Prior to the closures in early 2020, Alfresco Tasting Terrace transitioned to an Annual Passholder-exclusive lounge at Disney California Adventure. This quaint outdoor dining spot situated above Wine Country Trattoria features a menu of small plates and unique cocktails inspired by the history of Disney California Adventure!

Now that Alfresco Tasting Terrace has officially reopened as a Legacy Passholder-exclusive dining location (with a brand-new menu), we stopped by to see what had changed since the closures!

Atmosphere

Alfresco Tasting Terrace is a Legacy Passholder-exclusive lounge that offers all outdoor seating above Wine Country Trattoria in California Adventure. We were greeted by large signs welcoming Legacy Passholders back as this was their first day of operation since the closures began!

The signage continued as we made our way upstairs…

Once we made it to the top of the stairs, we were quickly brought to our table!

Our stomachs were ready for some small bites, so we dove right into making our selections off of their new menu!

Eats

When we sat down, we were given both a paper menu and a QR code to scan with our phone to read the menu digitally. Speaking of menus, Alfresco Tasting Terrance now features a new menu of small bites, including some new drinks inspired by “Celebrating the history of Disney California Adventure.”

There are even more drink options on the other side.

To eat we started with the Screamin’ Cauliflower Ceviche! This appetizer is a vegetarian dish that includes Citrus-marinated Cauliflower, Cucumber, Tomato, Mango, Onions, Cilantro, Jalapenos, and Avocado. This is an excellent dish to split with a friend!

OK, if you’re familiar with “real” ceviche, it’s traditionally raw fish or seafood cured with citrus juices. This is…not that. It’s a plate of chopped-up veggies. BUT, it is still really inventive and fun for plant-based dieters. It comes with a plate of Crispy Tortilla Chips for dipping.

It also comes with a side of very spicy Mango-Habanero Sauce — use at your own discretion!

A chef that we spoke with told us that the dish is meant to be a little interactive, giving you the option to add as much or as little of the sauce as you want (We used a light hand with the sauce…trust us on this one! This is one spicy sauce!). The Ceviche costs $14. That price IS a bit steep considering you’re getting just a small bowl of chopped veggies, but at least it was flavorful.

If you’re looking for a dish that has a bit of a kick to it but nothing overwhelming, the Mulholland Meatballs might be perfect for you.

This dish is a plate of House-made Meatballs, Spicy Creamy Tomato Sauce, Charred Broccolini, Orange Segments, Pickled Red Onions, Whipped Burrata, and Shaved Crostini. That’s a list of ingredients, eh?! It had a bit of a spice to it but it wasn’t anything we couldn’t handle (it was MUCH milder than that habanero sauce!).

While all of the ingredients on the plate were tasty and paired well together, we do wish there were a few more pieces of the Shaved Crostini, as it paired really well with the meatballs! (Isn’t that always the case that you find yourself needing more bread!?)

The meatballs are really why you’re ordering this dish in the first place, making all the veggies (and orange segments, cause why not?) on the plate seem unnecessary. If this was just meatballs, crostini, sauce, and cheese we would have been very happy campers. The Mulholland Meatballs cost $16. 

The third food item that we dined on during our visit to Alfresco Tasting Terrace was the Slider Invasion!

This “Festival Favorites” dish includes two Beef Tenderloin Sliders with Chimichurri and Picked Red Onions. Sound familiar? That’s because the Beef Tenderloin Sliders were last seen at A Touch of Disney, and have been spotted at California Adventure festivals in previous years!

On paper, these are totally the same as the sliders we tried at A Touch of Disney. But in reality, the sliders at Alfresco Tasting Terrace were tastier in our opinion! The beef was cooked perfectly and was super tender and flavorful. We noticed the buns were getting soggy as we began eating them, but it had soaked in all of the flavor from the beef, so we didn’t mind!

But at $18, we were quickly reminded that we were paying Disney prices for two tasty but teeny-tiny sliders. As yummy as these sliders are, we couldn’t help but think about how we could have eaten a full-size cheeseburger for a fraction of that cost elsewhere!

Drinks

If you’re heading to Alfresco Tasting Terrace and you skip out on the drinks, did you really visit? All of the cocktails on the menu were inspired by old-school California Adventure rides, dining locations, and more. So if you’re a fan of “DCA 1.0,” the drink menu should be a really fun experience for you to enjoy. Note some of these drinks like the Stinger or the Drop In…If You Dare are returning, but a few are new too!

First up was the Pizza Oom Mow Wow. Guys, when we saw the menu for Alfresco Tasting Terrace we knew this was THE drink we had to try. This beverage is — wait for it — a Pizza-inspired Bloody Mary. It is named after a pizza dish that used to be served at Boardwalk Pizza & Pasta in California Adventure. It’s made with Tito’s Handmade Vodka and adds flavors of Pineapple, Pepperoncini, and Mushrooms. Intrigued? Yeah, we were too. It gets stranger.

If you had “drinks topped with slices of pizza” on your 2021 “what happens next” bingo card, you’re a winner-winner chicken dinner! Yes friends, it even comes with a small slice of puffy Disney pizza as a garnish!

Right off the bat, the Bloody Mary is one of those polarizing drinks that you either love or you hate. Some people crave them while others think it’s like drinking cold tomato soup. While this is definitely a fun drink, if you know you aren’t remotely interested in the concept of tomato juice and vodka, you’ll want to sit this one out. It costs $17.

Cards on the table…we weren’t fans. The pizza idea is really fun but that’s a lot of flavors to cram in an already out-there drink. We didn’t get big hits of pineapple or mushroom. It really just tasted like tomato juice to us.

We also tried their 5, 4, 3, 2, 1 cocktail! The name, of course, is inspired by the O.G. California Screamin’ (now re-imagined as Incredicoaster, which still includes a nod to its original version thanks to Dash counting you down to the launch!). This drink is returning to the terrace from last year’s Passholder event here.

The 5…4…3…2…1 includes Captain Morgan Spiced Rum, Bols Blue Curaçao, Coconut-Pineapple Cream, Simple Syrup, and Fresh Lime Juice. This drink is much more of a crowd-pleaser than the Pizza Oom Mow Wow. This fun beach-themed cocktail costs $15.

This was, as the picture implies, VERY SWEET. That white on the bottom is thick, sugary cream that’s basically piña colada flavored, and the top is mostly sugary blue curaçao. Definitely give this one a stir after you get it! The bottom layer adds a nice creaminess when mixed. This is sweet but also packs a pretty good punch.

Just when we thought we had our fill of beverages, our server filled us in that a SECRET MENU drink had returned as well! The Nutmeg is named after one of the Disneyland cats that is known to hang around Alfresco Tasting Terrace (the kitty did not make an appearance during our visit, but you may be able to spot him on your next trip!).

The Nutmeg is a mixture of Dark Rum, Half & Half, Raspberry flavoring, and topped with a Cinnamon and Nutmeg dusting. This is definitely a dessert beverage; we can’t imagine this creamy cocktail would pair all that well with our spicier small bites!

The more you like dark rum, the more you’ll enjoy this drink. At $16, we thought it was a great way to close out our afternoon at Alfresco Tasting Terrace!

Nosh or Not

Make a reservation ASAP for Alfresco Tasting Terrace if…

• You’re a Disneyland Legacy Passholder looking for an exclusive experience. There aren’t that many perks left these days since Disneyland suspended their Annual Passholder program, so having a lounge just for you (and upwards of a million others) is pretty neat.
• You’re a classic California Adventure fan and enjoy unique cocktails.
• You don’t want to eat anything that’s too heavy or is going to weigh you down for the rest of the day.
• You’re looking for a laidback but still pleasant lounge atmosphere in the middle of a busy theme park. The views are top notch.

Skip Alfresco Tasting Terrace if…

• You’re in a hurry to see everything that California Adventure has to offer. Time seems to slow down at Alfresco Tasting Terrace in the best way possible, but that means that you’re investing one to two hours of your day here.
• You’re visiting the parks with little kids. The menu is limited to small bites and cocktails, so unless you know your kids will enjoy what is available on the menu, you may struggle to find something for them to eat.
• You want your dining budget to stretch far. You’re definitely paying a pretty penny for these small appetizers and drinks!

Overall

Alfresco Tasting Terrace provides a really relaxing experience for those Legacy Passholders looking for a leisurely break from the hustle and bustle of California Adventure.

That said, time is more precious now for Legacy Passholders visiting Disneyland than it was prior to the closures. With the Passholder program suspended, it’s not like you can decide last minute that you want to stroll into the parks for a couple of hours. Nowadays, you’ll have to decide for yourself if it’s worth it to spend a couple of hours out of your day in one location.

Overall, we were fans of the new menu, with dishes ranging from crowd-pleasing small bites to more adventurous options if you think you can handle the heat! The same goes for the drink menu, with options for just about everyone (yes, even Bloody Mary fans).

It’s on the pricier side of what you’ll pay for a good bite to eat at Disneyland, but if you want (or need) to take a break, Alfresco Tasting Terrace may be the perfect spot for you. A couple of small bites plus a couple rounds of drinks could easily top $100 for a couple, so keep that in mind before you book your reservation. And make sure you have your Legacy Passholder information on you when you arrive!

If you can’t snag a reservation, or you AREN’T a Legacy Passholder, you can find similar vibes at Carthay Circle Lounge – Alfresco Dining, Lamplight Lounge, or even UVA Bar in Downtown Disney.

Click here to read our review of Carthay Circle Lounge – Alfresco Dining

Have you ever dined at Alfresco Tasting Terrace? Let us know in the comments!

The post Review: We Tried the New Menu at Alfresco Tasting Terrace in Disneyland and TBH We Still Can’t Get Over the Pizza Flavored Drink. first appeared on the disney food blog.