The best restaurants in Disneyland in 2024 - The Points Guy (2024)

On-the-go churros or chicken fingers work for some Disneyland Resort guests for some meals. However, when you're spending as much as a trip to a Disney theme park costs these days, you might want to be sure you're enjoying the best of what it has to offer — including at restaurants and on meals.

While Disney World's restaurants are often the most talked about, Disneyland dining options have also transformed. With increased crowds and quickly booked-up restaurants, it's a good idea to map out your eating plan in advance, at least for a few meals.

What makes a Disney restaurant great is not necessarily what delivers the best foodie experience. It may be a character experience, a fun theme or a good spot right near the rides that make the restaurant special.

Does it get better than actually eating inside an attraction at the Blue Bayou and watching the Pirates of the Caribbean boats go by? We think not.

We've dined at dozens of Disneyland restaurants over the years on both family and adult-only vacations, from the smallest of snack carts to the fanciest white-tablecloth eateries. Here's what you should know about dining at Disneyland and our picks for the best Disneyland restaurants — whether you're at Disneyland, Disney California Adventure Park or at a Disneyland hotel.

Related: Everything you need to know about visiting Disneyland

For no-cost assistance with planning and booking your next Disney vacation, check out TPG's Disney booking partner, Mouse Counselors.

Best restaurants in Disneyland Resort

Here are some of the best Disneyland restaurants to enjoy.

Plaza Inn

Where it is: Main Street, U.S.A.

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What's on the menu: Mickey waffles and fried chicken

Home to the only Disneyland character meal within either of the two parks, Plaza Inn is a favorite for families or anyone who wants some character face time. During morning hours, Plaza Inn hosts Minnie & Friends — Breakfast in the Park. The breakfast is buffet style, with kid-friendly favorites like Mickey Mouse-shaped waffles available alongside eggs, biscuits and gravy and other morning comfort foods.

Visitors are always guaranteed a photo opportunity with Minnie Mouse. Other regular characters include Winnie the Pooh, Tigger, Chip 'n Dale, Pluto and Daisy Duck.

Reservations go quickly for this meal, so make your plans as soon as the 60-day advance reservation window opens. A reminder — early morning hours are the best time for short ride lines — so you may not want to waste these first few hours sitting down for breakfast. Reserve a time that's a few hours after the park opens. (I have always found that 10:30 a.m. is ideal on days with an 8 a.m. park opening.)

For lunch and dinner, the characters call it a day and the restaurant becomes a regular fast-casual restaurant. Even without characters, Plaza Inn is a restaurant with a lot of value. Prices are reasonable and portions are hearty. Don't miss the restaurant's signature dish, fried chicken.

Bengal Barbecue

Where it is: Adventureland

What's on the menu: Chieftain chicken skewer, Bengal beef skewer

For a very quick bite, Bengal Barbecue in Adventureland has always been one of my family's favorites.

The menu offers a lot of lean meats and a few veggies — a welcome change from all the churros and Mickey ice cream bars that often make up a Disneyland diet. Many of the food items are on skewers, so you can take them to go as you race off to your next Genie+ reservation time. If you have more time, sit and take a break in the adjacent shaded and themed seating area.

Red Rose Taverne

Where it is: Fantasyland

What's on the menu: Burgers and chopped salads

If you have little ones, chances are good that you'll spend a lot of time in Fantasyland. The quick-service restaurant there works well for families with babies, toddlers and younger children. It was rebranded a few years ago as Red Rose Taverne from "Beauty and the Beast" but is still known to many guests as Village Haus.

You can count on Red Rose Taverne for the staples many picky children will eat, including chicken nuggets, hamburgers and cheese flatbread pizza. There's ample indoor and outdoor seating and even enough room to maneuver a stroller up to many of the tables. The food for adults is nothing particularly memorable, but park-weary parents will be grateful for the easy logistics.

Tiana's Palace

Where it is: New Orleans Square

What's on the menu: 7 greens gumbo with chicken and andouille sausage, Gulf shrimp and grits

It may be a little risky to put a brand new restaurant on a "best restaurants" list. However, Tiana's Palace restaurant in New Orleans Square seems worth the gamble.

Tiana's Palace replaces longtime favorite French Market as part of bringing the beloved "The Princess and the Frog" story to New Orleans Square. It will be joined by a new attraction, Tiana's Bayou Adventure, set to debut in 2024.

Like its French Market predecessor, Tiana's Palace is a higher-end counter service restaurant, making it a smart choice for guests who want a nicer dining experience without quite as much expense or time invested as a true sit-down meal.

The menu is Creole- and Cajun-inspired, with several gumbo dishes, a beef po'boy sandwich, cheesy shrimp and grits and sides like buttermilk cornbread. Less adventurous options (toasted ham and cheese sandwiches and macaroni and cheese) are on the kids' menu if you have picky eaters in the family.

Tables are outside on a mostly shaded veranda overlooking Rivers of America and the Mark Twain Riverboat. Stop by the nearby Mint Julep Bar, where you can grab a (nonalcoholic) mint julep to accompany your meal or a Mickey beignet for dessert.

Blue Bayou

Where it is: New Orleans Square

What's on the menu: Chicken gumbo and filet mignon

For the quintessential Disneyland date night, head straight for New Orleans Square.

My husband and I have made dinner at Blue Bayou our date-night tradition, starting when we first visited the park together more than 20 years ago. It's fair to say the food quality and menu variety have both dropped a bit in the last several years. However, it's still hard to top Blue Bayou's location and ambience.

The restaurant is entirely indoors but is lit to give the illusion of alfresco nighttime dining overlooking the bayou.

Boats from the Pirates of the Caribbean ride float by while fireflies dance overhead. Lunch is less expensive than dinner, but still one of the most expensive meals at Disneyland. The restaurant has shifted somewhat from its Cajun and Creole roots to offer more standard American fine dining fare, but there is still some spice in a few dishes. Reservations are an absolute must.

While this is a fancier restaurant and is priced accordingly, families shouldn't necessarily rule it out. Blue Bayou can be a very special higher-end Disney dining experience with older children or teens for dinner, and it's usually filled with quite a few families at lunch.

Docking Bay 7 Food and Cargo

Where it is: Star Wars: Galaxy's Edge

What's on the menu: Endorian fried chicken tip-yip

The opening of Star Wars: Galaxy's Edge at Disneyland in 2019 brought several new restaurants. The food options on Batuu were not without some controversy and mixed reviews, at least initially.

Related: The essential guide to Star Wars: Galaxy's Edge in Disneyland

Disneyland constantly tweaks menus in response to customer feedback, and Docking Bay 7 has now stood the test of time as one of the better counter service restaurants in the park. With ample, air-conditioned indoor seating, it's also an easy place to take a break and (usually) find a table. There's a small, partially shaded outdoor terrace that offers fresh air and quality views for Star Wars people-watching, too.

Lunch and dinner menu items include fried chicken ("tip-yip"), a few adventurous seasonal entrees and several vegetarian options. The pickiest eaters will not find a lot of choices here, however, so check the menu carefully if you have young kids.

Also, don't rule out the idea of a wrap from Ronto's Roasters next door, as that is arguably an even tastier option. The traditional morning wrap with egg and pork sausage is our favorite but there are also plant-based garden wraps and a wrap with sausage and slaw available for lunch or dinner. And if you're in the mood for a fun, sweet coffee-style drink, grab the cold brew black caf, which is cold brew topped with sweet cream cheese and chocolate puffs.

Related: Disney World vs. Disneyland — which is the better park?

Best restaurants in Disney California Adventure

Here are the best Disney California Adventure restaurants.

Flo's V8 Cafe

Where it is: Cars Land

What's on the menu: Burgers and turkey club sandwich

Flo's V8 Cafe is Disney's take on the classic American diner, just like you might find along Route 66.

Its theming and setting in Cars Land is immersive and just so much fun. By quick-service restaurant standards, the food is downright delicious. The menu isn't quite as extensive and varied as it used to be a few years ago. However, it still has more choices than your average counter-service restaurant at Disneyland Resort.

Lunch and dinner include items like burgers, a Cobb salad, fried chicken and a turkey club sandwich. Shakes are also available as a sweet treat. Kids can find plenty of variety, from macaroni and cheese to chicken strips.

Lamplight Lounge

Where it is: Pixar Pier

What's on the menu: Lobster nachos, potato skins and doughnuts

Lamplight Lounge remains one of the hottest dining tickets at Disneyland Resort, so it's a must to make a reservation well in advance if you want to dine here. Weekend brunch (Friday through Sunday) is especially popular.

Instagrammable food and co*cktails abound. The decor is Pixar-themed, with tons of memorabilia and details to explore. Like Blue Bayou in Disneyland Park, Lamplight Lounge is probably better suited to families with older children and teens due to its atmosphere and price, but younger kids who love their Pixar movies will feel right at home here, too.

The sentimental favorite menu item is the lobster nachos that also were available at the predecessor restaurant in this space, Cove Bar. The menu is definitely more varied and interesting for foodie parents than at many Disneyland restaurants and the drink menu (both alcoholic and nonalcoholic) is full of whimsical selections.

Carthay Circle Restaurant

Where it is: Buena Vista Street

What's on the menu: Filet mignon, pork chops and braised mushroom ravioli

For a signature dining experience in California Adventure, Carthay Circle Restaurant is the top choice. It's also priced accordingly, so save this for a special adults' night out or budget accordingly.

Set within a replica of the Carthay Circle Theater, where Walt Disney's "Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs" debuted in 1937, this restaurant teems with Disney and Old Hollywood history and lore.

Menu items include pork chops, filet mignon, fresh fish and pasta. If you don't have the budget or the time for a fancier meal, the Carthay Circle Lounge downstairs in the same building offers lighter bites and delicious co*cktails. While Carthay Circle Restaurant is open only for dinner, the lounge also has lunch hours.

Eating in the lounge's outdoor seating section provides the added perk of five-star people-watching — you're likely to even spot a character or two strolling by on their way to their next appearance.

Pym Test Kitchen

Where it is: Avengers Campus

What's on the menu: Quantum pretzel, not-so-little chicken sandwich

The food at Pym Test Kitchen is not the best on a Disney property, but it is pretty fun, so it made the cut based on sheer originality.

The concept of this counter-service restaurant in Avenger's Campus is that Ant-Man and the Wasp's Pym particles are being used to experiment with making food teeny-tiny or enormous.

On the menu, you'll find an enormous pretzel, a not-so-little chicken sandwich with a tiny bun but a huge chicken patty, pasta with tiny noodles and oversized Impossible plant-based "meatballs." Kids usually get a kick out of the pretzel, which is larger than their heads.

Pym Test Kitchen is one of the few breakfast options open in California Adventure Park in 2023, and its offerings are also quite solid in the morning. The "Calculated Breakfast = E x 2 + (B+P)/T" is served with two different-sized eggs, prepared in different ways.

Lucky Fortune Cookery

Where it is: San Fransokyo Square (formerly Pacific Wharf)

What's on the menu: Yaki udon with Karaage-inspired crispy chicken and pork wonton nachos

When Disney recently transformed Pacific Wharf into the city of San Fransokyo from the film Big Hero 6, the area's restaurants definitely benefited from the refresh. This section of the park is now a dining destination with multiple cuisine choices, all sharing a single large outdoor seating area.

There are now several restaurant standouts worth trying anew, but my personal favorite so far is Lucky Fortune Cookery.

The restaurant has always been a go-to place for a reliable teriyaki rice bowl and some veggies for anyone looking for a healthier bite. It now also offers a mixture of pan-Asian cuisine featuring Korean, Chinese and Japanese flavors. I tried several menu items during my most recent trip. The beef bulgogi burrito with rice and coleslaw was the best thing I ate all day, combining flavor profiles from multiple different cuisine traditions.

For dessert, the restaurant serves an adorable and very tasty Baymax macaron with buttercream and chocolate hazelnut filling. Boba fans can also get their fix with the Thai tea.

Food festival marketplaces

Where it is: Grizzly Peak, Paradise Gardens

What's on the menu: Changes seasonally

Disney California Adventure is home to multiple food festivals throughout the year. When these take place, food "marketplaces" pop up along the pathways of the park, usually at least from Grizzly Peak to the end of Paradise Gardens.

The food options at these festivals are fun and unique and a great opportunity for visitors to try a lot of new flavors. The always reliable Paradise Garden Grill restaurant usually serves festival food items as well, often in larger portions.

The largest of these festivals is the Disney California Adventure Food and Wine Festival in the spring.

Look also for the Festival of Holidays during the November and December holiday season and the Lunar New Year marketplaces during the annual Lunar New Year Celebration. Families and groups can get a lot of value out of sharing a Sip 'n' Savor pass, which gives you tickets to redeem for a number of dishes for a single set price.

Best restaurants in the Disneyland hotels

Here are the best restaurants at Disneyland's on-property hotels.

Related: Where to stay at Disneyland

Trader Sam's Enchanted Tiki Bar

Where it is: Disneyland Hotel

What's on the menu: HippopotoMai-Tai, zombie, pu pu platter, Hawaiian platter

Near the pool at the Disneyland Hotel is one of the liveliest places to eat or drink on Disneyland property — Trader Sam's Enchanted Tiki Bar, where volcanoes explode, servers shout and it's easy to have a good time.

The poke bowl and Hawaiian platter are fun options here, but you can't go wrong just coming in for a snack and a drink. Order the right one and you may be a part of a shipwreck, explosion or other fun disaster.

Napa Rose

Where it is: Disney's Grand Californian Hotel & Spa

What's on the menu: Steak and fish

You won't find any shipwrecks or screaming servers at Napa Rose within Disneyland's Grand Californian Hotel. However, you will find a sophisticated (but not stuffy) menu of duck breast, steak and sustainable fish, to name a few items.

This is a special occasion meal and one you don't want to rush through, so don't try to quickly cram this meal down before catching that next ride on Radiator Springs Racers.

The restaurant also serves a premium character breakfast — Disney Princess Breakfast Adventures — from Thursdays through Mondays. It's quite expensive at $125 per person plus tax. However, it is routinely one of the better-reviewed meals and experiences at the resort because of the restaurant's meticulous service.

Guests with a serious princess fan in the family should certainly consider it if the budget allows, particularly for a special celebration like a birthday or anniversary.

Additional tips for restaurants and dining at Disneyland

As with all things at Disneyland, guests who are prepared will have a less stressful and more enjoyable experience. Here are a few final tips you need to know before you make your Disneyland dining plans and restaurant reservations.

Make use of mobile ordering

Over the past couple of years, Disneyland has rolled out mobile ordering to the vast majority of counter-service restaurants in both parks. You no longer need to wait in a physical queue just to place an order.

These days, mobile ordering is pretty much essential. Make sure you download the official Disneyland app and that you place your order in advance of the mealtime rush.

It's not a bad idea to place your order an hour or two ahead in some cases if you know when and what you would like to eat. At popular spots and on the busiest days, available time slots begin to fill up and guests are unable to order for immediate pickup on the mobile order system. Don't wait until your stomach is growling to place an order, or you may be left hungry for a while.

Once you place your order, wait until the time you have selected to eat. Then click in the app again to indicate your arrival as you approach the restaurant. Your food is usually ready in a few minutes at a pick-up window. Look for the push notification to alert you in the app.

Make Disneyland restaurant reservations 60 days in advance

If you plan to visit a table service restaurant or a popular character meal buffet during your Disneyland vacation, reservations are a must. We recommend booking right at Disneyland's 60-day reservation window before your trip if you can. Reservations open at 6 a.m. (PT) daily and the top restaurants can book up close to instantly.

If you miss the chance 60 days out, a service like MouseDining can be handy in alerting you when an opening becomes available. Just act quickly, as choices disappear as fast as they appear.

Don't forget about dining packages

Disneyland has a number of popular shows and parades that many visitors want to see. Finding a good seat for them may require camping out an hour or more in advance.

One solution is to secure reserved seating or standing areas for these shows by booking an associated dining package. These packages do come at a premium price, but they save substantial time in addition to providing a meal that guests would be paying for anyway. Check the Disneyland website or app for availability, as there are often changes to the offerings.

Related: How to use points for Disney tickets

Think beyond the parks

There are so many amazing restaurants within Disneyland Park and Disney California Adventure, but don't forget to look beyond park borders for other excellent restaurants.

We've already highlighted some of the best options at a few of the Disneyland on-property hotels, but there are still more worthy restaurant choices at those properties. In particular, scheduling a hotel character meal on your arrival or departure day at one of these hotel restaurants can be a smart choice, as it gives you a Disney experience without the cost of a park ticket on that day.

The Downtown Disney district adjacent to the two parks also features many quality restaurants and dining experiences. These restaurants are all just very short walk or monorail ride from the parks. Options include a brewery, a restaurant specializing in over-the-top milkshakes, a bowling alley with excellent sushi and restaurants specializing in Cajun, Italian and Mexican dishes.

Bottom line

No matter who is in your party or what your budget is, Disneyland has a wide variety of restaurants to enjoy on your next vacation.

If you are paying by card for these meals, use a card that rewards you with extra miles for dining, like the Citi Prestige® Card (5 points per dollar), American Express® Gold Card (4 points per dollar at restaurants), Hilton Honors American Express Aspire Card (7 points per dollar on eligible purchases at U.S. restaurants) or Chase Sapphire Reserve (3 points per dollar). (Learn more about the best credit cards for dining.)

The information for the Citi Prestige Card and Hilton Aspire Amex card has been collected independently by The Points Guy. The card details on this page have not been reviewed or provided by the card issuer.

Alternatively, you can also pick up some discounted Disney gift cards before your trip to save on meals at the best restaurants in Disneyland.

If you're planning a family vacation to Disneyland, here are additional articles to help you craft the perfect trip:

• Everything you need to know about visiting Disneyland
• Where to stay at Disneyland: The best on- and off-property hotels
• Skip the lines at Disneyland: 9 line-busting tips for less waiting and more playing
• These are the best rides at Disneyland