FoodieLand - Sacramento

We went the first day and entered right at 3PM. It was really hot, I think 95. They have metal detectors for CalExpo. No backpacks and they look through your purses and or you must have clear bag. You can bring in water bottles. Entry was pretty fast. You must buy your ticket before you come. I think it was 6 bucks but of course a service fee online of 1.50 so 7.50 per person. 10 bucks for parking. There are solar panels throughout the lot so at least your car is in the shade. There were several tents with misters around the event so a nice touch too. I know there was a map online but it would be nice to have a map you can look at, when at the event. I was looking for the bone marrow guy but he wasn't there. There were a lot of vendors both food and merchandise. But several of the food vendors had 2 booths at separate areas so kind of misleading. Since we were early not really any lines to worry about. We got a watermelon drink at Pink Mango. It was good but artificial for sure. Lots of sugar. Next we got combo sushi nachos at Sushi Obsessions. It was just ok. Not much fish and they added rice to make it look bigger. I got a discount paying cash. It was 22 but paid 18 so that was nice. The wonton chips were a bit over cooked. I had to try one of the potato swirl at Potato Hut. It was not cooked long enough and was chewy not crispy. They cooked it as you ordered too. Disappointing. I got a drink at Mini Vitroleros. The guy helped me out with the combo. I ended up with the dragon fruit with pineapple it was hella good. The food here at the event is mostly fair food. Lots of grease and not too healthy. It just isn't our type of place. I really wanted the bone marrow guy but we couldn't find him and we walked the place 4x. I think there were only 75 food vendors with some doubles. I thought they said 128 but not biggy. My wife said we won't come again. At least we came to try it out.

This review is long overdue but boy oh boy I can't let it slide by. Two words OVER RATED!!! And OVER PRICED The concept is great. Food trucks all in one place but man did this place disappoint. I don't even know how much we spent in the end but I do know I threw away 3 seafood stuffed oysters because they were disgusting to say the least, And at $40 and a 25 minute wait I was pretty bummed.We did have a few tasty items but for the price a nice dinner or two would have been a better use of our time and money.Buyer beware and go at your own risk and or for the photo opts

Foodies unite! What a great experience of all the foods! It's expensive but You get what you pay for. Get ready for a yummy time!

Very unorganized! Tickets were $5 a piece, parking was a cheap $10... the walk was long to get into the park, but there was almost no shade. There is nowhere to sit. Again, no shade. I did win an awesome order of the sampler of the drunken dumpling, and those were delicious. However, the event was so unorganized, long lines, no shade, and they were wheelcharing people out that looked like they were experiencingheat exhaustion. Usually, they are misters during got days but they're was no dog of relief from the sun, here.. Although it was 93° today, there still should've been some type of shade. Shame on Cal Expo!On another note, the foods were unique and pretty good. Although very over priced. My group only stayed less than 2 hours and went though over a hundred dollars, easy... showing us it was not worth sweating in the sun for small portions. Again, good but not worth the money and sweat...Hopefully, it's got some shade next year this event comes around

My first Foodieland experience. My oh my, so many foods to try. Well, a variation of the same foods. I didn't know you could have so many different iterations of lumpia.We first had the shrimp w/ garlic rice and it was a good starter. Next was the Tanghulu, I opted for the Chinese Hawthorne which looked similar to a cherry. It tasted like a fruit I've tasted before but I couldn't quite narrow it down. The seaweed tacos were next, it was good however the oil from being fried ended up being overwhelming since it was soaked by the seaweed. Had to stop w/ the fried foods for a minute so we ended up buying the "Unlimited" drink in the Lucky Cat container ($25). Figured 4 refills would pay for itself but only ended up doing 3 refills. TBH, it was a pretty big container so I guess it made it worth it. I was able to try a few different flavors since some didn't taste as good as the other flavors. All-in-All, I think Foodieland is a bit overrated and going to a state or a county fair is better but to have all the food vendors all in one place and be able to try all of them in a smaller vicinity is an experience one should have at least once in there lifetime.

Meh Market...$$$$ Pros- good food in one location-tickets affordable $5+tax(6.25)each. Tickets only available online at etix.-Free parking across the street, walking distance.-parking is cheap $10 compared to other events. Cons-expensive priced food for small portions-some foods taste BAD-do your homework -long line to get into the actual expo - long line of cars getting into main parking lot-doesn't matter the time Tips:-park in parking lot B. No line of cars. -we took the power inn exit from highway 50. We skipped taking watt ave.-divide and conquer- if you have a big group, split up and wait in line of the foods you really want to try and then share. -the market got busier and busier as the night went on. I suggest buying tickets for 4p. Be aware:- when we arrived at 5pm there was a huge line of people. -I overheard people saying they have been waiting for an hour or so **Vendors take credit card and cash This was fun as a first timer to this market and we got lucky getting in quick, but I wouldn't recommend this event.

Foodieland 2022 was a success in my book! It was hot, probably even hotter than it was last year, but I still think going when they open is worth it. We got there at 1pm opening time and it looked crowded already but the lines were not super long at all, we probably waited 10 minutes at the most for a single place. Also, this year they had the big canopies above the middle section of the event, providing some much needed opportunities in the shade while you walk around. There are still going to be vendors along the outside that aren't in the shade though, so I'd recommend bringing a fan for yourself! I saw a lot of people with umbrellas too which is smart. There are also had a lot of misting fans spread out around the event. Plan ahead by looking at the vendors and map online ahead of time so you know which ones you absolutely want to try first, and then play it by ear for the rest. I took a screenshot of the map, looked up vendors on Instagram, and then circled which ones I wanted to try on the map so that I knew which general areas I wanted to check out. The event was bigger than last year and spread out a lot better too. I saw a lot more vendors from out of town like the Bay Area and even SoCal, so I can only imagine it's going to get bigger and bigger every year. More places accepted credit card too, so I didn't need to use any cash except for the $10 parking. They had two seating areas this time but we just set up in the grass under the shade and it was a nice break. Bring a picnic blanket and have people in your group rotate out to save the spot!I still stand by my recommendation to come in a group! Spread out so everyone gets an item then meet up each round to taste test and share everything, then repeat! We came in a group of 4 and got to try so many things in two hours. Not to mention everything is going to be pricey here so it's nice to get a taste test of a lot of things instead of just pay for a couple items and get full right away. Favorites this year:- Ube themed cinnamon rolls from Ubenabon (so pricey at $40 total but it was buy 2 get 1 free, and they're a pretty big size so it's perfect for a group to share and not get too full. Plus, they have such unique flavors that I think it's worth paying for)- Black Truffle Pasta from Cheese Wheel Pasta (had this vendor before but I love the cheesy creaminess. It looks so basic but it tastes good. Pricey too but it was my favorite food item of the day)- Big Baby Bottle or Animal Jar Drinks (Animal Jar was new this year but same idea as Big Baby Bottle - large drinks with free refills!! Super worth it and the Animal Jar line went really fast)

It was alright. Price to get in really not bad. The line to get in took 45 minutes. Only clear bags are aloud in. They will make you take anything else back to your car. Lots of food options but I felt most were over priced for what we actually got. Example: popular Hawaiian Honey Cones $15 for just 1. I've gotten these other places for between $5-7.The empanadas we got were legit! And Mr. Bully was authentic. Way over crowded. If you plan to go, show up as early as possible and bring friends to try more with. If you don't you will easily spend over $100.

After paying for an entrance fee $11 per person, parking $10, plus overpriced food, it was not worth the headache getting in to park or getting in the event. Overly long lines for every food vendor. No vegan options except for a shawarma/ gyro vendor.

No that you have to pre-buy your tickets for this event for five dollars and then when you get there you pay another $10 to park. Know that they were time slots that you buy to get into this event. There is small cooling stations in light shaded areas with picnic benches with cooling fans so you can hide from the hot sun. The lines full up really fast. You can wait anywhere between 10 to 30 minutes in line to order. We went on a Saturday this year in May at 1pm and even before they open, and there was already a line outside waiting to get in. Know when you buy the large refillable animal or baby bottle drinks there are different lines to pay in and a different line to refill (at times they were people standing in the refill line but weren't refilling, so make sure to see if they actually have a drink in their head or not). The other disappointing thing is they were vendors that weren't ready for doors open at 1pm, there were a few that we walked up to, and they said they didn't have food ready for another 30 minutes, and that's just so disappointing cause weren't gonna stay super long cause it was getting crazy busy and it was super hot. Live music was playing, you can hear it from all over. Know you are spending $10 up to $40 for dish. My tip to you is definitely get your tickets ahead of time. Go to the website. Look up the vendors and see what the menu is so it is easier to just attack. It makes it much easier to go through the whole entire thing and automatically know the names to the places you want to eat. Definitely go as a group by one item each and split it between you. It makes it easier to share and get a better experience because you get a taste of everything. If you are carrying a bag bring small Ziploc bags just in case you have leftovers. Definitely try the J Honey Cones, the bourbon bacon, wrapped shrimp, the works waffle fries, ox tail max and cheese.