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Dining at Disney California Adventure is an adventure in itself! From sophisticated fare at Carthay Circle Restaurant to bacon mac and cheese cones at the Cozy Cone Motel, California Adventure food offers something for everyone. Here’s a guide to what’s hot, what’s not and where to find the best California Adventure food.
Disney California Adventure Food
Dining options at Disney California Adventure are as varied and unique as the park’s many lands. You would need more than a few days to even come close to trying everything – and I’m not even talking about their mind-blowing seasonal treats like Caramel Apple Smoothies during Halloween Time, or the Disney California Adventure Food & Wine Festival that comes around every spring.
When it comes to California Adventure food, you can have Mater-shaped waffles for breakfast overlooking the majestic Ornament Valley in Cars Land, an authentic fresh-baked Boudin sourdough bread bowl for lunch with a view of the water at Pacific Wharf Cafe, and then enjoy a glass of wine with dinner under the stars at Wine Country Trattoria. And for dessert, maybe a root beer float from Ghirardelli Soda Fountain?
One of the things that is unique about Disney California Adventure is the many spots geared more to adults, although for the most part kids are welcome everywhere. This is Disney after all! But California Adventure serves wine, beer and cocktails in many locations, something that you won’t find across the way at Disneyland.
In addition to all the quick service and table service restaurants, you’ll find a myriad of churro, popcorn, pretzel, frozen lemonade, ice cream, coffee and other snack carts throughout the park. However for the sake of space, we won’t list them all here!
The bottom line is…there are a lot of choices! So to help you decide where you want to eat, here’s a rundown of all the restaurants at Disney California Adventure.
Buena Vista Street
The first area of the park you will encounter upon entering Disney California Adventure is Buena Vista Street. Buena Vista Street is home to one signature table service restaurant and several quick service locations.
Carthay Circle Restaurant and Lounge
This is an upscale dining location and lounge, designed to resemble the Old Hollywood glamour of the theater where Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs made its legendary debut. Reservations are recommended, or be prepared to wait for a table!
Dining Style: Table Service
Meals Served: Lunch and Dinner
Price Range: $$$
Clarabelle’s Hand-Scooped Ice Cream
A great spot for ice cream cones, shakes and other sweet treats!
Dining Style: Quick Service
Meals Served: Snacks
Price Range: $
Fiddler, Fifer & Practical Café
Surprise, this is really a Starbucks! Cleverly named after the three little pigs, the Fiddler, Fifer & Practical Café serves pastries, sandwiches and of course, coffee!
Dining Style: Quick Service
Meals Served: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner and Snacks
Price Range: $
Grizzly Peak
Grizzly Peak celebrates California’s wild side, conjuring up the spirit of Yosemite and Muir Woods. There is one dining location in the Grizzly Peak area of the park.
Smokejumpers Grill
Located next to the Soarin’ ride, Smokejumpers Grill continues the airplane theme. Inspired by the heroic men and women who fight wildfires in California, Smokejumpers Grill serves up American classics like burgers, chicken, and mac and cheese. It has a great toppings bar so you can customize your own sandwich with as much lettuce and tomato as you like, which we really love and appreciate!
Dining Style: Quick Service
Meals Served: Lunch and Dinner
Price Range: $$
Paradise Gardens Park
Paradise Gardens Park did not even exist until Pixar Pier was born. At that time, the original Paradise Pier area was split into two lands, creating Paradise Gardens Park. The area is designed to look like a classic California boardwalk, with a number of eateries lining the waterfront.
Boardwalk Pizza and Pasta
Like the name implies, this quick service dining location serves up pasta, flatbread pizza and some delicious salads. My favorite salad at Boardwalk Pizza and Pasta is Boardwalk Field Greens. This vegetarian option includes fresh greens, tomatoes, blue cheese, cucumbers, dried cranberries, pecans, raisins and a basil vinaigrette dressing.
Dining Style: Quick Service
Meals Served: Lunch and Dinner
Price Range: $$
Boardwalk Field Greens at Disney California Adventure’s Boardwalk Pizza and Pasta. Photo credit: Gwen Kleist.
Corn Dog Castle
If you like deep-fried hot dogs on a stick, this is the spot for you.
Dining Style: Quick Service
Meals Served: Lunch and Dinner
Price Range: $
Paradise Garden Grill
From September through early November, Paradise Garden Grill transforms its menu as part of the Plaza de la Familia at Disney California Adventure, celebrating the movie Coco. During this time, they serve up tamales and other traditional Mexican dishes. During the rest of the year, Paradise Garden Grill features Mediterranean cuisine. They have a fantastic Greek salad!
Dining Style: Quick Service
Meals Served: Lunch and Dinner
Price Range: $$
Pixar Pier
Pixar Pier features all things Disney Pixar, from the rides to the shops and even to the food. They have lots of cleverly-named snack stands – including the Adorable Snowman Frosted Treats, Angry Dogs, Bing Bong’s Sweet Stuff Confectionery, Senor Buzz Churros, Poultry Palace and Jack Jack Cookie Num Nums. There is one restaurant at Pixar Pier.
Lamplight Lounge
Lamplight Lounge is a two-story restaurant overlooking the lagoon. One level is a lounge serving cocktails and appetizers (try the lobster nachos!); the other is a full service restaurant serving some of the best Disney California Adventure food. Reservations are highly recommended, especially if you want to nab an outside table in the evening where you can view the World of Color show.
Dining Style: Table Service
Meals Served: Brunch, Lunch and Dinner
Price Range: $$$
Pacific Wharf
Capturing the essence of San Francisco’s classic waterfront, Pacific Wharf Café showcases a number of eateries with outdoor seating.
Cocina Cucamonga Mexican Grill
This is Disney California Adventure’s go-to restaurant for great Mexican food! Aside from the usual tacos and burritos, you can get a bowl with chicken, beef or pork, rice, beans and blackened corn. The tortilla chips are really good too, although unfortunately they do charge extra for those.
Dining Style: Quick Service
Meals Served: Lunch and Dinner
Price Range: $$
Pacific Wharf Café
The star of Pacific Wharf Café is the sourdough bread freshly baked on site at the Boudin Bakery, a staple of San Francisco’s Fisherman’s Wharf. They have amazing sandwiches, salads and soup in a bread bowl.
Dining Style: Quick Service
Meals Served: Lunch and Dinner
Price Range: $$
Ghirardelli Soda Fountain & Chocolate Shop
Another San Francisco native, Ghirardelli Soda Fountain & Chocolate Shop is a great place to go to satisfy your sweet tooth. In addition to a wide selection of Ghirardelli chocolates, they serve up ice cream, shakes, and tasty coffee drinks. And, did I mention free samples?
Dining Style: Quick Service
Meals Served: Snacks
Price Range: $
The Lucky Fortune Cookery
Chinese food served in a traditional take-out box. The options are pretty generic – teriyaki or Szechuan chicken, pork ramen and pot stickers to name a few – but if you are craving Asian food, Lucky Fortune Cookery will do the trick. Chopsticks are included!
Dining Style: Quick Service
Meals Served: Lunch and Dinner
Price Range: $$
Wine Country Trattoria
Take a trip to Napa without leaving the park! Wine Country Trattoria is an upscale dining location where you can enjoy Mediterranean cuisine paired with an extensive wine list. They have a kids menu, too, so don’t let the name scare you away from bringing the family! The setting here is really lovely, with outdoor tables in a plaza with flowers and fountains. Try the salmon or fettuccine alfredo.
Dining Style: Table Service
Meals Served: Lunch and Dinner
Price Range: $$$
Al Fresco Lounge
Connected to Wine Country Trattoria is the slightly less posh Al Fresco Lounge. Here you can sample wines and light appetizers. The patio seating overlooks Cars Land.
Dining Style: Quick Service
Meals Served: Snacks
Price Range: $$
Cars Land
Inspired by the 2006 Pixar Animations Studios film Cars, Cars Land brings the town of Radiator Springs to life. All of the rides, shops and dining locations in Cars Land are modeled after the eclectic characters. In addition to these two dining locations, Fillmore’s Taste-In is a great pit stop to pick up healthy snacks.
Flo’s V-8 Café
Reminiscent of the classic roadside diners that dotted the original Route 66, Flo’s kitschy atmosphere and patio tables overlooking scenic Monument Valley and Radiator Springs Racers make this a memorable location to grab a meal. Young kids will love the Cars theming, and adults will appreciate the cafe’s retro feel. Though it specializes in classic comfort food (aka Flo’s Famous Fried Chicken and Fillmore’s Pot Pie), there are some wonderful salads, gluten-free dishes, and a whole menu of allergy-friendly meals.
Dining Style: Quick Service
Meals Served: Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner
Price Range: $$
Cozy Cone Motel
The Cozy Cone Motel’s design is inspired by the quirky “wigwam” motels once found along Route 66. Check in to the Cozy Cone Motel and sample different treats at each of the five giant traffic cones. The Cozy Cone Motel offers up some truly unique California Adventure food. Here is a basic rundown of what each of the five cones serve:
- Churros
- Ice Cream Cones
- Chili Cone Queso
- Cone-Coctions
- Popcone
Our go-to favorite snacks include the pretzel bites at Cone 3, frozen lemonade at Cone 4, and popcorn at Cone 5. The awesome thing about buying popcorn at the Cozy Cone Motel is you can pick your flavor! Options include butter, dill pickle, Buffalo ranch, white cheddar, sriracha, pizza or garlic parmesan. Bacon, mac and cheese cones are another popular snack, but I admit we have not tried these!
Dining Style: Quick Service
Meals Served: Snacks
Price Range: $
Hollywood Land
Hollywood Land aims to capture the glitz of Hollywood star power and the energy of a working backlot. There are no table service restaurants in Hollywood Land, but two fun spots to grab a bite.
Award Wieners
Word play aside, Award Wieners is a casual walk-up location where you can order hot dogs with multiple topping options, such as chili, bacon and cheese.
Dining Style: Quick Service
Meals Served: Lunch and Dinner
Price Range: $
Schmoozies
With slightly healthier options than its neighbor Award Wieners, Schmoozies offers fruit smoothies, yogurt smoothies, lemonade and coffee.
Dining Style: Quick Service
Meals Served: Snacks
Price Range: $
Tips for Disney California Adventure Food & Snacks
- Use mobile food ordering. The Disneyland app recently added mobile food ordering and it’s a game changer. This new feature allows you to view a restaurant’s menu and pricing, place your order, pay, and pick up your meal at the restaurant all without ever having to wait in line. It is the most convenient way to purchase food at Disney California Adventure!
- Take advantage of discounts. Disneyland Annual Passholders receive 10% or more off their orders at most restaurants and quick service food locations.
- Dine at off-peak times. You’ll save tons of time by not having to wait in long lines to order, and have an easier time finding a table, too!
- Bring your own snacks. Save money by bringing your own snacks into the park, so you can munch between meals without blowing your budget.
- Make reservations in advance. Disney allows you to reserve up to 60 days in advance. If you are planning to dine at one of the table service locations, especially if you have a particular time in mind, reservations are recommended to ensure you get what you want and have the perfect meal!
For a complete list of restaurants and menus at the Disneyland Resort, visit disneyland.disney.go.com/dining/
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