Last Updated on May 27, 2022 by Jeremy
Disclaimer: Our site uses demographic data, email opt-ins, display advertising, and affiliate links. Please check out our Terms and Conditions. Pricing, operating hours, or menus may have changed since our initial visit and may not be reflected in subsequent updates. Please confirm these directly with any business or attraction prior to visiting.
Kennywood’s Bites and Pints event is a fun, month-long celebration of all things food and beverage that typically runs from the end of May through June.
As this one runs from Thursdays to Sundays during regular park hours (starting in the afternoon each day), guests can enjoy a la carte purchases or sample their way around the various stations using an aptly named Bites Card.
We were able to visit this one during a pass holder preview night for its second year (thanks to our good friend Alex Eats Too Much) and wanted to share more about what you can expect when attending this one plus give some tips on how to get the most out of a Bites Card purchase!
Eating Around the World at Kennywood’s Bites and Pints
Kennywood’s Bites and Pints event first came out in 2021 and was so popular they decided to make it an annual event. During our 2022 visit, the event featured international food stalls from countries like Germany, Poland, Mexico, Italy, and Greece, as well as more general stalls for Asia and the Caribbean to name a few.
These booths are conveniently located around the central lake at Kennywood, just next to park staples like the Jack Rabbit and the Racer, making them truly hard to miss (admittedly, the Caribbean stall is a bit further away by just a few feet).
Each stall generally offers about four or five food items for purchase. During our visit, Italy offered arancini, whipped ricotta, and a porchetta sandwich; Mexico offered street tacos with shrimp, carne asada, and elote; and Germany offered staples like pretzels and schnitzel sliders to name a few.
On the drinks side of things, most every stall offered a healthy mix of wine, beer, and specialty drinks to enjoy. Some of these were from the country itself, but others were local and loosely fit within the country theme at large. Italy offered canned Bellini, Mexico had frozen margaritas, and Germany had Hacker-Pschorr Weisse beer available that jumped out at us during our visit.
When ordering from the Bites Card, you get a modest sampling of each but the sizes can be a little all over the place- one punch gave us two arancini at the Italy booth while one punch gave us a decently sized schnitzel slider at Germany’s booth. So being a bit strategic can really help you get your money’s worth (we’ll talk more on that one below).
Overall, we have to admit the food here was pretty good by theme park standards. While we don’t think we had anything that was a crazy highlight or low point worth calling out (everything was generally good but perhaps some a bit simpler than others), the Bites and Pints event offered a different way to eat at Kennywood and we are all about that.
The only downside is that the Bites Cards run about $50-$60 in 2022, so to really get your money’s worth you’ll want to make a plan of attack- and we’ve got some tips for you on how to do just that!
How to Get Your Money’s Worth at Bites and Pints
There are a few things you need to know before heading to Bites and Pints in order to get your money’s worth as this event is, admittedly, a bit on the expensive side of things.
First off, it is worth noting that Bites and Pints only run from Thursdays to Sundays through June 26 in 2022 and also during limited hours each day (typically just in the afternoon and evenings). Thankfully, Kennywood lets you use one card over the entire event, which benefits Kennywood season pass holders who may visit two or more times through the end of June over one-off attendees.
Second, while you can purchase food a la carte, which we can’t comment on portion-wise, those who want Bite Cards have a few extra considerations to keep in mind from there.
This card comes with three options- eight sample bites, 12 sample bites, and 15 sample bites (the latter is only available to season pass holders- you buy the twelve card option and get three more free).
The eight and twelve sample option only differs in pricing by $5, so there is a pretty strong incentive to upgrade to the 12/15 bite card. Likewise, you can save $5 when purchasing online too which would help get the cost down just a bit more (there are additional savings if you buy four or more cards as well if you have a large family or can split amongst friends).
During our visit, we stuffed ourselves on six and eight punches respectively, so we both left with extra punches on our cards. As such, if we wanted to make a day of it in one go, we could’ve split a 12 sample card outright if the park wasn’t terribly busy (as we don’t have season passes) and been fairly content at the $55 online price- especially when compared to how much we’d spend on food and alcohol at a proper restaurant.
That being said, if the park is busy, or you buy one card per person, you will likely want to plan on at least two visits to Kennywood to use them all.
Finally, if you look to enjoy the pints side of the menu, keep in mind that virtually every sample of alcohol is capped at 5 ounces. As cards average out to roughly between $4 and $7 per bite depending on what card you buy, this can present a pretty big disparity. $7 for a five-ounce German beer? Pretty expensive. $4 for a five-ounce frozen margarita from Mexico? Sign us up. This is also noticeable with the food options but more of an issue on the alcohol side of things.
As such, for those who want to get their money’s worth, you’ll ultimately want to be strategic. Check out the sample bite sizes before you order and pick the portions that will truly help you get a value. It is possible, but it definitely will take a little bit of planning all the same. Or just go straight to the margaritas at Mexico and thank us later.
Have you attended Kennywood’s Bites and Pints event? What did you think? Comment below to share!
Kennywood is located at 4800 Kennywood Blvd in West Mifflin, PA. The Bites and Pints event typically runs on weekends from the end of May through late June.
