Steakhouse 55 is a signature service restaurant located at the Disneyland Hotel. Themed to the year 1955 (the year Disneyland opened) the restaurant is a classic steakhouse. Open for breakfast, dinner and afternoon tea, this review will focus specifically on the dinner experience.
Steakhouse 55 is our absolute favorite table service restaurant at the Disneyland Resort (sorry Napa Rose). Since we became annual passholders in 2013, we’ve eaten at Steakhouse 55 more times than I can count. We also eat here every time we stay at the Disneyland Hotel. Thinking about it, we’ve eaten here more than other table service restaurant at the Disneyland Resort. It’s that good.
The review will analyze Steakhouse 55’s theming and atmosphere, food and drinks, our typical dining experience and our overall conclusion. We recommend you pour yourself a glass of your favorite bourbon and enjoy the following review of Disneyland’s best table service restaurant.
Theming and Atmosphere
Steakhouse 55 is located at the Disneyland Hotel right next to the entrance to Goofy’s Kitchen. From the main lobby in the Fantasy Tower, the restaurant is located to the right next to the hotel’s ballrooms. The host stand is right outside the restaurant and located next to the Steakhouse 55 Lounge. Right away, from viewing the lounge, the theme is apparent. Steakhouse 55 is not a Disney version of Black Angus or Outback Steakhouse. Steakhouse 55 is meant to transport you back to the golden age of Hollywood, back to good ‘ole 1955.
Once inside the restaurant, you will find photos of Walt entertaining famous celebrities of the 1950s. The lights are dim to give the main dining room an extra sense of luxury with dark-wood furnishings and classical music playing in the background. White tablecloths adorn the tables as servers whip around the dining room uncorking bottles of red wine.
As your host seats you at your table, you know you are in for a special treat. With its low lights and lack of windows, the dining room feels so removed from the rest of the Disneyland Resort. Even the sounds of screaming children just outside waiting to meet Goofy are non-existent. After a full day in the parks battling the sun and crowds, Steakhouse 55 feels like a retreat away from all the chaos.
The servers are highly knowledgeable and provide some of the best customer service at the Disneyland Resort. Each server has always been friendly, charming and helpful. Steakhouse 55 couldn’t survive without quality servers and fortunately Disneyland found its best. When thinking about the classic steakhouses of the 1950s, quality servers is apart of the ethos and Disneyland excelled in incorporating this part of the theme.
Lastly, the theming works because it fits into the theme of its location. The Disneyland Hotel, our second favorite Disney hotel in the world, is themed to Disneyland itself, specifically 1955 Disneyland. It makes sense for Steakhouse 55 to not only build a physical representation of 1955, but also build the culture of 1955 into the restaurant.
The dark colors, 1950s black and white photos of Walt Disney and the excellent servers all build a 1950s sense of culture into the restaurant. The contemporary world does not exist at Steakhouse 55. As you walk past the lounge and enter the main dining room, you become your own Marty McFly. And it’s excellent.
Food and Drink
First and foremost, Steakhouse 55 is expensive. It should be no surprise as it’s a signature service restaurant specializing in steaks. And like classic steakhouses, Steakhouse 55 serves (and charges) its steaks and sides separately. It sucks to buy a $59 steak and then pay another $11-$20 per side. But the food is excellent, which is most important. Moving on, let’s review the food and drinks.
As a steakhouse, Steakhouse 55’s menu is centered around steaks. The restaurant also features a great selection of appetizers, soups, salads and sides. Appetizers include crab cakes, bone marrow and sea scallops. Salads include the Steakhouse 55 Wedge Salad and for soups, the restaurant serves Onion Soup au Gratin and Kabocha Pumpkin Bisque.
Now for the steaks. Guests can order an 8-oz Center-cut Filet Mignon with shrimp, 18-oz Dry Rub Bone-in Rib Eye or a 16-oz Slow-roasted Prime Rib. To complement the steak, guests can order Steakhouse 55 Butter or Steakhouse 55 Steak Sauce. For guests looking for a different entree, chicken, salmon, lamb chops and a lobster trail can also be ordered.
For sides, Steakhouse 55 features a large selection. Options include Yukon Gold Mashed Potatoes, Macaroni and Cheese, Garlic Potato Gratin and a Loaded Baked Potato. For dessert, choices include Chocolate Crown Cake, Sourdough Bread Pudding and Vanilla Creme Brulee. A Children’s Menu is available for younger guests.
We’ve had most of the items on the menu and loved everything. The menu does sometimes change, especially for the appetizers and sides. To my knowledge, the steak selection has not changed since we starting eating here back in 2013. The appetizers and sides haven’t changed too much, but there are some newer dishes. Lastly, as a signature dining restaurant, Steakhouse 55 does provide complimentary sourdough bread. The sourdough is baked fresh and arrives at your table hot. It is by far the best bread we’ve ever had at a Disney restaurant.
As for drinks, Steakhouse 55 features a full bar and a huge wine selection. Bourbon is the drink of choice here and you can’t go wrong with an Old Fashion or a Manhattan. If I am having a cocktail, a Maker’s Mark Old Fashioned is my favorite cocktail at Steakhouse 55. Sipping a bourbon cocktail in a 1955 themed steakhouse really makes me feel like Walt Disney himself is just outside exploring his park. The wine selection is great too.
At Steakhouse 55, you can try a selection of wines before you choose which bottle to buy. Just ask your server for a wine tasting and they will take you to the wine cellar! It’s a great experience and something we recommend all guests try for themselves. We almost always end up buying a $100 bottle of wine but at least the wine tasting and the server’s charm make us happy for spending that money!
Typical Dining Experience
For the most part, we follow the same plan and order the same items whenever we visit. We found the following to be our favorite selection of food and to us, provides the best meal at Steakhouse 55.
First, we stop by the Steakhouse 55 Lounge for a cocktail, about 30 minutes before our reservation. I’ll usually have a Maker’s Mark Old Fashioned and Stella will have some sugary concoction. Once we receive the text our table is ready, we first pay our bill at the Lounge.
For an upscale place, it makes zero sense you can’t transfer your bill from the Lounge to the main dining room. Fortunately, you can bring your drink to your table.
After paying our Lounge bill, we move on to the main dining room. Once seated, our server brings us water and hot sourdough bread. From here, we usually order another cocktail or ask to visit the wine cellar for a wine tasting.
For food, we always start with the Steakhouse 55 Wedge Salad. The salad is huge and Steakhouse 55 splits the salad for us and serves it on two separate plates. The crisp iceberg lettuce, flavorful bacon lardons and soft boiled egg taste amazing together under tasty blue cheese vinaigrette.
As for entrees, we split one as Steakhouse 55 provides large slabs of meat that are too big for one person. Our absolute favorite is the 18-oz Dry Rub Bone-in Rib Eye. It’s a beautiful steak full of flavor. Bone marrow is also provided with the cut. Our other favorite entrees are the 8-oz Center Cut Filet Mignon and the 16-oz Slow-roasted Prime Rib. Each cut is fantastic, cooked to perfection and large enough to share between two people. Like the salad, Steakhouse 55 will cut your meat and serve it on two different plates.
For sides, our two favorites are the Yukon Gold Mashed Potatoes and the Macaroni and Cheese. We recommend choosing two sides. Each side is large enough to share. The Garlic Potatoes Gratin and the Loaded Baked Potato are also great selections.
After bread, salad, steak, potatoes and macaroni plus cocktails and wine, it’s time for dessert. Our personal favorite is the Vanilla Creme Brulee. It’s not heavy, which is prefect after eating so much food. The Chocolate Crown Cake is excellent but only if you have room left in your stomach. And if you can stomach it, an Irish Coffee is the best way to end your meal.
Conclusion
Steakhouse 55 is an excellent spot for a special dinner at the Disneyland Resort. The theming references a bygone era, the year Disneyland opened. From its dim lighting to its photos of Walt and 1950s celebrities, it’s fun to feel you made a trip back to 1955 and can explore Walt’s park as he did.
From cocktails to dry rubbed slabs of steak, the food and drinks are outstanding and are better than anything else at the Disneyland Resort. The servers are some of Disney’s best and who doesn’t want a free wine tasting as you contemplate which $100 bottle of wine to purchase.
We recommend you follow our suggestions for a great dining experience or feel free to choose your own experience. Whatever you decide to choose, you will not be disappointed. Steakhouse 55 is a special place at the Disneyland Resort. Whether you are celebrating an anniversary, a birthday or just a long day in the parks, Steakhouse 55 is sure to please and become a place you want to visit again and again.
Dining Information
If you planning on dining at Steakhouse 55, here are some important dining tips. Steakhouse 55 reservations can be made 60 days in advance via the official Disneyland website or official Disneyland app. We recommend making reservations as soon as possible but we’ve also had no issues securing a reservation at the last minute by scrolling through the app. Additionally, Steakhouse 55 is available for passholder discounts on food (not alcohol).
Since it is located at the Disneyland Hotel, park tickets are not required to dine. If you are not in the parks during your visit to Steakhouse 55, we recommend you park at the Disneyland Hotel. Valet parking is complimentary for guests dining at Steakhouse 55.
Before your leave at the end of your dinner, remember to validate your parking with your server. Lastly, when you check in at the host stand, they will write down your phone number and text you when your table is ready. You are free to explore the hotel or have a drink at the Steakhouse 55 Lounge Bar as you wait for a text. Overall, the dining experience is made as easy as possible, greatly improving the experience.
Thoughts?
Thank you for reading our review of Steakhouse 55, the Disneyland Resort’s best table service restaurant. If you are planning a stay at the Disneyland Hotel, we recommend you read our Review of the Disneyland Hotel HERE and our Review of Trader Sam’s Enchanted Tiki Bar HERE! And if you are planning to visit the parks, read our one-day itineraries of Disneyland Park HERE and California Adventure HERE!
Have you dined at Steakhouse 55 before? What did you think? How did you think it compares to Napa Rose? Try an Irish Coffee? Let us know in the comments below!
