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Blue Bayou Restaurant at Disneyland Review

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It took five trips, but I finally got to eat at the Blue Bayou Restaurant at Disneyland last month! I thought I would do a review to help you determine if it’s worth the hype.

Blue Bayou Restaurant

Blue Bayou Restaurant

For those who don’t know, this is a classic restaurant at Disneyland. In fact, it opened in 1967 and Walt Disney himself was involved in the planning of the restaurant! The restaurant is located inside of the Pirates of the Caribbean ride! In fact, people in the boats ride by the restaurant! If you are lucky enough to get a riverside table, you can see the people and wave. It’s this immersive theming and ties to Walt Disney himself that makes the restaurant so popular.

The Ambiance

I believe the best part of this restaurant is the ambiance. It is next level themed to the Louisiana Bayou! You feel like you are dining at night on the bayou. There’s a big tree and balloon lanterns hang above you. Watching the boats on the ride go by adds to the feeling that you are somewhere else. I will also note that there’s something to be said for going into the cool, dark room of this restaurant when it’s hot and sunny outside.

While I didn’t get a riverside table, I still enjoyed the ambiance here. It was a relaxing meal that was much welcomed after running around a theme park that morning. Plus, it was much calmer than a Disneyland character meal.

The Food

I booked this restaurant specifically for lunch (instead of dinner) so that I could get the Monte Cristo. I have a bit of a tradition of enjoying a Monte Cristo during my solo Disneyland trips. Previously, I enjoyed it at Cafe Orleans. So, I didn’t want to give up this tradition and instead was happy to try it at Blue Bayou. I’m happy to say the sandwich tasted the same. Although, I did appreciate a cast member brining me a small plate and dumping the strawberry preserves on it to demonstrate how much easier it is to enjoy versus cramming my sandwich into the tiny container. No one had ever shown me that at Cafe Orleans.

Additionally, instead of the lovely fries that I get at Cafe Orleans, there are other sides here. At Blue Bayou, it comes with truffle potato chips and roasted fruit salad. The chips seemed like regular house-made chips to me. They reminded me of a restaurant back home that makes their own chips. The roasted fruit salad seemed like a regular salad to me too. So, I definitely prefer the fries at Cafe Orleans over these sides.

The real star of this meal was the seasonal Doberge Cake! It had thin layers of pumpkin cake, with caramel buttercream, and chocolate whipped ganache! If you happen to eat here while this cake is available, I highly recommend getting it. It was one of my favorite things I ate on this entire trip! Yummy! The combination of the flavors was the best! I can’t decide if I’m sad it’s seasonal and I won’t get it again or if I’m happy that I won’t have to resist the pull of the cake to eat here again.

Tips for Getting a Reservation

This is probably one of the most popular restaurants at Disneyland and it can be difficult to get a reservation. In fact, I’ve tried on previous trips to get a reservation and came up empty handed. This time, I was able to grab one exactly 60 days out. So, make sure you check right when reservations open up. Also, keep checking back and you can also look into a waiting list on the day you want to dine here. Who knows, you might get lucky!

Is Blue Bayou Restaurant worth it?

I am so glad I was able to finally eat at Blue Bayou Restaurant. It’s a classic for a reason. However, I will probably stick to enjoying my Monte Cristo at Cafe Orleans. It’s cheaper ($26 vs $34) and comes with those tasty fries I haven’t had anywhere else. Although, if that cake is there, that does make it harder to decide. I think this restaurant is perfect for any Disney fans or if you want somewhere more romantic or with an immersive indoor theme to eat. However, you can enjoy some of the same foods elsewhere in the park for cheaper.

Tam O’Shanter Walt Disney Table 31 Review

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While in southern California last month, I had the pleasure of doing the Tam O’Shanter Walt’s Table 31 Experience! Since I didn’t see many reviews on it, I thought I would post one.

Tam O'Shanter

Tam O’Shanter

For those who don’t know, Tam O’Shanter is one of Los Angeles’s oldest family owned restaurants! Having been a local favorite for over 100 years, many famous folks have dined here. In fact, Walt Disney was known to eat here with animators and Imagineers prior the the studios having a commissary! Knowing that many Disney fans eat here, a special Walt’s Table 31 Experience was created! Booking this experience is the only way to guarantee you will be able to eat at the specially designated table that Walt Disney supposedly ate at! Plus, you get to eat from a special menu and get a few special keepsakes.

The Ambiance

The Tam is a Scottish themed steakhouse! If you enjoy themed dining, this is a great place to check out in LA. Just eating here, you know you are surrounded by history. Supposedly, the cottage exterior inspired the Disney animators when working on Snow White’s cottage! Not only that, many TV shows have been filmed here! The restaurant appears in The Office’s series finale and in the show Mad Men!

To add to the atmosphere, the restaurant got napkins from the Disney Company with drawings and notes taken at the Tam. Then, they had those messages and pictures etched into this table! So, it was nice to look at the various images and messages while thinking what discussions may have taken place in this very restaurant! For instance, they claim Imagineers worked on the dinosaurs for the Disneyland Railroad here!

The Food

A restaurant wouldn’t stay in business for 100 years if it wasn’t good! Just for the experience, they have created a special menu! Everyone starts out with Deviled Eggs & Pickled Vegetables plus Bacon-Wrapped Dates! The deviled eggs were good, but pickled vegetables aren’t my thing. I don’t even like regular pickles though. Ha! I was surprised by how much I enjoyed the bacon-wrapped dates! I enjoyed the combinations of flavors (salty and sweet).

For my first course, I went with The Tam’s Famous Chili. Even though it had been in the 80’s that day, I had to try it. I would say it’s a pretty good chili. The addition of the cheese and onions took it up a notch. Had I had more stomach space and had it been a cooler day, I would have eaten way more of it.

As for the entree, I had to get the Prime Rib! I’d never had prime rib, so I can’t say that I’m a good judge of such things. However, I will admit that it was good. A little salty, but really tasty. Then again, I typically eat turkey or chicken for my protein. I also enjoyed the accompanying mashed potatoes and creamed corn. The Yorkshire pudding was ok. A little dry, but good.

Lastly, for dessert, I ordered the English Trifle. It reminded me of a fancy strawberry shortcake. It was sweet and a great way to end the meal!

The Experience

Throughout the meal, my waiter shared lots of little tidbits about the restaurant as well as stories about Walt Disney. It was surreal to hear stories that had taken place in this very space. It really felt like I was eating in a place of history.

Additionally, at the end of the meal, my waiter brought me some special keepsakes! I got a Tam pin, a re-print of the special drawing from the Disney Company of the restaurant, and a postcard! I also received a punch card for the experience and was told that the gifts change each time you do it. So, I guess that increases repeatability for the experience.

Is the Tam O’Shanter Walt’s Table 31 Experience worth it?

I booked this meal about 2 months in advance. I prepaid $89 for the meal plus tax and a 20% gratuity. So, it ended up being a really expensive meal. However, I reasoned that it’s more than just a meal. It’s an experience. You are getting to dine at a table in a restaurant filled with history! It’s a unique event that you can’t do anywhere else. Plus, the food is plentiful and tasty! I would say this is worth it for any Disney fan. However, if you aren’t a big Disney fan or don’t enjoy history, you can probably just book a regular table here and enjoy the good food!

Have you ever eaten at Tam O’Shanter? What about Walt’s table?

Goofy’s Kitchen Halloween Breakfast at Disneyland Review

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On my recent visit to Disneyland, I was able to try Goofy’s Kitchen Halloween Breakfast! Here’s a look at that experience!

Goofy's Kitchen Halloween Breakfast

Goofy’s Kitchen Halloween Breakfast

Last year, I was able to do the Fall Brunch at this restaurant. So, this trip, I opted to book a breakfast time slot. Breakfast is a few dollars cheaper ($69 vs $74). Plus, I thought this would give everyone a good idea of the differences between the two meals.

The Characters

Even though I technically ate here last year, I got to see the characters in different costumes! Disney is continuing to use last year’s Halloween costumes at this meal. That’s great for anyone who didn’t visit last year or for anyone (like me) who didn’t get to see everyone in their costumes last year. Once again, I got to meet Goofy, Minnie, Chip, and Dale in last year’s costumes! Unfortunately, I missed out on seeing Pluto.

You get a picture with Goofy when you first arrive and it’s uploaded to your Disney account. Then, you see the other characters during the meal. I had several great interactions with the characters at this meal. In fact, I wore last year’s Disneyland Halloween shirt to this meal, which matched this meal’s vibe and costumes! Minnie actually noticed my shirt and was excited about it!

The Food

As I stated above, I booked a breakfast time slot. However, I have to admit I was a touch disappointed with the food this time. The waffles were as hard as a rock! I tried to cut an ear off and it was almost too hard to cut! The pizza was also tough and hard to cut or bite. I don’t remember what it was called, but there’s also a Mickey shaped egg thing. It tasted ok enough but was also tough. I’m guessing the food was left sitting out too long and got hard/tough.

The dessert spread was plentiful. Although, it’s still odd to me that they serve dessert at breakfast. The beignets/donuts were pretty good. I also liked the cinnamon roll.

Is Goofy’s Kitchen Halloween Breakfast worth it?

At $69, it’s a pretty pricey meal! Personally, given the quality of the food, I was disappointed in this meal. I think from now on I will just stick with brunch as I prefer those types of foods. Plus, it seems like that food might be fresher.

Clarabelle’s Enchanted Halloween Dinner Review

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I’ve just returned from another solo trip to Disneyland where I got to experience the new Clarabelle’s Enchanted Halloween Dinner! So, here’s a review of that experience.

Clarabelle's Enchanted Halloween Dinner

Clarabelle’s Enchanted Halloween Dinner

Clarabelle’s Enchanted Halloween Dinner is the newest seasonal character dinner meal at Disneyland Resort. It’s held at Storytellers Cafe at the Grand Californian Hotel during dinner only. During the morning hours right now, you can experience Mickey’s Autumn Adventures Brunch or Breakfast, which I was lucky enough to do last year. You can click that link to read my review of that meal.

I will start by saying that this turned into a really long meal. For whatever reason, they were running behind schedule. I wasn’t seated until 20 minutes after my reservation time. An hour later, I had seen only two characters! It took right at two hours to see everyone! I don’t know that I’ve had a character meal last that long since they are usually pushing you out the door. However, I did notice several people approaching the characters before they came to their table. If you are reading this, please don’t do that. The whole point of a character meal is that the characters come to your table while you are eating.

The Characters

The best part of this meal has to be the special characters! Let’s start with the fact that it’s headliner is Clarabelle Cow! I actually had never met her, so it was exciting to finally meet her. Also, I’m a sucker for Donald. So, I am happy to see Disneyland adding more Donald to the character meals. Daisy, Goofy, and Pluto are also at this meal.

Plus, I loved that the characters are wearing Halloween costumes! It was the perfect way to begin my Halloween trip to Disneyland!

The Food

Given the high price tag for this meal, I appreciated the various food options here. The standout items to me were the lobster ravioli and pumpkin bread pudding. The ravioli was the only thing I went back for for seconds. The salmon was also pretty good as were the mashed potatoes. The apple cider pork chop didn’t have as much of an apple cider flavor as I was hoping for. The chicken was a little dry. The vegetable medley was good but basic. The pumpkin cookie was fine. I actually liked the bat macaron. It features a peanut butter cream that I really liked. The chocolate cake thing was meh for me. A little one note.

Overall, it’s an elevated buffet meal. I think there’s something for everyone at this meal.

Is Clarabelle’s Enchanted Halloween Dinner worth it?

It costs $79 per adult, plus tax and gratuity to eat this meal (Kids are $42). So, it’s a really expensive meal. Plus, this experience ended up running long. So, I think those are important pieces of information to know before declaring this meal worth it or not. Personally, I enjoyed the food and loved meeting the characters in their unique costumes. So, it was worth it for me. However, it’s definitely a budget buster and time suck. I can see other folks determining it’s not worth it.

Dollywood Aunt Granny’s Restaurant Review

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Earlier this summer, my mom and I ate at Aunt Granny’s Restaurant while visiting Dollywood. As per usual, I thought I would provide a quick review of that experience.

Aunt Granny's Restaurant

Aunt Granny’s Restaurant

The most popular restaurant at Dollywood is Aunt Granny’s Restaurant. That’s because it’s an all you care to enjoy family style meal full of homecooked food! As of June 2025, it’s $27.99/adult before discounts, making it a pretty good deal as far as theme park dining goes.

Note: Prior to Covid, it was a buffet. However, it’s now all you care to eat served family style.

Also, fun fact: It’s named Aunt Granny’s because Dolly Parton has helped raise her nieces and nephews. So, they called her Aunt Granny. Eating here is supposed to be like visiting Aunt Granny Dolly’s.

The Main Course

The meal begins with drinks and cheddar biscuits! It was a hot day, so I got water. It was good, particularly if you are regular Walt Disney World visitor. No swamp water here. The cheddar biscuits were good and we were sad we weren’t hungry enough to eat them all.

For the main course, you are able to select three mains. My mom and I decided on herb baked chicken, fried chicken, and southern fried catfish. Unfortunately, we were both disappointed with the baked chicken as it was dry. However, the fried chicken was much better. The fried catfish was the surprise hit for me. I really enjoyed it.

The Sides

You are able to select four sides for the table to share. We went with carrots, corn pudding, mashed potatoes, and macaroni and cheese. The corn pudding was easily our least favorite. The mashed potatoes were our favorite. The carrots were pretty good also with the honey and herbs. The macaroni and cheese was good, but somewhat basic. Overall, the sides were tasty and filling.

The Dessert

Finally, everyone is allowed to select a dessert. During our visit, they had 9 different options! Our server was nice enough to entertain my specific questions about the different desserts before I made my selection. Being the family’s baker, I can be pretty picky about my desserts. Haha! My mom and I both ended up picking the dirt pudding. It was light, sweet, and the perfect option for a warm day as it didn’t sit on the stomach heavily. It was also great for our chocolate fix.

Is Aunt Granny’s worth it?

Theme park food is expensive. However, all you care to eat for $27.99 (before tips/taxes/discount) is pretty good! Plus, most of the food was really good. It was also nice to sit down in the air conditioning since the festival food booths required you to sit outside in the heat. This place often has a wait and I think it’s easy to see why. It’s reasonably priced for what you get. Plus, it’s better than most other theme park food.

Have you ever eaten here?