DISNEY CALIFORNIA ADVENTURE Food Recommendations Thread by Lands

[DLRExpert]

This thread is for people to post their favorites and thoughts on what other people have recommended.
Here are my recommendations, be aware that I am not as well versed in all of the California Adventure offerings compared to Disneyland.

Disneyland version HERE

Grizzly Peak
- Smoke Jumpers Grill = Love the Onion Rings
- Grand California Hotel - Craftsman Grill = BY FAR the best place to eat near California Adventure. Yes it is not technically in DCA, but close enough for me.

Avengers Campus
- Pym's Kitchen = I go with the chicken sandwich and the giant pretzel.
- Pym's Test Lab = HONEY BUZZ

Cars Land
- Cozy Cone = Breakfast Cone
- Flo's = Chicken Plate, pretty much the same as Plaza Inn at Disneyland

Pixar Pier
- Poultry Palace = LOVE the Drumstick Box
- Adorable Snowman Frosted Treats = Frosty Parfait

Paradise Gardens Park
- Boardwalk Pizza and Pasta = Chicken Sun-dried Tomato Pesto, Italian Chef Salad
- Corn Dog Castle = Not the exact same as the Disneyland version, but still good and more choices

Pacific Wharf
- Ghirardelli = ALL GOOD
- Cocina Cucamonga = Street Tacos

ME

 

[tlovesdis]

I'm not a big fan of the food in DCA except for...

Paradise Pier - Lamplight Lounge and Corn Dog Castle!

MY niece loves the chicken at Poultry Palace.

 

[smeg3030]

I love the Award Wieners film strip fries. I get them every time I'm in the parks.

 

[wildekatza]

Okay. I have only been to DCA and DL 5 times over 5 years so here are my limited pics:
I HAVE TO HAVE every visit:
Jolly Holiday Cafe
Jolly Holiday Combo
Toasted Cheese Sandwich with Tomato Basil Soup $12.49
(they do seasonal ones, like for fall they have a spicy pulled chicken with tortilla, but I go with what I know)
with a small side of:
Matterhorn Macaroon
Matterhorn Macaroon $2.99

at DCA:
at Pacific Wharf Cafe, they have these Mickey Head Sourdough bread loafs (right now, typing this, I checked the cost and they are VAMPIRE MICKEY HEADS so they are about $1.50 higher from what they were 2 years ago when we were there last) $11.49 that I get on our last day there so I can bring it home to our son who is 23 and watches the dog. That is what he wants so I get that for him. L OL! For us, we split some type of sandwich here $11.49-$12.49 usually Asian Chicken Salad or Tuna Salad and also get a Soup in a Sourdough Bread Bowl Choice of Clam Chowder of Bacon Cheddar Ale. Pro Tip: We ask for the soup to be served with the bread bowl on the side then we grab a few butter pats at the self serve portion, a knife and we can have this with some park cheese and fruit tray later and people watch. We will get the sandwich or the salad with bread already so no need to double up and we can just do the soup and sandwich. We just stuff the bread bowl in our backpack in a bag that they will gladly give you and take it with us. We even have it in the morning with coffee for breakfast with the small jellies you can get at the self serve in your hotel breakfast area or with peanut butter and jelly later on.
At DCA: If we are looking for a nice meal, we splurge and eat at Carthay Circle. The portions here are by no means massive, but you are going for the ambience (think 1950s) and for the service. Expect to pay $35-70 per person for just your entrees. It used to come with phenomenal bread service and you could get duck as an appetizer that is no longer available. I think you can buy the bread service as an appetizer now. We are going to try the Carthay Circle Lounge this time and not the restaurant. We have had drinks downstairs in the lounge while they got our table ready, but we have never eaten their lounge snacks.

 

[DLgal]

HOLLYWOODLAND

Studio Catering Co (the food truck): Carnitas Nachos and the current chicken fried rice for Halloweentime are great!

Hollywood Lounge: The Lead Role Collins drink (gin, lemon, simple syrup, prosecco)

AVENGERS CAMPUS

Pym's: Chicken Sandwich

Terran Treats: Cosmic Cream Orb (cream puff filled with whipped raspberry cheesecake)

CARSLAND

Flo's: Fried Chicken Platter

PACIFIC WHARF:

Cheddar Bacon Ale soup in bread bowl-Cafe

Potstickers from Lucky Fortune Cookery

Ghirardelli: Chocolate milkshake

PIXAR PIER

Pixar Parfait from Adorable Snowman

PARADISE GARDENS PARK

Cheddar cheese stick from Corn Dog Castle

GRIZZLY PEAK:

Onion rings and chicken tenders from Smokejumpers

 

[BadPinkTink]

Someone needs to check if these are still available, my favorites from my last trip in June 2019
Pacific Wharf - Bread Pudding
Cozy Cone Motel - Mac and Cheese or bacon mac and cheese cone

 

[DLgal]

Someone needs to check if these are still available, my favorites from my last trip in June 2019
Pacific Wharf - Bread Pudding
Cozy Cone Motel - Mac and Cheese or bacon mac and cheese cone

The bread pudding is not, but the Mac and cheese bread cone IS. You can get it with or without bacon.

 

[wildekatza]

Someone needs to check if these are still available, my favorites from my last trip in June 2019
Pacific Wharf - Bread Pudding
Cozy Cone Motel - Mac and Cheese or bacon mac and cheese cone

Ok. Everyone talks about these cones and I am all about a cone of bread stuffed with mac and cheese, but I went and got one of these and ended up throwing more than half away. Mine was all bread with hardly any filler m/c, the bread was chewy like it was warmed in the microwave or yesterday's bread cones and the mac and cheese inside was the standard Disney mac and cheese. Did I get them on a bad day? I legit eat mac and cheese once a week at the minimum so I have no issues with mac and cheese, but the top half of our cone wasn't full of anything. Just empty bread til half way down to the bottom.
As far as t he bread pudding goes, off the Disney Official Dining site (meaning, disney's own menu page), it says the bread pudding is seasonal?
Desserts

Chocolate Fudge Cupcake $4.99

Chocolate Chip Cookie $3.69

Sugar Cookie $3.69

Seasonal Bread Pudding $5.99
with Cookies and Cream Cheesecake Filling topped with Raspberry Sauce, Whipped Cream, and Cookie Crumbles

 

[DLgal]

Ok. Everyone talks about these cones and I am all about a cone of bread stuffed with mac and cheese, but I went and got one of these and ended up throwing more than half away. Mine was all bread with hardly any filler m/c, the bread was chewy like it was warmed in the microwave or yesterday's bread cones and the mac and cheese inside was the standard Disney mac and cheese. Did I get them on a bad day? I legit eat mac and cheese once a week at the minimum so I have no issues with mac and cheese, but the top half of our cone wasn't full of anything. Just empty bread til half way down to the bottom.
As far as t he bread pudding goes, off the Disney Official Dining site (meaning, disney's own menu page), it says the bread pudding is seasonal?
Desserts

Chocolate Fudge Cupcake $4.99

Chocolate Chip Cookie $3.69

Sugar Cookie $3.69

Seasonal Bread Pudding $5.99
with Cookies and Cream Cheesecake Filling topped with Raspberry Sauce, Whipped Cream, and Cookie Crumbles

That bread pudding is SO good! And it totally wasn't on the mobile order menu the other day, but now it is! Yay!

 

[wildekatza]

That bread pudding is SO good! And it totally wasn't on the mobile order menu the other day, but now it is! Yay!

Are you meaning the seasonal flavor listed or just their bread pudding in general??? I may have to try this when I am there with my bread bowl of soup. LOL! Why not add more bread to a meal??? I mean, just, why not?

 

[DLgal]

Are you meaning the seasonal flavor listed or just their bread pudding in general??? I may have to try this when I am there with my bread bowl of soup. LOL! Why not add more bread to a meal??? I mean, just, why not?

They have ALL been amazing. My favorite is the blueberry lemon one they have in spring, but this cookies and cream/cheesecake one is TO DIE FOR. Definitely try it.

They don't have more than one bread pudding on offer at any given time. They just change it up every couple months and call it "seasonal." I don't think they even have a "standard" version.

 

[wildekatza]

They have ALL been amazing. My favorite is the blueberry lemon one they have in spring, but this cookies and cream/cheesecake one is TO DIE FOR. Definitely try it.

They don't have more than one bread pudding on offer at any given time. They just change it up every couple months and call it "seasonal." I don't think they even have a "standard" version.

Ok. I am a bread pudding eater but for whatever reason, I have never seen this at PWC when we eat there every time! Maybe the times i have been it isn't on the menu? I always check the dessert menu for something funky. HOPEFULLY, this is still there next week when I am .