Best & Worst Burgers at Disneyland
If you’re doing a cheeseburger crawl of Disneyland and California Adventure, you might be disappointed. Despite the classic all-beef entree being a staple of counter service menus, only a handful are actually good-to-great. This list covers that issue, highlighting the best & worst burgers in Disneyland Resort’s parks, hotels, Downtown Disney, and beyond. (Updated January 31, 2024.)
Burgers are my passion; cheeseburgers are my calling–spreading the good word is perhaps my life’s mission. If it weren’t for my doctor being a total buzzkill, I’d eat burgers for 4 meals per day. I enjoy eating adventurously and trying new cuisine, but nothing hits the spot like a good burger. It is the perfect food and is almost irresistible to me when I spot an intriguing one on a restaurant menu. To that point, I have a lot of experience with burgers at Disneyland Resort, and taste-tested it all: good, bad, and ugly.
In fact, this post has been “in progress” for ages now. The original draft actually predates the pandemic, and part of the reason I’ve been holding off on publishing the last few years was because several one-time favorites have yet to return. At this point, it’s seems increasingly unlikely that they will. So here we are, with a sadly short and limited list.
On a positive note, I’ll continue to taste-test burgers at Disneyland, revisiting familiar favorites to confirm their excellence and evaluating newcomers to determine whether they’re worthy, all for the sake of very important research. As Walt Disney famously said, this list of the best burgers at “Disneyland will never be completed. It will continue to grow as long as there is imagination left in the world.”
With that in mind, I do want to start with an important caveat. This list is not nearly as long or useful as its counterpart for Walt Disney World. It’s not as long because, quite simply, there aren’t as many standout burgers at Disneyland. It’s not as useful because the restaurants with the best burgers at Disneyland also often have other menu items that are fantastic. By contrast, the top burgers at Walt Disney World are quite often among the top few menu items.
Just worth keeping that in mind as we dig into this list of the best burgers at Disneyland, Disney California Adventure, Downtown Disney, and the Hotels of Disneyland Resort, starting with the newest additions for 2024…
Palm Breeze Bar – The newest restaurant at Disneyland Resort is Palm Breeze Bar, found in the pool area of the Villas at Disneyland Hotel. Despite some initial confusion, this is not just open to DVC members or guests of the hotel–anyone can dine here. However, I’m not entirely sure why you’d want to, as our meals here have been spotty…at best.
Although it’s “only” a pool bar, Palm Breeze has a really deep menu as it’s also essentially the only normal sit-down restaurant at Disneyland Hotel right now–so it fills two roles. The Palm Breeze Burger is one of the best and highest quality items here, with a price to match. Featuring sun-dried tomato & basil pesto, burrata, and arugula, the Palm Breeze Burger is a hearty item but with refreshing and light flavor, befitting the Palm Springs-inspired setting.
Award Wieners – Scientists and Supreme Court justices have been fiercely debating whether a hot dog is a sandwich for years. Now, a new debate emerges: is a hot dog sandwich a burger? That’s the question posed by the newest addition to the menu at Award Wieners, one of Disneyland Resort’s UNESCO World Heritage Sites.
The Pambazo Torta is a sandwich. That much should be clear just by looking at the photo above. It’s a sandwich stuffed with a hot dog, as well as Chorizo con Papas, lettuce, cotija cheese, pickled onions, and salsa verde, on a guajillo-dipped toasted roll and served with Filmstrip Fries (which are incredible). Does the presence of all these ingredients make it a burger? Or maybe a burrito?
I don’t know, I’m not a physicist. Just a dude who loves delicious burgers. If you ask me, counting anything with lab-grown “meat” as a burger opens the door for things like this. Even if I’m wrong (and I probably am), the Pambazo Torta is one of the best things I’ve ever had at Award Wieners, which is incredibly high praise. It makes our List of the 24 Best Restaurants at Disneyland in 2024, and Award Wieners is where I eat more than anywhere else in Disney California Adventure.
Don’t let its weird looks deceive you; like an armadillo, the Pambazo Torta is solid as a rock. I’ll be getting it again and again as long as this seasonal item is available. It’s seriously that good. A symphony of meats and flavors all held together by one of the best buns I’ve ever had.
Black Tap Craft Burgers & Shakes – Perhaps the most popular restaurant in Downtown Disney, there’s an almost perpetual line to order at Black Tap Craft Burgers & Shakes. Honestly, I think it’s a bit overrated, but Black Tap is still very good.
Black Tap’s claim to fame is the award-winning Greg Norman, which consists of a 1/2 lb Wagyu Beef Burger, House Buttermilk-Dill, Blue Cheese, and Arugula. That and the Wagyu Steakhouse Burger and Truffle Burger are the most popular options, and they’re all good. But honestly, I think the Pizza Burger or Mexico City might be the best burgers on the menu at Black Tap.
Note that as Downtown Disney emerges from its reimagining in 2024, we will gradually be taste-testing the new and returning menu items. I haven’t had a chance to try the House Grind Bacon Burger at the Jazz Kitchen Coastal Grill (formerly Ralph Brennan’s), but have heard great things. Other burgers at older restaurants in Downtown Disney don’t make this list for a reason.
Carnation Cafe – This iconic spot on Main Street in Disneyland is home to two iconic burgers (or burger-adjacent food products), the Parmesan Toasted Patty Melt and the Carnation Café Cheeseburger. Both feature the same mouth-watering Angus Chuck Patty, and are worthy of inclusion on this list.
If I could only order one, it’s gotta be the Parmesan Toasted Patty Melt. It is pure perfection, the quintessential greasy spoon entree. The patties, grilled onions, cheese, and house sauce come together to form a juicy and delicious burger, and one that tests the limits of the Toasted Parmesan Sourdough Bread.
It passes with flying colors, holding up under the weight of all that while adding its own flavors and textures. The Carnation Café Cheeseburger is more straightforward–a classic diner burger, but lacks the addictively delicious and unique flavors of the Patty Melt.
Lamplight Lounge – The popular table service spot overlooking Pixar Pier is home to a variety of beloved items, and it’s difficult to deviate from the iconic Lobster Nachos during a normal meal. Fortunately(?), those aren’t available on Lamplight Lounge’s brunch menu. There are still a variety of great options that can make choosing difficult, but at least the Brunch Burger has a fighting chance here.
The Brunch Burger consists of a Grilled Custom Burger Blend with American Cheese, One Egg-up, Hash Brown Patty, Roasted Green Chile, Lettuce, Caramelized Onions and Paprika Aïoli on a toasted Amish Bun with Fresh Fruit. Now that’s what I call a brunch burger!
And holy cow does the Brunch Burger deliver on its description and name. The beef blend is tender and juicy, and not the kind of patty that “needs” to be concealed by egg or sauces. To the contrary, those things here only add to and enhance the flavor, providing nice texture, a mild kick–and a huge mess–to this item.
Don’t order the Brunch Burger if you want to eat a tidy and proper meal; do order it if you want something fantastic and don’t mind running to the restroom when you’re finished to wash your hands. The only downside is that it’s paired with fruit–as if to serve as a reminder that you don’t need anything else unhealthy–instead of more breakfast-y deliciousness. (That’s easy enough to “overcome” by ordering the Indulgent French Toast for “dessert.”)
Hearthstone Lounge – The “problem” with each of the next two entries is that they are found on two of the deepest menus in all of Disneyland Resort, making it difficult to recommend them over the other alternatives. However, that’s not an indictment of the burgers themselves. To the contrary, these are two true standouts.
Let’s start with the Seasonal Burger at Hearthstone Lounge, the Grand Californian Hotel’s lobby bar. This Seasonal Burger currently consists of American Wagyu Patty, Sonoma Sharp White Cheddar, Avocado, Lettuce, Tomato, Bacon-Shallot Jam on a Herb Focaccia Bun.
The Hearthstone Burger is seasonal because the toppings differ based on which vegetables are in season, and what the chefs deem appropriate for the season. It’s probably also a matter of what they want to make, after having fun with testing in the kitchen. The commonality among all the variations we’ve had is the patty, which is consistent with the next entry on this list, too.
Regardless, the Seasonal Burger at Hearthstone Lounge is absolutely fantastic. The patty is tender, thick, and juicy with just the right amount of fattiness and a deeply rich flavor. Everything else is just perfect, with the veritable vegetable garden of toppings on a thick foundation of avocado gives this otherwise indulgent burger a quasi-healthy quality. The bun also works really well, managing to contain all of those ingredients with relative ease.
GCH Craftsman Grill & Bar – A stone’s throw from Hearthstone Lounge, you’ll find the GCH Craftsman Bar (outdoor table service lounge by the pool) and GCH Craftsman Grill (indoor/outdoor counter service restaurant beyond the bar). These sister locations are home to the most stacked menu of any mid-tier restaurant at Disneyland Resort.
One of the many highlights here is the Wagyu Burger. The variation of this changes from time to time due to the toppings (we’ve recently had both the “Gouda” and “Mediterranean” varieties), but it’s always delicious. This illustrates how you can take the same foundation–an American Wagyu Beef Patty–and turn it into something totally different.
Even the animating idea is similar here to Hearthstone–heavy burger with a deep umami flavor, with lighter toppings to offset that. As is the case there, the Mediterranean Wagyu Burger delivers its contrasting concepts. The tzatziki sauce and feta cheese provides a tangy and refreshing quality that, along with the bun and seasoning, almost provides an earthy quality.
Of the two, this is the more unique burger, but it’s also the more taste-specific one. By contrast, the Hearthstone offering is a crowd-pleaser that everyone is sure to love. (Well, I guess it’s possible some people don’t like avocado.) Personally, I love them both. With that said, the Mediterranean Wagyu Burger is still only my 4th favorite item on the GCH Craftsman menus. (I’ve had it many, many times–we eat at GCH Craftsman Grill more than anywhere at Disneyland Resort.)
Tangaroa Terrace Tropical Bar & Grill – The Angus 1/2 lb Hawaiian Cheeseburger has been on the menu at Tangaroa Terrace for as long as I can remember, surviving multiple menu overhauls. Disney has also highlighted the ‘recipe’ for the burger on multiple occasions, so I can only assume this has a cult following among Disneyland fans.
To be entirely honest, I’m only including it because the list is otherwise way too light on options. The fresh grilled pineapple, sweet & spicy sauce, and havarti cheese help it stand out from a normal counter service burger, but that’s not really saying much. Almost all of the counter service burgers at Disneyland either under or overwhelm thanks to bland patties and too many or too few other toppings. This burger is just fine. The patty is higher quality than the in-park locations, and these flavors of the toppings complement one another well, but it’s nothing truly special.
I wouldn’t recommend making a special trip to Tangaroa Terrace to order it, but it’s a worthwhile option if you’re already there and don’t know what to order. (The lunch and dinner menu is not nearly as good as breakfast at Tangaroa Terrace.) At the very least, it’s an ambitious burger that’s a cut above counter service standards. However, this burger absolutely would not make the list at Walt Disney World.
Honorable Mention: In-N-Out Burger – No list of mine concerning the best burgers at Disneyland would be complete without doing some totally unnecessary free advertising for In-N-Out Burger. In case you’ve missed my countless plugs in the past, check out my Consummate Carnivore’s Guide to In-N-Out Burger for why I love the place so much.
Like Disneyland, In-N-Out Burger is a California institution that is a must-do on any Disneyland vacation. That’s true whether you’re venturing beyond the parks or staying on-site in the Grand Californian Hotel and trying to maintain the “Disney Bubble” to the greatest extent possible. It’s worth bursting the bubble for In-N-Out. In fact, I have a sneaking suspicion that one reason Disneyland doesn’t have a competitive burger game is in large part because they know there’s no competing with the fast food of choice for most Californians.
In-N-Out is inexpensive and delicious, with a distinctive taste that you’ll be craving for months afterwards. My standard order here is two Double-Doubles Animal Style with raw onions in addition to grilled. All of that will set you back less than the cost of a standard burger at Galactic Grill, which is downright hilarious if you’ve ever eaten anything in Tomorrowland. The closest In-N-Out Burger to Disneyland is at 1168 State College Blvd. in Anaheim. It is not within walking distance, but it’s absolutely worth the cost of an Uber or Lyft to get there and back.
Worst Burgers at Disneyland – On that note, we’ll conclude with a quick run-through of the less than stellar burgers we’ve had at Disneyland recently. These include the following:
- Galactic Grill – Bring back the Oktoberfest Burger. Now that was good. The current options…not so much!
- Smokejumpers Grill – This counter service burger spot serves up three different double cheeseburgers, none of which are even remotely as good as they look in the Mobile Order stock photos.
- Flo’s V8 Cafe – Nothing here is as good as it used to be. The Spicy Guacamole Bacon Cheeseburger isn’t awful relative to the rest of the menu or other burgers, but it’s not as good as anything at Flo’s V8 Cafe back in the day.
Beyond this, there’s the Classic Angus 1/3 lb Cheeseburger that can be found on a number of menus throughout Disneyland. There are some differences among these, such as a house sauce, different bun, or toppings.
Despite that, they pretty much all taste the same, with dry and overcooked patties and basic buns. These basically have to be drowning in dressing and toppings to overwhelm the meat and taste passable. Few accomplish that feat.
That wraps up our list of the best and worst burgers at Disneyland Resort…for now. Again, remember Walt Disney’s famous words about burger testing. I’ll report back once I have the chance to try more burgers as they’re added to menus, and as the Downtown Disney restaurants start to open/change/whatever. Stay tuned!
Planning a Southern California vacation? For park admission deals, read Tips for Saving Money on Disneyland Tickets. Learn about on-site and off-site hotels in our Anaheim Hotel Reviews & Rankings. For where to eat, check out our Disneyland Restaurant Reviews. For unique ideas of things that’ll improve your trip, check out What to Pack for Disney. For comprehensive advice, consult our Disneyland Vacation Planning Guide. Finally, for guides beyond Disney, check out our Southern California Itineraries for day trips to Los Angeles, Laguna Beach, and many other SoCal cities!
Your Thoughts
Have you an awesome or awful burger at Disneyland Resort? What’s your favorite burger in the parks, hotels, or Downtown Disney? Any burgers you recommend avoiding? Do you agree or disagree with my best burger picks? Any questions? Hearing your feedback—even when you disagree with us—is both interesting to us and helpful to other readers, so please share your thoughts below in the comments!
May I interest you in the Ballast Point BP Smashburger???
I’ve been waiting for this list. I’m sad, but not surprised to see a dearth of good counter service burgers. Those terrible burgers were my family’s go-to lunch if we didn’t do a picnic and I always wished we had just gone to the McDonald’s across the street instead. The Patty Melt from Carnation Cafe looks fantastic, but I would probably take a pass on the rest and focus on more interesting options.
Tom, have you had the burger at either Catal or Ralph Brennan’s? pre-covid, I’d have told you that the Catal burger was the best on property here. i haven’t made it back since but it was incredible. Ralph Brennan’s had a great burger w a fried green tomato on top which was also great- seems like we’re down to just a cheeseburger now. You may need to hit those 2 places in the name of Burger Science.
“It’s not as useful because the restaurants with the best burgers at Disneyland also often have other menu items that are fantastic.”
This is also my review of IHOP burgers/patty melts, as well. If you have a good reason to eat at a particular place repeatedly, give it a try, but don’t go out of your way to have one. (Even with the French Market transformation still incomplete, I’d still only have one of these myself if I were staying at one of those specific hotels.)
The downfall of Flo’s is one of the biggest tragedies at DLR in the last half-decade. That used to be one of my top 3-5 counter service locations in the Parks. Now it’s not even something I usually consider for a meal.
Great list! Your tastes always help guide my trips and “bacon jam season” is the best idea ever. I must say, though…the assorted magic key burger variations at Galactic Grill have been outstanding. I usually avoid Tomorrowland dining but those don’t disappoint- hope they’re back soon!
This post made me think… We’ve been to Disneyland 3 times in the past decade and I don’t think I’ve ever eaten a burger there! We’ve probably been jaded by bad CD burgers at WDW (sounds like DL’s CS aren’t any better) and I rarely order a burger at a TS place.
FWIW, DLP also has lousy burgers. We’re getting to visit TDL in June, so perhaps that park will break the mold?
Burgers aren’t common at Tokyo Disneyland, but they are also awful there. A very different style than those served at DLP, but equally bad.
Otherwise, they are two great food parks. Don’t order burgers, though.
Thanks for the warning. Baymax curry it is!
This is the content we missed while you were in Florida!! Great to have you back.
For those of us vegetarian/vegans that used to be carnivores and love a great burger. I recently really enjoyed the Double Impossible cheeseburger at Smokejumpers Grill in DCA. Still dreaming of it often! The bbq sauce was a great touch. And the fact that it’s entirely plant-based, including the American Cheese is a bonus. Highly recommend for those looking to cut back on the real thing.
Dang, you’re not trying to trick me into taste-testing yet another bad burger at Smokejumpers, are you?!? 😉
Seriously though, thanks for the tip. I’ll see if I can convince Sarah to give that one a try.
Great list…my issue with most Disney burgers is the sad ratio of meat to bun/everything else. There’s just too much bread for the often thin patty, and no amount of creative toppings can overcome that.
That’s definitely true with most of the counter service burgers, but none of the table service options on this list (IMO).
True. I think my favorite is the Greg Norman.
Love that In n Out order, may have to try adding raw onion to my animal style next time!
So, burgers aside, what counter service is actually good these days at DLR? We fly into SoCal tomorrow and are doing the parks three days next week and the menu’s are looking bleak.
I really like the food and atmosphere at Tropical Hideaway in Adventureland, especially at night. They have surprisingly good bao and lumpia. Right across from TH is Bengal Barbecue which is also good and reliable. I like their vegetable skewers but all the skewers are pretty good.
Have fun!
Tom, you may be interested to know that we had 1 of the best burgers ever in Kyoto, specifically Upits burger in Arashiyama. The burger was amazingly juicy, but almost tender, as if someone had combined the best qualities of Japanese Hamburg steak with a hearty burger.
I think I know exactly which restaurant you’re talking about–we passed that place multiple times leaving the the JR station! (It’s the one that has a burger covered in melted cheese, right? Did you order that–if so, how was it?!)
There’s another new burger place near Fushimi Inari that is also shockingly good, and is likewise the intersection of hamburg and hearty burger. I knew it was only a matter of time before Japan managed to strike the right balance. Now I’m kicking myself for not trying that place…
Thanks for mentioning the restaurant. Sounds like something worth trying!
I believe so – we had gotten the fresh spun cotton candy and were headed to the Kimono alley when we passed the place and the smell reeled us in. The proprietor cooked everything fresh and even offered a choice between thick and thin cut fries. The burger was great, but very different from an American burger. Think of it as the opposite of a lacy edged, thin juicy diner style burger. This was tender, almost melt in your mouth juicy and delicate. Bun was toasted and buttery but there was a light hand on the condiments – most of the flavor came from inside the onions cooked inside the patty, which prevented it from getting soggy. There was also a kiwi coke, which was a winner. Highly recommend next time you go to Kyoto.
If you are ever around Baltimore, there is a burger place you’d love. Super dive-y/greasy spoon, but the waitstaff is fantastic, the prices are great, the burgers are top notch and they do hand cut fries. This list has me craving In-N-Out. I only got it 2x when we were out there over the summer…had to balance it against all the inexpensive and delicious burritos.
What’s it called?
DePaolas, http://www.depaolaspub.com/.
Checks all the boxes for me.
Also really craving In n Out now. It was love at first bite on our first trip to California in 2001 and have our kids hooked too. At least twice in a week long trip it’s a must!
Hmmmmm You need to try Jazz Kitchen’s burger ASAP! You won’t regret it although I haven’t had it since 2021 but it is amazing!
I’ll have to give that place another try once the ongoing refurbishment is done. I know some people love it, but it has never done much for us. (Granted, I think the last time we ate there was 2018 or 2019, so it’s been a while!)