The newly-opened Thirty Acres Kitchen restaurant has burst onto the scene at the Knott’s Hotel and we were pleasantly surprised to see such a well-rounded dining option in very manageable walking distance from the park. We had the opportunity to try several items on the menu and are happy to share our thoughts.
Here’s a look at everything we’ve tasted so far at at Thirty Acres Kitchen in the Knott’s Hotel. The thoughts compiled here are from a visit on February 17, 2024.
EDITOR’S NOTE: This posting was updated 9/23 with additional food reviews and photos.
The Location
Described by Knott’s as “modern farmhouse-style,” the new restaurant expands on the western chic vibe that was developed for the lobby — a tribute to both Walter and Cordelia Knott and the legacy they built together. The restaurant is an open concept giving it a modern airy feeling grounded by its warm hewn details. The restaurant is accessible from the Knott’s Hotel lobby and is bridged by a bar which itself is connected to a Starbucks location called The Pantry.
It’s elegant yet cozy and does not come across as pretentious or trying too hard. The whole atmosphere strikes a great balance. Plus, for the prices charged the service and menu make this a really nice escape from the chaos of the park. Learn more about the location in our previous posting below.
The Food and Drink
The menu features options for breakfast, lunch, and dinner with unique offerings available during each period. Standard breakfast fare is available from the breakfast buffet ($25 for adults, $15 for kids) as well as individual plates that include breakfast classics and even a breakfast burger. Lunch features a selection of hot sandwiches and classic entrees while dinner features steaks and more hot plates.
Of course, there’s a heaping selection of desserts and plenty of boysenberry punch to go around in addition to classic soft drinks and tea. Plus, there’s homestyle lemonades served in gigantic mason jars that you can get with assorted flavors.
The bar menu boasts an extensive selection of draft beers, bottled beers, and wines, alongside creative cocktails like the bacon-infused Old Timer and the Boysenberry Margarita. Happy hour offers discounted drinks and appetizers, making it a great place to gather with friends.
What We Tasted
We didn’t do a very expansive tasting of the menu on our first visit as we were just looking for a nice quickish bite to eat. Here’s what we tried.
Wild West Wings
Wild West Wings (9 wings $19.50, 18 Wings $33.25) feature plump juicy chicken wings with option of Original Buffalo, Garlic Parmesan, or Boysenberry Chipotle BBQ sauce. These come out to a little over $2 per wing which is a little spendy but wings are a classic standby. You can see here they are not particularly saucy but rather the flavor is baked into the chicken.
Ranch is a polarizing dipping sauce, this tasted like Hidden Valley — we opted instead for the bleu cheese which was much, much, better.
Berry Farm Burger
Berry Farm Burger ($17.50) comes with choice of an angus beef, chicken breast, or Beyond patty cooked to order. It features a Boysenberry Chipotle BBQ, American cheese, hardwood smoked bacon, battered onion straws and crisp lettuce. It’s served on an artisan brioche bun with a side of seasoned fries or fruit. A gluten-free bun option is available for an additional $3.00.
The beef patty was delicious and well cooked and just look at that presentation! The fixings are piled high and the whole thing is skewered with a toothpick to keep it from toppling over. The seasoned fries are also fantastic, just wish there was a few more tossed into that little metal cup. The presentation on the wooden board is also a nice rustic touch.
Boysenberry BBQ Chicken Salad
Boysenberry BBQ Chicken Salad ($16.75) features cubed chicken breast tossed in housemade Boysenberry BBQ sauce, with roasted corn, black beans, avocado. tortillas strips, tomatoes, crisp green lettuce, cheddar and jack cheese and served with housemade chipotle ranch. We didn’t find the ranch to be particularly spicy but if you don’t like any level of heat they are happy to substitute with any dressing of your choice. There’s great flavors all around here. This isn’t an inventive salad but it doesn’t have to be and the boysenberry bunch gives it that unique flair.
Tortilla Soup
Tortilla Soup (Cup $6.75 Bowl $8.25) features hearty vegetables in a zesty chicken broth with shredded cheese, sour cream, tortilla strips, and cilantro. Simple and to the point, this is a fantastic tortilla soup. It’s extremely flaorful and the crunch of the chips make this a delicious meal. It’s served with crackers.
Side: Broccolini with Crispy Garlic
Broccolini with Crispy Garlic (with entree $4.75, without entree $5.50) was honestly a bit of a let down. The crispy garlic does all the heavy lifting here on what otherwise tasted like unseasoned broccolini. The crispy garlic on its own is just a little harsh without anything to mellow it out or harmonize the flavor. If for the price tag, we’d consider giving it a skip.
Side: Blue Cheese Cole Slaw
Side: Blue Cheese Cole Slaw (with entree $4.75, without entree $5.50) is almost essentially as it’s name implies. We weren’t sure what to expect here but this is little more than fresh crispy shredded cabbage dressed in bleu cheese. We loved it for just its simplicity but were hoping for something a little more interesting with more than just those two ingredients. But it was fresh, not soggy, and the flavors were spot in.
Granny’s Chicken Pot Pie
Granny’s Chicken Pot Pie ($23.95) is filled with chicken, vegetables, and creamy chicken gravy topped with a flaky puff pastry crust. The portion is huge and gravy is delicious, the flavor is like a warm homey holiday meal (the name of the dish is spot on) but the presentation is definitely anything but traditional. The crust is fantastic and the savory sauce is really good. Ours was cooked to order so it put a delay on our whole meal coming out but everything in our order came out together and it all came out hot.
This comes with choice of a soup or salad so we opted for a nice bleu cheese which was good but surprisingly smaller than we expected. Still, the gigantic pot pie does all the heavy lifting.
Final Thoughts
We really quite enjoyed our visit here on a Saturday evening. The service was absolutely fantastic and the menu is robust, interesting, and — most importantly — tastes good! The quality is a lot better than we were expecting and the prices were surprisingly reasonable considering this is a restaurant inside a theme park hotel.
Whether you’re looking for a spot before or after a day in Knott’s Berry Farm or just in the area, this is a promising spot with a decent selection and reasonable prices. It’s hours of operations also make it super convenient. We can definitely see ourselves coming back here.
Hungry for More?
Check out the entire menu including the full list of drinks at our posting below.
MORE INFO: FULL MENU (with prices) for new Thirty Acres Kitchen restaurant at Knott’s Hotel
See it for Yourself
Thirty Acres Kitchen restaurant at Knott’s Hotel is now open.
 MORE INFO: See all MouseInfo coverage for Thirty Acres Kitchen at Knott’s Hotel
