Anaheim / Disneyland Restaurant Recs

[hzrt8w]

I used to work in Cypress. One side of Disneyland is on Katella Ave.

Is 9 miles driving along Katella Ave too far? There is a "Katella Deli" (Jewish deli). Excellent chicken soup and sandwiches. I also like their chicken parmasan. Price is quite reasonable.

Katella Deli-Restaurant

Address: 4470 Katella Ave, Los Alamitos, CA 90720

Phone: (562) 594-8611

(Near Los Alamitos Race Track).

A little bit farther (maybe 11 miles from Disneyland), there is a "Los Alamitos Fish Company". Really really good seafood (grilled, fresh). Price is moderate. May have long line but weekday should be okay.

Los Alamitos Fish Co

Address: 11061 Los Alamitos Blvd, Los Alamitos, CA 90720

Phone: (562) 594-4553

(Katella Ave crossing Los Alamitos Blvd)

[Carolyn Tillie]

Surprisingly, the Napa Rose restaurant on the Disney-grounds of The California Adventure is quite good...

I say surprisingly because most theme parks are not known for their cuisine -- this is the exception.

[Carlsbad]

I agree that Napa Rose is (suprisingly) very good. It is fairly expensive and depending on the time of the year, reservations need to be made a little in advance. They have a limited but good bar menu, also a bit expensive, but you don't need a reservation there. The bar is a very pleasant space, and when we have been there, they have had good live jazz.

We have had good luck at Catal in Downtown Disney. The informal outdoor bar and downstairs Cafe serve good informal food, and the outdoor area is very pleasant in good weather. The upstairs dining room is a more serious restaurant.

We have had two disasters at the Jazz Kitchen, separated by a couple years, and I swore I wouldn't go back after each visit.

[skoolpsyk]

we have annual passes and go down when we can. We almost always find ourselves at Pho Republic, a Vietnamese place nearby. Pho: cheap, filling, and delicious!!

[annachan]

Thanks for everyone's suggestion. Due to our schedule, we weren't able to dine anywhere we had to drive to. I'll definitely keep those off-site suggestions in mind for another time.

We did make it to the Napa Rose. The food was good, excellent if you compare it to other places at Disneyland. The service was far from polish. We walked in without reservations to see if we can get a table. Four people at the desk all acted like they didn't know what to do. One of them finally struggled to let us know they can seat us in 30 minutes. She made it sound like that was a very big deal. I just told her that we'll just get a drink at the bar. After getting a table at the bar area, it took 15 minutes to get our wine and a cocktail after we order. When the hostess took us to our table, she stopped half way and just handed us to the waiter to seat us, which I've never experienced at other restaurants. The waiter was very nice but he definitely need to fine tune his skills. We didn't order wine at the table yet he never removed the wine glasses, not even when we put them to the side.

On the next night, I found the restaurant that I'll definitely return to next time, the Vineyard Room at California Adventure. The prices are similar to Napa Rose, but the food was better and service was excellent.

I've also had disasters at both the Jazz Kitchen and the express cafe next door the last time and this time. I'll give Catal a try when I get a chance.

Again, thank you all!

[hhlodesign]

Ling and I will be at Disneyland this Thursday. Is Club 33 open to the public? Are there any good dining options in Disneyland?

[Carolyn Tillie]

Ling and I will be at Disneyland this Thursday. Is Club 33 open to the public? Are there any good dining options in Disneyland?

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Club 33 is only open to members and to members' guests. I got in years ago because my boss's wife worked for the Mouse Factory.

If you read through some of the previous posts, you will see multiple recommendations and I can assure you, the food has not changed. Within the park itself, Blue Bayou is probably the best establishment and reservations are required (meaning: go there immediately upon entering the park to make sure you get a spot for the later). Napa Rose is probably the *best* place to eat within the entire establishment.

[RichieRich]

Was just at Disneyland for the day last Tuesday. Walked up to the reservation counter at Blue Bayou a little before 10:00am and was told they were already booked for the entire day (offered a reservation for the next day - as if we'd come back just for lunch). They did say you can just walk up and put your name on the wait list for immediate seating. We did that last time and were able to get in after only 15min or so - but that was off-season.

Had dinner at Napa Rose and can confirm that the food is quite good. Only downside was that due to no reservations, we ended up being seated in overflow/Siberia. Service was also somewhat slapdash - sometimes attentive, sometimes disappearing for long stretches.

[Toliver]

Ling and I will be at Disneyland this Thursday. Is Club 33 open to the public? Are there any good dining options in Disneyland?

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[Porthos]

Ling and I will be at Disneyland this Thursday. Is Club 33 open to the public? Are there any good dining options in Disneyland?

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[hhlodesign]

Ling and I will be at Disneyland this Thursday. Is Club 33 open to the public? Are there any good dining options in Disneyland?

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My wife, older daughter and I are all previous cast members (read: employees) of the Disneyland Resort. In addition we have been annual pass holders for years. That being said the following opinions are just that, my opinions. I not anything close to a restaurant reviewer.

Outside of Club 33 there is no always-open Fine Dining within the parks.

Disney's California Adventure first:

When the park first opened there were 3 Fine Dining restaurants. Mondavi's effort and Wolfgang Puck pulled out pretty quickly, then Disney's own restaurant in the Hollywood Backlot went away. The other 2 restaurants are now operated by Disney, the one in the Hollywood backlot was converted into a specialized theather for a kid's show.

In DCA there are 2 regularly open wait-staff restaurants: The Wine Country Trattoria (with a wine tasting bar near it) and Ariel's Grotto (dining with Disney Characters visiting the tables: food is not the main feature). Side note on the Trattoria: my wife and I asked for the reciple for a soup they served us and the waiter disappeared for a few minutes. When he returned he handed us the label off of the box from this out-sourced soup. We didn't care that it didn't come from their kitchen, even if we were a bit surprized, and still order it accasionally.

The Pacific Wharf Cafe serves soups and salads in freshly-baked-on-the-premisis (sp) Boudin Sourdough bread bowls. These make a great lunch. You can get microbrewery beer or margheritas if you want to opt for something besides soda.

The rest is just various fast foods, edible but not memorable.

Over in the Disneyland Park, Cafe Orleans is now a wait-staff restaurants. Foods not bad but way short on value for $$ paid. There is a patio dining restaurant on Main Street (Carnation Cafe) that has wait-staff. This is one of our 2 personal favorite place to eat in the park. The other is Redd Rocket's Pizza Port. I think the pizza should be outlawed for unashamed blandness. However they do a nice job on salads and they have a pasta dish (Chicken Fusilli) that helps keep me from dieting while there. The French Market is very uneven in food quality. I've had good (for a theme park) meals there and had food that they should be ashamed to serve. We haven't been to the Blue Bayou in for a year or so but we the meals we've had have been worth the money.

A quick story in repsonse to a post way up the thread. About 2 years we went to Disneyland specifically to have dinner at the Blue Bayou. When we asked to be placed in the stand-by line they stated that they weren't doing that. I asked to speak with the hostess' lead and got the manager instead. I explained that we were long-time pass-holders and the only reason we were there was to eat at the Blue Bayou. Since we were only a party of 3 he choose to see to that we got a table. We were thankful for his understanding of Disney guest service.

On to Downtown Disney.

First off you should know that we don't eat down there very often.

We had had a few good meals at the Jazz Cafe. So when we took other family with us that was our destination. Bad service, bad food, just an embarrasing night for us after all of our touting. Haven't been back.

The Uva bar is a fun place.

The Rainforest Cafe is ok for food but great for kids.

Naples is both kid-friendly and tasty.

Haven't tried Tortilla Joe's yet.

Haven't tried the House of Blues.

Haven't tried Catals proper (they run the Uva bar also) but something about the place puts me off when I walk by. Don't let my irrational bias affect your choices, however.

I've eaten at the Napa Rose in the Grand Californian once and was wowed by the experience. We are going to take my father in law there for his birthday in September. He's a long-time member of the Orange County Wine Society and leases a 120 case wine locker. This is the restaurant for him.

Back to the Disneyland Park for a second. Don't let the good smells coming out of the vents at the Gibson Girl Ice Cream place on Main Street fool you. The Ice Cream is fine but the waffle cones are a waste of money and calories.

This doesn't cover everything but highlights what we like and avoid.

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[Porthos]

Did you and Ling have any good meals while at Disneyland? If so, where did you eat and what did you have.

[Porthos]

Personal Update:

My wife, daughter and I went to one of our "go to" choices in Disneyland this last Saturday, the Carnation Cafe. I decided to have the "seasonal" Beef Stroganoff Pot Pie. I will probably never order it again. It was under-salted and a bowl covered by pastry makes it hard to salt the contents. The sauce was also thinner than the description "a sour cream demi glace" would have led me to believe. Once I got some salt into it it was ok but nothing close to what I was expecting. Oh well...

I think this kind of goes to the same uneven quality issue I raised for The French Market. Oh for the chance to eat at Club 33 just once. Still, Our Napa Rose dinner in September is coming.

[Ling]

Toliver: thanks for the compliment!

Porthos: We actually didn't eat at Disneyland (unless you count the dismal $7 hotdog I ate because my Tommy's Original meal at lunch was too disgusting to force down). We had two pretty decent Chinese meals, though, in Fountain Valley recommended by Henry's mom. One was A&J in some sort of strip mall, and the other one was called Mandarin Restaurant, I think.

[hhlodesign]

Toliver: thanks for the compliment!

Porthos: We actually didn't eat at Disneyland (unless you count the dismal $7 hotdog I ate because my Tommy's Original meal at lunch was too disgusting to force down). We had two pretty decent Chinese meals, though, in Fountain Valley recommended by Henry's mom. One was A&J in some sort of strip mall, and the other one was called Mandarin Restaurant, I think.

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Yes, I took forced Lorna to try her first Tommy Burger. She was not impressed. A&J restaurant is at Jeffrey and the 5 in Irvine. Simple cheap chinese eats. Mandarin Restaurant in Fountain Valley is also very good.

[mcohen]

Are there any local restaurants you recommend within walking distance from main entrance to DL? We don't have access to a car but would like to eat properly without resorting to big chain fast food. We have a 2yo with an 45 min attention span.

TIA, Keith

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avoid ma's, the chinese restaurant, if you don't fit their desired customer profile if you know what i mean. i brought my cousin and her family on a visit to disneyland last weekend, and we were treated so badly that i'm still angry about it. we stopped by for dinner soon after it opened, and there were still only a few filled tables and so plenty of open tables. yet, we still had to wait ten minutes to get a table. that should have warned us something was up. and, then, they sent us into this little ghetto, away from all the other customers, as if the restaurant did not want other customers to see us. and, then, the insults and slights continued for the rest of our dinner.

and, oh yeah, the food wasn't even that good. their bread is famous but i found it to be rather greasy.

[hhlodesign]

Are there any local restaurants you recommend within walking distance from main entrance to DL? We don't have access to a car but would like to eat properly without resorting to big chain fast food. We have a 2yo with an 45 min attention span.

TIA, Keith

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avoid ma's, the chinese restaurant, if you don't fit their desired customer profile if you know what i mean. i brought my cousin and her family on a visit to disneyland last weekend, and we were treated so badly that i'm still angry about it. we stopped by for dinner soon after it opened, and there were still only a few filled tables and so plenty of open tables. yet, we still had to wait ten minutes to get a table. that should have warned us something was up. and, then, they sent us into this little ghetto, away from all the other customers, as if the restaurant did not want other customers to see us. and, then, the insults and slights continued for the rest of our dinner.

and, oh yeah, the food wasn't even that good. their bread is famous but i found it to be rather greasy.

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I really enjoy Ma's and try to get there whenever I am in SoCal. Regarding your service problems, any frequent diner should know that seating people depends not on the number of available tables, but on the number of available servers. I've never had anything but impecable service from everyone there. Even dining with my "white" friends!

The thin version of the bread is better than the thick version. I'm not sure what their preferred profile is, can you be more specific with these "insults." I can't imagine anyone insulting a paying customer.

[Porthos]

I'm not sure what their preferred profile is, can you be more specific with these "insults." I can't imagine anyone insulting a paying customer.

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I experienced this same specific problem at a nicer Chinese restaurant near Disneyland several years ago. The comparative level of service, coupled with an unmistakable "not glad your here" attitude from my server when at my table made for a poor dining experience. This is the only restaurant that this has ever happened to me at. With so many choices around here I simply never went back. It is very possible that I ended up with a rogue staff member who didn't embrace the hospitality that the management wanted to extend. I don't remember the name anymore - sorry - but it wasn't Ma's. I myself am partail to Sam Woo's in Irvine.

As well as being a long-time annual pass holder to Disneyland I work in Anaheim about 1 1/2 miles down the road from the Park and my father-in-law has lived in Anaheim for almost 50 years. All of this means that I have dined at a considerable number of local restaurants over the years and can only point to the one experience above for what I percieved as not being made welcome in any restaurant because I am western European. This covers German, Italian, Greek, Russian, Hungarian, Indian, French, Chinese, Japanese, Korean, etc.. My guess, Henry, is that what mcohen experienced was atypical, a sad dining experience to be sure, but not at all representive of the true core values of the restaurant but I for one know that it can happen.

As to never having gone back, maybe I should reconsider some time. First thing I would have to do, though, is see if they are even still in business. A lot of restaurants have come and gone in the last 25 years.

[Toliver]

I know it's not anywhere near the park but you could have zipped up 5 and over 10 to Monterrey Park. Tons of good eats there.

I would have recommended Fat Burger's over Tommy's but like the country song says, "Life's a dance...you learn as you go."

[Kouign Aman]

One gambles when using "zip" and "10" in the same sentence.

[Chris Hennes]

I'll be at the Anaheim Convention Center tomorrow through Tuesday eve: I've got a car but gas prices and traffic being what they are would prefer to stay with, say, five miles of the Center. Is there any decent upscale dining in the area for dinners that I could still get a rez for at this point? How about lunch places? I don't really want to set foot in Disneyland, even for food, so Napa Rose is out, I'm afraid .

[rjwong]

Chris, from the Anaheim Convention Center, you can drive about 15 miles to South Coast Plaza, the huge shopping center in Coast Mesa.

Directions: Katella to Southbound 5 ; Southbound 5 to Southbound 55 ;

Southbound 55 to 3333 Bristol St.

Marche Moderne is located at the north end of SCP, 3rd floor, near Nordstrom's.

Charlie Palmer is located on the south end of SCP, street level, on the corner next to Bloomingdale's.

I hope this helps.

[Chris Hennes]

Chris, from the Anaheim Convention Center, you can drive about 15 miles to South Coast Plaza, the huge shopping center in Coast Mesa.

Directions: Katella to Southbound 5 ; Southbound 5 to Southbound 55 ;

Southbound 55 to 3333 Bristol St.

Marche Moderne is located at the north end of SCP, 3rd floor, near Nordstrom's.

Charlie Palmer is located on the south end of SCP, street level, on the corner next to Bloomingdale's.

I hope this helps.

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Alas, Marche Moderne doesn't fit into my schedule, but I've got a rez at Charlie Palmer for tomorrow night: thanks for the tip, I didn't know he had a place that close. Now I need dinner Tuesday, early (like 5:30pm) and lunch every day. Dinner Tuesday doesn't have to be as upscale, but maybe something I can't get in OKC (like decent Asian!).

ETA: Anyone familiar with the "Anaheim White House"?

Edited August 2, 2008 by Chris Hennes (log)

[hzrt8w]

.....

Dinner Tuesday doesn't have to be as upscale, but maybe something I can't get in OKC (like decent Asian!).

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My impression of Anaheim is that there isn't many decent/upscale restaurants (perhaps I am mistaken). A better chance maybe in the Costa Mesa (as rjwong said), Irvine and Newport Beach area. Newport Beach might take a bit long to get to (local street and traffic congestion). Irvine should not be too bad.

I like a few decent (but not the "high end" if that is what you are looking for) restaurants:

- Scott's Seafood

- Prego (Italian)

- Il Fornaio (Italian)

- Houston (Steak)

Sorry I am not known to have sophisticated taste buds.

As for decent "Asian"... If Chinese... They are harder to find in that area. One that I like:

- Sam Woo Seafood Restaurant (Culver and Irvine Center Drive). (Be sure to go to the "Seafood" side not the "BBQ" side... two restaurants sharing the same bathrooms...) Cantonese seafood, stir-fries and Cantonese BBQ items are very good.

There are many good Vietnamese restaurants along Brookhurst. "Little Saigon" is in Garden Grove. My favorite is:

- My Nguyen Restaurant (Brookhurst and about Westminster)

But these are almost all operated by small families and are hardly in the "decent/upscale" class.

Along Katella Ave my favorite seafood place is:

- The Fish Company (Katella and Los Alamitos Blvd)

about 5 miles west of Disneyland. I love their charcoal-grilled fresh fish.

Edited August 3, 2008 by hzrt8w (log)

[rjwong]

Correct me, somebody, if this is incorrect:

Westminster has many Vietnamese restaurants.

Directions from Anaheim Conv. Ctr.: westbound Katella to southbound Euclid ;

Euclid to westbound Westminster Blvd., between Beach Blvd. (39) & the 405 (San Diego Freeway).

edited to say: Ah Leung, who says you don't have sophisticated taste buds??!!

Edited August 3, 2008 by rjwong (log)