The Ultimate Guide to Downtown Disney

Updated February 4, 2024

Let’s take a look at what this area entails including restaurants, shops, and how to tie this part of the Disneyland Resort into your visit.

Here we go!

Changes Coming

Downtown Disney is getting bougie.

This page is updated daily to keep up with the changes taking place around the Disneyland Resort. Check in with it to see what’s current in the Downtown Disney District.

Basic Scoop

Downtown Disney resides to the west of both Disneyland and California Adventure and is a quick walk from the parks. Admission is free and parking is, too, for up to 3 hours. Have your parking pass validated for an additional 2 hours of free parking.

DTD is a shopping district that is usually less crowded than the parks. There are lots of dining and shopping destinations.

Overall, the hours range from 7:00am – 1:00am, but activity varies depending on your destination.

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Restaurants

There are nearly 20 dining options, ranging from Starbucks to Naples. Each can be found on the map posted above.

Some quick service options include…..

  • Jamba – Smoothies, baked goods and snacks. (7am-12am) menu
  • Napolini – Pizza by the slice, salads and pasta. This place gets busy, too, with a line out the door. (11am-12am) menu
  • Beignets Express – Beignets, sandwiches and house specialties – quick service! (8am-12am) menu
  • Starbucks – Mega-store with interactive fun for kids. Coffee, snacks, sandwiches and desserts. (7am-11:30pm) menu
  • Tortilla Jo’s Taqueria – Customize tacos, burritos and more while sipping a margarita or soda. (9am-12am) menu
  • Wetzel’s Pretzels – Carbs and butter. Not much else to know (or want). (9am-12am) menu
  • Sprinkles Cupcakes – The original cupcake bakery. Love this place!

Some table service options include:

  • Tortilla Jo’s – Mexican food with a modern twist. (11am-10pm) menu
  • Jazz Kitchen Coastal Grill – Yummy Louisiana seafood menu

******Reservations are recommended for all of the above table service options.

Parking

People used to try to use Downtown Disney as a less expensive (or free) option for parking in order to avoid the cost of the regular Disneyland parking lots. Not an option anymore!

Per the Disneyland website:

“Guests may self-park in the Simba Parking Lot, located off of Disneyland Drive, between West Katella Avenue and Disney’s Paradise Pier Hotel. The first hour of parking costs $10. Validations apply after the first hour of paid parking.

Enjoy an additional 3 hours of same-day parking with a $20-minimum purchase and validation from any Downtown Disney location—or up to 5 additional hours of same-day parking with validation from any Downtown Disney table-service restaurant.

Beyond these validations, each additional hour costs $14, charged in 30-minute increments, with a minimum $7. The maximum daily parking and lost ticket fee is $66. Parking is subject to capacity.”

Shopping

Downtown Disney shopping can be both fun and useful. I broke a pair of flip flops on my way into the park recently and ran over to Sanuk for a quick replacement. There’s quite a variety, too, Disney themed and not.

Some Disney-Related Shopping:

  • World of Disney – The mecca of all Disney souvenirs. If you don’t shop in the park, this is your best option and there’s something for everyone.
  • Disney’s Pin Traders – Pin trading headquarters with special trading privileges just for kids.
  • Marceline’s Confectionery – Named for Walt’s hometown, this sweet shop is adorable – and one of my favorites.
  • WonderGround Gallery – Contemporary Disney art with a showcase on local artists, too.

Other Shopping:

  • Curl Surf – High end SoCal apparel. LOVE the Olukais that they sell here. Highly recommend.
  • The LEGO Store – For the LEGO fan, it doesn’t get much cooler. Totally recommend this place.
  • Sephora – Beauty supplies for days.
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Entertainment

While you’re ‘downtown’, you can check out a few options for fun. There’s a little bit of everything here.

  • Splitsville Bowling Alley – Bowling and dining in a fun, retro setting.
  • The Downtown Disney Stage has live music from time to time. Find it at the west end, closer to The Disneyland Hotel.

My Favorite Stops

  • Marceline’s Confectionery – Feels like stepping back in time in this darling candy shop.
  • Jazz Kitchen Coastal Grill – Authentic Cajun food with awesome service. Try the Shrimp and Grits. Don’t forget the beignets!
  • Naples is the perfect option for celebrating a birthday. Order a huge pizza and let everyone share.
  • If you visit during the holidays, from 6-10pm, it will snow in Downtown Disney every half hour. It’s magical! This will last until December 31, 2024.

My Advice

I recommend visiting Downtown Disney on your way in or out of town or for a mid-day break. Keep your focus on the parks while they’re open and don’t miss anything inside the gates for what Downtown Disney has to offer.

If you leave the park mid-day, as I always recommend, Downtown Disney can be a great place for lunch or a break to avoid the crowds. If you’re a guest at one of the three Disneyland Resort Hotels, you’ll be in closer proximity to DTD than if you stay off-site.

We often arrive the night before a visit to the parks and walk over to DTD for dinner or shopping. It’s a great way to get into the Disney spirit prior to entering the gates.

Bonus Tip: From Downtown Disney, hitch a ride on the Monorail to and from Tomorrowland with your theme park ticket. The Disneyland Monorail is the only attraction that can be boarded outside of the park. A valid park ticket and reservation for the day must be shown to ride.

Take a look at how Get Away Today can help with your vacation

39 thoughts on “The Ultimate Guide to Downtown Disney

  1. If staying at the Disneyland Resort, where is the best place to catch breakfast in time to catch the 7 am magic hour? Ideally I’m looking for a place that serves breakfast at 6:00 am or 6:30 am so I’m ready to walk in the park at 7 am.

  2. Hi Casey! I recall you giving advice about the best place to get dropped off by Uber when going to Downtown Disney. Can you please remind me where that is? Thank you!

    1. If you are in the hotel, you may enter Downtown Disney from the Grand Californian Hotel, whether you’re a guest at the hotel or not.

      You may not cut through the hotel from Disneyland Drive anymore, however.

    1. Hi, Dustin.

      I found the following info from Disney at this link:

      https://www.disneygiftcard.com/ProductInformation/WhereToUse

      Some of the shops listed are closed now. I’ve edited what they provided to share what is current today.

      For shopping, gift cards are accepted at World of Disney®, Marceline’s Confectionary, The Dream Boutique, D Street, The Disney Dress Shop, WonderGround Gallery, Disneyland Resort Hotel gift shops, and Disney’s Pin Traders.

      For dining, gift cards are accepted at any Disneyland Resort Hotel restaurants.

      This post lists all of those dining options:

      https://disneylanddaily.com/a-review-of-all-dlr-hotel-restaurants/

      Hope this helps!

  3. Is Pearl Factory still around? The link goes to an error page. Also can Disney gift cards be used anywhere in DTD or only at Disney-related stores? Thank you for your amazing blog!

  4. After a day at the beach on our ‘down day’ I’m trying to decide on a dinner in downtown Disney for myself and 9 yo daughter. We always do Rainfirest Cafe so I’m wanting to try something different. We have it narrowed down to Naples and La Brea. Any thoughts on which may be more preferable? Thanks!

  5. Hi Casey!
    My family is planning our first Disneyland vacation in a few months. I’ve heard strollers aren’t allowed in DTD. Is that true? If so, is there stroller parking nearby, and is it monitored?
    Thanks so much for your help!

  6. I love the site! We’re spending some time at DTD on our first day, as we arrive in the afternoon. My question is about souvenirs. Are the various shops comparable in price? For example, would the same pair of Mickey ears at D-Street and World of Disney cost the same amount?

  7. Hi Casey,
    First, thank you for this wonderful site! We found DLR useful in our park visit earlier in April. I have 2 girls and they loved it!
    We are planning to visit Downtown Disney on the way to San Diego just after Christmas. Other than Anna’s Boutique, what would you recommend seeing/experiencing in DD for a few hours either in the morning or evening?

    Thanks!

    1. It’s actually better to walk down to the esplanade between the two parks. Go through security and then find a place to sit in the middle. If you’re in DTD, you can see them above most of the restaurants. You can even see them from the Disneyland Hotel. But it’s worth the walk to the esplanade.

  8. If you were to pick a restaurant to eat at night before a disneyland 1/2 marathon what would you pick for some good carbs? Thanks!

  9. We are planning our first Disneyland Vacation with kids for this upcoming Christmas. We are getting into Anaheim midday on the 21st. We want to take the kids into Downtown Disney so that they can pick out their own ears, and get them excited and such. We want to do dinner there as well, however when we look online at Disneyland.disney.go it says that the rainforest café is only open for Breakfast and Lunch. During the Christmas season are hours different? If not, where would you recommend that would be fun for the kids and still a great family option.

    1. I believe they’re open for dinner, too. I’ll check on this during my visit on Friday and will post what I find on Facebook.com/dlrprepschool. Other kid friendly options include Naples, Tortilla Jo’s and Ralph Brennan’s.

      1. Any update on this? I noticed the website only showing breakfast and lunch hours as well which I found strange.

        1. Ah ha, I don’t know how I missed this. The website for rainforest cafe says “Online reservations can only be made for breakfast or lunch. To make reservations for dinner, please call (714) 772-0413.” so that’s why it appears to be only open for breakfast and lunch online. Good to know!

  10. I see that you said RideMakerz is pricey. Could you give me a idea of how pricey. If it’s out of my families budget I want to put blinders on my kids as we walk by. 😉

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