Disney’s California Adventure Park is one of the best parks out there, not only for its extensive array of unique theme park rides, but also for their incredible dining options. This park combines all things California together, showcasing their incredible wine selection from Napa Valley, their large Mexican influence on cuisine and their super fresh and locally sourced ingredients.
You could easily spend an entire day or more just trying out all of the delicious restaurants! However, since most people don’t have time for that, we’ve created this guide to help narrow down which options are best for you and your family.
Lamplight Lounge - Boardwalk Dining
Located on Pixar Pier, this family-fun dining location has a menu inspired from different Pixar movies. Menu items include incredible barbacoa nachos, savory cheese dip with ricotta, spinach and pork belly, pork belly sliders, pasta with cheese sauce for the little ones, lobster nachos, curried cauliflower and more. Pricing ranges from $11 for kids meals up to $25. They also have a variety of cocktails, wines and beers for the adults to sip on while the kids enjoy fun-themed mocktails. There are no reservations for the upstairs area, but the downstairs area can be reserved in advance.
Flo’s V8 Cafe
If you’re a fan of the Disney Pixar Cars movie, you absolutely must make a stop at Flo’s V8 Cafe during your visit to Disney’s California Adventure Park. This cafe is super fun and well-themed to look like a classic Route 66 diner / gas station. They serve tons of delicious American fare, with menu items including a spicy guacamole cheeseburger, Flo’s famous fried chicken served with roasted mashed potatoes, gravy and seasonal veggies, Ramone’s club sandwich, cobb salads and more. Don’t worry, there’s also a burger option for little ones as well, served with a choice of carrots or oranges and a drink. Don’t leave without trying one of Flo’s insanely creamy milkshakes!
Clarabelle’s Hand-Scooped Ice Cream
This fan favorite ice cream bar is located on Buena Vista Street and is the perfect stop when the family is craving a sweet treat! They’re most famous for their enormous Kitchen Sink ice cream sundae, complete with multiple different types of ice cream and all the fixings. It even comes with a souvenir “sink bowl”! If that’s not your style, they also offer a variety of ice cream floats, ice cream by the scoop and a ton of plant-based flavors as well! Prices range anywhere from $5 to $15 for these offerings.
Carthay Circle Lounge
Located in an old Hollywood movie theater, this elevated restaurant serves up a variety of dishes, including butternut squash and sage gnocchi, prime rib, turkey schnitzel, slow braised lamb shank, pork chops and more. Carthay Circle Lounge is only open during dinner time and reservations are definitely recommended. Pricing for this dining experience is on the higher end, with entrees ranging from $46 to $70, sides coming in at $15 a piece and appetizers ranging from $17 to $26. Kids are welcome as well, with options including chicken skewers, cheese quesadillas, and marinara pasta for $13 each.
Aunt Cass Cafe
Right next door to the Boudin Bakery tour you can find Aunt Cass Cafe, serving up some delicious sandwiches on fresh baked sourdough bread as well as a variety of Asian-inspired dishes. Menu items include sandwiches in the shape of Mickey and Baymax, creamy mac and cheese, chilled shrimp soba noodle salad, clam chowder, turkey pesto club, curry beef, shrimp katsu sandwiches and more. This is a great option for families trying to stay on a reasonable budget, with prices ranging from about $10 to $15 per entree.
Pym Test Kitchen
Pop on into Ant Man and The Wasp’s laboratory where they defy the rules of size and create some pretty insane food options. Located in Avenger’s Campus at Disney’s California Adventure Park, this is another must try on the DCA food tour. Menu items include the famous Not so Little Chicken Sandwich, with a little bun and a HUGE chicken filet, as well as buffalo wings, Italian style sandwiches, soft pretzels, impossible meat pasta and more. Pricing here ranges from $13 to $15 per item. They also offer unique breakfast items such as challah french toast, eggs, bacon and more.
Smokejumpers Grill
This dining spot can be found in Grizzly Peak and is inspired by all of the California firefighters who protect the forests. They serve up all-American classics such as burgers, cheeseburgers, chicken sandwiches, chicken tenders and impossible burgers. This is a quick and affordable stop to make during your day in the park, with prices ranging from $12 to $16 per entree.
Lucky Fortune Cookery
Located in San Fransokyo Square, Lucky Fortune Cookery offers Asian American cuisine with menu options such as Teriyaki chicken, yaki udon with karaage crispy chicken, beef bulgogi burritos, birria ramen, pot stickers and more. This quick service stop is the perfect place to pop in to grab a quick bite. Pricing for this eatery ranges from $13 to $19 per entree. This is also the spot to visit if you want to try the adorable Baymax Macaron.
Cozy Cone Motel
This is another can’t miss spot for Cars fans. The Cozy Cone Motel is absolutely adorable and it has super delicious food, including options like bacon mac and cheese in a bread cone, chili con queso in a bread cone, churros, icecream cones and more. These $6 to $10 snacks are a great quick stop when you’re in the mood for something light and delicious! And honestly, nothing beats snacking surrounded by the adorable cone shaped “motels”.
Shawarma Palace
Yum! Who doesn’t love a fresh shawarma, with its incredible flavorful meats and sauces, you truly can’t go wrong. Shawarma Palace is located in the Avengers Campus in Disney’s California Adventure Park, and serves up some pretty incredible chicken shawarma. They also have falafel wraps as a vegetarian option. Prices for these shawarma and falafel wraps come to $14 each, but they are huge and super filling, so they’re a pretty good bang for your buck.
Poultry Palace
Head on over to Pixar Pier to check out another delicious palace, this time serving up a variety of chicken options. Chow down on a chicken drumstick box served with coleslaw, chili lime corn on the cob, or a jumbo smoked turkey leg and sip on your favorite Coca Cola beverage. Prices for this location range from $5.50 for corn on the cob to $13 for jumbo smoked turkey legs. No matter what you order, it will definitely hit the spot!
Corn Dog Castle
Not a palace this time, but a castle! As the name suggests this little booth serves up some pretty delicious corn dogs, something Disneyland is particularly famous for. For vegetarians, they offer a cheddar cheese stick, also dipped in corn batter and fried to perfection. Prices for these items ring up to about $10 each.
Sonoma Terrace
Here you can find small bites and an array of craft beers, wines, ciders and cocktails. Menu items include soft pretzels with cheese and a variety of other seasonal snacks. Be sure to stop by the Performance Corridor and check this place out.
Rita’s Turbine Blenders
Rita’s serves up a variety of blended margaritas along with chips to snack on. Located in San Fransokyo Square, this is a great spot to cool off and grab a refreshing drink. They also offer a variety of non-alcoholic mocktails to sip on, complete with a fun gummy ring to top it off. Prices for these drinks range from $7 to $15.
Cocina Cucamonga Mexican Grill
Another fantastic stop in San Fransokyo Square, Cocina Cucamonga Mexican Grill has a ton of delicious food options. Menu options include street-style tacos filled with carne asada, grilled chicken and their famous birria tacos served with a beef broth “consume”. No stop to Cocina Cucamonga is complete without their San Fransokyo style Street Corn, complete with mayonnaise, queso fresco, bonito flakes and spiced wheat chicharrones. Prices for this spot range from $9 to $13, making it a pretty reasonably priced stop in Disney’s California Adventure Park.
Wine Country Trattoria
Located in the Performance Corridor, this restaurant showcases the beauty of California’s Napa Valley. Menu items include salmon, rib eye steak, roasted veggie lasagna, fettuccine shrimp alfredo, shrimp salad, fried calamari, spaghetti bolognese and more. This is one of the more upscale restaurants in Disney’s California Adventure Park, with prices ranging from $24 to $38 per entree and $8 to $14 per appetizer. Kids meals range from $11 to $13 for options such as cheese pizza, marinara pasta with meatballs and salmon.
Angry Dogs
This restaurant was inspired by Disney Pixar’s Inside Out character, Anger and offers hot dogs, both spicy and original, with all of the fixings! This is another super quick and affordable stop to make when in Pixar Pier. All dogs are served with potato chips or hot fries and cost about $9 a piece.
Paradise Garden Grill
This quick service restaurant serves up a variety of delicious fare, most recently with menu items including achiote marinated half chicken served with Spanish rice and refried beans, shrimp tacos complete with pepper jack cheese and a shareable loaded torta with chicken, chorizo, sliced ham, carnitas, cheese, onions, avocado spread and tomatoes with a side of watermelon. Don't worry, there's options for the kids here too! They offer a cheese quesadilla kids meal and an Uncrustables peanut butter and jelly sandwich meal for the little ones.
Boardwalk Pizza and Pasta
This classic quick service eatery offers Italian inspired options such as spaghetti and meatballs, chicken sun-dried tomato pesto pasta, chicken caesar salad, Italian chef salads, a variety of pizzas and more. All entrees here are under $12, making it another great stop for families whose main priority is staying within budget. You can find this restaurant located in Paradise Gardens Park.
Schmoozies!
If you’re in need of a refreshing treat after a long day wandering around the park, Schmoozies is the place to visit! This smoothie shop is located in Hollywoodland and has a bunch of refreshing options including strawberry banana smoothies, mangonada smoothies, watermelon lemonades and more. They also have a full coffee bar with classics like lattes and cappuccinos as well as specialty drinks like affogatos and mocha milkshakes. Prices average about $7 per drink selection.
Fillmore’s Taste-In
Located over in Cars Land, at Fillmore's Taste-in you can find fresh fruit and veggies available for purchase, as well as pickles, Mini Babybel snack cheese, cuties, Costa Coffee cans, chocolate milk, peach tea and more. This is a budget-friendly and healthy snack stop, with all items under $6.
Mendocino Terrace
Head on over to the Performance Corridor and grab a glass of California wine and a cheese platter at Mendocino Terrace. In addition to wine they also offer a variety of cocktails, beers and ciders. This is a great place to relax after a long day in the park.
Award Wieners
Check out Award Wieners to get your fix of classic chili dogs, bacon cheese dogs or just plain hot dogs. They also have a plant-based option for any vegetarians. Prices for these dogs ring up to about $10 a piece. The star of the show here is the carne asada fries, these 100% cannot be missed! This quick service restaurant is located in Hollywood Land.
Fiddler, Fifer and Practical Cafe
For those that love to start their day in the park off with a cup of Starbucks coffee, this is the place to find it! Here you can find a full Starbucks cafe with all of your favorite drinks, fun Mickey shaped sweets and exclusive Starbucks x Disneyland’s California Adventure Park merchandise to take home with you! This is also a great spot for people-watching if you need a little break from all of the walking around.
No matter which dining options you choose to go with during your time at Disney's California Adventure Park, you’re sure to have an incredible experience!
