Disneyland quietly opens a new cafe in the Disneyland Resort

The place is so new that it doesn’t even have a listing on the Disneyland site however, and you simply cannot locate the menu online. It’s furnished with a selection of couches and armchairs and has a dozen or so seats at the bar. The beverages are vintage cocktails — think martinis, Hemingway daiquiris and negronis — and the foods is generally bites designed for sharing. 

It is a tiny area with a scaled-down menu, but it’s just the form of location the Disneyland Resort requires: somewhere to try to eat outside the parks that doesn’t have to have a reservation, that offers a peaceful break from the sensory overload of the Disneyland Resort as a complete, and that serves straightforward, elevated meals and timeless cocktails. Until finally The Lounge opened, the only dining possibilities at the lodge were Goofy’s Kitchen character dining, swift-assistance Tangaroa Terrace and tiki-style fare at Trader Sam’s Enchanted Tiki Bar, where by the libations are delicious but have a tendency towards the sugary. 

The place utilized to be The Lounge at Steakhouse 55, the bar outside the house Steakhouse 55 that served a scaled-back again model of the fantastic dining steakhouse’s menu. The two spots shuttered throughout the park’s pandemic closure — but though the parks and resorts reopened, Steakhouse 55 never ever did. In the summer time of 2021, Disney officers verified the steakhouse was completely shut, a lot to the disappointment of attendees who liked its breakfast offerings and darkish, superior-finish meal services geared towards adults. 

I transpired to be at the Disneyland Hotel on opening night time to protect the launch of the hotel’s new Disney Family vacation Club tower that day and luckily stumbled my way into a place at the bar. When I arrived, the lounge had been open about an hour — ever — and it was incredibly total. 

From the cocktail menu, I ordered an Aviation ($17) created with Hendrick’s gin, Luxardo maraschino, creme de violette and lemon, and then I perused the meals menu. The offerings involved rooster wings ($22) with household-pickled carrots and celery and Roquefort blue cheese a 4-cheese pizza ($21) and a charcuterie pizza ($24) with prosciutto, pepperoni, sausage and sugo di pomodoro and a Wagyu cheeseburger ($26) with housemade distribute and cheddar on brioche. I went with a vintage Caesar salad ($20) with croissant croutons and extra grilled salmon ($9), in addition some truffle fries ($18) with contemporary herbs and parmesan.

They may well have been the most pricey fries I have at any time experienced, but at the exact same time, I consider the price reflects two matters: To start with, they’re sized to share, and 2nd, they will likely be the most well-known menu item and take the area of larger sized orders people today may possibly in any other case make. The dish is priced to mirror prospect value. They are also tasty. Inspite of the value tag, I would (and will) get them yet again. 

The salad essential a small bit much more adore: It was just iceberg lettuce with a scattering of parmesan and grape tomatoes, with toasted slices of croissant on leading and not a great deal dressing. I definitely appreciated the salmon, however, which was cooked beautifully and experienced a crispy salt-and-pepper crust. 

At that stage, even extra folks experienced proven up, such as a handful of friends — so I settled in with a vodka martini ($20) with Lillet Blanc and blue cheese truffle olives. I finally ordered the only dessert on the menu, the molten chocolate cake ($15) with very hot fudge, whipped product, almonds and Luxardo cherries.

As we chatted, performers arrived out: a jazz singer and a pianist, who suit the upscale vibe properly. But it was Disneyland, soon after all, and it produced ideal perception that Minnie Mouse, Chip and Dale, Pluto, and Goofy all walked by each and every couple minutes on their way to and from Goofy’s Kitchen area from backstage. 

Now, the lounge has gotten a jewel-toned makeover, and it has lovers of the former steakhouse daring to desire that something is in the is effective for the larger sized area. The footprint of the lounge is in essence the exact, but the partitions are deep teal, and the furniture is complementary blue-environmentally friendly shades with pops of gold. Around the smooth bar cling white, green and red bubble glass lights fixtures. There’s no overt Disney concept, but it seems like the decor could possibly make far more feeling after Disneyland reveals what is going in the outdated Steakhouse 55 place. 

The Lounge at Disneyland Lodge is open nightly commencing at 5 p.m.