REVIEW: This Hidden Magic Kingdom Snack Never Lets Us Down

If you’re not stepping outside the snack comfort zone of Mickey bars and turkey legs when you go to Magic Kingdom, what are you even DOING?

Of course, we love a Mickey pretzel as much as the next guy, but there are quite literally dozens of fun and unique treats to be found around Magic Kingdom — including snacks you can’t find anywhere else! And one of our favorite treats is tucked away in the back of a popular shop.

Today, we’re taking you on a little virtual journey to the Kernel Kitchen — one of the best places to stop in Magic Kingdom for a snack that’s both whimsical and customizable.

The Kernel Kitchen is tucked away in the back of Main Street Confectionery. It was added a few years back when the shop got a full-scale overhaul, and in our opinion, it’s one of the best additions to the park food-wise in the past few years. Why? Because here, you can make your own popcorn mix!

Kernel Kitchen offers both pre-mixed and DIY popcorn bowls. They often have recipes designed specifically for holidays or new offerings in the park (like the Disney Starlight popcorn mix). But if you’re feeling creative, you can mix-and-match ingredients to make your perfect salty and sweet treat.

You start by choosing a popcorn base. Flavors will vary, but usually include some form of butter popcorn, caramel corn, and cheddar popcorn. From there, you can choose a syrup to top your popcorn (milk, dark, or white chocolate), followed by a combination of candies, cookies, and other fun toppings.

The menu back when the Kernel Kitchen first opened

There are different price options depending on how many mix-ins you want to get, and you can add even more toppings for $1 each. Really, the options are limitless! These bowls are also ridiculously large and easily shareable amongst a group.

Most of the combinations you can make result in a sweet-and-salty smorgasboard of flavors and textures. The chocolate sauce will solidify after a little while and give you candy bar-like chunks of toppings all stuck together. It can be very messy to eat, but it’s rather satisfying and easy to munch on all day long.

But maybe our favorite thing about the Kernel Kitchen popcorn bowls is that they come with a lid for easy transport. This is an excellent treat to grab at the end of your park day and then carry back to your hotel room to eat at night while you watch whatever your guilty pleasure cable channel is (Food Network, anyone?!).