We ate here a week or so ago and loved it! It was a perfect retreat from the parks. We took the monorail over to DLH because we wanted to see the DVC Aulani model and after our quick walk through, I asked the CM if she had eaten at the new restaurants. She gave them good reviews, particularly the food available at the bar, Trader Sams so we figured what the heck.
Here is what I really liked about it:
1. Open patio seating and theming- Some people are not fans of couch style dining but I love it. We sat in comfy lounge chairs while we ate and really felt relaxed and unhurried. There are traditional table available too. This outdoor dining experience, off the resort pool is something I think is really missing at the Grand Californian. WWS in the GC is good but I have never understood people's love of it and there is no outside theming there, though you can have their menu delivered to the pool. Tangaroa has good food AND good theming.
2. Good Kids Meals- Tangaroa Terrace had great options for our kids who love jasmine rice (The side here with the kids meals in place of fries). Their meals also game with purple grapes which they prefer to the apple slices that seem to be everywhere now.
3. Trader Sams is close by- After ordering their food which was brought to us at our loungers (nice touch, no waiting around the counter) my husband then went below to Trader Sams to order off their menu as we wanted to share the fish tacos and lettuce wraps as well as get a couple draft beers. Turns out they would not let him order counter service style but they did send a server over to our table just outside Tangaroa Terrace to take our order. That was nice, not sure if that is the way it is supposed to work or not but we sure liked having both food options available to us from the outside patio deck. The food from Trader Sams was yummy but the lettuce cups for the chicken were not crisp enough so it made for a messy plate of food.
4. Drink refills are self service, outside the food service area- This is great and not that common at DL. It is off to the side, as part of the inside seating area, on your way to the bathroom. Very easy to get guilt free refills on drinks. It will also be something likely to get abused but I hope they keep it.
I definitely think people should give it a try. It gave me a chance to get a feel for what DLH is going for with the big remodel. If my experience last week is any indication, I think I am really going to like the changes. It felt a bit more upscale yet still had a vintage
Disneyland feel. IWould love it if they found a way to add DVC units here.
