Downtown Disney has become a destination for our frog family rather than just a path on the journey of getting to or from Disneyland or Disney California Adventure. Whether Downtown Disney is your final destination or simply a place to eat and explore on your way to and from the theme parks, use our hoppin' guide to dining at Downtown Disney restaurants to help you find a delicious meal or snack. We also have frogciting news of brand-new restaurants that have arrived in 2024 and more coming in fall and winter to Downtown Disney!
If you're looking to plan your next magical visit to the Disneyland Resort, check out our guide to Downtown Disney, which includes insider tips and info. Downtown Disney is just a short leap away from the three on-site Disneyland hotels (as well as other neighboring hotels) for dining and entertainment. Disneyland Resort Hotels guests can also order Downtown Disney food to be delivered to the hotel lobby. Look for QR codes around the hotel. It's a great option if you want a quiet night in after a day at the theme parks.
Downtown Disney Restaurants Opening in 2024
Let's jump right to the newest dining options in 2024. The following brand new locations are now open as 2024:
- Paseo — This stunning new table-service restaurant and bar offers new views of Downtown Disney form an extended upper patio. A stunning staircase leads you to Paseo’s beautiful dining room and bar area, which celebrates Mexico’s craftsmanship culture. About the food: Chef Gaytán’s pairs his love of Mexico with French culinary style and technique. Enjoy colorful ceviches, Mama’s cochinita pibil (roasted marinated pork), lamb barbacoa and mejillones (mussels).
- Céntrico — This courtyard bar and restaurant is an energetic, central gathering place. It serves upscale Mexican cuisine and tequila-based cocktails. The outdoor, airy feel is designed with custom wood elements and lush greenery. Featured dishes include quesabirrias, chicken enchiladas, tlayuda (a Oaxacan shareable dish similar to a crunchy pizza) and Caesar salad. Our froggy favorite is the braised short rib burrito called Burrito Norteño. Both Paseo and Céntrico are now taking reservations!
- Tiendita — This location offers quick-service street food staples that pay homage to Mexican heritage and flavors. Use a self-ordering kiosk to order esquites (roasted corn), fish tacos, ice cream- stuffed chocolate tacos. Tiendita is open for breakfast. Start your day with chorizo breakfast burritos and chilaquiles (marinated tortilla chips with egg). You may be able to watch the expert culinary team at work.
- Din Tai Fung — This Michelin-awarded restaurant brand from Taiwan brings signature soup dumplings (Xiao Long Bao), wontons, noodles, steamed buns, bok choy, pork chop fried rice and other flavorful dishes served family style.
Our favorite dish is the Chocolate & Mochi Xiao Long Bao with a side of Sea Salt Cream. Yum!
More new dining options are opening at a later date:
- Arthur & Sons Steak and Bourbon — A new, classic steak house (and neighboring barbecue location) are taking over the former Tortilla Jo's location. Michelin-starred Chef Joe Isidori creates a full-service steakhouse with a lively center bar (with an impressive selection of bourbon and inventive cocktails). The restaurant highlights prime cuts of beef, fresh seafood, chops, salads and sandwiches.
- Pearl’s Roadside BBQ Restaurant — This new barbecue location offers a culinary approach to quick-service. Traditional BBQ dishes with unique spices and house-made sauces are what you can expect. Dig in to flavorful dishes such as pulled pork, beef brisket and smoked heritage turkey with house-made sauces, along with craft beers and moonshine cocktails.
- Porto's Bakery — This local fan favorite brings sweet pastries, desserts and Cuban-inspired dishes to Downtown Disney. It will eventually be built on the old La Brea Bakery site and the current Earl of Sandwich location. This is the first Porto's location to have sit-down table service and a full bar.
Locations coming soon to Parkside Market:
- Seoul Sister — A casual quick-service eatery offering a Korean-forward menu with a California twist, inside the new Parkside Market building.
- Sip & Sonder — A new Black women-owned café serving up signature lattes, fresh treats, frozen drinks and Caribbean-inspired bites. This will be located inside the new Parkside Market building.
- GG’s Chicken Shop — Founded by award-winning restaurateurs Rob Katz and Kevin Boehm, alongside Michelin Star Chef Partner Lee Wolen, this new eatery will serve a family-friendly menu of chicken sandwiches. The Downtown Disney location will be the first on the West Coast — located in the new Parkside Market building.
- Vista Parkside Market — A full-service, second-story outdoor location is in the Parkside Market building, with a great view overlooking the other shops and restaurants. Sip on a variety of signature cocktails and mocktails, including frozen lemonades, frozés, espresso martinis and spirit-free drinks.
- Earl of Sandwich — Future new location on the bottom floor.
- The Carnaby Tavern — While the bottom floor of this brand-new building will be the light and airy Earl of Sandwich, the second floor will be the all-new table-service restaurant, The Carnaby Tavern. As an homage to the '60s "British Invasion," the new eatery will feature a patio with an indoor/outdoor full bar.
Table-Service Restaurants at Downtown Disney
In addition to the new Paseo and Céntrico mentioned above, here are the other existing table-service restaurants. One thing is certain: it’s best to make reservations before dining at Downtown Disney restaurants. While the table-service restaurants accept walk-ins, you’ll make your life easier if you have a reservation during popular times.
What is the best restaurant in Downtown Disney? It depends on what you are looking for. Each offers something different (and delicious, we may add). As all of the menus are available on the Disneyland app, you can look through each location's offerings to decide what your family will most enjoy.
Jazz Kitchen Coastal Grill Grill & Patio
Take a culinary trip to New Orleans without ever leaving California! Dine on Creole and Cajun specialties (and all that jazz). At Jazz Kitchen, you'll find French Quarter fare, such as gumbo ya-ya (yum!), crispy chicken sandwiches, shrimp and grits (also yum!) and jambalaya. Don't worry picky eaters — they have burgers, salads, flatbreads and familiar, kid-friendly favorites as well.
The restaurant is open for lunch or dinner. The restaurant boasts an extensive coastal-themed drink menu perfect for any day of the year. The tadpoles love the craft sodas and root beer float. Don't skip dessert either! Their famous bananas foster glazed beignets that are sure to call your name. You can make your reservations through the Disneyland app or site, but walk-ins are accepted.
Earl of Sandwich Tavern (Temporary pop-up table service)
Earl of Sandwich has been a huge fan favorite in Downtown Disney for its affordable and tasty sandwiches. The table-service tavern is pricier than the attached quick-service location. You can also purchase kid-friendly food options at this location. While the old location was demolished, a new pop-up took over the restaurant location closest to the theme parks, which was formerly occupied by La Brea Bakery.
Eventually, Porto's Bakery & Eatery will build a new location on that same site. Earl of Sandwich will be relocated near the Esplanade area of Downtown Disney to make way for the construction of Porto’s.
Ballast Point Brewing Co.
Ballast Point has a great view of Downtown Disney from its upstairs patio. The research and development brewery has a three-barrel brewing rig and a selection of craft beers on tap. Share a Bavarian pretzel, wings or fries with friends while you sip your beer, or go for a salad or burger. The kids' menu has many great choices. You can make a reservation online here.
Naples Ristorante e Bar
Naples has a gorgeous expanded patio dining area and bar. It makes you want to sit down and chill out with a nice mocktail, Italian soda or maybe even something a little stronger from the impressive bar! Naples serves up Italian food and wood-fired pizza. Share some appetizers or get started on salad before digging into the hearty entrees such as lasagna, house-made gnocchi, spaghetti or pizza. Save some room for the gelato and New York cheesecake! Naples is now serving brunch daily from 8 a.m. to 10:55 a.m. You can reserve seating for this restaurant through the Disneyland app or site.
Splitsville
Splitsville is an eclectic restaurant and entertainment spot where you will find indoor/outdoor seating either at a bowling lane or at a table. You can enjoy hand-tossed pizzas, gourmet burgers, filet sliders, grilled avocado and ahi tuna, or even sushi. Its menu contains healthy options you’ll actually want to eat. The tadpoles will enjoy pizza, grilled cheese or chicken tenders while you can dig into something a little more adventurous, such as short ribs or veggie bowls. Catch a game on the flat-screen TVs, or bowl a few games. There is something for everyone in this huge and unique dining space. You can reserve seating through the Disneyland app or site.
The Alley
Come play games, listen to live music, and enjoy food and beverages in the courtyard next to Splitsville. You can relax in lounge seating or seats for dining. This is the best table-service location for families with small kids. The food is good, and the kids can run around on the lawn in between eating. You can play games such as corn hole, giant connect-4 and shuffleboard.
Quick-Service Downtown Disney Restaurants (Including Places to Get Tasty Treats)
If you are looking for a quick meal, snack or dessert, hop by these quick-service Downtown Disney restaurants, snack shops and kiosks. Also, keep an eye out for food trucks that may appear from time to time.
Earl of Sandwich (temporarily in the former La Brea Bakery location, but will be moving to Parkside Market)
It's back! This affordable sandwich shop is back and is temporarily closer to the theme parks. It is open for breakfast, lunch and dinner. Earl of Sandwich will be relocated near the Esplanade area of Downtown Disney once this pop-up is replaced by Porto's.
Once construction is completed, Earl of Sandwich will be located in Parkside Market on the west end of Downtown Disney. The lower story will remain the same familiar Earl of Sandwich concept, while upper story will house the all-new The Carnaby Tavern table-service and bar restaurant.
Jamba
For a smoothie or energy bowl on the go, hop into Jamba. Get the tadpoles to drink their greens for a nutritious start to their day. For even faster service, use the Jamba app to order ahead of time!
Napolini
Whenever you feel the need to build your own personal pizza with a variety of toppings, then hop into the Napolini pizzeria to design your own pie. They also offer fresh grab-and-go sandwiches, salads and desserts.
Starbucks
You can get your caffeine fix at the Starbucks near World of Disney. Take it to-go or sip it on the outdoor patio while doing some great frog (or people) watching. And if you want to skip the line, don’t froget to order ahead with the Starbucks app.
Beignets Expressed
This is one of our favorite stops for snacks such as flavored New Orleans Beignets. They are so popular — you and your tadpoles will not want to miss them! Can't decide? Get a four-pack to try each flavor! Wash them down with a frozen non-alcoholic mint julep or a frozen hot chocolate made with Ghirardelli.
Black Tap Craft Burgers and Beer
Black Tap serves up burgers and signature, over-the-top CrazyShake milkshakes in a fabulous fusion of luncheonette-style food, beverages and old-school hip-hop music! Order at the counter and take a seat on the patio. Choose from fried pickles, crispy Brussels sprouts, wings, burgers and fries, then wash it all down with a craft beer. Even though this is a quick-service dining location, you can order and be served if you are seated at the bar. It's a good way to skip the order line. Or, if you just want a CrazyShake to-go, order at the CrazyShake Window for faster service. You can get a special edition Mickey Mouse shake at Black Tap!
Salt & Straw
Salt & Straw is a handmade, organic ice cream shop located at the heart of Downtown Disney. Their flavors are creative and elaborate, especially the monthly holiday flavors. Some classics include honey lavender, strawberry honey balsamic with black pepper, chocolate gooey brownie, freckled mint chip (vegan) and others.
You might think that the vegan flavors on the menu can’t possibly rival their dairy-rich counterparts, but you’d be wrong. They’re delicious! We tried all of the vegan and gluten-free flavors, too, and loved them as much (and possibly more) than the dairy-based flavors we tried. If you're in a rush, skip the line and order ahead on the Salt & Straw website!
Hop tip: Get a double scoop and share. If you really can’t decide what to get, ask for split scoops for an additional 50 cents.
Marceline's Confectionery (soon to be Disney Wonderful World of Sweets in winter)
This is technically not a restaurant, but it's the place to get yummy treats. It's no secret that we love the scrumptious caramel apples native to Disneyland. We even have a whole post about them. This is where you can buy almost all of the parks' freshly made treats for purchase, including crispy treats, Mickey cookies, holiday goodies and the addictive churro toffee.
Marceline's is being re-imagined! Soon, the confectionary will reopen as Disney Wonderful World of Sweets. The new location will be a one of a kind whimsical candy, sweets and treats shop. You'll find classic treats and fan favorites such as churro toffee, caramel apples, lolipops and even freshly made Werther's Original Caramel popcorn!
While it's under construction, you may temporarily find items at the Marceline's cart outside of the sweet shop.
Wetzel's Pretzels
Enjoy a fresh-baked flavored pretzel or pretzel dog with the appropriate dip, of course. Whether you go for the sinful cinnamon, cheese meltdown or pepperoni twist pretzel, be sure to wash it down with some fresh or frozen strawberry lemonade.
Kiosks with Food
You can get a bite to eat, including a pickle dog!
- Kayla’s Cakes
- Wetzel's Pretzels Cart
- Clyde's Hot Chicken
- Diggity Dogs
- Blue Ribbon Corn Dog
- California Churro
Do you have an upcoming visit to Downtown Disney at Disneyland? If you need a hotel for your visit, your froggy friends can help you find a hopping deal at one of the hotels near Disneyland.
Related: Our Top Tips for Visiting Downtown Disney — Including When to Visit and Where to Park
Related: Our ∼Frogtastic∼ Guide to Cruising into Trader Sam's Enchanted Tiki Bar at Disneyland
Hoppy planning!
