Here at Disney Food Blog, we talk about Disney World food a LOT. But we also want to make sure we give the West Coast some love!

Disneyland Resort has dozens of delicious restaurants, plenty of seasonal eats, and some snacks that could throw down against Disney World snacks any day and WIN. So whether you’re a Disneyland newbie or you’re a regular visitor, we’re here to share our thoughts on the dining at Walt’s original resort. And on a recent visit, we stopped by to review Cafe Orleans!

Cafe Orleans is located in the New Orleans Square section of Disneyland Park, and it has been a staple of that area of the park since 1966. The charming sidewalk cafe serves up some classic Disneyland eats!

During your visit, you can check out the character displays from Princess and the Frog or the vintage espresso machine that used to make brews for Walt Disney himself. Plus, you get a great view of the Rivers of America!

So what’s on the menu?

Menu

As you might expect, the menu is filled with New Orleans-inspired eats, including some Cajun flavors. For a limited time, you can order the Mardi Gras Cream Puff as part of the Disney100 celebrations. But if you want something that’s more of a staple, try out the seasonal soup or Chicken Gumbo to start your meal.

For entrees, they’ve got the Red Wine Braised Short Rib or Roasted Chicken. But the real star of the show is the Monte Cristo — they’re famous for the sandwich, and it’s a classic Disneyland treat!

There are also a few different plant-based items to choose from — they have an appetizer, entree, and a dessert.

For dessert, try out the macarons for $16. This is also one of the spots where you can order a Mint Julep to drink. You can even get a souvenir cup!

They have multiple options for the kiddos as well! For children 9 and under, you can order the Roasted Chicken, Petite Short Rib, Sauteed Shrimp, or Mickey’s Cheesy Macaroni.

Time to get some eats and dig in!

Eats

To start, we visited on a particularly chilly day, so we wanted to warm up with some soup! We got the Cup of Seasonal Soup for $8 which was a winter squash soup with pork belly and poblano crème fraiche.

This was honestly so creamy and delicious! The pork belly added a wonderful saltiness to the smooth winter squash soup. The cream fraiche was creamy and had a slight kick that complemented the other flavors well. We would order this again!

We also decided to try the Chicken Gumbo for $8. This was a nice, heavy gumbo! It was super flavorful with lots of chicken. It also has andouille sausage, tasso ham, and rice inside.

We added a touch of hot sauce to ours, which warmed us up on a cool day in the parks and really rounded out all the flavors. If you’re a gumbo fan, we recommend trying it.

Of course, we couldn’t make a trip to Cafe Orleans without ordering the Battered and Fried Monte Cristo for $22. It’s made with sliced turkey, ham, and swiss cheese topped with seasonal preserves, all in the middle of a sandwich. You can get Pommes Frites or a salad as your side.

This is to. die. for. It’s very heavy but so delicious at the same time! The savory and sweet flavors work really well together, and there’s no wonder it’s a crowd favorite.The seasonal preserves really bring it all together, but it might be hard to finish this sandwich on your own.

The Pommes Frites that we ordered on the side were absolute perfection as well! They were crispy on the outside and soft inside. The remoulade it came with was spicy and addictive. We actually ordered an extra side of remoulade and we were so glad that we did!

The other thing we tried was the French Onion Farro Risotto for $21. This is on the list of plant-based eats and it’s made with Seven Onion, lemon arugula salad, and smoked tomato crostini. YUM!

This is a really nice and light alternative to the Monte Cristo, and it would be great to share both entrees between two people. The risotto was cooked so that it was soft but still had a little texture to it, which was perfect to us. It was creamy and the caramelized onions were a driving flavor in the dish.

So what did we think of Cafe Orleans?

Overall

We thoroughly enjoyed our meal at Cafe Orleans, and we would definitely recommend this spot again! It’s a true Disneyland classic and everything we ate was absolutely delicious, so we’ve essentially got no complaints. On a day with nice weather, it’s kind of relaxing to sit outside and watch the guests walk by around the park.

Keep in mind that many of the things on the menu were kind of heavy, so you might not want to choose this restaurant on a day when it’s hot or you’re going to be hustling through the parks. But if you want that Monte Cristo, don’t skip it!

Nosh or Not?

Enjoy a leisurely meal at Cafe Orleans if…

• You want to try some traditional Disneyland food! We’ve mentioned it a few times, but that Monte Cristo is hard to beat. And on top of that, you can get a yummy Mint Julep to wash it down. Lots of great options on the menu!
• You want to do some people-watching. The tables are outdoors in patio-style seating, so you’ll be close to the guests walking through the park. It’s a great place to sit back, relax, and just enjoy the ambiance of New Orleans Square.

Pass on Cafe Orleans and move on down the bayou if…

• You’re in a rush. Our meal was pretty relaxed, so it might not be your vibe if you’re in a hurry to get a bunch of things done during the day.
• You want some light food. Preparing to do some big thrills or visiting on a hot day? This may not be the menu that you want!

That was our experience at Cafe Orleans! We hope you enjoyed this review and that it’ll be helpful when planning your upcoming trip. Stay tuned to DFB for more dining advice for the Disney parks!

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Have you ever eaten at Cafe Orleans? Tell us in the comments!

The post REVIEW: Cafe Orleans Just PROVED Why It’s a Disney Classic first appeared on the disney food blog.