By: Coleen Gomez, a Marvelous Mouse Travels agent
Are you heading to Disneyland soon? Are you a foodie who likes to eat good food while on vacation? Then make sure to have your Marvelous Mouse Travels agent make a dinner reservation for you at the award-winning, signature dining location “Napa Rose’
Napa Rose opened in 2001 and is located at Disney’s Grand Californian Resort and is open for dinner daily from 5:30 PM to 9:00 PM. The award-winning head chef Andrew Sutton brings you fine California cuisine inspired by Napa wine country. Napa Rose has received the AAA Four Diamond Award among its many accolades and has also been awarded the Wine Spectator’s “Best of Award of Excellence” (Napa Rose, The Disney Food Blog, 2022).
Reservations can be hard to get so make sure you are booking no later than your 60-day dining window. Walk-up reservations are rare but may be possible based on availability. Park attire is allowed. However, many people do enjoy dressing their best while enjoying the formal dining experience. I was fortunate enough to land a dinner reservation with a fellow MMT agent on our last visit to Disneyland.
While we waited to be seated, we headed to the bar for a cocktail. We had the best bartender who was not only knowledgeable about the menu but very funny too. We were enjoying ourselves so much we decided to stay at the bar for our meal, and I am glad we did. We skipped appetizers this time around because we were in a hurry to get back to watch the nighttime shows (more on this in a minute). Both of us ordered the Prime Beef Filet Mignon, which was served with beef cheeks, pumpkin velvet (sauce), and pepita dust. We couldn’t have steak without potatoes, so we ordered a side of creamy mashed potatoes as well. Our meals were delicious.
Now the reason we chose to stay at the bar is simple. I love wine, especially good wine. When I couldn’t make up my mind, I asked our humble bartender for a suggestion. To my surprise, I was presented with not 1 or 2, but 4 wine glasses to sample. The entire staff at this restaurant has gone through extensive training in wine and it is apparent in how each bottle was presented to me. This was certainly the highlight of my dining experience at the Napa Rose, and I found my new favorite label too! We skipped dessert but there was a good reason for it. We wanted to get back to the parks to enjoy a show.
If you time your reservation right, you can walk just a few steps away from the front door of the restaurant and walk right into the entrance for Disney’s California Adventure. We were able to get into the park and found a great spot to watch World of Colors within minutes. We also had time to stop at the churro cart for our after-dinner dessert. You must always save room for a nighttime churro!
When you are interested in booking a Disneyland vacation, make sure to book with a Marvelous Mouse travels agent (we know all the good dining spots).
