Kings Island Introduces New Food In 2018 Creating A Culinary Destination
Over the last few years, Kings Island has expanded both in terms of the number of attractions and the number of eateries at the park. In 2018, Kings Island is expanding once again with a new restaurant and new food offerings throughout the park.
There will be new food offerings across the entire park, so let’s first start with the new BBQ that we previously reported. Kings Island is receiving a new Coney Bar B Que restaurant for the 2018 season that will be replace the old Coney Potato Works Stand in the Coney Mall area of the park, next to the Scrambler. Coney Bar B Que will be serving a plethora of new offerings along with theming through-out that pays homage to the park’s rich history.
New offerings include St. Louis-style ribs, smoked tri-tip barbecue beef, riblets, pulled pork, rotisserie chicken and Queen City Sausage, along with a selection of side dishes, including corn on the cob, hush puppies, mac-n-cheese, cole slaw, french fries, salads and collard greens. Monthly specials will include everything from smoked short ribs to pastrami.
Coney Bar B Que is included in the park’s dining plans, with a majority of the menu items being gluten-free. So, now you’re probably wondering how the park will be able to to keep up with demand for all that chicken. well, there will be more than 60 chickens roasting at one time in a new rotisserie. That’s 120 portions!
Earlier this year, Kings Island announced that James Major, a two-time winner of the Food Network’s Chopped and contestant on Alton Brown’s Cutthroat Kitchen, will be the park’s new executive chef. Already certified as a Pro Chef II by the Culinary Institute of America, Major comes to Kings Island after serving as the Executive Chef at both Great American Ball Park and Funky’s Catering. And with a new chef comes new food offerings!
When asked about the new menu items, James says he feels that he can turn the park into an iconic food destination.
Aside from the new Coney BarBQue, several other eateries around the park have updated their menus for the upcoming season.
Guests can feast on a double cheeseburger, bacon burger, or even hot dogs in a split butter bun over at Juke Box Diner, while new Burritos and Queso will be offered at Hank’s Mexican Grill. Churros with various toppings such as caramel sauce, raspberry sauce, pecan or sprinkles will also be available.
A new dining area that debuted during the return of WinterFest with massive smoked turkey legs, is expanding. Located right off International Street, “Let’s Talk Turkey” offers two new items: Korean turkey meatballs and his beloved bacon on-a-stick, something Major has been serving since he worked at Progressive Field in Cleveland.
Reds Hall of Fame Grille will be serving up some new fan favs as well. Those new items include Three-Strike Taco—a beef brisket taco, crispy chicken taco and pulled pork taco—and Pitcher’s Mound Nachos, grilled chicken wings, Montgomery Inn-style riblets, Saratoga chips, and even a few new sandwiches.
And, lets not forget the fan favorite Blue Ice Cream! It debuted in 1982 as part of the celebration of the Smurf’s Enchanted Voyage opening. Now, guests will have more ways to show their love for the parks iconic ice cream.
Over at the Sweet Spot store, guests can order a special “flavor of the week” cotton candy—starting with Ranch! And if you don’t want to choose between blue ice cream and cotton candy, try a combo. The Sweet Shop will have a Blue Ice Cream & Waffle Cone flavor available on April 27.
- April 13th: Ranch
- April 20th: Jalapeno
- April 27th: Blue Ice Cream & Waffle Cone
- May 4th: Dragon Fruit
- May 11th: Butter
- May 22nd: Onion
- May 29th: Black Licorice& Red Licorice
- June 5th: Pancake
If you can’t commit to a full sized blue ice cream cone, now there’s a Smurf-sized miniature version!
Want something sweet but not in the mood for ice cream? No problem! Sweet Spot will be offering their own bite sized Blue Ice Cream snack—but instead of ice cream, it’ll be filled with blue ice cream-flavored mousse!
Likewise, Kings Island will now be offering merchandise highlighting the parks iconic Blue Ice Cream. T-shirts, visors, pins, cups, plush toys and more will be available to purchase around the park. Our favorite is the T-shirt seen below declaring, “Peace, Love, and Blue Ice Cream”!
Take a quick tour with chef Major and check out all the new food options in the video below.
Kings Island will open for the 2018 season on Saturday, April 14th. For tickets and more information, visit the official Kings Island website here.
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