Table Service Dining in California Adventure

Let’s talk about table service dining in California Adventure. When visiting a Disney park, I always try to make at least one reservation per day for a meal that we actually get to sit down and enjoy. Not only does it gives us an opportunity to rest from the walking (or perhaps even the weather), but it also allows us to regroup and connect as a family over a quality meal or to even have a unique dining experience that we can’t have back home.

 

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Planning a Disneyland vacation in 2024? Be sure to check out our guide to all that the Disneyland Resort has to offer this year including the return of the Disneyland Half Marathon, the grand opening of Tiana’s Bayou Adventure, and more!

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Table service dining at any Disney park is designed to be an experience from start to finish, and Disney’s California Adventure is no exception offering a variety of choices for just about any palette. And if you’re a food fanatic like me, you know that a quality dining experience can be just as exciting as the park attractions and rides.

 

Bars and Lounges

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Carthay Circle Lounge – Alfresco Dining

According to Disney, this lounge (which is currently serving outdoors) offers a seasonal menu of “Mediterranean-California light fare.”

• Location: Buena Vista Street
• $15 to $34.99 | Table Service | Lounge
• Mobile Order: No
• Reservations: Yes
• Example Menu Items:
  • Entrées: Baked Bay Scallops, Vietnamese Twice-cooked Beef Tacos, Ceviche of Kona Kampachi, Moroccan Roasted Chicken Meatballs, Duck Confit Empanadas, Carthay Shrimp Spring Roll, Spring Salad, Tortilla Soup, Strozzapreti Pasta, Sesame Soy-glazed Salmon, Pacific Mussels, Roasted Colorado Lamb
    
  • Kids: Cheese Quesadilla, Orecchiette Pasta, Orange Dragon Chicken Skewers (Kids’ Desert: Hazelnut Crunch Mickey Pop)
  • Dessert: Double Chocolate Ice Cream Sundae, California Strawberry “Sorbet” Sundae, Artisan Selected Cheese Board

Lamplight Lounge

The Lamplight Lounge offers items such as Angus beef sliders, assorted burgers, potato skins, assorted nachos, and assorted drinks (both alcoholic and non-alcoholic). They also offer a few options for kids such as sliders, chicken, and something they refer to as a “PB and J Roll.” (Looks delicious!) Advance reservations are highly encouraged as this is a popular dining location!

• Location: Pixar Pier
• $15 to $34.99 | Table Service | Lounge
• Mobile Order: No
• Reservations: Yes
• Example Menu Items:
  • Entrées: Angus Beef Sliders, Cheddar Burger, Pastrami-spiced Impossible™ Burger, Potato Skins, Spotlight Nachos: Barbacoa, Lobster Nachos, Tuna Poke
    
  • Kids: Burger Slider, Chicken, PB and J Roll

Mendocino Terrace

This patio wine bar serves a variety of wines from California and around the world (as well as other assorted beverages both alcoholic and non-alcoholic.) They also serve a few appetizers featuring cold cuts and cheeses.

• Location: Pacific Wharf
• $14.99 and under | Table Service | Lounge
• Mobile Order: No
• Reservations: No
• Example Menu Items:
  
  • Appetizers: Italian Cold Cut Plate, Mendocino Cheese Plate
  • Specialty Drinks: Assorted Non-Alcoholic Beverages, Wines, Beers, and Ciders

 

Casual Dining

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Wine Country Trattoria

This Italian restaurant serves a wide variety of Italian favorites. For appetizers, you will find items such as fried calamari, rustic bruschetta, and Caprese salad. Entrees include rib-eye steak, fettuccine shrimp alfredo, spaghetti bolognese (with or without meatballs), chicken parmesan, osso buco, lasagna, Tuscan salad with shrimp, salmon, and more. And don’t forget to save room for dessert as they serve traditional Italian tiramisù!

Their kids’ menu offers quite a variety as well. Chicken breast, whole-grain pasta, salmon, chicken parmesan, and even pizza are all offered with your choice of side dishes.

• Location: Pacific Wharf
• $15 to $34.99 | Table Service | Lunch and Dinner
• Mobile Order: No
• Reservations: Yes
• Example Menu Items:
  • Appetizers: Soup Del Giorno, Fried Calamari, Rustic Bruschetta, Italian Insalata, Caprese Salad
    
  • Entrées: Rib-Eye Steak, Linguine Alla Vongole, Fettuccine Shrimp Alfredo, Spaghetti Aglio Olio, Spaghetti Bolognese, Spaghetti Bolognese with Meatballs, Chicken Parmesan, Osso Buco, Lasagna Rustica, Tuscan Salad with Shrimp, Salmon
    
  • Kids: Chicken Breast, Whole-Grain Pasta with Marinara and Meatballs, Salmon, Cheese Pizza, Sautéed Shrimp, Chicken Parmesan
  • Dessert: Wine Country Tiramisù, Ghirardelli® Chocolate and Caramel Panna Cotta

 

Fine/Signature Dining

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Carthay Circle Restaurant

This restaurant is truly unique. Designed as a reproduction of the well-known Carthay Circle Theatre in Los Angeles, this dining experience takes you back in time to the golden age of Hollywood. This theatre featured Walt Disney’s first feature-length film, Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, in 1937.

• Location: Buena Vista Street
• $15 to $59.99 | Table Service | Lunch and Dinner
• Mobile Order: No
• Reservations: Yes
• Example Menu Items:
  • Appetizers: Carthay Signature Fried Biscuits, Fire Cracker Duck Wings, Ceviche of Citrus-marinated Cobia, Asparagus & Crab Toast, Bao Buns of Crispy Shrimp, Sweet Potato Tamale, Carthay Seasonal Salad, Spring Garden Vegetable Soup
  • Entrées: Whole Grilled Sustainable Fish, Markets’ Best Fish, Grilled Chicken Meatloaf, Maple Leaf Duck Breast, Niman Ranch Pork Chop, Wild Mushrooms with Ballerine Pasta, Pan-roasted Filet Mignon
  • Kids: Orecchiette “Little Ears” Pasta, Markets’ Best Fish, Crispy Mini Tacos, Grilled Petit Beef Filet (Kids’ Dessert: Single Scoop of Ice Cream, Creams & Cookies Push Pop)
  • Dessert: Dolce de Leche Chocolate Bread Pudding, Chocolate Hazelnut Crunch Tart, California Heirloom Citrus Posset

 

**We hope you enjoyed our guide to table-service dining in California Adventure! Looking to plan your first Disneyland Resort vacation? Be sure to visit my step-by-step guide to get started!

 

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