Hello from Disneyland!

Things have been pretty exciting here recently. We recently learned about all the fun holiday stuff coming back to Disneyland Resort this year (including the Festival of Holidays!). We have even MORE details about the Oogie Boogie Bash! And we just got to check out Magic Key Terrace, which is the new(ish) dining experience for Disneyland’s Magic Key holders!

So here’s a little background — The Magic Key Terrace is the former Alfresco Tasting Terrace. This casual outdoor lounge-type space was initially open to all guests. It shifted to a Passholder-only lounge back in early 2020 before…you know, that whole really long closure that happened. It reopened earlier this year as a Disneyland Legacy Passholder-exclusive lounge with many similar foods and drinks as it had prior to the closure. Once Disney announced the Magic Key program, the space was converted to be exclusive to Magic Keyholders.

Atmosphere

The Magic Key Terrace sits on a terrace just above Wine Country Trattoria at Disney California Adventure, which is close to the entrance to Cars Land (if you need your bearings!).

The outdoor lounge is a chill place to relax and indulge in some appetizers for Magic Keyholders and up to six of their guests (and that includes guests that aren’t Magic Keyholders).

It’s a shaded, relaxing space with regular tables and chairs, along with high tables and chairs. The white lights add a warm, cozy glow at night. But we’ve been here before, and we’re really interested in what the food and drinks at the newly-named restaurant will be, so let’s get to it!

Eats

The menu here is all about appetizers and drinks, and the options are– more or less — the same as it was when this was the Alfresco Tasting Terrace for Legacy Passholders. Food includes the Screamin’ Cauliflower Ceviche, the Slider Invasion, Mulholland Meatballs, and more. Kids can order Spaghetti and Meatballs or Pizza.

There are also some super fun Cocktails to choose from, like The 5…4…3…2…1, The Stinger, and Drop In…If You Dare? And the secret menu item from Alfresco Tasting Terrace is here, too — The Nutmeg, which is named after one of the infamous Disneyland cats that frequent the location. This drink has been around for a long while now and we’re happy to see it still available.

Other cocktails include that over-the-top Pizza Oom Mow Wow. There are also several non-alcoholic options to select from.

There’s also a good selection of Californian wines, including a Skywalker Vineyards Pinot Noir Rosé.

And if wine isn’t your thing, there’s a variety of Beers & Hard Seltzers to choose from.

Though we’ve enjoyed some cocktails here in previous visits, some of them we’re still talking about (yeah, we’re talking about you Pizza Oom-Mow-Wow…), we focused on the sweet little non-alcoholic beverage this time. An existing drink receives a new name (much like this whole restaurant). The Heimlich Chew Chew Juice (previously named A Bug’s Drink) is named after the perpetually hungry caterpillar from It’s a Bug’s Life and gives a nostalgic nod to the former Bug’s Life Land that is now the home of Avenger’s Campus. For $5.75, this sweet drink is made of Minute Maid Lemonade, Granny Smith Apple Syrup, with Fresh Watermelon.

The watermelon slice served with the drink has Heimlich’s “bite” marks, garnishing the top of the drink.  From its description, we anticipated that it would be a syrupy sweet drink, but the tartness of the lemonade and the Granny Smith apple helped balance it out. It reminded us of a fancy Agua Fresca. A very summery and refreshing drink!

From the food menu, the first thing we tried was the Condor Flatbread ($16). It’s made with Duck Confit, Goat Cheese, Seedless Grapes, Green Salad, and Fig Jam. So it’s definitely not your standard flatbread. It’s basically a salad…on bread. That’s an A-OK way to trick your brain into eating salad.

It was delicious, although when we bit into a huge chunk of goat cheese, we had quite a tangy moment. If you’re not a fan of the mildly funky flavor of goat cheese, this might not be your jam since it IS a starring component. While the duck was fine, the grape and fig combination with the salad was delightful — both sweet and refreshing.

The Screamin’ Cauliflower Ceviche ($14) isn’t “real” ceviche (traditionally, ceviche is made with an assortment of raw seafoods like fish or shellfish “cooked” in citrus juice). This is still just a plate of chopped-up raw veggies. BUT, it is still really inventive and fun for plant-based dieters. It’s made with Citrus-marinated Cauliflower, Cucumber, Tomato, Mango, Onions, Cilantro, Jalapeños, and Avocado and comes with a plate of Crispy Tortilla Chips for dipping.  Be warned: it totally earns the “Screamin’” part of its name.

HELLO! That Mango-Habanero Sauce is HOT. Like steam coming out of your ears, hot. Otherwise, it has delicious flavors. A word of advice for those who approach spice with caution, the sauce is served on the side, so taste it before you pour it all over everything. You might find that you like it better without or with just a dash of the blazing inferno, face-melting….er….we mean mango-habanero sauce. It should go without saying — spice lovers will LOVE this sauce.

This “ceviche” is a GREAT option for plant-based guests tired of the same-old-same-old, but for the carnivores or omnivores in the group, we recommend skipping it. $14 for chopped-up veggies is fine if you’re really excited to eat it, but there are better options here for meat-eating guests…

…like this. We never pass up on a good charcuterie plate, so it was time to try the Bountiful Valley Charcuterie ($18) which features a Chef’s Selection of Cheeses and Meats. The plate presentation itself was beautiful, and we loved that there was a great variety of cheese (and well, you know how much we love our cheese).

The options can vary on this plate depending on what the chefs pick each day, but we loved the balance of the creamy and sharp cheese with the smoky cured-meats, some crisp sweet grapes and figs, salty olives, and even a touch of paté. Just the kind of nibbles you’d expect to find in the heart of California wine country.

The Slider Invasion ($18) is Beef Tenderloin Sliders with Chimichurri and Pickled Red Onions ($18). These sliders aren’t necessarily new — we’ve previously seen them at the food festivals a few times in California Adventure. We had these on our last visit to the Tasting Terrace as well and found them MUCH more flavorful (likely due to being cooked on demand in a real kitchen rather than prepped in a booth).

The quality of the cut and flavors of the meat on these sliders is way better than we’ve had before. We loved how the buttery bun soaked in all of the flavors from the chimichurri and meat, like a delicious flavor sponge. There’s also an Impossible patty available for a plant-based version. But we are fully away that we paid $18 for two tiny burgers. No matter how tasty, we could have had a full-sized cheeseburger (with sides!) somewhere else for the same price or cheaper! As much as these are great-tasting, they are seriously pricey for such a small amount of food. 

Now we come to our favorite of the dishes, the Mulholland Meatballs ($16), which are made with House-made Meatballs, Spicy Creamy Tomato Sauce, Charred Broccolini, Orange Segments, Pickled Red Onions, Whipped Burrata, and Shaved Crostini.

These are quite delicious — better than the last time we had them. They’re flavorful without being TOO spicy, and also, THEY’RE STUFFED WITH CHEESE. Seriously, meat stuffed with cheese should just be on every menu, in our opinion. Once again though we were left dreaming we had more crostini to sop everything up. The veggies (and oranges) are…fine. It’s a daring combo, to be sure, but we’re really just here for meat, cheese, sauce, and bread. GIVE THE PEOPLE WHAT THEY WANT!

So if you’re a Disneyland Magic KeyHolder, you can head on over to Magic Key Terrace now to try everything out for yourself! And we’ll keep trying all the new food we find at Disneyland Resort, so stay tuned!

Nosh or Not

Dash over to Magic Key Terrace if…

• You’re a Magic Keyholder looking for an exclusive experience. It’s nice having access to a relatively exclusive lounge just for you (and upwards of a million others).
• You’re an old Annual Passholder and you missed out on this lounge when it was just for Passholders! Now’s your chance!
• You’re looking for small bites to hold you over but not a full meal. Everything here is pretty light or small portions.
• You’re looking for a lounge or bar to sit back and relax in California Adventure. There aren’t too many choices here that aren’t grab and go!

Skip Magic Key Terrace if…

• You want a substantial meal. This is light bites and drinks and not a full-on dinner location.
• You’ve got kiddos. SOME kids are down with chilling at a table, eating some spaghetti, and waiting for the adults to drink and eat. If that’s your kid, rock on. If not, maybe hold off.
• You are trying to get the most out of your budget. These small bites are not cheap all things considered. You could get far more food for a short walk away to the Pacific Wharf area.
• You ate here when it was a Legacy Passholder lounge. Nothing has really changed, so keep that in mind. This is possibly a “once and done” experience for many Keyholders/Passholders.

Overall

Magic Key Terrace=Legacy Passholder Terrace. That’s fine and all, but we would have really enjoyed if they changed it up and offered some new foods or drinks for guests. Most Magic Keyholders will have likely been Annual Passholders and possibly visited when it was open to them prior. Varying up the menus makes it more of an actual “perk” for these guests.

That said, the limited food here IS pretty tasty. The prices aren’t the best considering what you’re getting for your money (ahem…sliders and “ceviche”) but you’re here for the exclusivity and the experience. It feels kinda cool to be in a place “regular” guests can’t access. That’s the point, really, and that’s the vibe this place is throwing down.

If you’re a Magic Keyholder, be sure to remember to have an ID and your Magic Key info handy to verify your status when you arrive. This location is a lovely experience for guests looking to spend a leisurely afternoon in California Adventure. But also keep this in mind — many of you Magic Keyholders haven’t BEEN in Disneyland in a long time and might be itching to ride attractions, check out Avengers Campus, and more. You’ve got plenty of time to experience the Magic Key Terrace, but if OTHER Disneyland-related things are your priority, you do you, boo. This is a nice option to have returned for special Passholders…we mean Magic Keyholders (that will start to feel normal to say one day, right?!)

Here’s How Disneyland Continues to Be the King of Beignets — Read Our Review

What are you looking forward to eating or drinking at the Magic Key Terrace? Let us know in the comments!

Disclosure: In nearly all circumstances, Disney Food Blog writers and photographers pay full price for their own travel, hotel, food, beverage, and event tickets. We do this because it’s important to us as journalists to ensure not only that we give you unbiased opinions, but also that you can trust us to do so since we’re paying our own way. On rare occasions, when we are invited by a company to attend a preview as media, and when we choose to accept that invitation, we will always make you, our readers, aware of that situation. Today, we were invited by Disneyland to attend their media preview of Magic Key Terrace. Note that when we attend events as media we are 1) Not required to review that event/food on any of our channels, and 2) Not required to review that event/food favorably. You can always count on DFB to give you a 100% unbiased and honest review of any event that we attend, food that we eat, or beverage that we drink. You can see more in our Disclosure Policy. Thank you for reading. — AJ

The post REVIEW and PHOTOS: An Exclusive Disneyland Lounge Opens with a New Name, But Old Food and Drinks. first appeared on the disney food blog.