By: Taylor Flowers, a Marvelous Mouse Travels agent
Carnation Café is an excellent restaurant with great food and a rich history and is located inside of Disneyland Park in Anaheim, California. Carnation Café was originally an ice cream parlor in 1955 when Disneyland first opened its doors. The restaurant, housed in a two-story Victorian-style building, offers both indoor and outdoor seating. The patio is covered and had great views of Main Street U.S.A. Carnation Café serves American- style comfort food, including dishes that were favorites of Walt Disney. This includes “Walt’s Chili” which is the same recipe that he used to enjoy when he was alive.
Oscar Martinez, served as chef of Carnation Café from 1967 to 2017 and was the most tenured employee at Disneyland when he retired. He may be one of the most well-known cast members and is the only Disneyland Cast Member to date to have received a 60-year service pin. FUN FACT: You can still find “Oscar’s Choice” Selections on the menu.
When we arrived, we were seated at our table which of course had carnations at it.
We were then greeted by the cast member taking care of us and she brought us Honorary Disneyland Citizen Pins.
We started off with Fried Pickles and Dipping Sauce. The creamy dipping sauce was excellent and the lightly battered pickles we cut in spears. Overall, a delicious treat and definitely something I would order again.
For my entrée I chose an item from the Seasonal Menu: The Spicy Chicken Sandwich. This was a hand breaded fried chicken breast tossed in spicy chile sauce with pepper jack and mustard slaw, served on a brioche bun with a side of French fries. This sandwich was incredible and very fresh.
Overall I would highly recommend this restaurant if you are going to be at Disneyland. There is something for everyone, even picky eaters will find something on their classic menu. Carnation Café is reasonably priced and there are plenty of budget friendly options. If you are a history buff, this is the place. If you want to see classic Disneyland and eat iconic Disneyland food, this is a great spot to visit!
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