New Orleans Square at Disneyland Park has a themed restaurant to add to its list of popular places to dine. Tiana's Palace Restaurant opened Sept. 7, 2023, and foodie fans have been gathering there like fireflies in the yard at twilight ever since. There's so much to tell you about this quick-service restaurant and the best foods to eat. (How ever will you choose? Do what we did and order a bunch of dishes to share!) Plus, there are some new menu items. We know your belly is hungry for what's in store. So grab your napkin as we're ...
" ... Gonna take you down, we're gonna take you down.
We're gonna take you all the way (oh yeah)
Goin' down the bayou, goin' down the bayou
Goin' down the bayou, takin' you all the way."
Overview of Tiana's Palace at Disneyland
Tiana's Palace is a Cajun/Creole restaurant based on Tiana from "The Princess and The Frog" movie. It's located in the building of the former French Market restaurant. Fun fact: Tiana's Palace in the film was designed after French Market at Disneyland. Animators added a wheelhouse and two smokestacks to the film version. And now that Tiana's Palace has taken over French Market, the restaurant designers added those design elements to the real-life Tiana's Palace building. Talk about going full circle!
In the movie, hard-working Tiana creates her own restaurant, building it in an old sugar mill. It was her dad's dream of opening a restaurant with Tiana to serve his homemade gumbo, and Tiana and her mother see it through. And yes, James' gumbo recipe is on the menu, and yes, it's one of our new favorite foods at Disneyland Park!
“You know the thing about good food? It brings folks together from all walks of life. It warms them right up, and it puts little smiles on their faces. And when I open up my own restaurant, I tell you, people are gonna line up for miles around, just to get a taste of my food.” — James (Tiana's father)
Well, James, you got that right! We are thrilled that Disneyland upped the food quality and selections with this new dining location.
Imagineers visited old restaurants in New Orleans to get design inspiration. From the black-and-white checkered floors, to the light fixtures that match the ones in the movie, to the menu cards on the wall, this space has all of the authentic details.
Look for a large mural of the bayou and references to Tiana’s story. You'll see lilies on signs, plaques, tiles and light fixtures. Look for frog porcelains, cookbooks and her father’s favorite gumbo spoon on display. Keep an eye out for the letters from her father and neighbors as well as Tiana's childhood photo.
Here's a YouTube video so you can see it all in action.
The Location
Tiana's Palace is in New Orleans Square, between Café Orleans and Haunted Mansion. Just past Haunted Mansion is where the new Tiana's Bayou Adventure ride is located. It opens Nov. 15, 2024! The story of the ride ties in with the restaurant. Tiana is hosting a party and needs to head into the Bayou to find a special ingredient. We'll embark on a journey with her and Louis, encountering other characters along the way such as Mama Odie and Eudora. Speaking of Eudora, just around the corner from Tiana's Palace, next to Blue Bayou, you can shop at Eudora's Chic Boutique. Purchase clothing or kitchen items and ingredients to make your own fashion or culinary creations at home. (You can buy a mix to make your own beignets at home.)
The space between Tiana's Palace and Haunted Mansion is getting reimagined into a park-like setting in 2024. Once open, it might make for extra places to enjoy your food from Tiana's Palace and Mint Julep Bar. It will be a space to relax and enjoy the ambiance and live entertainment under the shade of new and historic trees.
When to Dine
Tiana's Palace is open for lunch and dinner. Any time is a good time to visit. We recommend ordering at the counter if you have the time. You can mobile order if you are in a hurry, however, the food is packaged to go that way vs. being plated nicely if you order in person. Seating is more abundant if you eat at off-peak times.
The Serving Style
Tiana's Palace is cafeteria-style. You'll grab a tray and order, then collect your food on plates and in bowls as you go down the line. You'll pay at the end. Then take your tray to the outside shaded patio to enjoy the flavors of New Orleans. If you mobile order your food, you'll pick your food up at the window next to the entrance and it will be packaged to-go. Our frog squad have done it both ways. While we usually choose to skip the line with mobile order, we prefer ordering in person at this location for ambiance, food presentation and freshness.
Meet Tiana
Since the restaurant opened, Tiana has surprised guests in person at the restaurant! Will she be sticking around awhile or heading back behind the scenes and back to her full princess dress closer to Rivers of America? We don't know. But for now, she appears in a more appropriate dress for cooking up delicious dishes. We've also run into her at Rivers of America and around New Orleans Square in her new dress!
There is no guarantee that Tiana will be at the restaurant when you visit. But if you do get to visit with her, it's like getting a princess dining experience at a quick-service restaurant! It's something to think about if character dining is not in your budget.
Tiana's Palace Menu
Here's the best part: The authentic food! The Cajun and Creole recipes come from Louisiana. Did you know that Disney imports the bread for the sandwiches from a special undisclosed restaurant in New Orleans? Other ingredients are locally sourced from Louisiana and the Gulf. And there are some new items that have arrived since this location opened!
We Start with Dessert
The House-filled Beignet features lemon ice box pie filling topped with lemon glaze. Unlike the Mickey Beignets (see below) served hot next door, this square room-temperature beignet cools so that it can be filled without the filling running out.
We recommend ordering them in person, rather than by mobile order, for the freshest beignets filled right in front of you. We tried them both ways and preferred ordering in person.
These days, we are hoppin' in more often for the new Strawberry Pie-Filled Beignets. With fresh strawberries on top and oozing with pink strawberry filling in the middle, these are the Bee's Knees for sure! We cut ours up to show the insides. So yummy!
Entrees
- House Gumbo with braised chicken, andouille sausage and heirloom rice — This delicious dish is a new Frog Family favorite. It's a little spicy, but it's a perfect amount of spicy. This assessment is coming from a sensitive frog who does not love things to be too spicy. The chicken is so flavorful and tasty. We love everything about this comfort food dish.
- 7 Greens Gumbo with Chicken & Andouille Sausage with white beans, okra, yams, sweet potatoes and heirloom rice
- Plant-Based 7 Greens Gumbo white beans, okra, yams, sweet potatoes and heirloom rice — We tried this dish. If you are not a vegetarian, we recommend the House Gumbo over the 7 Greens Gumbo. The greens have a really strong flavor.
- Cajun Spiced Half Chicken brushed with BBQ Sauce and served with baked macaroni and cheese & coleslaw — The chicken has a chicory rub ... sound familiar? There is a Chicory Cold Brew coffee on the menu as well. We liked everything about this dish and the sides.
- Muffuletta Sandwich (single portion) with mortadella, salami, rosemary ham, cheddar, provolone and house-made olive relish on toasted New Orleans sesame seed bread. It's served with red beans & rice and house-made pickles. (Another new Frog Family favorite!)
- Half Muffuletta Sandwich — a larger portion that serves two to three guests and comes with red beans & rice, cheesy grits and house-made pickles.
- Whole Muffuletta Sandwich — an even larger portion that serves four to six guests and comes with red beans & rice, cheesy grits and house-made pickles.
- Beef Po'boy Sandwich with tender slow-cooked beef in gravy dressed with shredded lettuce, tomato, pickle and mayonnaise on a toasted New Orleans French bread, served with red beans & rice and house-made pickles
- Gulf Shrimp and Grits simmered in Creole sauce with cheesy grits — a milder dish with shrimp from the Gulf
Kids Disney Check Meals
- Roasted Chicken Drumstick with sweet BBQ sauce and heirloom rice served with a Mandarin orange and applesauce with a choice of small DASANI water or small low-fat milk
- Toasted Ham & Cheese Sandwich with Savory Ham and Provolone served with a Mandarin orange and applesauce with a choice of small DASANI water or small low-fat milk (If your picky tadpole wants ham and cheese on a roll with nothing else, this is perfect.)
Kids' Meal
- Baked Macaroni and Cheese served with a served with a Mandarin orange and applesauce with a choice of small DASANI water or small low-fat milk
Sides
- Buttermilk Cornbread — Be sure to ask for butter. As a side, we found it big enough to share with a friend or family member.
- There are sides that come with dishes such as baked macaroni and cheese, red beans & heirloom rice (yum!), coleslaw, cheesy grits and plant-based heirloom rice. You can order these separately in person. In fact, you can make a nice little meal of the tasty red beans & rice with cornbread.
Specialty Beverages
- Joffrey's Coffee Chicory Cold Brew with Sweet Cream
- (New) Lavender Lemonade — It's pretty and refreshing. But give it a good stir before you take a sip.
Themed Souvenirs
- Ray Firefly Glow Cube (Limit 10 per person, per transaction)
- Lily Pad and Lotus Cup Ceramic Set with house-filled beignet (Limit two per person, per transaction; no discounts apply)
How to Order
You have two choices for ordering food at Tiana's Palace, and how you order dictates the dining experience for you.
In Person (recommended)
You can wait in line to enter, grab a tray and order your food cafeteria-style as you start in the center of the restaurant and make your way around the perimeter (either to the right or to the left, which are identical in offerings) to the registers. You just might run into Tiana herself. Your food will be plated or served in bowls, and you'll find some seating outside under the canopy so the feasting can begin. Good food is worth the wait. While the restaurant is still new, the line to get in is quite long. We expect it to slow down over time.
Mobile Order
You can mobile order lunch or dinner at Tiana's Palace if you do not want to wait in line. Look at the menu in advance so you know what to order, including beverages. You'll find a new Mobile Order pick-up window to the left of the Tiana's Palace main entrance.
Keep in mind that you will not get to go into the restaurant to pick up food and experience the ambiance. If Tiana is around, you likely won't be seeing her. Your food will be packaged in to-go containers and given to you in a bag. So if you want the full experience of going inside and getting plated food, you need to wait in line.
If you have allergies, it's easy to mobile order. Just scroll down to the allergy-friendly options.
Don't Froget about Mickey Beignets and Mint Julep
Mint Julep Bar is open next door. This is where to get your Mickey Beignets and Mint Julep (nonalcoholic). While French Market used to sell Mint Julep, Tiana's Palace does not. You might schedule a mobile order at Mint Julep Bar for about the same window as Tiana's Palace if you crave a refreshing Mint Julep.
The hot Mickey Beignets at Mint Julep Bar come in 3- or 6-packs. They are different from the single, room-temperature lemon beignet at Tiana's Palace. You can get three Mickey Beignets at Mint Julep for a dollar more than one lemon-filled (or six Mickey Beignets for the cost of two lemon beignets) at Tiana's Palace. If you have a family to feed, Mint Julep is the better beignet bargain. What can we say? We are diehard fans of the original and for sharing snacks to get the most for our dining dollar.
If you are just getting Mint Julep and beignets at Mint Julep, you can not always use the tables and chairs at Tiana's Palace to consume them. They are sometimes reserved for people getting food from Tiana's Palace. We sat at the tables by Mobile Order to enjoy our Mickey Beignets. Remember to lean forward when you go to take a bite and do not inhale ;)
What are you most excited to try at Tiana's Palace? Let us know if the comments section below. Tiana's Palace is located in Disneyland Park, so you'll need a park ticket to dine here. Save some green when you purchase discount Disneyland tickets through Undercover Tourist, so you can expand your dining budget!
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Hoppy planning!
