Beer, wine and cocktails can be found throughout the Disneyland Resort. From Oga’s Cantina at Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge in Disneyland to Lamplight Lounge at Disney California Adventure, there is no shortage of alcohol to be found during your trip to the original Disney resort.
As regular Disneyland Resort Bar Crawl patrons (nothing crazy we promise), we thought it would be fun to share a guide to hitting the best bars at the resort. EPCOT receives all the fame for its Drinking Around the World Challenge, but the Disneyland Resort, although smaller, contains a great bar crawl. Plus, with the Disneyland Resort’s smaller footprint, it’s easy to hit all the great spots in a day.
The following guide is our preferred way to hit all of the resort’s best watering holes. Feel free to hit any of the bars below in any order you see fit, but after years visiting the resort, we believe we cracked the code with our order below.
Additionally, this guide will not list every bar at the resort, just our favorite ones. We will list the remaining bars at the end for your reference. So, let’s get to it. First thing’s first, we will start our day and warm up at Disneyland Park. Let’s party!
Disneyland
Oga's Cantina
Outside Club 33, Oga’s Cantina is the only bar at Disneyland. Unless you have access to Club 33, Oga’s Cantina will be our only stop at Disneyland. Located at Disneyland’s newest land, Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge, Oga’s Cantina is a highly themed bar that transports you right into the Star Wars Universe. It is not to be missed.
The only way to visit Oga’s is to secure a reservation from the official Disneyland website or official Disneyland app. Pick a reservation in the morning. Hopefully all went well and we’ll assume you got the table and you are now inside!
Oga serves both morning and afternoon/evening cocktails, plus beer and wine. Unfortunately, all of Oga’s drinks are premixed and a bit light on the alcohol. You can’t deviate from the menu, but that’s okay.
Although it’s the morning, we recommend you flip the menu over to the afternoon/evening side and order from this list of cocktails. Our recommendation? Order a Jet Juice and a Fuzzy Tauntaun together. Oga’s has a two drink maximum and this is by far the best combo. The Jet Juice is a shooter based around bourbon. The Fuzzy Tauntaun is a peach schnapps drink with peppercorn foam. The foam numbs and tingles your lips, a weird but fun feeling (especially in an alien bar).
Once your drinks arrive, take the jet juice in one gulp and sip your Fuzzy Tauntaun. As your sip your drink, take in the sights and listen to DJ REX’s funny commentary. The bar is great and Disney Imagineering definitely went all out.
Once you finish, pay your server and depart. Explore Galaxy’s Edge if you can. Our next stop is in Disney California Adventure.
Disney California Adventure
Pacific Wharf Distribution Co.
After warming up at Oga’s Cantina, walk to Disney California Adventure. Our next stop is the Pacific Wharf Distribution Co. The beer cart is located in the Pacific Wharf and serves a variety of Karl Strauss brews.
Karl Strauss serves our favorite craft beers and this cart is an easy place to grab a great beer. Plus, the cart offers mobile ordering. After scanning your ticket into Disney California Adventure, keep your phone open and place an order. Our favorites include Red Trolley Ale, Aurora Hoppyalis IPA and Mosaic Session IPA. All are delicious. With mobile ordering, your beers will be ready by the time you reach the cart!
Grab your beers and enjoy. If you would like to sit, the area around the cart is full of tables and chairs. Or, if you prefer, you can walk with your beer. Cars Land is right next door and is a great place for photos. Pixar Pier is right next door too, and is another great photo spot. You can’t lose either way. Finish your beer, drink some water and prepare for our next stop.
Lamplight Lounge
By now, it’s lunchtime. One of our favorite place for lunch at Disney California Adventure (and a drink) is Lamplight Lounge. Formally the world famous Cove Bar, Lamplight Lounge is themed to all things Pixar and is, of course, located at Pixar Pier.
Reservations are encouraged for those wanting to sit downstairs, which serves the full menu. Upstairs is first come, first serve and serves appetizers and snacks instead of full meals. And yes, both areas serve the full bar. No matter where you sit, you’ll have access to some great drinks.
For a great cocktail, especially on a hot day, we recommend the Sunrise Spectacular. With Maker’s Mark Bourbon, tropical juices and agave nectar, it reminds me of a tiki drink based around bourbon. It is easily the best drink I’ve had at Lamplight Lounge.
For those desiring a photo with their drink, consider The Sequel. With vodka and rum, this drink bubbles. It’s a cool drink, but also a bit on the sweet side. The cocktail menu includes plenty of craft cocktails for any taste. And with a full bar, they can make anything you like.
The bar does feature a large selection of craft beers, but we still recommend ordering a cocktail. The beers can still be ordered outside the park, whereas the cocktails are special to the park. Hopefully you can grab a spot downstairs, sip on a great cocktail and maybe even order the famous lobster nachos. Fun fact, if you do not like lobster, you can substitute chicken or steak for lobster. But where is the fun in that? Anyways, eat, drink and pay your bill. It’s time for our next stop.
Carthay Circle Lounge
From Lamplight Lounge, head back towards the entrance of Disney California Adventure to Carthay Circle. The top floor hosts the main restaurant, but the bottom floor hosts a first come, first serve lounge. As Carthay Circle is themed to 1930s Los Angeles, we’ll be drinking classic cocktails. And the lounge serves plenty on its cocktail menu.
Favorites include the Scotch Mist and the Carthay Old Fashioned. Scotch Mist, known to be Walt’s drink of choice, is satisfying for those with a taste for scotch and not a taste for sugar. The Carthy Old Fashioned, with Woodford Reserve Bourbon is not to be missed. The drink is $17.50, but worth every penny.
Other great choices include the Carthay Manhattan, The Derby and Negroni. The lounge does serve beer and wine, but nothing compares to the cocktails. With a full bar, the choices are limitless but we recommend ordering off the cocktail menu for some one of a kind drinks.
If you are still hungry after lunch, appetizers and snacks are available. But the star of the show is the cocktails. Finish your drink, look at tons of cool pictures from the Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs 1937 movie premiere and pay your bill. It’s time for our next stop at Disney’s Grand Californian Hotel and Spa.
Disney's Grand Californian Hotel and Spa
GCH Craftsman Bar
From Carthay Circle, head towards Grizzly River Run and exit Disney California Adventure into Disney’s Grand Californian Hotel and Spa. As the Disneyland Resort’s flagship hotel, we will be visiting two bars for cocktails. Our first stop in the hotel is GCH Craftsman Bar, the newest bar at the hotel. The bar is right next to the pool and the entrance/exit to Disney California Adventure. Once you exit the park, you’ll see it right away.
As the pool bar, the full-service bar offers plenty of cocktails and snacks. As always, we recommend ordering off the cocktail menu. Some our favorites include the Tamarind Margarita and the Cucumber Soritz. Order the Tamarind on the rocks for an excellent margarita and if it’s an especially hot summer day, the Cucumber Spritz is crisp and refreshing. The bar also makes an excellent Long Island Ice Tea if you must have something off the menu.
If you need a snack after all this drinking, the Garlic Soy-Glazed Chicken Wings and Cali Sliders are both excellent. With its open air seating and close proximity to the pool, GCH Craftsman Bar is relaxing and casual, so take your time. No rush here. Also probably a good time for some more water. Once you’re ready, pay your bill and walk towards the lobby. Our next stop awaits.
Hearthstone Lounge
Adjacent to the lobby is the Hearthstone Lounge. As our next stop, the lounge is an excellent place to relax and unwind. During a busy day in the parks, Hearthstone Lounge is one of our favorite places to find a place to sit down, eat and recharge. With a large dining area, the lounge is almost never crowded, providing an excellent and quiet escape.
We recommend grabbing a seat at the bar and ordering a water first. Once you’re hydrated, it’s time to get back to the bar crawl. At Hearthstone, our go-to favorite cocktail is the Smoked Turkey. With Wild Turkey Bourbon, Red Stag Black Cherry Bourbon and lemonade, the drink is strong but refreshing. Other favorites include the Kentucky Mule and the Ultimate Long Island Iced Tea.
For food, the menu is similar to the GCH Craftsman Bar. Both menus feature the Garlic Soy-Glazed Chicken Wings and specialty pizzas. Hearthstone Lounge does serve an excellent burger, The Hearthstone Burger, and Avocado Toast.
With the AC and quiet atmosphere, take your time to relax and recharge. We still have two more stops ahead of us. Once you feel rested, pay the tab and pack up. Depart Disney’s Grand Californian Hotel and Spa. It’s time to walk to the first Disney hotel, the Disneyland Hotel.
Disneyland Hotel
The Lounge at Steakhouse 55
As we’ve said numerous times throughout this blog, the Disneyland Hotel is our absolute favorite hotel at Disneyland and a top favorite worldwide (You can read our full review of the Disneyland Hotel HERE). Along with stunning rooms and a great pool, the Disneyland Hotel has a stacked dining lineup, including two stops on our bar crawl.
For our penultimate stop, we will be visiting Steakhouse 55. As the signature dining location at the Disneyland Hotel, Steakhouse 55 has its own lounge outside the main dining room. The 1955 theme continues in the lounge where the full dinner menu (plus snacks) and of course drinks are served.
Since the lounge is a classy place, we recommend a classic cocktail, such as an Old-Fashioned or a Manhattan. The cocktail menu is the same as the Hearthstone Lounge but with a full bar, Steakhouse 55 can make any drink. I’ve had their Maker’s Mark Old-Fashioned more times than I can count and it’s spectacular.
Some of their specialty food items include Smothered Potato Chips and Truffle Mac & Cheese. The lounge also serves Fried Chicken Wings, which are half-sizes of chicken and are delicious. And like I said above, you can order the full menu, such as their famous Steakhouse 55 ribeye.
Enjoy your drink and pay your tab. It’s time for the grand finale, the best bar at the Disneyland Resort and one of the best bars in the world. Say thank you to your server and head towards the pool. It’s time to escape into another world.
Trader Sam's Enchanted Tiki Bar
Our next stop is the outstanding Trader Sam’s Enchanted Tiki Bar. Hands down the best bar at the Disneyland Resort and the prefect place to finish your day bar crawling around Disneyland. Themed to both the Jungle Cruise and a classic tiki bar, Trader Sam’s is not just a bar, but an experience.
From the moment you walk in, you are instantly transported from Southern California to the South Seas. Memorabilia from Trader Sam himself and the Jungle Cruise line the walls, along with traditional tiki decorations. The bar is kept in forever twilight, as it is always drinking time at Trader Sam’s. Instead of bartenders, skippers create your concoctions. And some drink orders may even incur the wrath of the the tiki gods themselves.
Trader Sam’s is tons of fun with its theming and atmosphere. Plus, the menu is full of great (and strong) drinks. Some of our favorites include the Shrunken Zombie Head and the Uh Oa. As a tiki bar, the skippers can make tiki classics from Don the Beachcomber and Trader Vic’s, such as a classic Navy Grog or a classic Mai Tai. And as a tiki bar, awesome themed mugs are available for purchase.
The bar does include a food menu (shares a kitchen with the next door Tangaroa Terrance). Food is tiki themed, with Sweet and Spicy Chicken Wings and the famed Pu Pu Platter. Outside an Angus cheeseburger, the food is meant to be shared and one plate will not be a full meal.
The bar is open until 1AM, offering a great spot to finish your long day. Sample as many tiki drinks as you can. The bar is incredibly small, so take your time if you can snag a seat inside. We recommend grabbing a spot at the bar, so you can witness the skippers create their concoctions. Plus, if you build a great relationship with your skipper, order a Dealer’s Choice. Your skipper will make you a special cocktail based on your preferences. Overall, Trader Sam’s is a outstanding experience.
Conclusion
It’s been a long day of drinking around the Disneyland Resort. We hope you had fun sampling drinks from our favorite spots. After starting the day early at Oga’s Cantina and finishing up late at Trader Sam’s Enchanted Tiki Bar, the crawl is exhausting but so much fun.
As I said above, I promised to list the other spots to grab a drink. Although we do not frequent these establishments on a regular basis, they can be alternatives if our favorite spots are closed or full. Here is the full list:
Club 33 (Disneyland Park)
Alfresco Tasting Lounge (Disney California Adventure)
Bayside Brews (Disney California Adventure)
Flo’s V8 Cafe (Disney California Adventure)
Napa Rose (Disney’s Grand Californian Resort and Spa)
Storyteller’s Cafe (Disney’s Grand Californian Resort and Spa)
Surfside Lounge (Disney’s Paradise Pier Hotel)
Most of the restaurants at Downtown Disney also serve alcohol, although we never visit any of those restaurants. Not that there is anything inherently wrong with Downtown Disney, but the restaurants to us aren’t thematically special and can be found elsewhere. When we visit the resort, we want to drink at spots only found at the resort and offer an escape from modern life.
Before we close out, remember to take your time and drink plenty of water. The point of the tour is to have fun, sample some fun drinks and experience Disneyland’s best bars. Disneyland is a family destination so keep that in mind as you sip your drinks. No need to get crazy. Just have fun and build some great memories with your family and friends.
Thoughts?
Thank you for reading our Disneyland Bar Crawl! We hope it is helpful and provides you and your family a great day at the parks and the hotels. If you are planning a multi-day visit to the Disneyland Resort, please read our One-Day Disneyland Itinerary HERE and our One-Day Disney California Itinerary HERE!
Have you done the bar crawl before? What is your favorite bar? Did you see Michael Eisner boozing around? Let us know in the comments below!
