My Disneyland dining reviews, with pictures

[gottalovepluto]

@figment_jii I love Figment's 60th anniversary hat!!!

 

[MichelleWDWfan]

Wow the food looks pretty darn good at the new buffet.
Considering squeezing it into my plans

 

[Canadian Harmony]

Well that pretty much seals it for me - I'm going to try to squish in the PPH buffet to our plans now.... I don't know WHEN exactly, but... maybe we'll end up eating two dinners one night

 

[Spacepest]

Wow Figment, that buffet looks awesome! I'll have to try and eat there on a future visit.

I did a day and a half trip, and have no pics of what I ate. Where I did go on property:

Lucky Fortune Cookery at DCA Paradise Pier food court area--husband and I had rice bowls, beef and chicken, both with teriyaki sauce. Both were really bland, but as my stomach was having issues due to stress, I was ok with bland, and the ingredients were fresh. We also had the Lucky Fortune Tea--OMG. This was to die for. Black tea with mango and passion fruit juices mixed in! I will definately be reordering the tea.

Dole whip at DL--yummy classic, and dairy free!

Cozy Cone Motel--hubby had to have churros, which I didn't eat (just sounded gross with the heat wave going on). I did order Ramon's Pear of Dice soda in a souvenir gas can sipper with a dinosaur on it; the soda was super sweet and I could only drink a few sips before passing it to my husband to finish off. It had a pear flavor with a minty after taste, mixed with sprite. If I were to reorder the drink again I'd ask for the cast member to use less syrup.

Dinner at Storyteller's Cafe--we were staying at the GC, so we ate the dinner buffet here. Good selection of meats and everything was fresh. We've eaten dinner many times at this restaurant, both off the ala cart menu and buffet and everything was good, service was great.

Brunch at Storyteller's Cafe--I don't recommend this at all. Not because the food is bad, but if you eat between breakfast and lunch the restaurant is in complete chaos as the staff switch over the menus and change shifts. There is no buffet here for lunchtime, only the regular menu. Breakfast only has the buffet and no ala cart menu, but there are characters if you show up early enough. When we were seated our server let us know the breakfast buffet was still open--for another 15 minutes. I didn't want the buffet because I didn't want to stuff myself, but glanced over it just to see what the options are before they put the food away. The buffet looked decent, but I ordered a lunch sandwich off the menu, the rest of my party had burgers, kids meals, etc (we had a large group). The food was good but the service was off because of the breakfast/lunch changes and servers shifts ending. We got our food hot, but we had to request extra silverware, drink refills, napkins, etc. something we've never had to ask for before at this restaurant. Usually the waitstaff just shows up, refills and replenishes things without even asking. So don't go here for brunch if you are in a hurry.

 

[rwu]

rwu -

You're very welcome -- and thank you so much for reporting back! That's why I post about the Taste of Farmers Market in this thread -- I know that even if some people don't speak up, there are always people out there reading along or lurking in the background (as is the case with any thread). Last year, the same thing happened -- I posted about the Taste event here in this thread, knowing that there are a lot of people who either live in SoCal and might be interested, or who come to SoCal to visit Disneyland, and then plan a non-Disney day in Hollywood as well. No one mentioned up front that they were going to the Taste event, but someone reported back here after the event was over and said that she had gone and had a great time!

Anyway, I am completely impressed and astounded that you made it to 38 of the vendors! I have to admit -- that makes me curious as to which stations you did not hit, because you really covered the majority of them. I wonder which ones you skipped!

I feel like such an amateur, but I was stuffed over one hour before the event ended, and I could not eat anything else. I should have thought ahead and brought some Ziploc bags with me, so that I could carry home certain things that were transportable, such as the English toffee, the pastries at Coffee Bean, whatever they were handing out at the Bastille Day table, and maybe even the Passion Cake from Normandie Bakery. I looked at the clock at around 7:50 p.m., and I realized that by the time I rested a bit and worked up a bit of an appetite again, it would be right at the time the Taste was ending, at 9 p.m., if not later. So I just threw in the towel and went home. As I mentioned to Michele above, If I had actually paid out of pocket for the event (as opposed to using the gift certificates I used), I would have felt terribly guilty for barely making a dent in the array of options. I don't know how I could have done it differently, though, other than to bring the Ziploc bags.

I am not sure what my absolute favorite "bites" were, but I realized that I stuck mainly to vendors who have been at the Market for decades and decades, with only one or two exceptions (such as Fritzi Dog). I have to be honest -- that mini-root beer float was delicious and refreshing, so that's right up there at the top. I thought that the fruit bowl was quite a generous size as well, so that ranked high. I thought that the ice cream sample at Bennett's (right next to Bob's) was pretty generous, too (two scoops). The BBQ pork was tasty. The prime rib sandwich was good. There was really a great array of food.

The lines for food were not bad at all. I mostly just walked right up as well. The vendors were good about hustling everyone along. One reason why I think the lines were non-existent is that, because this Taste event is always held on a Tuesday night, and only for 4 hours, a lot of people who work that day either can't get there when it begins or end up skipping it entirely. A lot of local residents don't even know about the event, which I found out when I did a focus group at the Market back in May. Some of my fellow focus group people did not know that the Taste of Farmers Market existed! If it were a multi-day event that lasted longer than 4 hours, and if it were advertised better, you can bet that it would be packed.

Another thing that helps the food lines stay short is the fact that there are so many food and beverage stations to peruse. If there were only 20 stations, each station would probably have lines. The fact that are over 50 helps spread out the crowds, so that there is not really any back-up of people at any station.

We skipped China Depot (vegetable chow mein), Coffee Corner (herbal lemonade), Dragunara Spice Bazaar (Biryani Rice), E.B.s Beer & Wine, Farm Fresh Produce (Assorted Fruit Salads), Gill's Old Fashioned Ice Cream (Soft Serve Ice Cream), Moishe's Restaurant (Veggie Plate w/ Hummus, Pita & Taboule), Moruno (Pork or Chicken Moruno), Patsy D'Amore's Pizza (Pepperoni or Spinach & Garlic Pizza), Peking Kitchen (Orange Chicken), The Salad Bar (Assorted Fruit Smoothies), Ulysses Voyage Greek Rest (Chopped Marouli Salad), Dog Bakery (???).

It wasn't that the above didn't sound appealing -- we were just getting really really full!

I think it did help that there were 2 of us since DH got some food that I'd just try a bite of (pancake, French toast) and vice versa.

I agree that the BBQ pork and prime rib sandwich were yummy. In general, we were happy with everything we ate (except for the coffee granita, which was too sweet and artificial-tasting for us.)

I also agree about the weekday factor for the lack of crowds. I work in Culver City, and traffic going up on Fairfax was awful! But in the end, the food/experience was definitely worth it.

 

[Sherry E]

We skipped China Depot (vegetable chow mein), Coffee Corner (herbal lemonade), Dragunara Spice Bazaar (Biryani Rice), E.B.s Beer & Wine, Farm Fresh Produce (Assorted Fruit Salads), Gill's Old Fashioned Ice Cream (Soft Serve Ice Cream), Moishe's Restaurant (Veggie Plate w/ Hummus, Pita & Taboule), Moruno (Pork or Chicken Moruno), Patsy D'Amore's Pizza (Pepperoni or Spinach & Garlic Pizza), Peking Kitchen (Orange Chicken), The Salad Bar (Assorted Fruit Smoothies), Ulysses Voyage Greek Rest (Chopped Marouli Salad), Dog Bakery (???).

It wasn't that the above didn't sound appealing -- we were just getting really really full!

I think it did help that there were 2 of us since DH got some food that I'd just try a bite of (pancake, French toast) and vice versa.

I agree that the BBQ pork and prime rib sandwich were yummy. In general, we were happy with everything we ate (except for the coffee granita, which was too sweet and artificial-tasting for us.)

I also agree about the weekday factor for the lack of crowds. I work in Culver City, and traffic going up on Fairfax was awful! But in the end, the food/experience was definitely worth it.

You skipped quite a few of the Farmers Market locations that I actually managed to get to -- Farm Fresh Produce, Gill's, Patsy D'Amore's and the Salad Bar! I desperately wanted the herbal lemonade -- and then I totally forgot about it while I was there. But I am still incredibly impressed that you made it to 38 of the locations!

I didn't even get my free bottle of water at Cost Plus!

 

[bcwife76]

Figment, that new Beach Buffet looks very yummy!!! I, too, love his new hat ;-)

 

[figment_jii]

What an interesting array of foods at the Beach Side Bonfire buffet! A really eclectic assortment -- and not really like anything anywhere else in DLR. I love strawberry shortcake, so I probably would have spent a lot of time at that station!

I liked the fact that there was a fairly wide range of items to try. Hopefully it means that most everyone that goes will find something they like!

Looks like an interesting buffet to try - all the build your own desserts look like fun (and mess) for the kids! The little ice-creams are so cute.

Yes, the dessert stations were a lot of fun (a little messy!). Figment had to ask the server about the cones because there weren't any signs out describing each one. It was a bit of surprise (a good one) when he found the compotes at the bottom. The cones seemed very popular and quickly ran out each time they were replenished. The s'mores were also really good; the house-made mashmallows were very soft and fluff!

Thanks so much for the review and pictures! We will be eating there in exactly 2 weeks!

Have a great time!

Thank You Figment! Looks like you had a good time tasting all the new dishes!
It will be a fun asset I think! Thank You for sharing!

Yes, Figment and his family really enjoyed the new buffet!

@figment_jii I love Figment's 60th anniversary hat!!!

Thanks! I jokingly called it his "Aribas Brothers" hat! We actually ran across another guest in the park that had done the same thing with her hat - glued little jewels all over it so that it was completely covered in rhinestones.

Wow the food looks pretty darn good at the new buffet. Considering squeezing it into my plans

It was good! It's now on my family's list of "will go back" places!

Well that pretty much seals it for me - I'm going to try to squish in the PPH buffet to our plans now.... I don't know WHEN exactly, but... maybe we'll end up eating two dinners one night

That's a lot of dinner!

Figment, that new Beach Buffet looks very yummy!!! I, too, love his new hat ;-)

Thanks!

 

[elaine amj]

I'm going to piggyback on figment's excellent review of the new PCH Grill buffet to add my own thoughts on each dish (I pretty much agree with Figment). We chose to go on Sunday, July 19 to escape the rain and to celebrate my DD's birthday. I went online to book a reservation (easily available) and we walked over right away. Looked like walk-ins had to wait so I recommend hopping online to make a reservation 20 mins in the future if you decide at the last minute you want to eat there.

PCH Grill (Dinner)

The only major drawback was that things seemed a little slow to be replenished, especially the littleneck clam dish, the shrimp pasta dish, and the strawberry shortcake dessert. The chef making the clams and shrimp was also making the pizzas, so he was very busy and couldn't really keep up with the demand. So, hopefully in the future they'll split his duties or have bigger dishes of the items available. Otherwise, things seemed to be going fairly well at the second night of the new buffet (despite the rain outside)!

Overall, Figment really liked the new "Beach-Size Bonfire Dinner Buffet" at PCH Grill. There was a fairly good selection of items and they had a wide variety of flavors and styles. His favorite savory dish was the Littleneck Clams with Chorizo and Potato Hash and his favorite dessert was the Passion Fruit Mousse cone. He hopes that PCH Grill continue to have this dinner buffet for the foreseeable future![/I][/I]

Entrees
Dry-Rubbed Smoked Tri-Tip Beef and Baby Back Ribs - I enjoyed the tri-tip (although my family didn't care for it since it was cooked more medium) and had no sauce. The ribs were reasonably good and I enjoyed the BBQ sauce (I should have added it to the tri-tip!).

Spicy Rubbed Pork Shoulder - It was good although my family only ate a small nibble. I didn't eat more than a small piece either as it wasn't a standout. I thought the veggies tasted great, but the carrots were a bit too crunchy and could be cooked more.

Vegetarian Tacos - None of us ended up trying this

Beer-Battered Sustainable Fish Taco - DH and I really liked this! (after I added a big dollop of avocado and sour cream)

Mac N' Cheese - Lobster or Regular - Had no idea which was the lobster version and which was the regular one (one of the signs had disappeared). DD was scared off and refused to try either (she loves mac n cheese). They were both a little blah...neither had any lobster taste.

Littleneck Clams, Chorizo and Potatoes Hash in PCH Grill Signature Broth - I agree with Figment, this was an awesome dish! Very yummy.

Shrimp Scampi with Cavatappi Pasta - (no shrimp in the photo) - The shrimp scampi was solidly good with large pieces of shrimp. Nothing earth-shattering though.

Whole Roasted Salmon - This was ok. Nothing special.

House-Fried Chicken - We enjoyed this.

Magherita Pizza - Our server explained that we got a choice of margherita pizza or fig and goat cheese pizza. You can only get pizza by ordering directly from the server (and if the server forgets to tell you, you would have no clue). We ordered the fig & goat cheese, which was good...although very skimpy on toppings. Kids could make their own cheese or pepperoni pizza. The server eventually brings the kids their pizza on a mickey shaped platter to design with toppings. After they are done, kids drop it off to be baked in the wood oven. Then your server brings it back. My kids are older but still got a kick out of it.

Veggie Kabobs - I enjoyed the veggie kebabs. they had a nice flavor. I would have preferred them cooked a bit more although others might prefer the crunchier texture.

Mini-Hot Dogs and Mini-Cheeseburgers - The kids enjoyed this. DH actually got a mini-burger and said it was really good! A step up from a blah burger.

Side Dishes and Salads
Roasted Garlic Herb Bread Crostini - You can't go wrong with garlic bread

Mini Smashed Potatos with Shallots - This was fine, rather blah. I should have added stuff from the taco toppings bar.

Roasted Potato Salad - We didn't try this

Heirloom Tomato-Mozzarella Tossed in Creamy Pesto & Aged Balsamic Reduction Finished - I enjoyed this -the sauce was very good and the tomatoes were yummy.

Deviled Eggs - Pickled and Traditional - Only tried the pickled version and really liked it.

Green Beans with Sauteed Shallots - The green beans were a hit and we ate a bunch (nice balance after a whole lot of vacation food)

Desserts
Mini-Cones - These were adorable and very popular. They had a hard time keeping it in stock. I think the cones were made in-house.

Fresh Fruit Kabobs - The fruits were good. Kids quickly discovered they could dip it in chocolate sauce and that the kebab sticks worked wonderfully for marshmallows too.

Coconut Haupio Pudding - It didn't taste as good as it looked. A little blah.

Make Your Own Strawberry Shortcake - Went hunting for this after our waitress raved about it. I can NEVER turned down housemade whipped cream. YUM YUM YUM!

Milk Chocolate Caramel Tart with Bacon Brittle - It could have been so much better. And I could not discern any bacon flavor.

Brioche Fresh Fruit Pizza - Tasted like a fruit danish. A very fun dessert! My DD got a big kick out of it.

Make Your Own S'Mores - A big highlight - the housemade marshmallows were YUM!!! The kids spent a lot of time with this station. Only quibble - we could not figure a way to assemble and eat the s'mores without a giant mess. A thicker chocolate sauce/paste would have been more manageable. We gave up on the graham crackers pretty quickly.

Seasonal Berry Cobbler - Like Figment commented, it was OK but needed ice cream/whipped cream. (I should have used the cream from the strawberry shortcake section). When we got to this, it was a goopy mess with barely any cobbler. My DH loved cobbler and was scraping the bottom for bits of crumble. They didn't replenish this for a long time (maybe because it still looked like it had a lot left because of all the berries?)

They need to figure out a better way to pace serving the food and get in better tune. Our server tried hard but was harried. We saw another staff (her manager?) berate her several times which just got her more flustered. I can see why the kids pizza has to be ordered from a server (but maybe they should make it more mini-sized so they can put out the platters for kids to take from a section of the buffet line to speed up the process?) but no reason why adult pizza has to be made to order. There's only 2 choices anyway.

Overall, a decent choice for dinner. The vibe had the Disney magic (why is it other restaurants elsewhere in the world can never capture the same magic?) and it was a relaxed, fun meal.

 

[luulu1999]

Love the reviews of PCH Im gonna keep my eye on that for our trip next summer

 

[JadeDarkstar]

to much food to eat this trip i wonder if I should forgo most chr meals and just have other meals and more snacks less big meals

 

[ADisneyFamilyof5]

I'm going to piggyback on figment's excellent review of the new PCH Grill buffet to add my own thoughts on each dish (I pretty much agree with Figment). We chose to go on Sunday, July 19 to escape the rain and to celebrate my DD's birthday. I went online to book a reservation (easily available) and we walked over right away. Looked like walk-ins had to wait so I recommend hopping online to make a reservation 20 mins in the future if you decide at the last minute you want to eat there.



Entrees
Dry-Rubbed Smoked Tri-Tip Beef and Baby Back Ribs - I enjoyed the tri-tip (although my family didn't care for it since it was cooked more medium) and had no sauce. The ribs were reasonably good and I enjoyed the BBQ sauce (I should have added it to the tri-tip!).

Spicy Rubbed Pork Shoulder - It was good although my family only ate a small nibble. I didn't eat more than a small piece either as it wasn't a standout. I thought the veggies tasted great, but the carrots were a bit too crunchy and could be cooked more.

Vegetarian Tacos - None of us ended up trying this

Beer-Battered Sustainable Fish Taco - DH and I really liked this! (after I added a big dollop of avocado and sour cream)

Mac N' Cheese - Lobster or Regular - Had no idea which was the lobster version and which was the regular one (one of the signs had disappeared). DD was scared off and refused to try either (she loves mac n cheese). They were both a little blah...neither had any lobster taste.

Littleneck Clams, Chorizo and Potatoes Hash in PCH Grill Signature Broth - I agree with Figment, this was an awesome dish! Very yummy.

Shrimp Scampi with Cavatappi Pasta - (no shrimp in the photo) - The shrimp scampi was solidly good with large pieces of shrimp. Nothing earth-shattering though.

Whole Roasted Salmon - This was ok. Nothing special.

House-Fried Chicken - We enjoyed this.

Magherita Pizza - Our server explained that we got a choice of margherita pizza or fig and goat cheese pizza. You can only get pizza by ordering directly from the server (and if the server forgets to tell you, you would have no clue). We ordered the fig & goat cheese, which was good...although very skimpy on toppings. Kids could make their own cheese or pepperoni pizza. The server eventually brings the kids their pizza on a mickey shaped platter to design with toppings. After they are done, kids drop it off to be baked in the wood oven. Then your server brings it back. My kids are older but still got a kick out of it.

Veggie Kabobs - I enjoyed the veggie kebabs. they had a nice flavor. I would have preferred them cooked a bit more although others might prefer the crunchier texture.

Mini-Hot Dogs and Mini-Cheeseburgers - The kids enjoyed this. DH actually got a mini-burger and said it was really good! A step up from a blah burger.

Side Dishes and Salads
Roasted Garlic Herb Bread Crostini - You can't go wrong with garlic bread

Mini Smashed Potatos with Shallots - This was fine, rather blah. I should have added stuff from the taco toppings bar.

Roasted Potato Salad - We didn't try this

Heirloom Tomato-Mozzarella Tossed in Creamy Pesto & Aged Balsamic Reduction Finished - I enjoyed this -the sauce was very good and the tomatoes were yummy.

Deviled Eggs - Pickled and Traditional - Only tried the pickled version and really liked it.

Green Beans with Sauteed Shallots - The green beans were a hit and we ate a bunch (nice balance after a whole lot of vacation food)

Desserts
Mini-Cones - These were adorable and very popular. They had a hard time keeping it in stock. I think the cones were made in-house.

Fresh Fruit Kabobs - The fruits were good. Kids quickly discovered they could dip it in chocolate sauce and that the kebab sticks worked wonderfully for marshmallows too.

Coconut Haupio Pudding - It didn't taste as good as it looked. A little blah.

Make Your Own Strawberry Shortcake - Went hunting for this after our waitress raved about it. I can NEVER turned down housemade whipped cream. YUM YUM YUM!

Milk Chocolate Caramel Tart with Bacon Brittle - It could have been so much better. And I could not discern any bacon flavor.

Brioche Fresh Fruit Pizza - Tasted like a fruit danish. A very fun dessert! My DD got a big kick out of it.

Make Your Own S'Mores - A big highlight - the housemade marshmallows were YUM!!! The kids spent a lot of time with this station. Only quibble - we could not figure a way to assemble and eat the s'mores without a giant mess. A thicker chocolate sauce/paste would have been more manageable. We gave up on the graham crackers pretty quickly.

Seasonal Berry Cobbler - Like Figment commented, it was OK but needed ice cream/whipped cream. (I should have used the cream from the strawberry shortcake section). When we got to this, it was a goopy mess with barely any cobbler. My DH loved cobbler and was scraping the bottom for bits of crumble. They didn't replenish this for a long time (maybe because it still looked like it had a lot left because of all the berries?)

They need to figure out a better way to pace serving the food and get in better tune. Our server tried hard but was harried. We saw another staff (her manager?) berate her several times which just got her more flustered. I can see why the kids pizza has to be ordered from a server (but maybe they should make it more mini-sized so they can put out the platters for kids to take from a section of the buffet line to speed up the process?) but no reason why adult pizza has to be made to order. There's only 2 choices anyway.

Overall, a decent choice for dinner. The vibe had the Disney magic (why is it other restaurants elsewhere in the world can never capture the same magic?) and it was a relaxed, fun meal.

Thank you for the detailed review! I read figment's review and it made me want to eat there now! I was just going to ask about the kids pizza and you answered my question! We have reservations for August and I am very excited.

 

[Sherry E]

Yesterday I ate a cute baby bundt cake from Corner Bakery Café (a birthday freebie) -- and I posted a photo of it on Facebook, asking "Isn't it adorable?" (Michele/kaoden39 saw it -- she knows what I mean.) Anyway, apparently I love pint-sized versions of normal-sized foods. I thought the baby bundt cake was one of the cutest miniature versions of a sweet treat that I had ever seen... until tonight, when I saw THESE:

http://www.disneyfoodblog.com/2015/...n-candy-apples-and-how-you-can-make-them-too/

The baby bundt cake has got nothing on those apples! They're not edible, it seems -- but oh so adorable!!!

 

[seobaina]

Our first Disney food...but not in Disneyland ... in Hollywood. Eaten at 10 am in the morning. Oy...I love ice cream but not that early!!

Do they still do this? And what does the pin look like?

Souvenier Containers
There were lots of new and newish souvenier containers at DLR for the 60th Anniversary. Figment got the three new Mickey Ballons, the Mine Cart Train, Cinderella's Carriage Popcorn Buckets, the Castle Stein, the Olaf Sipper, two of the Dinoco Sippers (he'll get the red one next time), the round pocorn buckets from DL and DCA, the Diamond Glow Cube, the 24-hour Day Travel Mug, and the DL travel Mug.

Can I ask how much the diamond glow cubes are? And where I can get them please?


Also, I'm confused by storyteller's cafe. We want to do the character breakfast but I can't find a menu/price for it. Is it just a 'pick off the menu' or a set price? THANKS

 

[figment_jii]

Can I ask how much the diamond glow cubes are? And where I can get them please?

The Diamond Glow Cubes were available at several locations...but I got mine at Jolly Holiday in May. I think they were around $4.00. However, they were completely sold out of them last week (but hopefully they'll get more of them in stock at some point during the 60th Celebration).

Also, I'm confused by storyteller's cafe. We want to do the character breakfast but I can't find a menu/price for it. Is it just a 'pick off the menu' or a set price? THANKS

Storytellers is a character buffet at breakfast; there is no menu anymore. I think it's around $30 per adult and $14 for children.

 

[seobaina]

The Diamond Glow Cubes were available at several locations...but I got mine at Jolly Holiday in May. I think they were around $4.00. However, they were completely sold out of them last week (but hopefully they'll get more of them in stock at some point during the 60th Celebration).


Storytellers is a character buffet at breakfast; there is no menu anymore. I think it's around $30 per adult and $14 for children.

Thank you!

 

[petals]

Candy Palace Yummies:

Olaf Marshmallow wand:

Everyone needs to have one of those ^ Marshmallow, caramel and white chocolate yumminess!

 

[petals]

Cheeseburger meal from the Hungry Bear:

and Lemon Bumblebee cupcake:

 

[Zbugz]

I posted my review of the new buffet at PCH Grill over here: http://disboards.com/threads/new-dining-at-the-pph.3428984/page-3

Delicious!

 

[bakerudall]

Olaf Marshmallow wand:

Everyone needs to have one of those ^ Marshmallow, caramel and white chocolate yumminess!

Yum! That looks like the delicious old Tigger Tail before it was covered in those ghastly sprinkles.