Disneyland Dining
Disneyland has plenty of places to eat, but perhaps its most famous dining spot is the Blue Bayou Restaurant. You'll also find a variety of sit-down and take-away food spots, as well as specialty refreshment carts selling items such as Mickey Mouse-shaped ice-cream bars.
To avoid crowds, have lunch before 11:00 A.M. or after 2:00 P.M. During this midday period, the lines for the popular attractions are the shortest, while the lines at Disneyland's eateries are the longest. Peak dinner hours are between 5:00 P.M. and 8:00 P.M. Once again, it's best to experience the popular attractions during these hours.
You can read about Disney's famous character meals in Chapter 7, the Disney hotel restaurants are described in Chapter 4, Chapter 14 describes dining options in Downtown Disney, and Chapter 15 offers some suggestions for other places to eat around Anaheim.
FAST FACT
Each year, Disneyland serves more than 4 million hamburgers, 3.4 million orders of French fries, 3.2 million boxes of popcorn, 3.2 million servings of ice cream, 1.2 million gallons of soft drinks, and 1.6 million hot dogs, but there are plenty of other dining choices available.
You can make dinner reservations for some of the Disneyland restaurants, and it's a good idea to do it as far in advance as you can. Call (714) 781-3463 up to sixty days and at least two weeks in advance.
Prices for each of the dining spots listed, as with all other prices quoted in this book, are likely to change.
Blue Bayou
Location: New Orleans Square
Meals: Lunch, dinner
Price range: $20 to $30 per person
Located at Lafitte's Landing and visible as you embark on the Pirates of the Caribbean adventure, the Blue Bayou looks lovely, with its moonlit setting under Spanish moss-draped trees. Many Disneyland visitors enjoy a meal at the Blue Bayou, and it is exceptionally popular. If you wait until you get to Disneyland to try to get in, you will most likely find it already booked up days in advance.
TRAVEL TIP
Even if you're over the age of twenty-one, Disneyland does not serve or allow alcoholic beverages anywhere in the theme park. However, you can enjoy beer and wine in limited areas within California Adventure.
The Blue Bayou is a full-service, sit-down restaurant whose menu includes Cajun gumbo and jambalaya, Alaskan king crab legs, filet mignon, fish, and chicken. The signature Monte Cristo sandwich is served only at lunch.
Despite all its fame and reputation, the Blue Bayou's food is mediocre at best. If you favor ambiance and the dining experience over food quality, you may enjoy it, but if you like good food, you may want to go to the Golden Vine restaurant in California Adventure instead.
Café Orleans
Location: New Orleans Square
Meals: Lunch, dinner
Price range: $10 to $30 per person
A casual restaurant that offers table service, Café Orleans offers indoor seating or tables on an outdoor terrace overlooking Rivers of America. The menu features flavors of New Orleans, including French onion soup, Monte Cristo sandwiches, and gumbo. They also serve soups and salads, sandwiches, and crepe specialties.
Carnation Café
Location: Main Street, U.S.A.
Meals: Breakfast, lunch, dinner
Price range: $10 to $20 per person
The Carnation Café serves a variety of typical American foods, such as chicken potpies, pasta, and roast beef, as well as their popular “butcher block” sandwich plates, in a casual atmosphere. Breakfasts feature croissant sandwiches and Mickey Mouse waffles, and they provide table service for breakfast and lunch.
French Market Restaurant
Location: New Orleans Square
Meals: Lunch, dinner, snacks
Price range: $10 to $20 per person
This casual dining spot is a good place to sit under the trees and enjoy the view while you eat. Dixieland jazz bands also provide mealtime entertainment. Menu highlights include Southern cooking favorites such as jambalaya, beef stew, fried chicken, soups, and salads.
Plaza Inn
Location: Main Street, U.S.A.
Meals: Lunch, dinner
Price range: $10 to $20 per person
Character breakfasts are served at the Plaza Inn every morning. The rest of the day, meals are served buffet-style with dishes such as roasted chicken, pasta, and pot roast. The dining room is nicely decorated in Victorian style with lots of ornate details.
Rancho del Zocalo
Location: Frontierland
Meals: Breakfast, lunch, dinner
Price range: $10 to $20 per person
Disneyland's only Mexican restaurant serves citrus fire-grilled chicken, burritos, tacos, and other Mexican favorites.
Redd Rocket's Pizza Port
Location: Tomorrowland
Meals: Lunch, dinner
Price range: $10 per person or less
The setting is cute, with a giant rocket ship marking the spot just next to Space Mountain, and the price is one of the most reasonable in the park. Redd Rocket's serves giant pizza slices (or whole pies), pasta, and Caesar salad.
River Belle Terrace
Location: Frontierland
Meals: Breakfast, lunch, dinner, snacks
Price range: $10 to $20 per person
Once the cherished Sunday morning breakfast spot of Walt Disney, this stately restaurant remains a sentimental favorite for breakfast, lunch, and dinner.
You can get a full breakfast at the River Belle, with scrambled eggs, country-style potatoes, bacon, sausage, and cinnamon rolls, or order some Mickey Mouse-shaped pancakes. The lunch menu includes barbecued chicken and ribs, grilled chicken salad, barbecued salmon sandwiches, vegetable stew, and clam chowder. The River Belle also offers a children's menu that includes mini corn dogs, barbecued chicken legs, or a Mickey Mouse-shaped peanut butter and jelly sandwich.
FAST FACT
The Gibson Girl ice cream parlor on Main Street, U.S.A. sells enough ice cream every year to build a life-size replica of Fantasyland's thirteen-story-tall Matterhorn.
In late 2006, the Walt Disney Company announced new food guidelines to promote better kids' diets, with healthier choices becoming the standard offering rather than an option at all Disneyoperated restaurants and snack carts. They also plan to eliminate all added trans fats and improve the nutritional value and taste of most of their food by the end of 2007.
