Don’t Read Before Lunch: Recent Meals at Disneyland
We’ve been revisiting a lot of our favorite Disneyland restaurants lately, and thought some updates to older reviews might be in order to keep things fresh and so that we weren’t offering advice based on old menus or just generally “stale” info. This post is basically a “heads up” that we’ve updated certain reviews, along with some photos from restaurants that we have yet to review (some of which are overdue!) so you know what to order and what not to order.
In many cases, our thoughts on the restaurants didn’t change a whole lot. However, we’ve now dined at nearly every restaurant at Disneyland Resort, which has changed our perception of some restaurants (relative to the others), especially places we reviewed early on when we had limited experience with Disneyland dining.
Over the course of the next few months, I’ll be working to add to and update nearly all of our Disneyland Restaurant Reviews, and I’ll toss up a post like this to bring it to your attention when I do. In the meantime, if you have a question about a particular restaurant or menu item, feel free to leave a comment and ask. I’m more than happy to help!
With that said, here’s a look at some of the things we’ve eaten recently, along with random thoughts and links to the updated reviews…
Carnation Cafe is a national treasure. From Chef Oscar to lovely outdoor seating to a menu that just won’t quit, I highly recommend anyone visiting Disneyland to try Carnation Cafe. Our updated Carnation Cafe Review features several things we tried on our last visit, including this Sourdough Bacon-Cheese Melt. I’d fight 100 duck-sized horses to taste this again.
The Fried Green Tomato Sandwich at Hungry Bear Restaurant is arguably the best counter service meal at Disneyland. This is one entree that has really grown on me, and unlike other places where the menu items have gotten worse (I’m looking at you, Flo’s V8 Cafe) I think this sandwich has actually gotten better (bigger?) since being added to the menu a few years ago.
My favorite skewer at Paradise Garden Grill is the Beef Kefta Meatball skewer with the Tzatziki sauce. This is my go-to meal at my go-to restaurant at Disney California Adventure. My updated Paradise Garden Grill Review covers just how much my appreciation of this dining gem has grown as of late. Including In-N-Out Burger, this is the meal I have eaten the most in the last 3 months. If you know how much I love In-N-Out Burger, you’ll realize what an “accomplishment” this is.
This was a special item at Gibson Girl to kick off the Disneyland 60th Anniversary Diamond Celebration. I don’t have a Gibson Girl review, but the lady in the background was too priceless not to share. In case you can’t see, she’s wearing a “selfie” beanie and a handkerchief around her neck. As for Gibson Girl, I’m not a huge fan.
To be honest, I think Earl of Sandwich is slightly overrated. Yes, it’s good and cheap, but the sandwiches are small and I don’t think they quite live up to the praise people heap on this place. That was my opinion until I tried this amazing mac & cheese, reflected in my updated Early of Sandwich Review. Definitely make a point of trying this on your next visit. Pretty sure the secret ingredient is “awesome sauce.”
Jolly Holiday Bakery seems to have the best desserts, but I’noticed that our meals here seem to be costing more and more, and we invariably seem to be hungry a few hours later. Our updated Jolly Holiday Bakery Review reflects shrinking portion sizes and rising costs.
Award Wieners is the biggest E-Ticket at Disney California Adventure. If your definition of E-Ticket involves lousy hot dogs. The plight of the theme park blogger is having to do the tough things no one else wants to do, like eating said hot dogs for an upcoming review. I’d like to think I’m the hero that Disney fans deserve, but not they one they need right now. (I don’t even know what that means, but I’m not passing up the chance to call myself a hero and reference Batman.)
I don’t know what the Olaf Sundae is actually called, but it’s shockingly delicious. Soft serve ice cream is my jam, but this is one of those rare cases where I think regular ice cream tops my beloved soft serve.
Whitewater Snacks is criminally underrated. Probably due to its location, tucked away in the Grand Californian, and its name, not many people go here. This is despite some of the best counter service breakfast options and the best counter service burger. All of that, plus Coke Freestyle with free refills! We’ll cover all this in an upcoming review…
That covers it for this post! Hopefully some of this was helpful and/or interesting. I have a backlog of food photos from the past few months and I’ll be trying to catch up on them. I’ve been focusing a lot of energy on an upcoming post concerning hotels at Disneyland, and most of my Disneyland content of late has been with an eye towards that. Once it’s done, I’ll move on to the restaurants!
As for figuring out the rest of your Disneyland trip, including how to save money on Disneyland tickets, our Disney packing tips, whether you should stay off-site or on-site in a Disney hotel, where to dine, and a number of other things, check out our comprehensive Disneyland Trip Planning Guide!
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Your Thoughts…
Any other restaurant or menu recommendations to add? Anything you wouldn’t recommend? Are you planning a visit to the Disneyland 60th Anniversary Diamond Celebration? Hearing from you is half the fun, so if you have additional tips for Disneyland’s 60th or any questions, please share them in the comments!
South Indian Restaurant in Culver City, Los Angeles
Love the increase in Disneyland coverage as we are Westerners. Well North-western as we live in Canada. This is our “home” park. As always love your reviews! At Carnation Cafe I love the deep fried dill pickles!
Thank you for the comment on Earl of Sandwich! When we ate there last fall, we wondered what all the fuss was about. It was a good sandwich, but nothing extraordinary.
An entire post about food eaten at Disneyland and not even see a mention of a corn dog – have foreign hackers taken over the web site?!? Has Tom turned communist?
Good information. Lucky me I came across your website
by chance (stumbleupon). I’ve bookmarked it for later!
Hello! I’ve been following your weblog for a long time
now and finally got the bravery to go ahead and give you a shout out
from Dallas Tx! Just wanted to say keep
up the good job!
Any updated thoughts on Bengal BBQ? One of my favorite spots in the park, I’m craving a tiger tail as we speak! Great snack if you have later ADRs!
I waited until after lunch and it didn’t help. Now I am hungry again
Great article Tom!
A couple quibbles and notes. I agree about Earl, and in fact we boycott them as they took over a great little indy bookstore. 🙁
Award Weiners is kinda sad, but nearby is Schmoozies, which has the Malibu Mocha frappe- a drink that makes a Starbuks frappcheapo hide it’s head in shame.
We dont get to the Carnation Cafe as often as we should, as it’s usually pretty crowded.
Welcomes to SoCal!
Thanks for all of your Disneyland coverage. One week from today I’ll be enjoying my first of three days in the parks. We have reservations at Carthay Circle and Blue Bayou and I’m planning on trying the fried chicken you’ve recommended in the past. Lunch will be our big meals, with spots like Paradise Garden Grill, the Hungry Bear, and a corn dog meant to top off our evenings. I had planned on Flo’s for breakfast our DCA morning. Is that not worth doing anymore?
I recently went to the 24 hour day on my first trip to Disneyland (and ran into you Tom!) but I remembered you mentioning the friend green tomato sandwich in a blog post, so I went to try it. It was amazing and I’ve honestly been craving it since I left. Does Disneyland deliver to Indiana?
fried*
If Disneyland did deliver to Indiana, we wouldn’t have had to move to that log cabin! Would’ve saved a lot of trouble!!!
Your readers are confused. Three months? Did you move to Disneyland, or are you just taking the longest vacation ever? 😉
We moved to Disneyland. Currently living in the log cabin in Big Thunder Ranch. Shhh…don’t tell anyone! 😉
How are the cats?
Hey Tom – You on a cupcake free diet??? Or, do they only have cupcakes in WDW and not DL? How do we know that you are eating a balanced healthy diet without your beloved cupcakes?
Ha, my cupcake consumption has decreased dramatically. The price has shot up and they are now smaller ‘gourmet’ cupcakes at a lot of places. I do want to try out the 60th Anniversary cupcake, but it’s $6!
We’ll be in Disneyland in about a week and a half! I can’t believe it. These posts are coming at a perfect time. Now just have to figure out how to eat at all the places in ~three days…
Thank you! 🙂
I should have taken your advice and waited to read this post after lunch, I’m very hungry now. When we get there next month I’m heading right to Carnation Cafe and eating everything.