Every Disneyland bucket list should include dining at Blue Bayou Restaurant!

Blue Bayou is an atmospheric dining experience found in New Orleans Square at Disneyland Park. Literally found within the Pirates of the Caribbean attraction in the bayou scene, Blue Bayou opened in 1967 and serves Cajun cuisine. One of the most famous Disney restaurants in the world and serving as inspiration for many other atmospheric dining experiences that followed, Blue Bayou remains legendary to this day. But does it hold up after all this time? We recently visited and found an answer!

Atmosphere

Blue Bayou is the crown jewel of New Orleans Square dining. Once you enter the waiting room, you’re immediately met with upscale bayou architectural theming.

Once inside the restaurant, you’ll notice there is only one dining room. However, no matter the time of day when you visit, the room will always be dimly lit with a romantic ambiance under the bayou night sky.

The room is lit with lanterns and the set of the nearby Pirates of the Caribbean ride. One of the best Blue Bayou pastimes is watching the riders sail by as they go from the relaxing bayou to the perilous drops!

While the ambiance can be felt all throughout the dining room, it’s worth noting the best views are easily closer to the water.

As for the dining room itself, the chairs and tables are pretty standard, which can feel cramped at times.

As we previously mentioned, the lighting is dimmer in this restaurant (it’s always night after all), but the lanterns, table lights, and menu lights typically suffice to provide just enough light while maintaining a romantic feel. This is definitely a great date location (while being totally family-friendly)!

All in all, aside from Club 33, it’s fair to say that Blue Bayou is the nicest restaurant at Disneyland and its setting within Pirates of the Caribbean elevates it to a special atmospheric experience. But how’s the food?

Menu

The menu at Blue Bayou changes seasonally but you can always expect a menu catered towards fine dining and Cajun cuisine.

Blue Bayou serves lunch and dinner and is one of the rare Disneyland restaurants that serves alcohol. You’ll find wine, beer, cocktails, special kid-friendly lemonade, and even juleps. Appetizers can include gumbo, salads, and crab cakes, and entrées can feature market fish, steak, chicken, and pasta dishes.

As for dessert, you’ll often find crème brûlée, macarons, cheesecake, ice cream, and teas and coffee.

Blue Bayou offers refined meals, so expect to pay more than what you would at most Disneyland restaurants. This table-service restaurant can get pricey, so be aware before you make advanced dining reservations or join a waitlist. With that down, let’s get into the food itself!

Eats

We tried the Heirloom Tomato and Watermelon Salad, Pistachio Lemon-Basil Pasta, and Crème Brûlée Tart.

The Heirloom Tomato and Watermelon Salad is an appetizer served with greens, agave crema, pickled watermelon rind, and a shallot vinaigrette for $15.

We found it to be incredibly light and refreshing! Everything tasted really fresh, especially the tomatoes and greens. The tomatoes were juicy, sweet, and full of flavor.

Our major complaints were that the shallot vinaigrette was too simple in its tangy and vinegary taste, and the watermelon lacked distinct flavor. We could’ve used more fresh and flavorful watermelon in the salad.

If you’re looking for a light and refreshing salad, check this out! It was also the only vegan appetizer on the menu when we visited. If you’re not a fan of tomatoes, we recommend trying something else.

Another veggie option, the Pistachio Lemon-Basil Pasta entrée will cost you $29 and was the cheapest entrée on the menu.

Made with asparagus, squash blossoms, pea tendrils, and cherry tomatoes in pistachio-basil pesto, we found this dish simple, yet tasty. The pasta was cooked perfectly and had hints of basil and light lemon flavor throughout. The pistachio flavor was also light except with bites that had chopped-up pistachio. The cherry tomatoes added a refreshing and sweet flavor, but we would’ve liked more. 

Overall, we were fans of this pasta! The portion size was generous and the pasta itself was the right amount of citrusy in flavor. Simple, tasty, and a safe dish, we would get this again.

For dessert, we tried the Crème Brûlée Tart in a tart shell for $10.  

The berries were sweet and fresh, complimenting the vanilla flavor of the custard well. The crème brûlée had a pleasant and rich vanilla bean flavor, topped with a satisfying caramel and burnt sugar taste. The tart shell tasted like shortbread and had a crumbly shortbread texture.

The only downside is that this dessert isn’t really shareable, as it is kind of small. However, since it’s only $10, we really couldn’t complain.

Crème Brûlée fans HAVE to try this! We think any crème brûlée fan would love it. It’s also a vegan option with a rich vanilla flavor, so if that sounds appetizing to you, give it a try!

And that’s everything we ate! Overall, we have plenty of thoughts…

OVERALL

We can’t recommend Blue Bayou enough! Atmospheric, unique, delicious, and featuring a kind, personable, helpful, and quick waitstaff, this Disneyland restaurant remains worth the visit after all these years.

Our food came out quickly and tasted amazing. The ambiance is one of the best at Disneyland and, despite being one of the price options at the theme park, Blue Bayou is worth dining at at least once thanks to the experience and food quality.

Nosh or Not?

Head on down to the Blue Bayou if…

• You want to get away from the crowds. The Blue Bayou transports diners to the bayou away from the sunny confines of Disneyland. It feels like a getaway and separate from the park, featuring a high-class meal and a relaxing atmosphere.
• You want to celebrate a special occasion. Blue Bayou dining feels special with its elevated menu and brilliant theming, so it makes sense to eat here if you want to celebrate someone or something special. Perfect for romantic dates, birthdays, and most special occasions, Blue Bayou offers an experience you can’t get anywhere else at Disneyland.
• You’re a fan of Disneyland history. Pirates of the Caribbean is quite literally setting sail right next to you, so if you’re a fan of this iconic Disneyland attraction, it’s a ton of fun to get a view of it from the other side. Additionally, Walt Disney worked on the Blue Bayou project! Although he wasn’t alive to see it open in all its glory, he did eat here and put a lot of his own influence into its design.

Skip on past this bayou if…

• You’re on a budget. The Blue Bayou is NOT budget-friendly and will likely be one of the most expensive meals you purchase at Disneyland. The nearby Cafe Orleans offers similar Cajun cuisine for a generally lower price and there are plenty of other quick-service locations in the area that will offer you a tasty meal for a lot less.
• You’re in a hurry. Dining at the Blue Bayou will take a chunk out of your day, despite the prompt service. You’ll naturally want to linger and get your money’s worth. If you need a quicker meal, Disneyland has plenty of other options that will save you time.
• You’re traveling with small children. While the Blue Bayou caters to kids and adults alike, this is still a fine dining experience by Disneyland standards. If you’re looking for a simpler, cheaper menu, Tiana’s Palace and Harbour Galley are both close by.

Thanks for coming along for our Blue Bayou review! Stay tuned right here at the Disney Food Blog for the latest Disneyland reviews, news, tips, and more!

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Have you eaten at the Blue Bayou Restaurant? Share your experiences in the comments below!

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