Disneyland’s Quick Service Restaurants Review

When you’re planning a trip to the Happiest Place on Earth, there are more things to consider than just what ride you’re going to jump on next. You also need to think about where you are going to eat that is going to be yummy but also quick so you can fit in all the things you want to do!

The beauty about Disneyland is that they have so many quick-service restaurants where you can grab a quick bite to eat that is delicious but will also fill you up. They’ve got everything from pizza to burgers to mexican and cajun food. But with so many options, it can be a little overwhelming when you’re trying to decide where would be the best place to eat.

So to make your trip easier and to help save you valuable time in the parks, I have compiled a list of all of the quick-service restaurants I’ve tried, what options I would recommend getting, and which restaurants I would maybe avoid. So let’s get started!

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FIRST, BOOK YOUR TRIP TODAY!

Before you can try everything I mention below, you have to get to Disneyland so you can try all these yummy restaurants! To make the process easier and more affordable, I always book through Get Away Today. They take all of the hassle out of planning your trip and give you a peace of mind knowing that everything is ready to go! Head to Get Away Today now to book your trip! At checkout, tell them the Rambling Introvert sent you and use code RAMBLING10 for $10 off your package of 2+ days/2+ nights!

The absolute best part about booking through Get Away Today is that they have a Layaway Plan! You can purchase your package through them for just $200 down! It is so nice that they have this option available! You will make payments toward your trip that just has to be paid off shortly before you leave on your trip. And now they’ve added even more ease to planning your trip by now giving you the option to add Disney Genie+ to any tickets you purchase through them. Now you can get it all in one place instead of having to add it on in the parks!

For more about hotels near Disneyland that Get Away Today offers, check out Hotel Reviews Near Disneyland

ALIEN PIZZA PLANET

Anytime your in tomorrow land you’re sure to see the Pizza Planet spaceship as you pass by to get onto Space Mountain. I have seen it a hundred times but I had never eaten here until a few years ago and I was actually extremely surprised by how good it was! As you could have guessed from the name, they mostly serve pizza here. You can get individual slices or an entire pizza for your family. I tried a bite of my husbands and it was good but I’m not a huge pizza fan. So if you’re like me, they also have salads and pasta options as well and let me tell you, you need to get the Count Down Chicken Fusilli pasta. It is so good and definitely large enough to share between two people so it’s a great option if you’re trying to keep your budget low!

AUNT CASS CAFE

Formerly known as Pacific Wharf Cafe, Aunt Cass Cafe still serves many of the same options. My personal favorite are the bread bowls and you can choose to fill them with soup or mac and cheese, both options are delicious. I highly recommend going with the clam chowder option for your bread bowl, especially on a cooler evening in the park. I haven’t had a chance to try the rest of the new menu yet, but this is definitely a good option to check out on your next trip.

BENGAL BARBECUE

One of my favorite restaurants in the parks is Bengal Barbecue. I’m not a huge barbecue fan so I had never even thought to try this place out for the longest time but then I actually looked at the menu and I decided to give it a try. They have tons of different meat skewers which were good but they also have a vegetable skewer, bacon wrapped asparagus, and a hummus plate. You definitely need to try this one! If you’re looking for something more filling, they do have an option to get two skewers with rice and coleslaw. You can also get a tiger tail breadstick to go with your skewers which is kind of a cheesy garlic flavor!

If you do stop by Bengal Barbecue, please do yourself a favor and get the Jungle Julep. It is hands down my favorite and has claimed the #1 spot on my Disney Top 10 Snacks list! It is worth going to Bengal Barbecue just to get your hands on one of these babies. It’s a slushy filled with several fruit flavors and is perfect for a warm day! You can even make your own at home with this recipe!

I have recreated all my favorite Bengal Barbecue recipes that you can try at home, you can find all of them here!

BLACK TAP BURGERS & SHAKES

You can find Black Tap in the center of Downtown Disney. If you’re looking for a good burger or a crazy over the top shake, this is the place to go. The shakes here are insane and definitely need to be shared between multiple people, but they also have burgers, chicken strips, fries, and more. I enjoyed what I had here and this is a solid quick service option for a non park day for sure. It is close enough to the gates of the parks that you could definitely head over here for lunch or dinner and then go back to the parks afterwards.

Black tap burger and fries

COCINA CUCAMONGA MEXICAN GRILL

This is the home to the highly popular QuesaBirria tacos that everyone raves about on social media. They are braised beef and cheese tacos that come with radishes and a consommé to dip them in. For me personally, I didn’t love these. They felt really greasy to me and I just wasn’t super thrilled with them, but I am definitely in the minority on that. They have some other options for different types of tacos and they also have a vegetarian option as well. I honestly liked the other taco options better than the QuesaBirria ones, but this is a solid place to eat, especially if you’re in the mood for mexican food.

CORN DOG CASTLE

This is like the California Adventure version of the Little Red Wagon that you can find in Disneyland. The corn dogs here are huge and come with apple slices or chips. You can also get a spicy version or a batter dipped cheese stick. Honestly, it’s a corn dog so it’s about as good as a corn dog can get. It’s a good option if you are looking for something to split (easily can feed two people if you aren’t super hungry) or if you want to eat on the go. It’s not my favorite place I’ve ever eaten but if you have kids or need something fast, this is a fine option.

EARL OF SANDWICH

This is easily my favorite spot to grab something to eat in Downtown Disney. This sandwich shop is located right outside of the gates to both parks an has the most delicious sandwiches. My personal favorite is the holiday turkey sandwich that has everything good about Thanksgiving all in one place. Their mac and cheese is also delicious, but they have warps, salads, flatbreads, soups, and breakfast options as well. And while Earl of Sandwich is a quick service option, they now have a table service tavern that you can have a nice sit down meal at too.

FIDDLER, FIFER & PRACTICAL CAFE

We stopped into this cute little restaurant during our early morning in California Adventure to grab some breakfast. We tried a slice of pumpkin bread and and a piece of gingerbread bread and they were both super good. My husband got a cinnamon roll and he absolutely loved it. They offer some breakfast sandwiches and wraps, but mostly in this spot you’re going to find pastries and coffee. So while it may not be a full on meal, this is still an option I’d recommend trying.

FLO’S V8 CAFE

Flo’s is probably the most iconic quick service spot in California Adventure if you ask me. The cute restaurant is exactly out of the movie and the food is good as well. They’ve got burgers, fried chicken, shakes, and more. If you decide to stop by, their fried chicken is definitely what I would recommend and again is large enough for you to share if you want. The kids mac and cheese is also delicious. And you don’t want to miss their shakes, they’re the perfect way to end your meal on a sweet note. I’m holding out hope that they eventually bring back their delicious breakfast they offered before the pandemic closure!

GOLDEN HORSESHOE

Golden Horseshoe is one of the oldest restaurants in the parks and was one of Walt’s favorite. He and his wife actually celebrated their 30th wedding anniversary here just before it opened to the public. Here, you can find some basic options like chicken tenders, mozzarella sticks, and fish and chips. They also offer various ice cream sundae and float options, and they’ve been known to have some delicious seasonal ice cream offerings. While the food here may not be outstanding, other than the ice cream at times, it’s a fun indoor spot to eat while you listen to the live piano music during your meal. This wouldn’t be my first pick of where to eat in Disneyland, but if you need something quick it’s an okay option.

HUNGRY BEAR

One of my favorite places to eat is Hungry Bear. Not only because of the food but because you can sit and eat right on the Rivers of America and watch the boats pass by. The atmosphere is nice and relaxing and the food is pretty good too. They’ve mostly got burgers and fries, but also have chicken sandwiches and tenders and a mac and cheese kids meal option. This is a staple for my family and we usually eat here on every trip.

**UPDATE: Hungry Bear has been rethemed to the Hungry Bear Barbecue Jamboree and will now be offering barbecue favorites. I will update as soon as I try it later this year.

Hungry Bear has seasonal burgers, funnel cakes, and lemonades that will change throughout the year. My absolute favorite was the pumpkin cheesecake funnel cake for the holidays in 2019 and 2021 as well as the berry cobbler funnel cake in 2021. And if you ever see the frozen watermelon lemonade, do yourself a favor and get it immediately because it is one of my favorite drinks ever! Always check to see if they have any special flavors before you order!

JOLLY HOLIDAY BAKERY CAFE

Hands down my favorite quick service restaurant in Disneyland. Not only because of the food but because of the location. I love sitting under those yellow umbrellas at dusk in the parks just as the lights start to come on. As far as food goes, I’ve had their oven roasted turkey sandwich which was good but my go to here is always the Jolly Holiday combo, it’s just a classic grilled cheese sandwich with tomato basil soup. It sounds so simple but it is SO GOOD! You absolutely have to try it. It’s filling but doesn’t leaving you feeling completely stuffed afterwards. If you want to make this delicious meal at home, check out my copycat jolly holiday combo recipe here!

This is also where you can find some of the most famous Disney treats like the Matterhorn Macaroon and the Raspberry Rose Mickey Macaron which you definitely need to try. The Raspberry Rose Mickey Macaron is one of the most popular treats in the parks for a reason, so try it for yourself! It is so yummy and sales out fast so you’ll want to mobile order it early in the day. I have to say I didn’t love the Matterhorn Macaroon, it just wasn’t to my taste, but a lot of people do love it so if you like coconut, definitely worth a try! Also keep your eye open for any specialty treats they have throughout the year for celebrations, Halloween Time, and the holidays. There are always so many delicious options to choose from.

Can’t make it to the parks? Make these delicious raspberry rose Mickey macarons at home with my copycat recipe!

Jolly Holiday also offers breakfast that I would definitely recommend. They have various pastries to choose from, I would recommend their cinnamon rolls and the yogurt parfait.

LITTLE RED WAGON

If you’re in the mood for a corn dog, this is the place to go. I’ve tried corn dogs from various spots in the parks but I still come back to the Little Red Wagon. You can find it right outside of Plaza Inn at the hub on Main Street USA.

PLAZA INN

The Plaza Inn is one of the original restaurants in Disneyland and was one of Walt’s favorites. They serve all meals during the day and you can also do character dining for breakfast here, which is the only character meal option in Disneyland park itself. It’s the Minnie and Friends breakfast so you’ll get a photopass photo with Minnie, have access to a full breakfast buffet of biscuits and gravy, french toast, Minnie waffles, fruit, eggs, breakfast meats, pastries, and more. You’ll also meet other characters like Pluto, Tigger, the mice from Cinderella, Chip and Dale, sometimes Daisy and Max Goof. Characters can change from day to day, but this is a great option, especially if you have kids. And the food was good as well. This experience needs to be reserved in advance as there’s no guarantee they will have tables available if you walk up morning of, so make sure you get onto the Disneyland website 60 days in advance at 6 am pst to reserve your table.

Even though the character breakfast has to be reserved, their lunch and dinner times are available for walk up and is served cafeteria style so the line is usually short. They have pot roast, fried chicken, fish, pasta, and salad. I love the fried chicken, it’s my go to when I go here and it comes with potatoes, beans, and a biscuit. The fried chicken meal is definitely large enough to share between two people. I would also recommend trying whatever seasonal cake they have, they are usually really good and easy to share between two people as a sweet treat after your meal.

Plaza Inn also offers dining packages for events like parades which is a great option to get preferred seating for those events and beat having to stake out a spot hours in advance. You can find more information about dining packages on the Disneyland app or website and these dining packages can and should be reserved in advance.

PYM TEST KITCHEN

This restaurant Avengers Campus has some of the best theming hands down. Every detail makes it feel like you are really in Pym’s test lab with objects growing and shrinking, it’s super fun! Now for the food, there are lots of options that fit the theme perfectly. My husband got the Pym-ini sandwich and he said it was good.

The Impossible Spoonful is is a plant based take on spaghetti and meatballs so if you’re a vegetarian, this is the perfect option for you. It’s not the most flavorful thing I’ve ever tried, but it’s decent and filling.

The best option I tried at Pym’s was the not so little chicken sandwich. You for sure need to share this with someone because the chicken on this bad boy is absolutely huge. The chicken has a sauce on it with a coleslaw and it’s pretty good all together. The best part of this meal are the potato bites, they are delicious!

While the adult options didn’t have me dying to come back again and again, Pym’s definitely wins for the best kids meal in the parks. My daughter absolutely loved being able to make her own PB&J and it was actually really good, especially the yogurt. Honestly, I wish I could have had this as an adult. Totally worth going here just to get this kids meal for your kids.

Check out Disneyland’s Blue Bayou Restaurant Review to learn more about my favorite Disney restaurant!

RANCHO DEL ZOCALO RESTAURANTE

Alright, I’m going to be honest. I am not a picky person and I usually enjoy everything I eat at Disneyland. But I have to say I really didn’t like Rancho del Zocalo. I’ve tried it on more than one occasion because people absolutely rave about it, but I still just didn’t enjoy what I got any of the times. I have had the fire-grilled half chicken which was pretty dry and didn’t have a ton of flavor, I have also had the trio of street tacos which were pretty spicy for my liking. But like I said a lot of people love this place, so if you like Mexican food give it a shot! You may feel differently than me!

RED ROSE TAVERNE

To me, this spot feels kind of like average theme park food. I will say that their breakfast is better than their lunch/dinner menu. You can get Mickey shaped pancakes here as well as a few other options, so if you want a quick breakfast option you could definitely try stopping here. As for their lunch/dinner it was alright. Nothing to write home about, they have burgers, flatbreads, sandwiches, and salad. If you do not eat meat, they do have a few non meat options here so it may be a good spot to check out.

If you do eat at Red Rose Tavern, you have to get the Grey Stuff Gâteau! It is so good! It’s a red velvet cake with a raspberry center on top of a shortbread cookie that is surrounded in a delicious mouse. It is fantastic and made my Top 10 Disney Treats list and I even turned it into a cupcake recipe that you can make at home!

RONTO ROASTERS

They have two options for the ronto wraps, a breakfast wrap and a regular one. The breakfast one has egg and cheese with the sausage which was good. But I personally liked the regular ronto wrap better which has pork and slaw with the sausage. Both super yummy and very filling, and make sure to wash it down with a meiloorun juice because it’s fantastic! Definitely a good option to try out if you find yourself in Galaxy’s Edge.

SMOKEJUMPERS GRILL

If you’re looking for a place to get burgers, sandwiches, and more Smokejumpers is a good place to go in DCA. It’s kind of like the California Adventure equivalent of Hungry Bear. The menu changes every so often and they usually have seasonal options to try, and they recently added breakfast to their menu so if you find yourself looking for breakfast in DCA, this is a spot you can find a substantial meal in the morning instead of just a quick bite.

STAGE DOOR CAFE

A lot of people don’t even know about Stage Door because it’s so small and tucked back between two other restaurants but honestly it’s a good option for grabbing a quick bite. Their corn dogs are really good and pretty big! They also have good chicken strips that come with fries as well as fish and chips. They also offer funnel cake here and the flavors are usually different from other spots like Hungry Bear, so make sure to stop by this spot for a bite, especially if you have kids.

To find the best time for your next trip to Disneyland, check out my Disneyland Crowd Calendar for 2024

TANGAROA TERRACE TROPICAL BAR & GRILL

Many people have never heard of Tangaroa Terrace because it isn’t actually in the parks. This one is located at the Disneyland Hotel by the pool. We stayed at the Disneyland Hotel a few years back and we had to try it out before we left. You can read my full review of the Disneyland Hotel here. The ambiance of this restaurant is amazing! It feels like you are in a tropical paradise and it’s so relaxing. At night it’s even better because the torches are lit around the patio area but it’s still nice during the day.

As far as food goes, everything we had was delicious! We had breakfast here so I can’t say if their lunch and dinner options are good, but for sure get breakfast here. I got their Tangaroa Toast which was AMAZING! It’s a super thick piece of banana’s foster french toast with whipped cream and toasted coconut. Oh my goodness it is good! I’ve also tried the Moco Burrito which I didn’t think I would like but it was actually really good! Definitely a must try especially for days you aren’t in the parks or if you are passing by on your way to the parks!

Tangaroa Terrace is also the only place outside of the parks that you can get a dole whip, so if you find yourself at Downtown Disney on a non park day and the craving hits, head over here to get yourself a dole whip!

THE TROPICAL HIDEAWAY

While Tropical Hideaway isn’t actually a restaurant and it’s more of a spot to grab a snack, the food they have here is definitely filling enough to hold you over for a while. I stop here every time I’m in the parks to grab a snack or a dole whip, depending on how hungry I’m feeling.

The lime chicken bao above is my favorite savory option they have here. The veggies give the bao some much needed moisture and the flavor was good. They also have a pork option as well as a vegetable only option, but I didn’t like those nearly as much as the chicken one. The pork lumpia’s are also really good. They taste similar to a spring roll of pork and veggies and it has a sweet dipping sauce to dip them in that has a hint of heat from some red pepper flakes. Really good option and an order comes with two lumpias in it. They also have a sweet lumpia option that has pineapple and cream cheese but it wasn’t my favorite and I probably wouldn’t get it again.

To top it all off, Tropical Hideaway has more options in terms of Dole whips than the Tiki Juice Bar does. They have various flavors to try like pineapple, strawberry, and mango. You can get them on their own, in a swirl, or in a float. They also offer seasonal options at various times throughout the year so check out their menu while you’re there to see what they have. I definitely prefer to go here over the Tiki Juice Bar but be aware, you cannot mobile order at Tropical Hideaway and the line for dole whips can get long, but it does move pretty quickly.

While Disneyland has so many quick service options, some of which I still haven’t gotten around to trying yet, I hope this helps you decide where to eat and makes planning for your trip that much easier!