Tangaroa Terrace Tropical Bar & Grill Review

Tangaroa Terrace Tropical Bar & Grill is an Adventureland-inspired counter service restaurant at Disneyland Hotel, located around the corner from Trader Sam’s Enchanted Tiki Bar. In this Disneyland dining review, we’ll cover breakfast and dinner with food photos and thoughts on the atmosphere.

This restaurant is a short walk from Disney California Adventure, Disneyland, and Downtown Disney, but outside the security perimeter of Disneyland Resort. That can make leaving for a quick meal a bit of a hassle (or not, depending upon the time of day) if you’re planning on returning to the parks or Downtown Disney after eating at Tangaroa Terrace.

However, we think the food is generally better here than counter service options in the parks, and combining Tangaroa Terrace with a stop at Trader Sam’s for drinks–or breakfast before rope dropping Disneyland or DCA–makes the trip out to Disneyland Hotel easier to justify…

For the second time in less than a decade, Tangaroa Terrace was recently redone, and now offers even less interior seating space than before. Tangaroa Terrace is clearly inspired by Adventureland, but it’s nothing like it’s jam-packed nextdoor neighbor. There’s some gorgeous and vibrant Tiki Room-inspired wallpaper and artwork, but that’s about it. Tangaroa Terrace is not a restaurant that you can really explore to find a ton of cool details.

On the plus side, the limited seating area inside is nice, and the outside seating area is inviting. There are tiki torches, a great view of the Disneyland Hotel pool, and there’s frequently live entertainment. The ambiance around the restaurant is delightful and most people will want to dine outside or are hotel guests opting for to-go meals to eat in their rooms, which probably explains the scaled-back interior…

Let’s start with the Açai Chia Breakfast Bowl: Açai Purée blend with Bananas, Strawberry and Coconut Milk, Chia Seed Pudding, topped with Granola, Coco Nibs and Berries.

This is your garden variety açai bowl. It’s nice and refreshing, but I feel like you’re not ordering an açai bowl because you’re looking for something delicious–it’s more about healthy and nutritious eating. From that perspective, this is also a good option if you’re thinking of ordering a couple of things and splitting them.

From that same perspective, we have the Loco Moco Burrito: Steamed Rice, Chopped Beef Patty, Fried Egg, Gravy, and Crunchy Onions, served with Salsa Roja.

This isn’t going to bowl any minds, but it’s a solid, protein-packed breakfast burrito. I could easily see two people ordering this and the açai bowl and sharing both. That’d be a good way to start the day.

Of course, that’s not who we are when visiting Disneyland…

On that note, we come to the heart of the menu. The Thick & Fluffy Japanese Pancakes: Vanilla Fluffy Pancakes, Tropical Fruit Compote, Guava Syrup.

These are about what you’d expect by looking at them–fluffy and delicious, with the fruit providing a somewhat refreshing pretext of healthiness (but mostly sweetness). Recommended.

Tangaroa Toast: Brick Toast, Bananas Foster, Whipped Cream, and Toasted Coconut, served with Bacon.

We were split on whether the Tangaroa Toast or the Fluffy Japanese Pancakes were better. The idea is vaguely similar, but this is denser, sweeter, and heartier. Personally, this gets my vote–but both are really good. Also recommended.

Finally, the Avocado Toast: Toasted Hawaiian Bread, Smashed Avocado, Soft Boiled 63⁰ Egg, Furikaki Hollandaise, Thinly Sliced Portuguese Sausage, Fried Nori, Edible Flowers.

This is quite literally the best avocado toast I’ve ever had anywhere, and we’ve lived in trendy places that took brunch seriously. The difference here is that this is an ultra-indulgent avocado toast. Everything plays a part in that: the Furikaki Hollandaise adds a rich quality to the avocado, the sausage provides added flavor and mild bite, while the thick Hawaiian toast brings home the whole, buttery package.

This avocado toast is an absolute must-order, and is one of the best foods in all of Disneyland Resort–and that includes table service restaurants and non-breakfast items!

Moving along to the lunch and dinner menu, where we begin with the Panko-crusted Long Beans: Panko-crusted Long Beans served with Togarashi Aïoli.

These are tasty, but definitely should be treated as an appetizer–and you’ll need one, because the portion sizes here are otherwise on the small side.

Next, the Hawaiian Platter: Furikake seasoned Thai Jasmine Rice, Macaroni Salad, choice of Roasted Pork Belly or Poached Mary’s Chicken Breast.

What you see is what you get here. The chicken is fine–tender and fairly moist, but not exactly the most exciting thing to order.

Here’s the Tonkotsu Ramen: Rich Pork-based Broth, Wavy Noodles, Pork Belly Slices, fresh Green Onions, Wood Ear Mushrooms, Fish Cake, Black Garlic Oil, Soft-boiled Flavored Egg.

This is probably the most filling option, and is a perfect comfort food ramen. The broth is rich and deep, pairing well with the thick slices of pork belly. The array of other ingredients help round out the dish, giving it more nuance and depth. It’s not as good as ramen you’ll find in Los Angeles or even Costa Mesa, but for being served at Disneyland Resort, it’s actually pretty good.

Finally, the Tempura Shrimp: Tempura-fried Shrimp, Furikake, Gochujang Aïoli, Dried Togarashi, Crispy Garlic, and Ponzu Sauce.

This dish is delicious, but it’s fairly small and costs $19 (or at least it did when I ordered it). The quality impresses, but I ate the entire thing and a good portion of those Long Beans, and still walked away hungry. Nevertheless, a good option if you don’t care about the cost and have a smaller appetite.

Overall, Tangaroa Terrace is a very good choice, especially if are already going to be visiting Disneyland Hotel and want to mix it up a little. Without question, we prefer breakfast to the lunch & dinner menus, as the former offers delicious and filling food at more reasonable price points. Dinner is still a good option, just not quite as satisfying–especially for the effort (and given the nearby alternatives.)

We’ve dined at Tangaroa Terrace Tropical Bar & Grill several times over the last decade, and the menu has probably changed here more than any other restaurant at Disneyland Resort during that time. We keep returning, as the hits to misses ratio is always fairly solid. I just hope we get to go back a few more times while that Avocado Toast is on the breakfast menu, as it’s literally one of the best things I’ve ever eaten at Disneyland Resort. We highly recommend having a meal here–it’s an especially great place to go for a pre-park breakfast if you’re staying at one of the three Disneyland Resort hotels!

If you’re preparing for a Disneyland trip, check out our other planning posts, including how to save money on Disneyland tickets, our Disney packing tips, tips for booking a hotel (off-site or on-site), where to dine, and a number of other things, check out our comprehensive Disneyland Vacation Planning Guide!

Your Thoughts

Have you dined at Tangaroa Terrace Tropical Bar & Grill? For which meal? Do you agree or disagree with our assessment? Any specific menu items you’d recommend–or not recommend? 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!

9 Responses to “Tangaroa Terrace Tropical Bar & Grill Review”
  1. Alison Keating June 22, 2023
  2. Michael May 15, 2020
  3. Steve May 15, 2020
  4. Drew May 14, 2020
    • Tom Bricker May 15, 2020
  5. Dottie May 14, 2020
    • Dottie May 14, 2020
    • Tom Bricker May 15, 2020
    • Dottie May 15, 2020

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