Theme Park Scope

Halloween Horror Nights 35 isn’t just serving up scares this year…

…the food and drink lineup scattered throughout the event is genuinely stacked, and I made it my mission to photograph every menu board I could find. Here’s the full rundown, now with even more booths added.

Barkside Fare brings a fun little eats-and-treats menu to go with its pet-friendly branding: fire-grilled Elotes with a choice of cotija and Tajín or Flamin’ Hot Cheetos, and Fried Dough with your pick of garlic parmesan or powdered sugar.

On the drink side, there’s the Phantom Punch (New Amsterdam vodka, 360 Vodka Sorrento Lemon, DeKuyper Triple Sec, lime, orange, and cranberry juices, plus dragon fruit and simple syrup), Coca-Cola Freestyle, and a lineup of canned beers including Modelo, High Noon, Michelob Ultra, and Stone Fear the Sun.

According to the nearby flyer attached, this booth also doubles as the hub for Barkside Scare, a community pet event happening October 31st at 5 PM in Central Park, complete with a pet costume contest, costume parade, pumpkin carving, and training sessions. Werewolves, notably, are not permitted.

Over at Hellraiser, the food leans appropriately gruesome (in a fun way): Pinhead’s Skin & Meatballs, torn pasta with spicy pork and beef chunks in marinara; Skin & Chips Nachos, crispy pork rinds with Tostitos cheese sauce and Jack Links peppered jerky; and Pleasure & Pain Brain, a brain-shaped custard with ripped teeth and skin, vanilla cake pieces, and strawberry sauce.

Drinks include the Cenobite’s Kiss (Cuervo Tradicional blanco tequila, lemon and lime juice, huckleberry syrup, and Liquid Heat bitters), plus the usual Maniac Mix, Oddfellow’s Elixir, and Canned Carnival Sour Ale lineup found across the event.

Eddie Schmidt’s Draft Wagon (with a nearly identical build spotted as “Die Schmiede Craft Wagon”) focuses purely on drinks — Phantom Punch, a solid beer-on-tap selection with three pricing tiers depending on pour size, plus the standard Maniac Mix, Oddfellow’s Elixir, and Canned Carnival Sour Ale options, rounded out with fountain drinks.

Club Horror, the all-night street party tent, has its own signature specialty cocktail: the Caramel Apple Splash Punch, made with BACARDI Superior rum, granny smith apple syrup, caramel syrup, and lemonade (a mocktail version is available too). It’s joined by the standard Phantom Punch and Premium Cocktails menu, where you can choose your own liquor from a lineup including Tito’s vodka, Captain Morgan rum, Patrón tequila, and more.

A Fanta-branded booth near a coaster and stage area offers its own specialty drink board twice over — first the Orange Bumper Car Blast (New Amsterdam vodka, vanilla cream syrup, coconut milk, and Fanta Orange), and at a second Fanta location, a completely different specialty cocktail: the Strawberry Scrambler, made with St. Augustine gin, lemon juice, lavender syrup, Seagram’s club soda, and Fanta Strawberry. Both locations also carry the standard Phantom Punch, Premium Cocktails, and Beer & Wine lineup.

Near Gramercy Park, a “Feeding Schedule” menu board keeps with the theme nicely: Deathbringer Tempura Shrimp (crispy shrimp tempura with sriracha mayo and eel sauce) and a Burnt Sando (crispy brioche stuffed with pastry cream and a burnt sugar crust), alongside Phantom Punch, Maniac Mix, Oddfellow’s Elixir, and Canned Carnival Sour Ale.

Also at Gramercy Park: Jack’s Circus Surplus and Oddfellow’s Menagerie, two adjoining carnival-wagon carts sharing an identical “Menu & Manifest” board: Carn”Evil” Smash Tacos (smashed cheeseburger tacos with American cheese, shredded lettuce, pickles, secret sauce, and toasted sesame seeds), plus a specialty Circus Peanut 4-Ever cocktail made from Chica Chida, Cuervo Tradicional blanco tequila, lime juice, agave syrup, and Fee Brothers black walnut bitters. Nearby merchandise crates stenciled “Hand Horns, Red Noses, Wigs, Rubber Chickens” suggest a novelty prop stand is setting up shop right alongside the food.

Devilish Delights, also at Gramercy Park, keeps things simple and snackable: Fried Pickles with sriracha aioli, and Twisted Tater Chips (crunchy spiralized potato chips with a ranch and vinegar seasoning) paired with the usual Maniac Mix, Oddfellow’s Elixir, and Canned Carnival Sour Ale.

The Death Tank, a dunk-tank game booth also stationed at Gramercy Park, comes with its own “Eats ‘N Treats” menu: Death by Cheese Stick, a giant hand-breaded mozzarella stick with spicy marinara, and the Jack & Odd Dog — a Nathan’s all-beef footlong hot dog loaded with peppers, onions, Tostitos cheese sauce, and Flamin’ Hot Cheetos, all stuffed into an Oddfellow ube bun. Tickets for throws are priced separately from the food, so budget accordingly if you want a shot at dunking someone.

A radio station-themed booth, 50,000 WSQK Watts, brings its own “Tonight’s Line Up” menu: El’s Battery Jerky (creamy mac ‘n cheese with garlic bread and beef jerky pieces), Steve’s Smuggled Peanut Butter Bites (smuggled chocolate-covered peanut butter snacks), and Upside Down Chicken & Waffles — a cheese and potato waffle topped with crispy chicken bites, sriracha aioli, and chopped chives. On the drink side, there’s the Hopper’s Recharger (360 Vodka Mandarin Orange, yuzu juice, Powerade Lemon Lime, and Monster Energy Zero Ultra), plus the standard Canned Carnival Sour Ale, Oddfellow’s Elixir, and Maniac Mix.

And down at Lagoon Bridge, Meetz Meats serves up a “Bloody BBQ Specials” menu: Bloody Bones, smoked and charred BBQ ribs with crispy jalapeño bits, and the Torn to Shreds Pork Sandwich, BBQ smoked and shredded pork shoulder with jalapeño slaw on a pretzel roll. The specialty drink here is Meetz’ Bloody Limeade (Bloody Shiraz gin, Misguided Spirits gin, lime juice, and simple syrup), joined by the usual Maniac Mix, Oddfellow’s Elixir, and Canned Carnival Sour Ale.

And for anyone looking for something a little more tropical, a “Creepy Concoctions & Frozen Beverages” board offers a full frozen drink menu: Piña Colada, Strawberry Supreme, Margarita, and Mango Passion, all available from a premium bar with your choice of liquor (Tito’s vodka, Captain Morgan Spiced Rum, BACARDI Superior rum, Patrón Silver tequila, Jack Daniel’s, Crown Royal, Tanqueray gin, or Cathead Vodka Satsuma Mandarin). Beer and wine options here include Blue Moon, Kona Big Wave, Dogfish Head 60 Minute IPA, Pacifico Clara, Spellbound Cabernet Sauvignon, and Noble Vines 446 Chardonnay.

Across nearly every booth, a few constants keep showing up: the Phantom Punch, Maniac Mix, Oddfellow’s Elixir, and Canned Carnival Sour Ale are the event’s core specialty drinks, backed by a consistent Modelo, High Noon, Michelob Ultra, and Stone beer lineup. So no matter which corner of the park you’re haunting, you’re never too far from a refill.

Between the themed food, the wildly specific cocktail names, and genuinely clever menu writing (Circus Peanut 4-Ever, Death by Cheese Stick, I see you both), Halloween Horror Nights 35’s food and drink lineup is doing some heavy lifting to match the scares this year.

Which HHN 35 menu item are you most excited to try — the Jack & Odd Dog, the Carn”Evil” Smash Tacos, or one of the frozen cocktails? Let me know your must-try pick!