What ADRs are worth getting?

Brandonius

Disneyland is fun.
Joined
Aug 19, 2021
I've been to the resort many, many, many times. But always as a local - either AP holder, or so cal resident tickets. Never once have I eaten at a table service restaurant at the resort - quick service has always been awesome. What ADRs around the resort are standouts right now, how much should I expect to pay, how are they different from QS, and what makes them worth spending extra time and money at a meal vs QS food?

I know this is a basic question but I didn't see any info on this around the forum, just people talking about how to get those reservations, which seem harder to snag than a PS5 during launch week lol.
 
So for me-while I utterly failed at ADR minus one thing and found that walk up lists were a godsend, it would be worth getting Carnation Cafe for breakfast, Carthay Circle lounge and idk if they accept reservations as they are in DTD but Naples and Ralph Brennan’s Jazz Kitchen
 
I think that is really subjective hahaha. Having said that, for me the only one worth getting would probably be Trader Sam's because the ambience is really fun. Only reason we got ADRs last trip was because of dining packages for a nighttime show. We've gotten Cafe Orleans and Oga's as well but that was before they changes the portions of Cafe Orleans. We still get Oga's for the ambiance as well but it's supposedly really easy to walk up to it so I'm unsure if that one counts.
 


Lamplight Brunch at 9am is a must for us when we go on a Friday, Saturday, or Sunday. We are morning people and there aren’t many breakfast options in DCA.
 
Last time we went we didn't have any except Goofy's Kitchen. Walkup was fine for Ralph Brennan's and Oga's. This time though, since we will be going between Christmas and New Years, we woke early to snag a few throughout our trip. Blue Bayou, Lamplight, Oga's, Storyteller's, and Hungry Bear Fantasmic Package. We debated Carthay but decided it was that or Blue Bayou, so we are saving Carthay for the next trip.
Also heard decent things about River Belle.

We wanted Trader Sam's but no luck so far.
 


Napa Rose, Carthay Alfresco, Carnation Cafe for lunch. Everything else we do quick service or walk up list.
 
I am not listing the DTD ones, since I have not really gone there for food.


I try to get these:
Lamplight Lounge
Trader Sams
Craftsman Bar (fun to stop at during a day at DCA)

Good to experience at least once, and go more if you like
Carthay Circle
Carnation Cafe
Napa Rose (I still haven't been there)
Cafe Orleans
Oga's

Overrated on food, but ambiance is great, good to experience once
Blue Bayou


Ones I do not like, or just not worth it:
River Belle (nothing special)
Plaza Inn (the chicken is good, but overall I wouldn't go there unless I was doing a character meal)
Wine Country Trattoria (Olive Garden is as good or better)

Character meals:
StoryTeller's Cafe (it's typically better than average food, and a great character meal, but I wouldn't go out of my way)
Goofy's Kitchen (step down in quality compared to StoryTeller's, but similar good character meal), it is much noisier than Storytellers.
Plaza Inn (best characters, food is just mostly average)
 
Last edited:
For my family on the last two trips, nothing was really worth it. We've been feeling too tied down by reservations. LLs, and trying to make show/firework start times. We had the best time with no plans whatsoever! It's good to take a break.
 
Advantages of TS:
Get to schedule when you are going to eat
Probably less time waiting to get seated (but not always)
Typically (but not always) better quality food

Disadvantages of TS:
Takes more time overall
if you don't like scheduling or in a large group, it can be hard to decide on a time
Trying to get the ADR's
The QS food at disneyland is actually quite good and varied, and the TS is not much better (if at all)
 
We have not been to DL In 20 years, we have been to WDW twice in the past 20 years. Just my opinion but Table Service has never really impressed me, I find it mediocre and expensive. I'd much rather grab a decent burger, turkey leg and ice cream bar!

For our upcoming Dec DL trip we are a group of 8, with 3 grandkids that eat like birds and a very laid-back vacation style. We do not have a single dining reservation and don't intend to get any.
 
One word about what makes them different: ambiance!

Lamplight Lounge, hands down. Won’t break the bank (unless you order every drink on the secret menu) and has great atmosphere. Love the lobster nachos and while I haven’t tried them yet the steak nachos are supposed to be great, but I always defer to the lobster. 🦞Many are able to time it to watch world of color as well. Brunch is fantastic here.

And while it is $$ for what you get, I’m still a sucker for Blue Bayou. All about the ambiance. The monte Cristo is a unique item you don’t get many other places. Oh, and get the mint julep with the glow cube.It’s required. 😆

Character wise and for a splurge (at least with younger kids who don’t eat that much): Storytellers cafe. Book the latest breakfast time and you get breakfast and lunch. And Mickey. Order off the custom menu as well (or whatever it’s called - there are items not on the buffet.) get the Mickey sugar cubes for your coffee. ;)
 
I'm all about table service. Why? Because I'm not all about rides. I love the parks, the atmosphere, the special touches and I love people watching. Oh, I also love the rides, but I don't feel any pressure to make sure I ride XYZ since I can do it another time.

So, I spend more time enjoying my meals. It's now more challenging to do TS than it used to be with then new reservation system, but it's getting a bit better. I'm also not partial to much of the QS food.

I love to do Blue Bayou waterside. I have certain things I like there and I love the Hurricane drink. No one goes to BB for the fantastic food, but I know what I like there and it's an experience I enjoy.

I love Carthay Circle. I've always had great meals there except last Dec, when something was wrong with the heating/cooling system and the AC wouldn't turn off so it was freezing cold. A lot of things were wrong, like staff shortages and kitchen issues. Hopefully it will be great again when we go next month. We've been on the balcony, in an alcove, and actually in many lovely locations there which have all been very enjoyable. I prefer the restaurant to the lounge, but the lounge is fun too and they have nice small portion plates (that are less expensive than a meal upstairs). It's a fun atmosphere, but different--like an old timey fancy bar lounge compared to an old timey upscale restaurant.

I have found LLL pretty hit or miss. I usually go with my sister or a friend, and I don't know why, but we often end up off in some far corner and ignored. I'm also not very partial to the food that everyone else seems to love (looking at you, lobster nachos!), although they do have several menu items I really like and the drinks are good!

I know this doesn't work for everyone, but I really love the Magic Key Terrace. Good food and drinks and great atmosphere. It's a lovely location and nice place to hang out.

I love Hearthstone Lounge in GCH! They don't do reservations so you can just go grab a table, but they can be very busy so best to go early or plan for a wait. It has a sort of "mansion library" vibe, and there's a little fireplace alcove on one side. I love that they have a nice tree at Christmas in the middle of the lounge.

I like the terrace upstairs at Ballast Point. Nice place to people watch and have a light meal and a beer.

Trader Sam's is always on my list. I usually go there at least once every visit. Sometimes I want to be inside, but other times I prefer just hanging out on the lanai, especially if the island musicians are playing.

When I'm with my sister for our Christmas season trip, we always go to Napa Rose. I especially like being next to the fireplace. It's also our favorite for dessert and decadent hot chocolate (made from premium chocolate bars), which you used to be able to get without a reservation if you went later in the evening, but I don't know if that's still possible.

Normally, I love Jazz Kitchen but now that they're remodeling and changing it around, I'm going to wait until that's done before I go back. I'm very sorry they're removing the New Orleans look.

I used to love Carnation Cafe. I don't any more. It's ok, but it's not what it used to be when Chef Oscar was running the show. I used to love to get breakfast there but not now.

I never much liked Cafe Orleans. I've not had many good experiences there. I don't find that the food and atmosphere justify the cost.

I've only been to Storyteller's once and it was too long ago to be meaningful, but we did enjoy it.

Pretty much stopped going to La Brea when they slashed their menu to the bone, but I like the location and it's good for one breakfast. Makes me sad, because they used to have the most awesome breakfast menu with many of my favorites (lox and bagels with giant fancy capers, homemade granola with fresh fruit, Croque Monsieur/Madame, for instance).

That's about all I can think of at the moment. I really, really miss Steakhouse 55 at the DLH and I sure hope they bring back something similar.
 

GET A DISNEY VACATION QUOTE

Dreams Unlimited Travel is committed to providing you with the very best vacation planning experience possible. Our Vacation Planners are experts and will share their honest advice to help you have a magical vacation.

Let us help you with your next Disney Vacation!











facebook twitter
Top