Blue Bayou is one of the most popular restaurants at the Disneyland Resort and there is a reason for that. The atmosphere is incredible, the food is good, and it really is an experience you cannot afford to miss. In my opinion everyone needs to eat here at least once in their life. Whether you are looking for a romantic dinner for two, dinner for a group of adults, or even dinner as a family, it works for every situation!

Blue Bayou is hands down my favorite restaurant I have ever been to, not just my favorite Disney restaurant. I first tried this restaurant on my honeymoon and I have made sure to eat here on every trip since then. It’s our family tradition! Even though I have had dinner here multiple times, I still can’t wait to go every trip and I’m going to tell you why!

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Blue Bayou is located in New Orleans Square which in my opinion is the absolute best part of the park. To find it you want to go past the entrance to Pirates of the Caribbean and turn left down the first alley way in New Orleans Square. You will pass the exit for Pirates of the Caribbean on the left and Blue Bayou is right after that exit, directly across from the caricature artist stand.

BLUE BAYOU ATMOSPHERE AND AMBIANCE

When you enter into Blue Bayou there is a foyer area that is absolutely beautiful. It has kind of an 1800’s feel to it and seems very elegant but once you enter into the actual dining area it will blow your mind! Your table is located on what appears to be the veranda of a southern plantation style home at night. The entire dining area is dimly lit and above the tables there are lanterns hung all across the dining area that makes it feel like you are really sitting outside. They keep the restaurant at a temperature that feels like you are sitting outside on a nice clear night. When you look toward the entrance you see the beautiful white southern style home complete with an upper balcony.

When you look out away from the entrance you will see that you are actually sitting on the banks of the water. You will see fireflies hovering over the water and hear the sound of crickets and frogs as well as a very subtle banjo playing in the background. Because the restaurant is located right past the loading area for Pirates of the Caribbean you will see the boats float by while you enjoy your meal. If you are riding Pirates of the Caribbean, look to your right after your boat leaves the loading dock to see the beautiful Blue Bayou restaurant.

Now if you can’t get any better than eating inside of the ride, just imagine being able to smell the ride for your entire meal! Pirates of the Caribbean is the best smell in the entire world hands down. Then you add the smells of the cajun inspired food around you and it is heavenly. To make the experience even better, ask to sit along the edge of the water. There’s no guarantee they will have tables open and it may require some additional waiting to get these seats but trust me, it’s the best spot to enjoy your meal.

If you’re looking for other great sit down restaurants at Disneyland, check out this post

THE MENU

Now even though the atmosphere is amazing, the food is just as good! It is Cajun/Creole style food so pretty much everything you get will have that southern feel and flavor to it. My biggest piece of advice when you eat at Blue Bayou is to start your meal with the chicken gumbo. It is my absolute favorite part of eating here and I highly recommend it.

The menu tends to change up a bit so you never know what they’re going to offer from visit to visit. Blue Bayou also offers the famous Monte Cristo’s but only during lunch so if you want to grab that you have to get an early reservation.

Want to make Monte Cristos at home? Click here for my quick and easy Monte Cristo slider recipe!

Over the years I have tried many things from Blue Bayou. I’ve had various chicken, lamb, and filet mignon dishes. On my most recent trip I got the filet mignon which was delicious. My husband has always gone for the surf n’ turf which they unfortunately don’t have anymore but he’s holding out hope that it will come back!

They also have the best drinks. You can get mint juleps at Blue Bayou or you can even get the 31 Royal Street Signature Julep which changes seasonally. When I got it last it was a citrus watermelon blend which was absolutely delicious! Make sure you check what the seasonal flavor is when you dine here.

You can make your own mint juleps at home with this recipe!

Another favorite of mine is the Louisiana Lemonade which is like a carbonated mango raspberry lemonade. It is so good! They also come with souvenir glow cubes that change colors that are super fun to take home and reuse.

Now, Blue Bayou offers alcoholic beverages as well. They’ve got various wines and cocktails to choose from so if you’re looking for an adult drink in Disneyland, you can now find something at Blue Bayou.

You have to make sure you leave room for dessert because it is fantastic. They had a pumpkin creme brûlée and a gingerbread creme brûlée during the holidays which were both amazing! They do have specials for holidays so you want so make sure to check for that if you’re ever there during Halloween time or the holidays! On my last visit here I tried the 8 layer chocolate and hazelnut cake which was also delicious.

Just be aware, this restaurant is the most pricey in Disneyland so be prepared for a larger check as most entrees range from about $30-$60 each.

Related: How to do Disneyland Without Kids

Dietary Restrictions

As with many restaurants at the Disneyland Resort, they are very accommodating to dietary restrictions. When you make your reservation online you can indicate which allergies or restrictions you have and when you get to the restaurant you will want to remind them again so they can be sure your food is safe for you to eat!

Make a reservation

Because of everything I discussed above, this is one of the most popular restaurants in the park. If you want a guarantee of eating here, you want to make sure you book a reservation ahead of time. You can make your reservations 60 days in advance online at disneyland.com, on the Disneyland app, or over the phone. Reservations usually open up at 6am PST and trust me, they fill up very quickly so you’ll want to make a reservation as early as you can.

I will say if you have a large party, you are going to have a hard time sitting together at Blue Bayou. They have very limited availability for parties that large because of how popular this restaurant is. . These go extremely fast so if you can’t get a table for your entire party, then use 2-3 different Disney accounts and make a smaller reservation on each account for around the same time. Then about 15 minutes before your reservation, head to the restaurant and let the cast member know when you check in that you are all together and they will try to accommodate you if they can. Also if you would like a table by the water, I would recommend arriving early and ask if they could accomodate that.

If you aren’t able to get a reservation, I would check in with Blue Bayou first thing in the morning on the day you are wanting to eat there to see if you can get on the walk-up list for the day. If you go early enough you may be able to secure a spot day of. You can also sign up for Mouse Dining alerts here to be notified if anything opens up for the day and time frame you are hoping for.

DINING PACKAGES

If you are planning on seeing Fantastmic! at the Rivers of America while you are at Disneyland, a dining package may be something you want to look into! Blue Bayou offers a 4-course meal that comes with a seat in the reserved viewing area for Fantasmic! Each dining package you purchase comes with a seat to view the show. You pay a little more for your meal to include this reserved seat and you get to pick a starter, entree, and dessert from a specific dining package menu. I have done this dining plan and it gets you into the seated viewing area front and center of the show, but you are sitting on the ground so maybe take a cushion to sit on.

The nice thing about dining packages is that you don’t have to get to the viewing areas super early to stake out a seat. You are in a reserved area so you don’t have to fight as large of a crowd so you have more time to explore the park. You just take your voucher you receive at dinner to the cast members in that area and they will let you in to your seating area. Because you save time staking out seats, I would say the extra money spent for your dinner is worth it to save you time that you would normally be waiting for seats for the show. Reservations are encouraged for this, but if you can’t get a dining package reservation, you can make a normal lunch or dinner reservation and ask your server if they have any fantasmic packages available and upgrade then, but it isn’t guaranteed as it is a first come first served basis.

For more activities like Fantasmic! check out my Ultimate Guide to Non-Ride Activities at Disneyland

VISIT BLUE BAYOU ON YOUR NEXT TRIP

Now all that’s left is for you to take a trip to the Disneyland Resort and try Blue Bayou for yourself. Book your trip through Get Away Today and you can save money off of your package so you can use that money towards your dinner at Blue Bayou! Head to Get Away Today to book your trip and use code RAMBLING10 at checkout for an additional discount off your 2+ day tickets/2+ night hotel stay just for following along with me! And to make your trip even easier, you can now add Disney Genie+ to your tickets when you purchase through Get Away Today!

And there you have it! My absolute favorite restaurant at the Disneyland Resort. You really cannot beat the ambiance and the food at Blue Bayou, it truly is a magical experience.