Jolly Holiday Cafe

pigby

<font color=66CC33>This one might be a little more
Joined
Dec 11, 2000
Messages
3,410
This one almost passed me by - we have been to DLR since April 2011 so I assume it opened after then.

The menu and décor look great and I have looked at a recent blog on here.

Have you been for lunch or dinner - I really like the look of the Chicken Waldorf Brioche and I am sure that DH and DD will go for the beef sandwich.

Please tell me about your experiences - are we talking crazy waiting times - although we like to go at slightly 'off' times.
 
I love the Jolly Holiday, but it's not one of the fastest QS lines. For some reason it always takes quite a while to get through the line (15 minutes minimum, sometimes more than 30 minutes). Once you order, the food arrives pretty quickly. Some things are brought right to where you order, others you'll have to pick up from the counter at the end.

I like salads and sandwiches and usually have the Jolly Holiday salad. I also really like the cupcakes, Matterhorn macaroon, and the chocolate Mickey tart.

It's one of my family's favorite places to get a late night snack/meal. We often will order "dinner" (or whatever you call a meal at midnight) and sit at one of the outside tables and watch folks leave the park. It's a nice and relaxing way to end our day!
 
We love to get the grilled cheese and tomato soup. Love the treats as well.
When I have gone, the line hasn't been too long...I must have been lucky. :goodvibes
 
we were the very first guests to get to eat there back when it opened. We were walking by on our way to BLightyear and saw Oscar the chef waving to people. We asked the plaid that was standing there when they planned to open and she said , "We just opened" we had heard they were going to do a soft opening that day and were thrilled we were in the right place at the right time. We love the cinn. roll, and for food we love their turkey and tuna sanwhiches and the fresh chips are amazing. To us worth the wait and if you plan it right in the evening great seats for fireworks too
 

We've done both Lunch and Dinner there, and have enjoyed the things we've ordered--haven't had the one you mentioned.

The lines at times are huge, and ridiculously slow. Even when the line has been a relatively short one, there seems to be a problem with smoothness and efficiency in taking the orders, and getting them filled.

Since we like the food, we just try to go at times when we see that the line isn't out the door.

You should give it a try--it's worth it:)!
 
We were walking by on our way to BLightyear and saw Oscar the chef waving to people.

I don't know how often Chef Oscar is around Jolly Holiday, but he was there one morning back in February when I was having an breakfast cupcake!
 
We eat there for breakfast and lunch a lot. It's one of our favorites! I love the chicken salad sandwich and the caprese sandwich was yummy too! Tomato soup and grilled cheese is another favorite. The pastries are super yummy, especially the cinnamon roll and cinnamon twist! And it does offer a great view of the fireworks! I've never experienced a super long line before......or at least I didn't notice it being too long of a wait. I also like their vanilla latte and hot chocolate.
 
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Jolly Holiday has quickly become my favorite QS location in Disneyland! It's such a great alternative to some of the others. We love the grilled cheese and tomato soup, and the turkey and roast beef sandwiches are also great. I don't think there has been anything that we didn't like.

A word of warning: the portions here are out of control. I swear the turkey sandwich could feed my whole family (but of course we always order more!), so sharing is a great idea if you want to save room for dessert. And trust me, you want to save room for dessert!

The line does move slowly here, but it's not usually too crazy. We like to have a late lunch out on the terrace and people watch. Last time DD played musical chairs with Alice at Coke Corner while we ate, which was very fun. Overall, I'd say totally worth it! Sure, the line is longer than at somewhere like Red Rockett's, but the food is so much better!
 
It can be less busy at peak times than just before a parade. People often stake out seats for parades, so you may get through the line and the have trouble finding a seat. But on the other hand, many people are just buying coffee or treats and don't take a table at all. I tend to avoid parade times and have found it to be quicker than Tomorrowland Terrace and Village Haus, probably because most of the food comes out of the case.
 
I think it's processed. There's hardly any cheese, it's mostly bread. I definitely didn't think there was any swiss in it. And I don't think real cheese would hold up as well in the case. FYI, you can order it a la carter, without the soup. I only ate my soup, so if I get it again, I'd get a second sandwich a la carte and share the soup.
 
So glad I asked this questions - lots of great ideas - I hadn't thought of it as a fireworks viewing location - how far in advance do you think we should try to stake out a table (it will be the last weekend in September when fireworks are only on at weekends)

Sharing may well be the way to go as DH and I aren't big eaters now (both been on diets forever up to the vacation)
 
For sandwiches I've had the roast beef and a turkey sandwich and the roast beef was my favorite. The tomato soup is very good and I love the homemade chips too. The bakery has some good treats too, I had a brownie cheesecake thing once and that was tasty. The seating area is plentiful and offers some nice views.
 
We just tried it for the first time and loved it! I had the turkey sandwich and it was really good. Also, tried a few desserts. The brownie wasn't that great, but I think that's because the flourless chocolate cake was SO much better. The cheesecake with fresh raspberries and Matterhorn macaroons were favorites as well.
 
I hadn't thought of it as a fireworks viewing location - how far in advance do you think we should try to stake out a table (it will be the last weekend in September when fireworks are only on at weekends)

I don't know about Jolly Holiday, but the few tables over at the River Belle Terrace that have a view of Fantasmic start to fill up about 2-3 hours before the show. So I would guess the best view tables at Jolly Holiday start to fill up early as well. I would actually stop by before fireworks and figure out which tables have the "best" view. I think some have a limited view due to trees and/or the awning on the deck and you don't want to have those blocking your view.
 
When we've watched the fireworks there we try to snag a table furthest away from the building and closest to the walkway. We have always gotten one closer to the Tiki Room and near the entrance to Jolly Holiday (the overhead sign with the penguin on it) Some of the fireworks are a little blocked from trees, but overall it's pretty nice spot and you're in a chair not on the ground. Plus, we are usually enjoying a yummy treat! I think the couple times we have sat there it was about an hour before the show. We were tired and it was nice to rest! A lot of people on the walkways always try to stop there and watch (block) the view, but the CM's doing crowd control usually have them continue to move so we've never had an issue with that. In December when we sat there, my husband ran out with my son when it started snowing and there was a snow machine not too far from where we were at. I hope that helps =)
 
DLmama said:
We just tried it for the first time and loved it! I had the turkey sandwich and it was really good. Also, tried a few desserts. The brownie wasn't that great, but I think that's because the flourless chocolate cake was SO much better. The cheesecake with fresh raspberries and Matterhorn macaroons were favorites as well.

Oh yeah, that cake! Mmm...
 

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