It’s a Jolly Holiday on Main Street! It’s open everyone, it’s open! We’ve been waiting patiently or maybe not so patiently for the new Jolly Holiday Bakery to open since it’s cute signs started enticing us months ago.
Yesterday, the Jolly Holiday Bakery, a counter service eatery, soft opened in Disneyland with a “Grand Opening” planned for Saturday, January 7th. I am happy to announce that I was there yesterday morning on the very first day of service and everything was spit spot!
Jolly Holiday Entrance
Mary Poppins Weathervane on the Rooftop
Outdoor Menu Teaser Board
We’re covering both breakfast AND lunch at the bakery in this post, so stay tuned for dozens of mouth-watering photos of what’s available…like these!!
Strawberry Lemon Cupcake
Waldorf Chicken Sandwich
These are just teasers, though! Read through the rest of the post to see more yummy pics!
Atmosphere
When walking up to Jolly Holiday, I noticed that it was a completely full house with the line wrapping around out the door. It was prime breakfast time and with this being the only eatery open on Main Street, it was the place to be. Not to worry though, the line moves quick and once inside, it splits into two lines with multiple speedy cashiers ready to take care of business! There is plenty of outdoor seating & even with a long line, there were many available tables to choose from.
Jolly Holiday Outdoor Seating
Jolly Holiday Table with Matching Umbrella
Jolly Holiday Patio Seating
While in line, the decor is distractingly adorable, so that makes it go even quicker! My absolute favorite thing to see were the stained glass penguins on the windows which looked so pretty from both the outside and inside.
Penguin Stained Glass Window Outside View
Stained Glass Penguin Window Inside View
Upon entering the bakery, I immediately noticed the detail of the room. The ceilings, light fixtures, wallpaper boarders, trim, it’s all there and it’s all practically perfect in every way!
Ceiling Details & Light Fixture
Light Fixture
Antique Looking Clock Above Counter Area
Since the line split in two, there was twice as much decor too look at which means I had to inspect both lines and excuse myself in front of strangers waiting in line to take some photo. Each line had a display case that held Mary Poppins themed decor. The display cases also doubled as condiment centers, which I thought was clever.
Diplay Case in Line
Spoonfull of Sugar Anyone?
Carousel in the Display Case
Second Display Case/Condiment Center
I LOVE this Mary Poppins Statue in the Display Case
Utensils & Condiments
So besides the cleverly disguised display/condiment centers, there were also some adorable pieces adorning the walls. My favorite were the silhouettes of Mary Poppins along with Jane and Michael Banks, initials and all. I wonder if one of the Main Street silhouette artists did them? They’re even in the same frames that the silhouette store sells!
Mary Poppins Character Silhouettes
Jolly Holiday Silhouettes Close Up
Wall Sconce & Art: A Robin Feathering His Nest, Has Very Little Time to Rest....
Another adorable item adorning the wall of Jolly Holiday is this super cute painting that features sayings/song lyrics from Mary Poppins. I took the time to read each one and as I did my mind immediately had me watching the scene from which it was taken. AND a big thanks goes out to DFB reader JR, for tipping us off that this tree mural is an homage to a former mural that once graced the walls of the old Plaza Pavilion, more details can be found here.
Mary Poppins Phrases/Song Lyrics Painting
And for the final art piece before you place your order… A beautiful mosaic on the floor. This is such a fun well thought out addition to the restaurant as it depicts the chalk painting that Mary Poppins, Bert, Jane & Michael hopped into for the Jolly Holiday scene. The mosaic is located on the ground in the center of the bakery just before you are directed to the register to place your order. A very friendly Cast Member pointed this out to me!
Jolly Holiday Happy Helper
Eats
The menu at Jolly Holiday features items that are all served after 10:30am. However the cases are full of baked goods including substantial items like Ham & Cheese Quiche that can be ordered and eaten for breakfast at an earlier hour.
Jolly Holiday Menu Board
Jolly Holiday Drink Menu Board
From the line, you can see the bakery cases that are filled to the brim with yummy treats. Some old favorites that made their way down from the recently closed Blue Ribbon Bakery and some new that I’d never seen before. Here’s a tour of the baked goodness.
Jolly Holiday Bakery Cases
Ham & Cheese Quiche
Seasonal Cupcake & Lemon Strawberry Cupcake
Mickey Shaped Chocolate Tart & Blackberry Cheesecake
Jolly Holiday Brownies
Chocolate Cream Cheese Bar & Lemon Meringue Bar
Fruit Tart & Flourless Chocolate Cake
Chocolate Chip Cookie & Raspberry Almond Twist
Pecan Bar & Matterhorn Macaroons
Raspberry Almond Twist & White Chocolate Macadamia Nut Cookie
Seasonal Pumpkin Muffin & Crispy Rice Treat
Chocolate Croissant & Butter Croissant
Chocolate Cappuccino Muffin & Blueberry Muffin
Holiday Mickey Cookie & Scone
Danish & Banana Nut Loaf
Cinnamon Roll
Bakery Case
After checking out everything in the cases my friend and I decided on a few early morning treats to try. We purchased a Ham & Cheese Quiche, a Chocolate Mickey Tart, and a Strawberry Lemon Cupcake. To drink we tried the Practically Perfect Punch and the Abuelita (Mexican Hot Chocolate). It was before 10:30, so we decided to taste test these items and then get back in line at around 11:00 for the lunch items! Awesome plan, right?
Our Taste Testing Table
Let’s start with our drinks. The “Practically Perfect Punch” was up first. I was sold by the name before I even asked what was in it. The menu out front says “Merry Cherry Lemonade” but inside there is no sign of it, it’s Practically Perfect Punch… Regardless the punch is awesome. It’s pomegranite limeade that is a perfect blend of sweet and tart without being too sweet. I really enjoyed it!
Practically Perfect Punch & Beverage Supplies
Practically Perfect Punch
The Abuelita, which is a Mexican Hot Chocolate was also fantastic. It’s basically a dark chocolate hot chocolate with a cinnamon flavor. It’s topped with whipped cream and served up warm. Really tasty!
Abuelita Mexican Hot Chocolate
A full line of coffee drinks are also available and served all day.
Coffee Bar
Now that we had some great beverages, it was time to dig into the food. The Ham & Cheese Quiche was first. It was served warm and had a great texture. The cheese was melty, and the pieces of ham were flavorful. The crust was also nice. Not too flaky, but not to hard, it was easy to cut through and had a nice buttery taste to it.
Ham & Cheese Quiche
Ham & Cheese Quiche Close Up
After out “entree” it was time for the first treat. The Mickey Shaped Chocolate Tart. I’ve never seen these at the Disneyland Resort, so I’m going to assume they are new. The tart has a Mickey shaped cookie type crust, it’s filled with a thick chocolate mousse and topped with a white chocolate Mickey face. So cute and tasty to boot. The mousse was really smooth and not too rich. Both my friend and I really enjoyed this one!
Mickey Shaped Chocolate Tart
Mickey Shaped Chocolate Tart Cross Section Close Up
After Mickey, we tried out the Strawberry Lemon Cupcake. It was moist lemon cake topped with whipped cream frosting, pink chocolate shavings, and sweet strawberries. I was worried this one was going to be too sweet, but it really wasn’t. I also thought it would taste artificial, but again, I was wrong. It was a light fruity flavor and was quite delightful. I love to see new cupcake flavors, especially the fruity flavors!
Strawberry Lemon Cupcake
Strawberry Lemon Cupcake Top Close Up
Strawberry Lemon Cupcake Cross Section
SO, now that it’s after 10:30am, it’s time to get back into line for some lunch eats. All of Jolly Holiday’s foods are pre-made, not made to order. They are prepared in the kitchen and then placed in the display cases and are warmed up as you order them. There is a cute vintage looking stove that appears to house the “soups” of the day, but I didn’t actually see them being served from the stove.
After 10:30, the display cases are re-arranged to display the lunch items. I did like the fact that you could view your food options prior to ordering them. There was even a dessert added that wasn’t there earlier in the morning, seasonal fruit pies, which happened to be apple! Other items in the cases included the following.
Ham & Cheese Quiche & Salad Combo
Salad Options for Quiche Combo
Angus Roast Beef Sandwich
Jolly Holiday Combo Sandwiches (Toasted Cheese)
Tomato & Mozzrella Sandwich
Oven Roasted Turkey Sandwich
Chicken Waldorf Sandwich
Angus Roast Beef Salad (Typo on Label)
Grilled Vegetable & Whole Grain Salad
Jolly Holiday Salad
Seasonal Fruit Pies (Apple)
With all of these delicious looking items, it was really hard to choose. We narrowed it down to the Jolly Holiday Combo, the Angus Roast Beef Salad, the Waldorf Chicken Sandwich, and a dessert that wasn’t in the case earlier, a Mini Apple Pie! The presentation of the food is very cute, all dishes are served on a tray with a “newspaper” lining that appears to be a vintage newspaper from January 17th. I was curious to see if this date was significant in Disney (particularly Mary Poppins) history so I checked out This Day in Disney History to find that there are several Disney events that took place that day. I have no idea if this date was chosen on purpose, it would sure be fun to know.
After trying to interpret the newspaper with no avail, we dug into the Jolly Holiday Combo, a Toasted Cheese Sandwich with Tomato Basil Soup. It looked delicious and sounded delicious & these are two of my favorite foods, so I was very excited. Unfortunately, this one was a bit of a let down. The cheese in our sandwich wasn’t melty at all, in fact it was kind of hard and plastic-like. I did LOVE the idea of it served in three “finger” type pieces for dipping, but I wouldn’t order this again unless I was promised melty cheese. The soup was also just OK to me. It was a bit bland and almost to creamy. Not enough tomato flavor for my taste. I was really sad when trying this one but not to worry, things were about to turn around completely!
Jolly Holiday Combo
Melt My Cheese Please!
Next up was the Angus Beef Salad with Blue Cheese Dressing; Iceberg Lettuce with Red and Yellow Tomatoes and Pickled Onions. It was fabulous. The beef was cooked just right and the ingredients in the salad were fresh. We really enjoyed the pickled onions, what an interesting ingredient and really really tasty. The salad is served with a breadstick that was also nice. Soft and fresh; it accompanied the salad perfectly.
Angus Beef Salad
Last “meal” up was the Waldorf Chicken Sandwich. My absolute favorite item of the day. I am a huge chicken salad sandwich fan and this one was fantastic. Apples, Walnuts, Celery and Dried Cranberries (aka Craisins) served up on a fresh Brioche Roll, I was in heaven. It was sweet in flavor with tons of white meat chicken chunks in the mix. The bread was very soft and not at all flaky like a croissant can be, what a nice change to add the Brioche roll. The sandwich comes with a nice piece of butter lettuce and what appear to be homemade chips (I didn’t confirm) that were served warm, crisp and salty.
Waldorf Chicken Sandwich
Waldorf Chicken Close Up
Potato Chips Served with the Waldorf Chicken Sandwich
After stuffing ourselves with all of this deliciousness, we had to make room for the grand finale, the seasonal fruit pie, which was a mini apple pie, lattice crust and all. The minute I saw this in the case, I knew I had to try it because it reminded me of the awesome mini blueberry pie over at Hungry Bear! I’m glad we chose this one, because it was just as good if not better than the blueberry one. Served warm, the layers upon layers of apples and cinnamon were literally one of the tastiest treats I have had at Disneyland. Like an old fashioned pie you’d picture winning a bake off. Really that good. The only thing that could make it better would be a mini scoop of vanilla ice cream, but Chef Oscar told us there was no ice cream on the premises!
Mini Apple Pie
Apple Pie Close Up
As we were finishing up our meal, Chef Oscar walked up to us to say hello and chat. It was great to see him (even though I had just seen him less than a week ago at Carnation Cafe) at his new “temporary” location. You could tell he was excited about the new digs, he walked around smiling and greeting every single person at every single table. He really is the ultimate Disney Food Ambassador.
Chef Oscar with his New Penguin Buddies
AND for one last fun tip check out the exit sign on your way out. See that cute penguin? If you stand in just the right position, he’s climbing the Matterhorn.
Jolly Holiday Exit Sign
Look, There's a Penguin Climbing the Matterhorn!
Overall
Overall, I am really excited about the Jolly Holiday Bakery, besides my non-melty cheese on the toasted cheese sandwich, everything was excellent. I am very excited to go back to try the other items on the menu and also sample some of the desserts that I’ve never had. The details and design of the restaurant were refreshing and fun. But it’s not like I’m biased or anything… 😉
Do you know how badly I wanted to show up in my Halloween Costume?
Heather Sievers is the Disney Food Blog’s Dining in Disneyland columnist. See more of her columns here!
Have you been by to check out the Jolly Holiday Bakery’s soft opening yet? Do you plan to eat there soon? Let us know in the comments below what you’re ordering!
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I should not have read this while hungry … makes me want to hop the first plane over to Disneyland! It all looks marvelous. Can’t wait to try it on our next trip.
That looks wonderful! I will be there next month and can’t wait to try it out!!
Oh, I just ate lunch and reading this post made me hungry all over again. All those yummy desserts… and the Practically Perfect Punch…
Thanks for an awesome review!
I can tell you really were excited and enjoyed doing this review Heather, it was awesome! Being a big Mary Poppins fan myself just the theme alone and atmosphere really make me want to go here.. I LOVE those chairs, tables, and umbrellas they have in the seating area… and all the food looks like stuff I would love! quiche? yes please! and that waldorf chicken salad looks so good! I’m usually not a big pie person but even the pie looked great.. I love how they have those little sugar granules on the top of the crust! If I’m lucky enough to get back out to Disneyland I will definitely be stopping by the Jolly Holiday Bakery!
@Vikki – Come on over!
@Stacie – Be sure to let us know what you think.
@James – The punch is so yummy, a must try!
@Marcellina – Thanks! I did enjoy it, such a fun new place. Great food and great atmosphere. I hope you can get out here to enjoy it in the near future.
Things I’m eating first when we go to Jolly Holiday Bakery: lemon meringue bar, quiche, roast beef sandwich, apple pie, mickey face tart, strawberry lemon cupcake, practically perfect punch. Then the lemon meringue bar again.
Great review! What was there before? I’ve always been Mary Poppins-obsessed (ok, just Julie Andrews-obsessed!) and would definitely want to visit. Such a nice and interesting variety of dishes.
Confession – I only live 100 miles from London and when I was a kid I thought Londoners actually spoke like Dick Van Dyke. My husband – a Londoner – finds that hilarious.
Great post Heather! I am so excited to check it out, going tonight actually for my husbands birthday and also on Sunday. I am super hungry for some of those treats now, yay!
What a wonderfull post Heather. I feel like I gained 5 pounds just reading it!
Mahalo,
Mark Hickson
Oh my gosh, what a wonderful report and what a great blog! Wow! So happy I found you! You’ve got a new follower.
I keep putting off my trip to Disneyland, but after reading this, I am going to swear off eating out and start saving my pennies. Yum yum yum!
O my goodness, I cant belive how much there is to choose from! I think I’ll eat there for every mean when we go, that way I can try it all.
@AJ – Get over here! Let’s go!
@Becca – Thanks! I am obsessed too! ; )
@Jennifer – Let us know what you tried.
@Mark – Thanks! That’s how I felt when I was taking all of the pics. Instant weight gain!
@Connie – Welcome to the DFB! Happy to have you!
@Melissa Sue – Save Save Save! You can do it.
@Christal – You could easily do that, I had back to back breakfast and lunch there.
The food and atmosphere look great. But man those prices are a bit ridiculous. The food portions are way too small for those high prices.
I also hope that you took the Toasted Cheese Sandwich from the Jolly Holiday combo back up to the counter. I have gotten food before at Disney quick service locations that has been undercooked, the cast members at the counter will be more than willing to give you a new meal if you are in any way dissatisfied with your meal.
Thank you for the nice review!
Great write-up! We read this article and just finished watching Mary Poppins!
I’ve been obsessed with the movie since 1964, I was four years old. My family are Disneyland fanatics and have all had annual passports for years.
We’ll be there first thing Sunday (1/8) morning. Can’t wait. May just eat everything on the menu.
I just want to buy every single item they have now!
Loved the post,you picked what I had decided (from the pictures) to have! The menu looks great, any place that has apple pie and chicken soup every day is my kind of place. Oh, and that ham and cheese quiche, wanting that right now, this early morning.
I’ve never understood why there weren’t more Mary Poppins themed eateries, attractions, etc in the Disney Parks. I’m glad such a wonderful movie is finally getting its due! Looks great 🙂
Everything sounds wonderful. I would have a hard time deciding what to try.
Great Review, and nice pictures!
The Mary Poppins lyrics Tree painting is a tribute to a mural that originally adorned the Plaza Pavilion restaurant.
More info:
http://miehana.blogspot.com/2011/11/i-speak-for-tree.html
@Zach – I didn’t send it back because we had so much food to try, if it would’ve been the only thing I was eating, I would have.
@Big Daddy – Let us know what you get tomorrow!
@Jamie – Me too, must try everything!
@Paula – The quiche is so yummy!
@Betsy – It was definitely time, yea for Mary Poppins!
@Joann – Tough choice, so many options.
@JR – SO cool! Thanks for the info and link. LOVE IT!! Might add it to the post if you don’t mind…
I too had a ‘grilled cheese’ that wasn’t toasted. However, my soup was served from the vintage stove! Nice thematic touch. If the combo proves popular hopefully it will be refined in its execution. It could become a signature item.
Love how much detail Disney puts into everything right down to a “chalk” painting, even though it doesn’t completely match the one in Mary Poppins. I have been to Disney World, but I have never been to Disneyland! It is definitely on my list! That cupcake look divine!
Sitting at work (at Walt Disney World)…hungry…reading about food…waiting for my lunch break… That’s probably not a good idea! I wish our cast cafeteria food was as good as this stuff! 😀
Sounds and looks so yummy.:)
@Colin – It’s a great idea! I hope they perfect it!
@Ainsley – Not a perfect match on the painting, but still love it!
@Emma – Hope you found something tasty to have for lunch!
@Jenny – It is yummy!
Thanks for the review Heather. I was there Friday but I had a blue corn tamale at the Rancho instead. I’m looking forward to the quiche, chicken salad sandwich, punch and desserts. It opened at a practically perfect time.
Ate there yesterday (Saturday) for lunch. We had the angus roast beef sandwich, tomato soup, and the ham and cheese quiche. The angus roast beef sandwich was lacking a lot of flavor we felt, and in fact it really didn’t start tasting ok until we started dunking it into the soup. The soup was pretty flavorful I felt. It was a good bisque-ey (yes I said bisque-ey – lol) consistency. The quiche was delicious, but so so tiny. It was a nice surprise to see that you got a breadstick when you order the soup a-la-cart. And the homemade chips you get with the sandwich were tasty as well, and I love that they are made fresh there.
I would definitely go back and try a few of the other lunch items. And we spoke with the manager (she actually came out and was asking us what we thought of the place) and was pleasantly surprised to find out that some of the menu items will change seasonally, like a soup, salad and sandwich. This pleases me.
Let’s see if the Managers (and Chef Oscar) are taking suggestions to heart to make it Practically Perfect in every way…
They need to have a tray of dished Vanilla Ice Cream scoops available in a little freezer (set perfectly at about 25F dipping temperature) if they are serving Apple Pie. Apple Pie A La Mode is The Law!!1! Break it at your peril. ;-P
I forgot yesterday and got dinner at the Golden Horseshoe, and had to stop myself – 1) A waist is a terrible thing to mind, 2) The line was almost back to Tiki Room… I’ll hit them next visit.
Oh, and they could put tbe Ragtime Piano on the porch at Jolly Holiday till Coke Corner reopens – all they need is one night to do is put the Damp-Chaser power receptacle back in the box. The pianists already know the whole Mary Poppins songbook.
—<>—
The Jolly Holiday has only been open for four days (two of them soft opening days) and I’ve already gone twice. Lol.
I agree with your review on the Jolly Holiday combo. I did get melted cheese on my sandwich, but I prefer good old American cheese on my grilled cheese and I believe Disney’s is cheddar. Otherwise, the bread was buttery and the sandwich had a good overall flavor, but the crust was a bit hard. Dunking it in the soup made it so much better. The soup itself was definitely lacking flavor. I couldn’t taste any of the basil and it needed more of a roasted tomato flavor. Even some parmesan cheese, or just plain salt and pepper, would’ve made it taste better. The hard crust on my sandwich sort of became croutons for my soup (they fell in once I got to the edges of my sandwich) and I thought even that would be a great addition to the soup.
On both Friday and Sunday (today), I was told that the Classic Chicken Noodle Soup that’s on the menu was not available. Instead, they’ve had corn chowder all weekend. On Friday, two cast members told me the tomato soup was much better than the corn chowder, which isn’t very reassuring given the mediocre reviews of the tomato soup.
When I tried to order a quiche for lunch today around 1pm they were completely out and wouldn’t have any for another hour or two. =/ That’s when the cast member told me the quiches are made at the hotel and carted in.
The same cast member also mentioned that the menu currently on the wall is not final. He did say some items would be “signature” items that they’d have all year, but the rest is seasonal. Sadly, he didn’t say which items were the signature items, though I’m guessing the items with the borders are the seasonal items.
Because of the double fail today – no quiche and no chicken noodle soup – I ended up going to Plaza Inn for lunch. But I do want to try more of the desserts – especially the Chocolate Mickey Tart, Fruit Tart and Lemon Strawberry Cupcake! And after reading your review, I do want to try the chicken salad sandwich now.
I am completely in love with the theming of the restaurant. I thought I loved the penguin stained glass windows most until I saw the tile mosaics on the floor that are actually the chalk paintings from the movie. Add in great food, this sounds like a slam dunk at Disney!
We went on Sunday and had both breakfast and lunch at “Jolly Holiday”. I can say that we were NOT disappointed!
The decorating was terrific, the line moved quickly and there were always plenty of tables available.
The quiche was delicious. We also shared a lemon strawberry cupcake, a Mickey shaped chocolate tart, a cinnamon roll, a pecan bar and a brownie. All were delicious. Actually can’t find a complaint on any.
Lunch may have even been better. The Angus Roast Beef sandwich was obviously the crowd favorite. Everywhere we looked those were being gobbled up. I had one and thoroughly enjoyed it, found it very flavorful. My wife loved the Chicken Waldorf sandwich (I had a bite, it was terrific). Both my daughters had a very tasty turkey sandwich and my 13 year old son (who wasn’t very hungry after eating a giant corn dog) had the kids mac & cheese, and said that it rivaled the mac & cheese from the Blue Bayou.
The Practically Perfectly Punch was a bit tart for my taste but my son loved it. Oh, and we had a lemon-meringue bar, Matterhorn macaroon and chocolate cupcake for dessert, again all delicious.
During our meal we were visited by both Mary and Bert -wow Julie Andrews has aged well 🙂
If I had to complain about anything (and I really don’t) is that we sat next to the wall the fence of the restaurant shares with the Tiki Room and instead of hearing pleasant Mary Poppins music, we were inundated with singing birds. Lol See this really isn’t much of a complaint.
I can say that we have definitely found our new “at least one meal a day restaurant” at Disneyland. With our annual passports we go frequently and we are all looking forward to our next trip to the “Jolly Holiday” bakery.
The food offerings look great and I love the penguins, but I have to say I’m disappointed that the coffee menu looks pretty much the same as the sorry stuff they served at the Blue Ribbon.
When the Jolly Holiday Bakery was first announced I was excited to hear the phrase “improved coffee menu” – or words to that effect – but it looks pretty much the same. Has anyone tried a coffee – maybe the quality has improved??
I have never been able to get a decent espresso anywhere at DL – with the exception of the Peets Espresso they sell at Hagen Daz in Downtown Disney. It’s not rocket science, so I’m not sure why a good strong espresso is so hard to find anywhere in the Anaheim district!
@Mimsy – I wanted the blue corn tamales on Saturday, but they switched them to regular, blue corn were only there on Friday! Let us know what you think of Jolly Holiday when you get over there!
@Matt – I’m looking forward to seeing what the seasonal changes are too!
@Nicole – I’ve already been twice too! ; ) You def need to go back for dessert sampling & Waldorf Chicken sandwich!
@Melissa – I LOVE LOVE LOVE it too!
@Big Daddy – Glad you loved it and BTW, I sat on the Tiki Room side for one of my visits and the tribal drumming was a bit distracting. Would’ve LOVED to hear the Mary Poppins music.
@Sarah – I’m not a coffee drinker but my husband is and he has the EXACT same complaint as you. He loved that Disneyland Paris had authentic Espresso stands…
I went yesterday for the first time and got the Caprese sandwich, a latte, and the cream cheese chocolate bar. They told me that the sandwich came with chips, BUT I could also choose to substitute the fruit cup, side salad, or soup! Crazy! I am a fan of chips but I was fighting a cold yesterday so I went with the soup. The reason I think it’s crazy is that for 8.99 you could get a white bread and cheddar grilled cheese that is WORSE than the one you make at home for a few cents, plus a cup of soup, OR for 8.99 you can get one of their awesome and huge sandwiches with like 20 unique and delicious ingredients, plus a cup of soup. Similarly, you could get the mini quiche and salad meal for 8.99, or get the salad with one of those huge, beautiful sandwiches that are much larger and filling than the quiche for the same price. The “house specialties” are more like bizarre ripoffs when this side substitution thing comes into play. There was absolutely no upcharge for my substitution.
I went today with a friend. We both had the tomato soup and grilled cheese. It was very good and NOT A BAD PRICE.
The only draw back is the CHEAP BLACK PLASTIC BOWl AND PLATE it was served on. The CLEVER English NEWS PAPER PRINT PAPER under the bowl was a GREAT TOUCH. too bad it was paired with the plastic serving pieces. Disneyland did this plastic junk several years ago with the Plaza Inn and later realized how cheap it made the experience of dining there. They have long since changed to real ceramic dishware. Smart move.
The bakery items looked nice and fresh. (Disneyland has really improved on their bakery offerings here.) The service was a little slow and it was a very light day attendance wise at the park. But I just thought it was due to the place just opening. Friendly cast members however.
The interior says Home Depot all over it. Too bad really. Disneyland used to be a real class act when it came to details like that. The “off the shelf” looking bakery cases don’t mix well with the charm of the former interior. The little touches on the wall were nice starting points, but really lack detail and are very sparse. (The display case with a Mary Poppions figurine, a bowl of sugar(?) and a bird looked like after thoughts in a display case that looks empty and really needs help. Perhaps a budget concern. The interior of the Plaza Inn is much better theme wise and more complete. The interior music was a nice touch, but a little too loud. Perhaps making up for the lack of theme and props budget.
I may go again when I return. But, if you are looking for overall Disneyland charm and complete storyline you pay for at the Main Gate, dine across the plaza at the Plaza Inn.
Any possibility the “newspaper” is the same stuff that they use at the fish & chips stand in the UK at EPCOT?
@Formercast – I would LOVE to see cute ceramic dishware here.
@Elizabeth – We’ll have to check on that! Would be interesting to find out.
Just wanted to let you know, the “newspaper” tray liner is not unique to Disney, it looks to be a generic food service item that any restaurant would be able to obtain. I’ve seen the exact same sheets used by the Fish Company in Los Alamitos with their Fish & Chips meal. Just had one of those yesterday, in fact. 🙂
@Mary – Thanks for letting us know! And, fun fact, I grew up in Los Al! ; )
This is pretty much the best blog post ever.
I really, really want to go here…
The last time I went to Disneyland I kind of stalked Mary and Bert though so I thought I’d better cool it for a few. This place looks awesome.
I’m so glad that I came across this article. It was wonderful fun to read through it. I’m an East Coast WDW person, but would love to go to the DLR if ever given the chance. Mary Poppins was a special favorite movie in my childhood. It just held so much magic for me and I even read all of the books. I love this eatery! It’s so charming and if I ever get to go to Uncle Walt’s park, this is the first place I am going to go. The food and decor are fantastic; thanks so much for sharing this with us and do such a great job on it. Your photos and text were a joy!
@Heather – Thanks! I’m a huge Mary Poppins fan too! Hope you get to go to Jolly Holiday in the near future!
@Essie – Thanks & I’m glad you found it too! Your kind words are much appreciated! Mary Poppins is a favorite of mine too! I hope you get to visit Disneyland and eat here some time soon!
Wanted to give an updated review. We tried the angus roast beef sandwich again, just to see if it was better than the last time we tried it on opening weekend. I’m happy to report that this time around, it was MUCH MUCH better. It had a lot of flavor, and there was no need to alter it by adding anything to it. Maybe we just got a batch of sandwiches the first time around that they were still working the kinks out of.
A new complaint was the line. It only went to the door, and both sides were open. However, the right side had 3 cashier/order takers, while the side we chose, the left, had 2. We could have gone out of our line twice and into the other side and ordered 2 times before we actually got to the register. Our side cast members seemed to be talking to each other and getting distracted A LOT, which was frustrating. I think we were in line about 15-20 minutes.
@Matt – Thanks for the update. I’m also not a fan of the line there. I actually haven’t even been back to give it a second chance because the line always seem to be really long when I walk by!
Any information on gluten free items?
@Dan – Not sure, but I can try to find out!
I absolutely LOVED the theming of Jolly Holiday. It fits in so well with Main Street. We actually loved it so much we ended up eating there twice during our trip last month. I didn’t even notice the spoonful of sugar and the weathervane until seeing your pictures–very cool details. I got the caprese sandwich both times–really good, and the chips were delicious too.
I’m really glad they changed the exit sign, much better now–it says “Don’t stay away too long,” the last spoken line from the film, said to Mary Poppins by Bert. And it being the last place we ate before heading home, it felt very appropriate.
Do they have the orange frap like blue ribbon did? That was my favorite drink!
I ordered the roast beef sandwich but without horseradish, so they had to make it to order. A good way to get a fresh one (takes longer though of course) but it was delicious