Disneyland Food

[Skipper Justin]

Hello all!

About to head for my third Disneyland trip. I was wondering if anyone had any favorite items or must do food (or food to avoid). I’ve had the corn dogs. I’m an adventurous eater as well. I’ve been to Blue Bayou 2x and Carthay Circle. In the future, this can probably also become a general Disneyland food thread.

 

[Freak]

Disneyland:

-Clam chowder in the bread bowl right by Pirates. It's a hole-in-the-wall, but the clam chowder is bangin'.

-Beignets by Tiana's (Of course!)

-Haven't tried it, but just heard from a coworker that there is a stand by the Fantasyland theater that sells loaded baked potatoes. One of which sells a potato loaded with Al Pastor. If you're not an LA native and don't know what that is....you're in for a real treat!

-For a full meal, my favorites to go to are either Rancho del Zocolo or Tiana's Place. Rancho is good for theme park food. There is better Mexican food out there for sure, but for theme park fare it's good. Tiana's has some really good stuff. Love the potatoes, beans, and BBQ chicken. Cornbread is not bad either. Mac and cheese is really good here.

-Jolly Holiday bakery has a solid beef bierra grilled cheese sandwhich that you can dip into bierra sauce. Highly recommend.

That's all I can think of for Disneyland proper. The full service meals aren;t really worth anything to writer home about (Zocolo is decent and Tiana's is the only standout IMO). But the "snack" places that I just mentioned are where you really want to pay attention to. That's where the good stuff is at.

California Adventure (IMO where the really good food is at):

-Orange chicken burrito by Monsters Inc. It's at the food truck. Sadly I opted to get the beef bulgogi burrito at San Frantokyo, which I am kicking myself for going for instead. I tried the KBBQ one and it was like 75% rice. The orange chicken burrito I heard is really good. Absolutely getting that next time I go to DCA.

-If you're there in the morning, hit up the coffee stand by the circular flowery plaza in front of the Pixar Pier entrance bridge. They have an absolutely amazing breakfast burrito that I think rivals some of the better breakfast burrito places in LA! They have a strak and egg burrito with garlic aioli. It's in my top breakfast burrito places. Trust me. It's worth getting up early for.

-Clarabell's has a Guinness float where they put an ice cream bar in there. It's good!

-The Pizza place by Goofy's has good pasta and meatballs. Recommend for a full lunch.

That's all I can think of at the top of my head, but those are the food options I strongly recommend.

 

[DTH]

Rancho Del Zocolo got rid of beans and rice as a side with their burritos recently. I had it back in May or June and this past weekend, now it's gone. I was HEARTBROKEN. This was legit my most favorite meal in all of Disneyland Resort. I can no longer recommend it and will be boycotting until it returns.

My next favorite place to eat is Lamplight Lounge. Their burger is good (with bacon) and their fries are DIVINE. However, the number one thing there is their Lobster Nachos -- top tier. You can also get it with steak if you prefer.

I gotta disagree with Freak on Tiana's, when it first opened and I had it, it was garbage, but maybe they've gotten better.

I'll come back later when I've gathered my thoughts on a full list.

 

[Skipper Justin]

I cancelled my Storyteller’s cafe reservation because I’d rather save money and try a bunch of the quick service. I do have a lamplight reservation!

 

[belloq87]

I strongly recommend a mint julep from the Mint Julep Bar if that sort of thing is to your taste!

Great drink to stroll around with and soak up the ambiance.

 

[Skipper Justin]

I had those when I went to Blue Bayou. Good but a bit too sweet (I don’t do sugar much). Going to try the Oga’s. I said I was done with the FL one forever but will give this one a try.

 

[DTH]

Back with my fav eats:
- Bengal BBQ. If you want a quick snack, you can get a skewer, but if you want a full meal, you can get the rice plate. Something I realized recently is the beef ones are always SOOO tough but I love the spicy sauce. So recently I've been putting the spicy sauce on pork belly and it is AMAZING.
- Birria sandwich at Jolly Holiday. I don't know if this is still seasonal, but it is legit in the top 5 best things I've ever had in the resort.
- The aforementioned Lobster Nachos at Lamplight Lounge. I mention this again because this is almost a thing of Disneyland legend with how much people love them.
- I know I am mad at Rancho Del Zocalo, but their burrito is pretty good even if not a full plate like it used to be.
- Fried Chicken at Plaza Inn. This is basic, but you're going to smell it over and over again walking by Tomorrowland, and I won't blame you for being curious.
- Carnation Cafe for breakfast. Love me a Mickey Waffle. They have such good bacon and eggs to go with it, too.
- Monte Cristo at Cafe Orleans. I don't get this often because I feel like death afterwards but it is insanely good if your arteries can handle it.
- Cream Cheese filled pretzel or a Jalapeno cheese filled pretzel. One of these is hard to find around the park at the carts (I think it's the cream cheese one) but easy pro tip, you can just get one from Refreshment Corner.
- I know it sounds sacrilegious, but skip the churros. Go to a Del Taco nearby and get a churro that's maybe 3/4 the size, but it's only a single dollar. They make them fresh and hot every time you order them, so no risk getting a bland and cold churro for $5.75 or whatever their insane price is now.

 

[Jake S]

Just want to echo some of what @DTH and @Freak said because there seems to be a pretty clear consensus on some consistently very good items:

• Lobster nachos at Lamplight Lounge are excellent. If you can get a table outside, this is one of my favorite places to eat (okay, and drink) in the entire resort
• Monte Cristo at Cafe Orleans. I can't hammer these things like I used to, but it's still one of my favorite pre-Fantasmic meals
• The burrito sonora at Rancho del Zocalo is quite good and quite filling. Also a nice place to eat in the evening as the sun is setting.
• The past two iterations of the Hungry Bear menu have been, in my opinion, quite good. And the new menu sounds good, so I'm hopeful.

brief intermission so your eyes can rest between these bullets.

• Agree with DTH that the churros are not great and the same brand you'll find at fast food joints and (GASP) Knott's Berry Farm. Get the popcorn. It's very good.
• The beef bulgogi in San FranSokyo is also great
• Other restaurants worth trying to get a reservation at include Carthay Circle Restaurant, which is pricy but quite good. Want to try the food with less fuss and money? Try getting a table in the lounge area.
• I also try to get a reservation at Oga's. My wife is a big fan of the (non-alcoholic) Cliff Dweller. I stick to the Bad Motivator hazy IPA. Remember: This is not a real bar and the cocktails are premixed, so choose wisely.