By D’land Diva
It was late one busy weekend that we were visiting Disneyland and we had decided to take a detour to Downtown Disney and the Lego Store. After our trip, we were hungry and it was already shortly past 5 pm- or as we like to call it in our family- the dinner witching hour. We could have gone back into the parks to eat, but by the time we went through bag check and made it past the entrance, it could be closer to 6 pm before we ate and with two little ones that was a risky move. So, we decided to venture on to the Disneyland Hotel and check out the Tangaroa Terrace Restaurant.
First and foremost, the ambiance is awesome. The restaurant has a Polynesian theme that sort of reminded me of being in Adventureland at Disneyland. There is plenty of seating on a wrap around terrace out front and a handful of tables of chairs for seating inside as well. Outdoor seating has nice views of the newly re-designed monorail pool at the Disneyland Hotel. Inside the restaurant, guests are treated to soothing Hawaiian music and island decorations. There are also some great older Disney photos on the walls!
What makes this place a little different from your average Disney resort restaurant is the way in which guests order their food. Upon entering, guests can see a kitchen, but in front of the kitchen are several computer screens. Yes, these computer screens are touch screen menus in which to place your order! While convenient, I did find it a little difficult to order to my food because I have some food sensitivities. For example, I have a dairy allergy. There was no place on the touch screen menu to replace an item with dairy in it for a non-dairy item, as I have done at other Disney restaurants. However, with the kitchen and cooks just in back of the menu screens, it was easy enough to discuss my concerns with them.
Once your food is ordered, guests make their way to the cash register to pay. There is a nice refrigerated section just off of the registers for drinks or portable foods, and these items can also be taken directly to the register. From there, you are given a number and your food will be brought to your table. There is a soft drink machine, coffee and tea near the seating areas if you have purchased a cup.
So let’s get to the good stuff…the food! The Tangaroa Terrace serves breakfast lunch and dinner:
Breakfast: Breakfast Platter (eggs, potatoes, fruit and bacon or sausage), Breakfast Wrap (tortilla filled with cheese, eggs and avocado served with potatoes, fruit and bacon or sausage), Mickey Waffles, French Toast, Apple Cinnamon Oatmeal and the most unusual meal choice- Loco Moco (a hamburger patty served on top of rice with gravy and a fried egg served with fruit. For the kiddos there is french toast, Mickey waffles, an egg platter with turkey bacon, and a kids power pack (yogurt, apples, crackers, carrots). Meals run around $8 for adults and around $6.50 for kids. There are also several a la cart items such as yogurt, muffins and cakes (coconut cake mmmm).
Lunch and Dinner: Angus Hawaiian Cheeseburger, Angus Bacon Cheeseburger, Slow Roasted Pork Sandwich, Teriyaki Chicken Sandwich, Tangaroa Terrace Salad (with marinated tofu!), a Tangaroa Terrace Salad minus the tofu add shrimp, Asian Chicken Salad, Pulled Pork Flatbread and Big Island Flatbread (think pineapple and ham pizza). There are often specials that they have and at the time of writing, the specials were Shrimp Tacos and Ahi Poke. Meals run between $10-12. For the kiddos, there is a healthy salmon meal, the Kids Power Pack, Chicken Nuggets and Hamburger Meal. Kids meals come with veggies and fruit and cost around $7.
For dessert there are assorted options such as the previously mentioned coconut cake, yogurt parfaits and ice cream. This establishment also serves several kinds of beer.
We really enjoyed our meal at Tangaroa Terrace. The meal portions were generous and the food was fresh and tasty. In particular, I thought the presentation of my salad (I ate the Tangaroa Terrace Salad) was beautiful. This restaurant comes highly recommended from the D’land Diva family, especially because it did not seem at all crowded while the rest of the parks and resort were very busy. Give it a try sometime!
Kids hamburger meal
