Where to Eat in Downtown Disney®
Courtesy of Catal Restaurant & Uva Bar
Located in Downtown Disney® District and a part of the Patina Restaurant group, Catal Restaurant & Uva Bar offers several dining options worth the trip. The Uva Bar is a large, circular, open-air bar offering 40 wines by the glass and such tapas as grilled skewer of chorizo with garlic-roasted potatoes and saffron aioli. The downstairs café offers casual dining, specializing in soups, salads and pastas, while a fine dining restaurant is on the second level. The several fine dining areas exude a more elegant, formal decor. Since the chef uses fresh ingredients and Mediterranean Rim preparation methods, the paella is excellent, as are the boneless braised short ribs, served with a creamy polenta and wild mushrooms. Request a table with a balcony view overlooking the Downtown Disney scene, where there's plenty of things to do this weekend.
Wine and Dine for Two
iStockphoto.com / Rostislav_Sedlacek
Steps away from Disney California Adventure® Park , Napa Rose is in Disney's Grand Californian Hotel® & Spa and is one of more enjoyable things for couples to do. Specializing in California Wine Country-inspired cuisine, the restaurant offers more than 60 premium wines by the glass, most from California vineyards. At last count, there were more than 40 sommeliers on staff to assist with wine selections. The restaurant follows the Arts and Crafts-inspired style of the hotel in its use of light-colored woods, 20-foot-high vaulted ceilings, floor-to-ceiling, stained-glass walls and copper and amber glass lights and chandeliers. An exhibition kitchen offers a few counter seats from which you can view the food preparation up close, making it one of the more fun places to go. The inventiveness of the chef is expressed in his Sizzling Beach Rock appetizer—meant to be shared by two, it includes a combination of garlic-seared shrimp, soy-glazed spare ribs and lemongrass chicken cooked on a hot beach stone. Fish is represented in the cashew-crusted ocean trout with heirloom apples and sautéed coastal mushrooms, parsnips and pecans. Available in season, the roast breast of pheasant is served on a ragu of butternut squash, wild mushrooms, parsnip and pecans. Being one of the more indulgent places to eat, there is always a selection of delicious and unusual desserts prepared by the house pastry chef, and a children's menu is available.
Southern Hospitality in Anaheim
AAA/Thuyvi Gates
You won't need to travel all the way to New Orleans for excellent Cajun-Creole food—it's as close as Downtown Disney. Ralph Brennan's Jazz Kitchen mimics the charming architecture that you would expect to find in French Quarter restaurants. The two-story restaurant includes French doors galore and wrought-iron accents, and its downstairs patio and the second story balcony are great locations for people watching. Three food service options include casual dining downstairs, fine dining upstairs and the Creole Café, which serves beignets and coffee from 8 to 10 a.m. Not to be missed is the Gumbo Ya Ya, full of chicken and andouille in a dark, rich roux flavored with Creole seasonings and served with rice. A little milder but still seasoned to perfection is the fried gulf shrimp wrapped in coconut and served with pecan leek rice pilaf and Tabasco pepper jelly sauce. For dessert, bananas Foster is flamed tableside. Entertainment is featured nightly in Flambeaux's jazz club.
See all the AAA recommended restaurants for this destination.