Is there any bar more iconic than Trader Sam’s Enchanted Tiki Bar?

We’ve been to pretty much every bar all over Disneyland, and although some remain popular, like Oga’s Cantina in Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge in Disneyland, as well as the Carthay Circle Lounge and Lamplight Lounge in California Adventure, we’ll still go to Trader Sam’s at the Disneyland Hotel every chance we get. So when we learned that Trader Sam’s was getting a new menu (because, hey, the food is good here, too!), we jumped at the opportunity to revisit our favorite Disneyland bar.

Atmosphere

You’ll find Trader Sam’s Enchanted Tiki Bar at the Disneyland Hotel. As the name suggests, the theme is based on Trader Sam from the Jungle Cruise. You can make reservations, but they’re hard to get. But there’s also a Walk-up Waitlist (which is what we used). Note that the wait is usually a long one, though. When we visited, we were told the wait was 45 minutes to an hour, but it was actually only about 35 minutes when we received a text that our table was ready.

Inside the bar, you’ll find a theme that is a mix between The Enchanted Tiki Room and the Jungle Cruise, with a few other additional Disney nods.

In fact, you’ll want to order drinks inside because not only do some drinks come in fun souvenir cups, but they also trigger certain Easter eggs inside the bar when ordered. For example, if you order the Uh-Oa drink, the Cast Members will start chanting and you’ll see storm effects in the bar. VERY cool. Note: it can get pretty noisy inside the bar.

However, the interior of Trader Sam’s isn’t huge, so you’ll find more seating outside surrounded by loads of greenery. This area is covered, so you’ll have plenty of shade. The noise level here is a lot lower than inside, so depending on what you’re in the mood for, ask for it. We sat outdoors for this particular visit.

Seating includes booths, as well as tables with chairs.

Seriously, this place is 10/10 on the theming. But what about the food?

Eats

The food here has a tropical vibe,…

…and the drinks are, well, they are ON POINT. We didn’t order anything this trip, but there are a lot of fun cocktails on the menu. As we previously mentioned, you can order some of these with a souvenir tiki mug.

We started with the Tempura-Battered Green Beans served with Togarashi Aïoli for $15. This is an appetizer that’s been around for a while, but they’ve changed! Instead of just regular fried beans, you now get beans that have been dipped in a tempura batter. This does mean you get a different kind of texture, though. We think the tempura doesn’t give an even enough coating, but it’s not a deal breaker.

The Togarashi Aïoli has not changed — it’s still tangy and delicious and acts as the perfect accompaniment to the green beans.

We also ordered the Swaying Palms Salad with Teriyaki Chicken. For $19, you get a salad made with Teriyaki Chicken, Spicy Mizuna & Mache Greens, Charred Hearts of Palm, Cucumber, Cashews, Julienne Peppers, Carrots, Snow Peas, and Puffed Rice Noodles, served with Sesame Vinaigrette. This salad is a sleeper hit! We loved all the toppings hidden under the puffed rice noodles.

Every ingredient in the salad is fresh. The Sesame Vinaigrette is light, but full of flavor. We loved all the veggies on it, too. There was also plenty of chicken. We really liked the crunchy giant cashews — lots of great texture in this salad! There is also a plant-based version of this salad without the chicken that is available.

Then we dug into the Spiced Dry Rub Chicken Wings for $24. These are Shichimi-spiced Dry-rub Chicken Wings served with Togarashi Aïoli. There’s a nice coating of the rub on these, giving them a hint of spice, but we’d say they’re milder than a lot of wings we’ve had.

They are nice and crispy on the outside and tender on the inside (like falling off the bone). The sauce is that same Togarashi Aïoli you get with the green beans. We just need this to be bottled up and sold so we can take it home and dip ALL the things in it.

You know us, if something is called “poutine,” we’re going to order it, so it was a no-brainer to try out the new Kālua-style Pork Nacho Poutine for $25. It’s made with Sweet Potato Fries, Togarashi Aïoli, Cotija Cheese, Cheese Sauce, Pickled Red Onion, Lime Crema, and Cilantro. Sweet potato fries for poutine? Okay, Disney, you have our attention. Yes, the plate looks like a mess, but looks can be deceiving.

We’re happy to report this poutine lived up to the hype. You get a lot of EVERYTHING, including lots of tender pulled pork and TONS of toppings. The cheese sauce is so creamy. Also, for those who are concerned about cilantro: it’s not an overpowering flavor. It’s very light. So maybe this plate looks like a mess, but don’t let that stop you from trying it, because it’s delicious!

The Wagyu Hawaiian Cheeseburger is $26 and is stacked with Grilled Pineapple, Applewood-smoked Bacon, Havarti, and Sweet-and-Spicy Spread, it comes with a choice of Sweet Potato Fries or French Fries. We went with French Fries. This burger is GIGANTIC, and the patty is super thick and juicy.

All the produce on this burger is also really fresh and we loved the sweet pineapple with the salty bacon (which was cooked perfectly). The fries were a good choice because they are soft like steak fries on the inside, but crispy on the outside. YUM. Note you can also get this with an Impossible patty.

So all that’s left is dessert. We had to try the new Pineapple Bundt Cake for $15. It’s served with whipped cream and candied pineapple. We would literally come back here JUST for this alone — it’s even worth the wait of getting into the bar.

The cake is moist with a lovely creamy center and the lightness of the whipped cream really adds a nice element to it all. The candied pineapple just makes it that much more amazing.

If you love pineapple, this should be your new favorite treat. Currently, this is the only dessert option available here.

Nosh or Not

Head to Trader Sam’s if…

• You’re a sucker for good theming, especially if you love Jungle Cruise and The Enchanted Tiki Room
• You want fun drink options and souvenir cups
• You want good food away from the parks

Skip Trader Sam’s if…

• You can’t get an advance dining reservation and you don’t want to wait
• You want more dessert options
• You have kids in your party

Overall

Overall, Trader Sam’s Enchanted Tiki Bar has a great atmosphere, food, and drinks, but even if you don’t want to be in a noisy bar, there are options to sit outside away from the excitement. We may not have previously come here just for the food, but these new menu options could very well have us coming back for them. This menu has a lot of variety now, so there’s plenty to choose from. If anything, this is certainly a place to visit if you’ve never been there.

Stay tuned to DFB for more reviews!

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Have you ever been to Trader Sam’s Enchanted Tiki Bar? What are some of your favorite items to get there? Let us know in the comments!

The post REVIEW: Is Disney’s Trader Sam’s Tiki Bar Still Worth The Hype? Let’s Find Out! first appeared on the disney food blog.