Disney Dining News and Special Treats
Editor’s Note: “Disney Dining News and Special Treats” is a new monthly column from The Disney Food Blog. Check out their updates and recommendations here each month on the can’t-miss bites at the Disney Parks.
By The Disney Food Blog
So far, this has been a great summer coast-to-coast to be a Disney foodie! We’ve had the opening of Pixar Pier in Disney California Adventure, along with Toy Story Land’s opening in Disney’s Hollywood Studios at Walt Disney World – plus all the food introductions, reappearances, and limited-time treats. Check out just a sampling of all the items we tasted and found in the parks over the last month below!
Pixar Pier at Disney’s California Adventure:
Pixar Pier recently opened in the former Paradise Pier area with an abundance of new dining locations. The new themed land includes a cool new lounge and a string of snack kiosks lining the Pier. Here is a complete list of the new dining offerings at Pixar Pier:
- Lamplight Lounge: Overlooking Paradise Bay, this lounge reflects the “creativity, inspirations and personalities of the artists and storytellers who have brought Pixar stories to life.” It offers a broad selection of wine, beer, cocktails, appetizers, and some larger plates.
- Poultry Palace: If you’ve got a hankerin’ for anything poultry, from a chicken drumstick to a jumbo smoked turkey leg, this is the place to be!
- Señor Buzz Churros: Buzz Lightyear has switched into Spanish mode again and is serving up churros! Here you’ll find a Caliente Churro and Cinnamon Sugar Galaxy Churro up for grabs.
- Angry Dogs: Anger from “Inside Out” can be spotted serving up – what else? – hot dogs! But watch out, he turns up the heat on those dogs when he gets angry! Guests can choose from an Angry Dog or a Slightly Annoyed Dog (for those who aren’t fans of spicy heat).
- Adorable Snowman Frosted Treats: The “Monsters, Inc.” Abominable Snowman serves up icy, sweet treats with a signature soft-serve item here, which is basically Lemon Dole Whip! Additional fun and frosty treats are also on the menu.
- Jack-Jack Cookie Num-Nums: Warm chocolate chip cookies. Need we say more? There are also shortbread and gluten-friendly cookies on the menu that can be accompanied by flavored milks!
- Bing-Bong’s Sweet Stuff Confectionary: Having only just opened, here you can enjoy candy, slushies, and other candy shop items along with some exclusive themed offerings.
Toy Story Land at Disney’s Hollywood Studios:
Florida saw the opening of the long-awaited Toy Story Land with Woody’s Lunch Box as the go-to place for breakfast, lunch or dinner.
- Breakfast includes a decadent S’mores French Toast Sandwich, Smoked Turkey Breakfast Sandwich, a Breakfast Bowl and more.
- Lunch and Dinner features BBQ Brisket Melt and Grilled Three-Cheese Sandwich – along with a bowl of “Totchos.” What are totchos? Tater tot nachos topped with chili, cheese, and corn chips! Unfortunately, the Monte Cristo has already been removed from the menu.
- Don’t miss out on the Raspberry or Chocolate Hazelnut Lunch Box Tarts available in Toy Story Land. They’re fun, well-priced for a snack, and the perfect nostalgic tasty treat (think homemade Pop-Tart)!
Special Finds:
In addition to the two new lands opening on both coasts, we also found some new gems and the return of guest favorites during our travels this past month. Just a few of the many treats we tasted, enjoyed, and shared include:
All Around the Parks, Coast-to-Coast:
- Iridescent Treats: Move over Millennial Pink! Here comes the iridescent trend! Unicorn cupcakes and pops, glistening mermaid cupcakes, sparkly crisped rice treats, Minnie ears cupcakes with flair, iridescent rhino cupcakes, sparkly blondies, plus Minnie Ears, Spirit Jerseys, and more!
- Incredibles Sundae: Derailing diets on both coasts, the Incredibles Sundae is, well…Incredible! Ghirardelli jumped in the action this summer and launched an Incredibles Sundae evoking the classic colors of the family of Supers, and combined that with creamy vanilla ice cream! The sundae is topped with hot fudge, pineapple sauce, and strawberry puree. You can find this treat in Disney California Adventure and at Disney Springs.
Magic Kingdom at Walt Disney World:
- Cheeseburger Spring Rolls are back: There are practically shouts of joy rising from Adventureland in Walt Disney World’s Magic Kingdom because the Cheeseburger Spring Rolls have returned! We missed these golden-fried wraps filled with ground beef and melty cheese!
- Jalapeño Poppers and Fried Cauliflower debut: Between Frontierland and Adventureland, Golden Oak Outpost now offers these spicy, and not-so spicy, vegetarian-friendly snacks.
- Churro Ice Cream Sandwich finally arrives in Florida: After four years of waiting, the Churro Ice Cream Sandwich finally made the trip from California to Florida! Head to Magic Kingdom’s Sleepy Hollow for the new-to-Florida treat.
- Twinkie Sundae and Peter Pan Float fly into Storybook Treats: Continuing to keep us cool this summer, Storybook Treats is offering a deep-fried Twinkie sundae with vanilla soft-serve ice cream along with a Peter Pan float. The Peter Pan float is a refreshing key lime-flavored soft serve with Sprite and accented by a red feather like that of its namesake’s hat.
Epcot:
- Poutine selections expand at Refreshment Port: Don’t panic! You can still get your hands on poutine made with Canadian Cheddar and Bacon Sauce (AKA Cheddar Cheese Soup). Now you can also get Traditional Poutine. This classic is a pile of french fries, brown gravy, and cheese curds – totally traditional elements of Quebecois poutine.
- Stowaway Mary gets new accompaniments: We loved Refreshment Port’s Stowaway Mary drink that came garnished with chicken nuggets. Now she’s accompanied by a jumbo shrimp and a stick of beef jerky. How’s that for a funky new look, and taste?
Disney’s Hollywood Studios:
- Darth Vader Stein arrives: Snack kiosks around Disney’s Hollywood Studios are serving up fountain beverages with a little bit of the Dark Side!
- Alien Popcorn Buckets appear: The Disneyland favorite arrived in Florida to celebrate Toy Story Land’s opening. They are proving to be just as popular in Florida as they were in California. You can also get a Woody’s Roundup Refillable Popcorn Bucket, resembling the thermos Andy used to prop up Woody’s Lunch Box in his backyard!
Disney’s Animal Kingdom:
- Italian Sausage Hoagie debuts: Replacing the Nachos Supreme at Dino Diner, the Italian Sausage Hoagie is a treat for dinosaurs big and small!
- Frozen Flame Cools on summer days: This combination of passion fruit and strawberry slushie, served non-alcoholic or with Grey Goose Vodka or Fireball Whiskey, is now available at Royal Anandapur Tea Company.
Disney Springs:
Disney Springs saw the opening of Terralina Crated Italian as well as the launch of Enzo’s Sunday Supper at Enzo’s Hideaway.
Terralina Crafted Italian is the newest restaurant in Disney Springs. The location itself is the former home to Portobello Country Italian Trattoria, which closed in The Landing of Disney Springs last year. Location isn’t the only thing that Terralina shares with the former restaurant. Chef Tony Mantuano, James Beard Award Winner, has returned to create Terralina’s menu, and he’s joined once more by Chef Justin Plank to run the kitchen. In fact, even a few favorite items from Portobello can be found on the Terralina menu.
Options include antipasta, salads, wood-fired pizzas, pasta, options from the hearth and grill, sides, and desserts – all with an extensive wine, beer, and cocktail list. Lunch offerings include sandwiches.
Still somewhat new to the Disney Springs dining scene, Enzo’s Hideaway Tunnel Bar opened as one of a trio of eateries this past January. The Hideaway’s counterparts are Maria & Enzo’s Ristorante and Pizza Ponte. Even newer, though, is Enzo’s Sunday Supper – a special menu served from 4:00 pm – 10:00 pm every Sunday.
The family-style meal starts with an Antipasta Board and Salad, followed by Rigatoni with Sunday Sauce, a selection of meats, all followed by desserts. Meat offerings include chicken, meatballs, wagyu short-ribs, or Atlantic salmon – each accompanied by roasted fingerling potatoes and seasonal vegetables.
Sunday Supper at Enzo’s is a prix fixe meal, which will cost $45 per adult guest, and $19 for children ages 9 and under. The experience is not all-you-care-to-eat. With the exception of the Pasta course, which is the only refillable option, you receive a set amount.
Something very unique to Sunday Supper is that it’s a “BYOB affair.” You’re welcome to bring your own bottle of wine with no corkage fee! The servers will present glasses and serve your wine gladly. You can also order from the regular beverage menus, if you prefer.
Guilty pleasures at the resorts:
We all have them, those cravings, guilty pleasures, and favorites from the past – and now Disney is helping us indulge in them, even when we are on vacation, with the introduction of Boozy Beignets and Cookie Dough – plus more places offering spiked Dole Whip!
- Boozy Beignets now available: Baton Rouge Beignets are now on the menu at Scat Cats Lounge in Port Orleans Resort – French Quarter. You’ll receive three pillow-shaped beignets complete with your choice of Baileys, Kahlua, or Rumchata in three .5 ounce pipettes. All you need to do is squeeze and enjoy!
- Mickey Beignets made the trip from California to Florida and are now available at Sassagoula Floatworks and Food Factory in Port Orleans Resort – French Quarter.
- Get your Cookie Dough fix at All-Star Resorts: If you get a cookie dough craving, head over to the All-Star Resorts and get your fix of this egg-free treat in the refrigerated snack and bakery section of End Zone Food Court.
- Remember those yummy Oatmeal Cookie Sandwiches? Now you can taste one again at Everything Pop in the Pop Century Resort. The sandwich consists of two full-size oatmeal raisin cookies, chocolate and cinnamon drizzle, and cream filling. Definitely shareable or save-able. We think this would be delicious out of the mini-fridge for breakfast the next day!
- One more Place to get a Spiked Dole Whip: Hang ten on the Pineapple Lanai at the Polynesian Village Resort and enjoy your Dole Whip with Coruba Coconut Rum. You’ll also find variations of the spiked Dole Whip at:
- Tamu Tamu Refreshments in Disney’s Animal Kingdom
- Pineapple Promenade during certain Epcot festivals
- The Drop Off Pool Bar at Disney’s Art of Animation Resort
This is just a small portion of all that we covered in the last month on Disney Food Blog. We also covered new mermaid cupcakes, a seasonal burger at D-Luxe Burger, even more new popcorn buckets, special effect drinks at Magic Kingdom and Typhoon Lagoon, and more! Hop on over to Disney Food Blog to keep up with the latest in Disney food news!
• Launched in 2009, the Disney Food Blog offers in-depth news, reviews, and information about food and restaurants in Disney’s parks, resorts, and cruise ships. See DisneyFoodBlog.com
