So, you’re up in space (I know — “What else is new,” right?) and suddenly you have a hankerin’ for a slice of pizza. Before space pilot Redd Rockett came along, your mission would have been… well, impossible.
But not anymore, thanks to Redd Rockett’s Pizza Port in Disneyland’s Tomorrowland!
You see, the backstory for Pizza Port revolves around the difficulty experienced by astronauts of finding a “decent pizza” in space (#SpaceProblems — you know how it goes). That is, until Redd Rockett decided to solve that problem once and for all by setting up a pizza port in the sector. Its success was so great that Redd opened up a second location right here on Earth, in Tomorrowland, located near Space Mountain.
Get ready to blast off with us on another visit to Redd Rockett’s Pizza Port!
Atmosphere
As you’ve likely surmised from the backstory (and just the fact that it’s located in Tomorrowland), Pizza Port offers a whimsical take on space travel in the decor.
Fun props display methods of preparation so astronauts can enjoy their favorite earth foods!
The bright, vivid colors give it a fun feel, while remaining a bit of a tribute to the late 90s when Pizza Port opened in the spot that was formerly home to the Mission to Mars attraction.
Nods to the more vintage feel of Tomorrowland’s classic retro-future vibe can be spotted in attraction posters lining the walls.
There is seating aplenty both indoors and out, for groups large and small.
So let’s see what’s up for grabs at the Pizza Port.
Eats
Well, obviously it’s called “Pizza Port” for a reason. But while the emphasis is on slices, there are actually three different stations serving up pizza, pasta, and salads.
It’s just a matter of approaching the stations to check out the offerings, and the nice thing is this allows you to have a glimpse at pretty much everything before you make your choice. So let’s take it station by station.
Pizza Station
Beginning with the headliner dish, the Pizza Station serves up fairly standard slices alongside a couple less traditional styles. And as with the other stations, you’ll gather quickly that checking out the names of the items is part of the interplanetary fun, like the Lunar Cheese and Mega Pepperoni Pizza. The Venus Vegetarian is fairly self-explanatory (and we’ll be diving into a slice soon), but the Supernova Pizza Special is rather unique.
It’s shawarma chicken topping mozzarella cheese while a curry-oiled crust is further garnished with a lemon-enhanced relish of tomato, cilantro, onion and cucumber, all drizzled with garlic yogurt. These specialty slices will likely switch out regularly.
Next up? Pasta!
Pasta Station
You’ll see later that we selected the Mars-inara with meatballs, but other choices include the Terra Nova Tomato Basil Pasta.
I resisted the Count Down Chicken Fusili this time, but it wasn’t easy.
I’d enjoyed it before and I gotta say… it’s outta this world (Yep. Had to. 😉 )!
Salad Station
Offerings at the Salad Station feature a standard Celestial Caesar Chicken Salad and Asian Chicken Salad tossed in a hoisin-soy vinaigrette.
Pepperoni spices up the Planetary Pizza Salad, topped with a parmesan-mozzerella cheese blend.
Starfield of Greens is available in an entree size or scaled down side version.
Speaking of sides, the Breadsticks (served with dipping sauce) are currently served up in festive Disneyland Resort Diamond Celebration packaging.
Kids Meals include a Kid-size Pizza and Space-getti with Meatballs, and Yummy Cheesy Macaroni is the Toddler Meal option.
Before heading over to purchase your meal, be sure to check out the refrigerated cases of grab-and-go drinks and desserts.
You’ll spot things like condiments and whole fruit to complete your meal as well.
And, of course, there are a few further temptations you’ll find at the cash registers before making your purchase.
Got everything? Good! It’s time to make your purchase.
Armed with a couple slices, pasta, and dessert (but of course!), we grabbed our table. First things first: if you’re gonna review a pizza spot, you gotta grab at least one slice of the standard. In this case, that’s the Mega Pepperoni.
Sooo… how “mega” is it? Not remarkably so. I mean, the pepperoni slices are fairly large, but even they’re not especially noteworthy. The flavor is good here, but the crust is pretty doughy — so be prepared.
I do need to give at least some props, though, to the Venus Vegetarian Pizza: it was fairly well stacked with the seasonal vegetable toppings, which included some rather unique choices like artichoke and zucchini among the more typical mushrooms and Hidden Mickeys made of black olives.
No, seriously — check out the lower left corner of the photo below and just try to tell me those three olive pieces do not form a perfect Mickey shape. While I’m 99.9% sure that was unintentional, it’s still kinda rad.
My recommendation is to stick with the pastas over the pizza here. This time I went with the Mars-inara Pasta with meatballs which, granted, is pretty standard. Just your basic spaghetti and meatballs, but the decent amount of fresh-grated Parmesan is a nice touch, and the sheer portion size makes this a better buy than the pizza slices. I also enjoy the super-thin, angel-hair type pasta used in this dish. (Still the Countdown Fusili will always be my pasta preference here at the Port.)
It occurred to me during my last visit to Tomorrowland Terrace when I enjoyed the Carrot Cake and Chocolate Parfait that the basic in-a-cup variety desserts at Disneyland Counter Service spots have been bumped up a notch.
I found the same thing to be true at the Pizza Port, where I went with the Tiramisu — a fitting dessert choice for the Italian options here. The plentiful, creamy mascarpone base was nicely dusted with spice, and topped with a spot of whipped cream and piece of dark chocolate for garnish.
Now, the custard base did very much overwhelm the ladyfingers — which was honestly fine by me, since I think the custard is the best part of Tiramisu. But if you’re a bigger fan than I am of the soaked spongecake, that’s something to keep in mind.
Once we wrapped up dessert, it was time to hightail it to Space Mountain… with thanks to Redd Rockett for the provisions, of course ;).
Overall
Well, I hate to say it, but it’s pretty much “meh” at the Pizza Port for me. The backstory is cute, but there is nothing so remarkable about it that makes it a must-visit, especially given that the food doesn’t particularly stand out, either.
True, your basic Disney pizza joint is never going to get a rave review from me. But I get where it fills a need: it’s difficult to think of a more universally appealing dish than pizza, so families trying to make their way around the park while also feeding the kiddos may find this to be an agreeable stop where everyone can find something. My recommendation, in that case, is to stick with one of the more memorable pasta dishes while the little ones fill up on pizza.
Have you grabbed a slice at Redd Rockett’s? Let us know in the comments below!
Tori says
I don’t know that this was ever in our “go to” list before…but I was very happy with their gluten free choices on our last trip. That’s always a +1 for me.
Richard says
Every trip we stop by at least once and get a slice of Venus Vegetarian!
Now, if a single slice isn’t enough and adding a salad is too much just ask for a side salad and you’ll be fine!
Jenn says
I haven’t been in probably 3 years but have they gotten rid of the horrid smell? The smell of dirty rotten feet and stale, old, bad quality parmesan cheese? I’m not sure why every time I went in there I was knocked over by the smell and I couldn’t even think to eat there. Not to mention the pizza looked just like standard theme park pizza with a few more toppings! 😀
Deneice says
Agreed with the “meh,” but I looooooove the Count Down Chicken (well…haven’t had it in forever) and the salads aren’t bad.
Caitlin says
The spaghetti fed 3 grown adults on one of my trip. Wasn’t awful, wasn’t good but the fact the 3 of us could share it and be full is amazing at Disney. The bread sticks however, are inedible fyi. Legit worst bread I ever had, no exaggeration.
Carole says
We eat here often (fam of six plus friends). The taste and quality is for sure meh, but decent. However! The lines are generally short and fast. The pasta portions are a HUGE bang for the buck. The salads are also pretty large. If you can talk everyone into a pile of pasta and salad a la Buca, this is actually a pretty solid choice. I will caution that once the weather gets cold and rainy, the majority of the seating is outside where it will be mildly miserable.
Susan says
My favorites here are the Asian chicken and Italian salads, but I liked them better when they were served in clear bowls.
Rhonda says
We love the Chicken Fusilli and the oriental salad. We’ve never tried anything else, because you can get pizza anywhere outside the park, and for much less. For 5 of us, we get two of the chicken pasta, and one salad. Much better than a burger for a light meal.
We don’t really like the atmosphere, but its OK.
Lorina says
Totally agree on the “meh” rating! And somehow I always find myself near Redd Rockett’s when I’m hungry. Those pizza slices always look so inviting when you are ready to eat. Haha! I will stick to the pasta if I’m stuck there. My husband is not picky (*gasp*) so we always end up eating wherever we are when he gets hungry.
Bob says
I’ve never actually had the pizza because the slices are really small for the price. A lot of by the slice pizza places have slices that are pretty substantial, but these are like paying for a medium pizza at Pizza Hut and getting one slice of it.
The pasta is another story. These are decent sized servings. I think Boardwalk in DCA is better, but Redd’s is pretty good, and it’s far superior to the lame pasta offerings at Plaza Inn.
Elizabeth says
Gluten free pizza is great, my 4 year old grandson just said he was hungry for Redd Rocketts’s pizza. Thanks for having a great gluten free option for kids, would the chef care to share the dough recipe?
Lisa Brewer says
I eat here every time I go to Disneyland which is at least once a month. I enjoy the curly noodles with Alfredo sauce, hold the chicken. I get the child’s portion as I am not a big eater and usually go alone to the Magic Kingdom. I enjoy the small bag of carrots and piece of fruit included. I usually get a fountain drink and give the juice to a parent around me with small children.
I find the food here to be wonderful. The chefs are very friendly and willing to accommodate to special diet needs. I am allergic to onion! That nixes most restaurants in the park. The chefs have made salads for me and even checked the ingredients on the dressing. They get high praises from me.
The booths are comfortable and always spotlessly clean.
I look forward to my next visit.