As a Disneyland passholder, I am often asked for the best places to eat/drink at the Disneyland Resort. Over the years, Stella and I have dined at almost every restaurant at Disneyland, California Adventure, Downtown Disney and the Resort hotels. I can say with confidence we have a great idea of the best places to dine.
The Disneyland Resort has vastly improved its culinary scene over the years. No longer is the resort defined by the ‘typical’ theme park fare of hamburgers, hot dogs, pizza and nuggets. Although these options unfortunately still exist, they can easily be avoided for higher quality meals.
Between the entire resort, you can easily find a place that fits your tastes and almost all of them offer a passholder discount. Just remember, the discount only applies to food and non-alcoholic beverages. If you order alcohol, the discount will be not be applied to the drinks.
The following post will create a list of the best places to dine. For simplicity, I will break it down by the following: Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner. I will also include an entry for the parks (which require park admission) and Downtown Disney/Resort hotels (which do not require park admission).
I will also include why we enjoy this particular place and any important information you should know before dining. Bon appetite!
Breakfast
Galactic Grill
Disneyland Park: Tomorrowland, Mobile Ordering, Passholder Discount Accepted
Located in Tomorrowland on the other side of Buzz Lightyear Astro Blasters, Galactic Grill is not known for being a culinary hotspot. In fact, its lunch and dinner menu reflect the typical theme park fare I mentioned at the top of this post. So how did it make it on my list?
Well, the restaurant did overall its menu within the last couple years. And with that change, it added my favorite breakfast item found in the parks, a breakfast burrito. For under $10, you can order a very filling breakfast burrito, with scrambled eggs, cheese, hash browns and bacon.
If you are eating in the park, I’m assuming you are in a hurry. This burrito will get you in and out quickly. When I need breakfast on the go, I will pull out my phone as I enter the park and order via the official Disneyland app. Remember, the app automatically deducts your pass discount when you mobile order. As I walk by the massive horde of human beings ordering Starbucks on Main Street, I can comfortably walk towards Tomorrowland.
Upon arrival at the mobile ordering counter, my burrito is ready. I verify my identity and I’m on my way. No line waiting at all. The seating area is usually empty at this time in the morning (remember, I enter the park right when it opens). I open the foil, chow down on the burrito, pick a Fast Pass from the app and within ten minutes, I’m on my way towards Galaxy’s Edge.
Did I mention I am also full and it holds me over until lunchtime? If you’re pressed for time and need something to eat, skip Starbucks and order this burrito. You will not be disappointed.
Steakhouse 55
Disneyland Hotel, Reservations/Passholder Discount Accepted
As many of you know from reading my blog, I love the Disneyland Hotel. It is my favorite hotel on property and more than likely my favorite Disney hotel in the world (although the Poly might be my favorite, depending on how I’m feeling). The hotel offers a stacked dining lineup and the hotel should be your number one place to stay when looking to stay onsite. And if you’re a local, you can take part in all its dining without staying onsite. Although once you gaze upon its marvelous blue towers, you might change your mind.
Steakhouse 55 is known for its steak and is a signature dining location during dinner. However, it is also opened for breakfast as a sit down restaurant. You can enjoy the 1955 atmosphere and setting for a fraction of the dinner price. And yes, the food is great.
Offering a variety of American inspired breakfast items, from omelets to waffles to stiff mimosas, the food is excellent. The restaurant is also slow and nowhere as crowded as Goofy’s Kitchen next door. You’ll feel good as you leave the restaurant without little kids running around you and paying over $40/person for average buffet food.
I recommend stopping by Steakhouse 55 if the park opens late in the morning, you are staying onsite and have time to kill in the morning or just want a nice for breakfast on a Saturday morning. The atmosphere is relaxed and the restaurant is quiet. The food is on point and sure beats stopping by Denny’s or IHOP.
For those dining at the hotel, valet parking is free for three hours with restaurant validation. Yup, free valet parking. Just drive to the front of the hotel, let them know you are eating at Steakhouse 55 and they will gladly take care of you. Just don’t forget to validate your ticket with your server before you leave.
Lunch
Lamplight Lounge
California Adventure: Pixar Pier, Reservations/Passholder Discount Accepted
For lunch, nothing beats Lamplight Lounge. Located in Pixar Pier in California Adventure, Lamplight is a relatively new restaurant (opened in 2018) that replaced the highly liked Cove Bar and Ariel’s Grotto.
The namesake of the restaurant derives from the mascot of Pixar, Luxo (he can be found looking around the pier at its entrance just outside the restaurant entrance). And since he is the namesake, the restaurant is themed to Pixar.
Little details from Pixar’s movies can be found sprinkled around the lounge. Quotes from characters line the walls, memorabilia back each table and sketches/drawings from the actual animators can be found in many different places.
Unlike Cover Bar, it offers reservations! I love reservations. In the old days of Cove Bar, Stella and I would line up at 10:30AM for the 11AM opening to secure a table. Thank god those days are over.
With reservations, I no longer have to waste my time hoping for a table. Instead, I can easily pick a time on the app and show up when I need to. Like all dining reservations, reservations can be made up to 60 days in advance and require a credit card guarantee.
Now, Lamplight does allow those without a reservation to dine. The lounge has two levels. The upstairs area (which is all outside) is first come first serve. The downstairs area is reserved for reservations and walk-ins.
However, those eating upstairs will have a limited menu whereas downstairs offers the full menu. The upstairs menu just consists of bar snacks and sides. The downstairs seating area includes full meal entrees. You can easily make a meal off snacks, but if you desire more of a meal, downstairs is your best bet.
For walk-ins, I’ve had great success securing a table. I’ve never had to wait more than fifteen minutes, even during busy days at the park. Additionally, Lamplight sends you a text message when your table is ready. Wait says thirty minutes? Great, I’ll go ahead and grab a beer from the Karl Strauss beer cart and relax until I receive the message. No need to wait at the main entrance.
Along with convenience, the food is top notch bar food. The classic lobster nachos from Cove Bar survived the retheming and are still as good as ever. Other snack items include carne asade rolls, spicy tuna rolls and potato skins. You can’t go wrong with any selections.
For meals, the lounge offers a cheddar burger, spicy chicken sandwich and large salads. All the meal selections taste great, but they are on the pricey side. Instead, I recommend ordering the bar snacks and sharing with your group. The snacks are more than big enough and it’ll help keep the price down as you order a couple of rounds of drinks from the full service bar.
Dedicate an hour into your busy park schedule to visit Lamplight. Although it’s tempting to keep going without a break, your body and most importantly, your mind will enjoy the time off your feet to eat and relax. The chairs are comfortable and the setting is nice and mellow. Sure beats a turkey leg as you wait two hours for Radiator Springs Racers.
See our full review of Lamplight Lounge HERE!
Trader Sam's Enchanted Tiki Bar
Disneyland Hotel, Passholder Discount Accepted
Outside of the parks, our go to spot for lunch is our favorite bar on property, Trader Sam’s Enchanted Tiki Bar. Guess what, its located at the Disneyland Hotel. I can’t get away from this hotel but its dining lineup is stacked. The Disneyland Hotel easily offers the best dining lineup of the three onsite hotels.
Located by the pool, Trader Sam’s is an amazing tiki bar. Named after the famed trader from the Jungle Cruise, the bar is known for its strong, stiff topical drinks and engaging atmosphere.
Once you step inside, you are greeted with zany bartenders (aka skippers) doing their best to please Trader Sam and the Tiki gods, depending on your drink order. Order a Shipwreck on the Rocks and prepare yourself for a show. Or the famous Uh-Oha. You’ll be in for a treat.
The only ding for Trader Sam’s is its size. The bar probably only seats up to 30ish people. Due to its small size and lack or reservations or waiting list, its notoriously hard to grab a seat. The bar does open at 11:30AM. The best way to score a seat? Arrive at 11AM, wait thirty minutes and enter at 11:30AM. You’ll be guaranteed a seat, excellent drinks and tasty food.
As a tiki bar, the food is Polynesian/Asian themed and ranges from sticky chicken wings to pot stickers. It does offer burgers for those less adventuress eaters. Personally, Stella and I order a couple drinks (or four) and a couple plates of food to share. It’s more than plenty and is an excellent lunchtime experience. It’s fun walking back to Disneyland after drinking at Trader Sam’s!
Now, you can order the full food and drink menu at the patio area outside the bar. You will get the same food and drinks, but will lose the intimate bar atmosphere and the zaniness of the bartenders. The inside experience is too good to miss. But if you really can’t grab a table or a spot at the bar, ordering outside will be just fine.
Trader Sam’s does allow children, until 8PM. With a closing time of 1AM, the bar is open all day and can be a great dinner or late-night activity. The bar is so good it was copied and recreated at the Polynesian in Disney World.
Trust me, this is hands down the best bar and lunch spot in all of Disneyland. As long as you can grab a spot inside, you’ll be set for some crazy fun and amazing tiki drinks. They may even make you pray to the tiki gods yourself.
Dinner
Carthay Circle
California Adventure: Buena Vista Street, Reservations/Passholder Discount Accepted
Easily the best restaurant in the parks in the full service dining Carthay Circle. Blue Bayou is usually mentioned as the top pick, but other than its atmosphere, it doesn’t have much to justify its pricey meals.
Carthay Circle has it all. From a beautiful restaurant, spectacular theme and most importantly, great food. If you want a great place to spend your evening in the park, choose Carthay Circle. Stella and I have dined here multiple times and enjoyed it every single time. All our serves have been fantastic and I’ve never had a bad meal.
Carthay Circle is located at the end of Buena Vista Street, the main entrance plaza of the park. It can’t be missed as it’s the large building with the white tower. The restaurant building is themed as a scale replica of the Carthay Circle Theater, where Walt Disney premiered his first full length animated feature, Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs.
Once inside the restaurant, the atmosphere takes you to the 1930s time frame of the movie premier (Snow White premiered in 1937). Whereas Steakhouse 55 reflects 1955 Hollywood, Carthay Circle reflects 1930s Hollywood.
The interior of the restaurant is lined with all old pics of Walt and pictures from the Snow White premier. Guests enter the restaurant on the first floor and can enter the main dining room via stairs or elevator. Use the stairs to see more old pics of Walt.
Carthay Circle changes their menu seasonally. Over the years, we’ve enjoyed great entrees such as pork chops, salmon and shrimp. The mashed potatoes are excellent and the restaurant offers a long list of wines. And naturally, it has a full bar for those desiring an Old Fashioned.
You can’t go wrong with any menu item. The food is all excellent and the servers will do their best to ensure you order the correct item and take care of you every step of the way. As a signature dining experience, the restaurant does offer complimentary bread. Just don’t eat too much as you want to save room for some biscuits, the Firecracker Duck Wings and an outstanding entree. And if you can’t score reservations, the lounge on the first floor is first come, first serve and offers a full bar along with a selection of items.
Steakhouse 55
Disneyland Hotel, Reservations/Passholder Discount Accepted
Okay, cmon, I know we all saw this coming from a mile away. Yes, I know I mentioned Steakhouse 55 offering a great breakfast. Can I be creative and find a different restaurant for dinner? And the answer? Absolutely not.
Steakhouse 55 is easily the best choice for dinner outside the parks. Sure, Napa Rose at the Grand Californian receives all the credit as the best dining location outside the parks. Let me be the first to tell you, it’s just okay. We’ve been there and found it meh.
Now, I’ve been to Steakhouse 55 EVERY time I’ve stayed at the Disneyland Hotel. I stayed at the Disneyland Hotel three times in 2019 and dined at Steakhouse 55 each time. Not once did I regret it nor did I once think about Napa Rose.
Steakhouse 55 is excellent and ranks just behind Carthay Circle as my favorite dining establishment at the Disneyland Resort.
When I stay at the hotel, I first visit the Steakhouse 55 Lounge, located just outside the restaurant, for a quick drink.
By the time I finish my drink, our table is ready (you will receive a text message like Lamplight) and we’re led inside. The walls are lined with pictures of Walt and bring you back to the early days of Disneyland.
Remember, the Disneyland Hotel is themed to echo classic Disneyland. From each tower named to reflect an original land of the park at opening, the restaurant is accurately named Steakhouse 55, to reflect Disneyland’s opening year. And it does so beautifully.
Once inside, it screams classic Hollywood steakhouse. From low light, white table cloths and aged steaks, it transports you to a different time. All the servers are excellent and knowledgeable. If you want a wine tasting, its FREE and the servers will gladly help you out. Just remember, you might end up buying a $200 bottle of wine.
For dinner, we like to start with a wedge salad. For the main event, the bone-in rib eye or filet mignon are the clear winners. Like classic steakhouses, sides are extra and we order two: garlic potato gratin and the yukon gold mashed potatoes. Order this spread and you’ll be set. Additionally, they do not charge extra to split a steak. One steak is plenty for two. No need to buy one for each person (they are expensive after all).
Dining at Steakhouse 55 ensures I’m ending my day on a high note. If you can’t make into the parks or just finished spending all day exploring their wonder, head to the Disneyland Hotel and enjoy a meal fit for the best of Hollywood.
Like breakfast, the hotel offers complimentary three hour valet parking to those dining. And, if you cannot grab a reservation, the lounge just outside serves the full Steakhouse 55 menu, with a few additions of their own.
Conclusion
We hope this post helped with your dining needs. Runners up include Oga’s Cantina and Ronto Roasters in Galaxy’s Edge and the Hearthstone Lounge at the Grand Californian.
If our top picks are too busy, our runner ups are excellent alternatives. The Disneyland Resort offers excellent dining locations for any eater. There is something for everyone.
Thoughts?
Thanks again for reading! For those interested in booking a hotel stay, please read our Disneyland Hotel Review HERE. Looking at Club Level? We have it covered with our guide, Club Level at the Disneyland Resort HERE.
What is your favorite place to eat? Favorite bar? Favorite drink? Let us know in the comments below!
