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. So at least one person in your party needs to be a Magic Keyholder to get in!

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 and drinks here are all named in punny ways to be fun nods to many now-extinct California Adventure attractions. Food includes the Screamin’ Cauliflower Ceviche (named for the former California Screamin’ coaster!), the Slider Invasion (named for the former Burger Invasion — AKA McDonald’s!), Mulholland Meatballs (named for Mullholand Madness, a former wild mouse type coaster), 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 (named for the fun start of California Screamin’!), The Stinger (named for the big Orange Stinker previously located in the Pixar Pier area), and Drop In…If You Dare? (hello, former Tower of Terror!) 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. It’s basically a pizza bloody mary. There’s a LOT going on there, but it’s a super fun presentation with a full slice of pizza on top! 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 Avengers 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). Named after the Condor Flats section of the park, 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 seafood like fish or shellfish “cooked” in citrus juice). This take on ceviche is composed 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 fresh fruity 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. We’ve had so many meals in the Disney parks with vegan guests bored by the same-ol’-same-ol’ and this is definitely a step away from that. We think guests looking to skip the meat will find this really bright and refreshing. If meat IS more your jam, though, 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. The flavors just work really well here — it’s a soft, buttery hunk of filet covered in fresh chimichurri and onions, so basically a big bite of yum. There’s also an Impossible patty available for a plant-based version. But we are fully aware that these are $18 for two tiny burgers. As much as these are great-tasting, it is worth noting they’re pretty pricey for a small amount of food. If you split it between two people, you’ll get more mileage out of it for sure.

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, like our last visit, we were left dreaming we had more crostini to sop everything up. (But seriously, when have you known us to NOT want more bread?!) The veggies (and oranges) are fine. They add a needed brightness to the plate, but TBH we were all in it for that meat, cheese, sauce, and bread.

This is a really unique meatball option with enough going on to hold your interest. Give it a try and see what you think!

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. Neighboring Wine Country Trattoria is a great choice for a full sit-down meal.
• You are trying to get the most out of your budget. These are small bites so it’ll be hard to stretch your dining dollars far here. You could get far more food for less a short walk away to the Pacific Wharf area. Maybe swing by for a drink or two if you’re looking to check out the experience.
• You ate here when it was a Legacy Passholder lounge. Nothing has really changed, so keep that in mind.

Overall

Welcome (back!), Magic Key Terrace!  Sure the menu is largely unchanged, but the offerings for Legacy Passholders here were really unique and fun, and we’re happy to have the chance to try them again. It’s well worth a visit just for the nostalgia in the foods. You can relive the OG days of California Adventure as you eat and drink! It can be really fun trying to “decode” the menu names to figure out what old ride or attraction or (in some cases) McDonald’s location it’s referencing!

This is a fantastic spot to chill on the patio for a spell. You get top-notch views of the park from this location and it’s quite comfortable, even on warmer days, to relax on the patio. The food was all very fresh and well prepared, and the drinks have a lot of heart and story to them. If we had one complaint (and it’s only a half complaint) it would be for a few new food or drink options to debut with the lounge. The menu is untouched from its days as a Legacy Passholder Lounge which is great in the sense that we get to retry a lot of the foods we enjoyed here previously. But, it would be nice to see a few new options here too, since they do such a great job with coming up with witty plays on the olden days of California Adventure!

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. 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

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