Updated March 2016
So, we covered all of your Dining Options at Disneyland. And, we’ve learned about Character Meals available at each of the DLR Hotels and in the parks, too.
Now, it’s time to check out Disney’s California Adventure! Here’s the first big difference that you’ll find between the two parks: Many DCA restaurants serve beer, wine and/or cocktails. (I’ve noted which ones do, below, and the menus provide details.)
As before, you’ll find two styles of dining at the parks:
Quick Service – No waiter or waitress; Walk to the counter to order and retrieve food
Table Service – Waiter or waitress service; Some reservations needed or recommended
***In addition to these dining options, you’ll find churro, popcorn, pretzel, ice cream, coffee and soda carts throughout the park.
Quick Service
Price Range: $15 and under
Location: Hollywood Land
The Main Idea: Walk up counter with gourmet hot dogs with drinks and desserts
What People Love: Chili Cheese Dog and Sicilian Sausage
Alcohol served: Karl Strauss Red Trolley Ale
Yelp Rating: 3 stars
Price Range: $15 and under
Location: Paradise Pier
The Main Idea: Walk up counter with six craft beers on tap and soft pretzels
What People Love: Jalapeno Cheese-filled Pretzel
Alcohol Served: Sierra Nevada Pale Ale, Sierra Nevada Torpedo IPA, Blue Moon Belgian White, Pacifico Cerveza, Bud Light Pale Lager, Seasonal Choice
Yelp Rating: 4.5 stars
Boardwalk Pizza and Pasta/Garden Grill
Price Range: $15 and under
Location: Paradise Pier
The Main Idea: Pizza, pasta and salads with indoor/outdoor seating
What People Love: Portobello Mushroom & Spinach Flatbread Pizza and Five Cheese Ravioli; Mediterranean Skewers at Garden Grill
Alcohol Served: Bud Light, Sangria
Yelp Rating: 3.5 stars
Clarabelle’s Hand-Scooped Ice Cream
Price Range: $15 and under
Location: Buena Vista Street
The Main Idea: Walk up counter with hand scooped ice cream and sundaes
What People Love: The Kitchen Sink Sundaes (several options)
Alcohol Served: None
Yelp Rating: 4 stars
Cocina Cucamonga Mexican Grill
Price Range: $15 and under
Location: Pacific Wharf
The Main Idea: Walk up counter with Mexican dishes and salads with dining on the deck
What People Love: Soft Tacos Monterey and Fajita Salad
Alcohol Served: Tecate, Dos Equis Ambar, Red Sangria
Yelp Rating: 2.5 stars
Price Range: $15 and under
Location: Paradise Pier
The Main Idea: Walk up counter with yummy corn dogs and drinks
What People Love: Original Corn Dog (same recipe as the famous Disneyland dogs) and Cheddar Cheese Stick
Alcohol Served: None
Yelp Rating: 4.5 stars
Price Range: $15 and under
Location: Cars Land
The Main Idea: Cone shaped walk up counters including churros, soft serve ice-cream, chili con queso served in a bread cone, pretzel bites and flavored popcorn
What People Love: Flavored popcorn (flavors rotate – try the Dill Pickle if it’s in season!) and Churros
Alcohol Served: Vodka Lemonade and Vodka Pomegranate Limeade
Yelp Rating: 4 stars
Bonus tip: Super cute photo ops here, day and night
Price Range: $15 and under
Location: Hollywood Land
The Main Idea: Walk up counter with healthy options including hummus, veggie cups and trail mix
What People Love: Pickle Spears and Hummus
Alcohol Served: None
Yelp Rating: 2.5 stars
Fiddler, Fifer and Practical Cafe
Price Range: $15 and under
Location: Buena Vista Street
The Main Idea: Sandwiches, salads and Starbucks favorites served with a large indoor seating area
What People Love: Bacon and Gouda Breakfast Sandwich and Roast Beef & Provolone Sandwich Box
Alcohol Served: None
Yelp Rating: 4 stars
Price Range: $15 and under
Location: Cars Land
The Main Idea: Walk up counter with healthy options including fruit, veggies and drinks
What People Love: Pickle Spears and Pineapple Spears
Alcohol Served: None
Yelp Rating: n/a
Price Range: $15 and under
Location: Cars Land
The Main Idea: Comfort food served with indoor and outdoor seating
What People Love: Brioche French Toast for breakfast, Beef and Cheddar Sandwich, Veggie Tater Bake, Pie-o-Ramas, and shakes
Alcohol Served: Fess Parker Reisling, Silverado Chardonnay, MacMurray Ranch Pinot Noir, Red Sangria, Racer 5 IPA, and Red Rocket Ale
Yelp Rating: 3.5 stars
Ghirardelli Soda Fountain and Chocolate Shop
Price Range: $15 and under
Location: Pacific Wharf
The Main Idea: Yummy, rich sundaes and hot drinks with outdoor seating
What People Love: Treasure Island Warm Brownie Sundae, Earthquake Family Favorite, Sundaes, Quake Shakes and Ice Cream Floats – really anything!
Alcohol Served: None
Yelp Rating: 4 stars
Price Range: $15 and under
Location: Pacific Wharf
The Main Idea: Asian dishes including chicken, beef and tofu with outdoor seating by the water
What People Love: Beef Asian Rice Bowl and Edamame
Alcohol Served: Sapporo
Yelp Rating: 2.5 stars
Price Range: $15 and under
Location: Pacific Wharf
The Main Idea: Sandwiches, salads and sourdough Mickey shaped bread by San Francisco’s Boudin Bakery with outdoor seating
What People Love: Egg and Bacon Boule for Breakfast, Chinese Chicken Salad and Tomato Bisque
Alcohol Served: None
Yelp Rating: 4 stars
Paradise Pier Ice Cream Company
Price Range: $15 and under
Location: Paradise Pier
The Main Idea: Walk up counter with soft serve ice cream and floats
What People Love: Coke and Rootbeer Floats
Alcohol Served: None
Yelp Rating: n/a
Price Range: $15 and under
Location: Pacific Wharf
The Main Idea: Walk up counter with margaritas and chips
What People Love: Rita’s Grand Margarita and Tropicool (non-alcoholic)
Alcohol Served: Margaritas
Yelp Rating: 3.5 stars
Price Range: $15 and under
Location: Hollywood Land
The Main Idea: Walk up counter with smoothies and other drinks
What People Love: Strawberry Banana Smoothie and Coffee Drinks
Alcohol Served: None
Yelp Rating: 3.5 stars
Price Range: $15 and under
Location: Pacific Wharf
The Main Idea: Beer, wine and cold plates served with outdoor seating
What People Love: Beer or Wine with a Warm Bavarian Pretzel
Alcohol Served: Yes, plenty! (see menu)
Yelp Rating: n/a
Price Range: $15 and under
Location: Grizzly Peak Airfield
The Main Idea: Burgers and fries with indoor/outdoor seating
What People Love: Cheeseburgers, Grilled Chicken and Jack Sandwich and the Garden Vegetable Burger
Alcohol Served: Budweiser, Bud Light, Karl Strauss Handcrafted Beer, and Red Sangria
Yelp Rating: n/a
Table Service
Reservations are recommended for table service restaurants (noted below). Click on the link for each restaurant to make a reservation or call (714) 781-DINE (3463) between 7:00 AM and 9:00 PM daily (Pacific Time).
Price Range: $15 and under (but varies with wine selections)
Location: Pacific Wharf
The Main Idea: Wine flights with appetizers
What People Love: Beef Tenderloin Sliders and Bruschetta
Alcohol Served: Yes, plenty! (see menu)
Yelp Rating: n/a
***Reservations highly recommended
Price Range: $30-$60
Location: Pacific Wharf
The Main Idea: DLR’s only Princess dining option (at breakfast and lunch) with the World of Color Dining Package for evenings
What People Love: Spinach-Artichoke and Egg White Frittata for breakfast, Fire Roasted Corn Cakes, and Grilled Lobster Tail Salad
Alcohol Served: Beer and cocktails
Yelp Rating: 3.5 stars
***Reservations highly recommended
Price Range: $30-$60
Location: Buena Vista Street
The Main Idea: California Adventure’s answer to fine dining with fabulous indoor seating and a retro-glam ambiance; World of Color Dining Package is available here
What People Love: Menu changes seasonally….hard to keep up! Prix-Fix Menu is included as an option, which some people love.
Alcohol Served: Wine, beer, cocktails
Yelp Rating: 4 stars
Price Range: $15 and under
Location: Pacific Wharf; upstairs from Ariel’s Grotto
The Main Idea: Sip cocktails while sitting outside, enjoying the view
What People Love: Lobster Nachos and Bayside Fish Tacos + newly renovated extended patio
Alcohol Served: Yes, plenty! (see menu)
Yelp Rating: n/a
***Reservations highly recommended
Price Range: $15-$30
Location: Pacific Wharf
The Main Idea: Wine and food pairings with healthy options; World of Color Dining Package is available here
What People Love: Tuscan Salad with Sauteed Shrimp, Roasted Vegetable Panini and Quattro Pomodoro
Alcohol Served: Beer, wine and cocktails
Yelp Rating: n/a
And, there you have it! Dining at California Adventure is quite different from Disneyland. I hope you enjoy it.
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I have reservations for Ariel’s Grotto for lunch. My kid is 11. I know she won’t eat from the adult menu. Will she be able to order a kid’s meal? Or will I still pay the cost for her as an adult? I am trying to figure out if this is worth the cost. Thanks.
Disney won’t verify ages for meals, so you should be able to order from the child menu. It technically goes up to age 9, but I used it for a short time frame after for a couple of my kids as they were adjusting to a more complex palate.
Carthay Circle is, unfortunately, not the restaurant it used to be. We have dined there many times over the years since it opened; usually dining at Carthay Circle two or three times a trip. We had dinner there this week on Monday. The food was mediocre and the overall service was poor. The entire experience felt like a poorly managed, mass production line of a large national chain restaurant like a Chilis or Applebees. Unfortunately, that was about the quality of the food as well. The cocktails were still delicious, but the quality of the dining was well below the size of the check.
We kept our Wednesday dinner reservation hoping that our Monday experience was an anomaly. Unfortunately, the service and the food were even worse on Wednesday. We canceled our Friday reservation.
Sorry to hear that. I haven’t experienced such, but I’ll amend my post if I find the same. I appreciate your input very much!
I’m really enjoying all of your thorough reviews and lovely pictures! We’ve been to disneyland countless times, but really love to research the food options and make a good plan. Thank you!!!!!!
Anytime!
I want to take my 3 yr old daughter to ariels groto restaurant, she eats very little do i wanted to share my plate with her, my question is do they allow it? Also do they charge per person per plate or what? I heard they charge 50$ per person
They typically do not allow you to share.
We just tried Carthay Circle last weekend and were very disappointed. We don’t drink alcohol and sometimes get bad service because the server realizes our bill will be less. But this was ridiculous! Our server was horrible! Its disappointing to spend over $60 per person and over two hours and walk away feeling like we wasted time and money!
I’m so sorry, Julie. I hope you let the restaurant know or Disneyland/California Adventure in general. We had fantastic service and it’s disheartening to hear you didn’t. Alcohol or not, fine dining or not, Disney usually delivers on service. I’d definitely let someone know if you haven’t already.
I have a question about arielles grotto…we have reservations for lunch for character dining so does this mean we will not get WOC fast pass? AND then also, if I understand right they do offer WOC FP for dinner but is that without characters?
Thanks!
It depends on what reservation you made. Call the dining line, Devin, to see what you reserved and make changes according to what you were hoping to achieve. Here is the phone number: (714) 781-DINE (3463) between 7:00 AM and 9:00 PM daily (Pacific Time).