and Chick-Fil-A. (LaRosa’s Pizza and Skyline Chili are both Cincinnati institutions, and I think they actually do belong in the parks.) Sure, there’s a level of familiarity for park guests, but if you were able to boot the national chains, and replace their locations with in-park outlets that were curated by Chef Major and his team (even selling Submarine Sandwiches and Fried Chicken), it would make it even harder to choose a meal than before.
Happy National Sugar Cookie Day from #Coasterstock! These @KingsIslandPR sugar cookies are TASTY! And at 6 for $2, there’s a 100% chance this will not be our only visit! pic.twitter.com/ZdEgV4fLx8
— Coaster101.com (@Coaster101) July 9, 2021
John: Bake more chocolate chip cookies! My love for chocolate chip cookies is rivaled only by my infatuation with burgers (as described above), so I was distraught to see them gone from the display at the Sweet Spot on my second day at the park. But I guess that’s yet another reason to come back soon. Though the sugar cookies were a solid consolation prize.
Kyle: I second what Andrew said. I am definitely a foodie and would love to see more of Chef Major’s creations at the food stands and restaurants around the park. I am much more likely to spend the money on a park specialty than on a 300% mark-up of a chain restaurant meal.
As you can see, we were blown away by Kings Island’s culinary efforts this year. I believe this is just the start for the park and we will continue to see more and more carefully crafted menu items in the future. My hope is that this trend will trickle down to other regional parks and we can start to see more tasty treats pop up around the industry.
Have you been to Kings Island recently? What was your favorite meal at the park?
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