food IS a theme park
Looking for a reason to make the trek back into the depths of Disneyland’s Critter Country? Don’t let those construction tarps fool you, there’s actually quite a good reason to head to Hungry Bear!
Hungry Bear Restaurant in Critter Country
Churro. Funnel. Cake.
There’s only a week left in October – how is that possible? That means you only have a few more weeks to get to the 2015 Epcot Food and Wine Festival! The Festival ends on November 16!
Carrot Cake Cupcake
Halloween is almost over at Disney World and Disneyland, but there’s still time to get to Mickey’s Not-So-Scary Halloween Party and enjoy all the sweet Halloween treats! But hurry because soon the gingerbread houses and holiday lights will be up!
We have a lot to share, so let’s jump right in…
Check out all the latest Disney Food News — even the stuff we don’t mention in posts on the blog! — on our Disney Food News Pin Board, including menu updates, restaurant closures, special events, and more!
We’ve got all the latest for you, so check it out before you go.
The Hungry Bear Restaurant in Critter Country is what I’d consider a hidden gem of Disneyland. The counter service restaurant is nestled way in the back of the park along the Rivers of America. The lines are never too terrible, there’s plenty of seating, and more importantly the food is quite wonderful!
Hungry Bear Restaurant
Here we are — right in the middle of the lazy, hazy, crazy days of Summer! The crowds and the heat are up at Disney.
We Bid Goodbye to Plastic Cheese at Counter Service Locations
And so’s the fun! With lots of new spots opening, like Vivoli Gelateria in Downtown Disney (soon to be Disney Springs) and new experiences to try (Frozen Summer Fun, anyone?), there’s never a dull moment.
But we’ve also seen some crazy big news this week — at least in terms of Disney Foods with a Cult Following. That’s right — I’m lookin’ at YOU, Plastic Cheese.
We won’t keep you in suspense any longer. Let’s take a look around at what we’ve covered, and then see all the food fun that’s happening around the interwebs this week.
Are YOU kicking off the Disneyland Resort Diamond Celebration by spending a FULL 24 HOURS with Mickey and the gang in Disneyland and Disney California Adventure?!
©Disney
That’s right! The eagerly anticipated Diamond Anniversary Celebration officially begins this Friday, May 22nd, at 6 am — the same day Walt Disney World launches the “Coolest Summer Ever” with Magic Kingdom’s 24 hour day. Now, 24 hours may seem like a LOT of time… but when you see all the special treats created just for the occasion, you may find that 24 hours isn’t nearly enough!
And we would love it if YOU would help us all join in the fun! Are you attending the 24-hour celebration on either coast? If so, please feel welcome to send us any and all pictures — be they of food or just plain FUN — from your experience! Just let us know how you’d like to be credited on your pictures, and we’ll do our best to include as many as possible in our ongoing coverage this Friday! You can send pictures to us on twitter, Facebook, email us at [email protected], or @ us on instagram!
And now… back to the FOOD!! Special dishes and snacks will abound in Disneyland and Disney California Adventure throughout the celebration.
Don’t forget that World of Color Dining Packages are available for the new “World of Color — Celebrate!” show. Unique to the 24-hour event are 2-course, prix fixe breakfast packages available from midnight to 1:45 am on May 23rd at Ariel’s Grotto (as a non-character meal) and Wine Country Trattoria, offering reserved viewing for a special 3 am World of Color show.
Ariel’s Grotto
Wine Country Trattoria
Though online it appears as though Dining Reservations are currently full, you never know when you might happen upon a cancellation.
There is a LOT of ground to cover for the all-around-the-park eats, so let’s start in Disneyland! The signature Disneyland Diamond Celebration Cupcake will be featured at Jolly Holiday Bakery Cafe.
Disneyland Diamond Anniversary Cupcake
The Diamond Anniversary Ice Cream Sandwich offers a cool twist on the celebratory treats with your choice of ice cream between two sugar cookies. Find it at Gibson Girl Ice Cream Parlor, alongside an Ice Cream Sundae served in a souvenir kitchen sink!
Gibson Girl Ice Cream Parlor
©Disney
Mickey Kitchen Sink Sundae from above — faucet close up
I wonder how many people will be lining up at the Stage Door Cafe for this Mocha Chip Funnel Cake?
©Disney
Plenty of savory dishes for longer term sustenance (you’re gonna need it!) will be [Read more…]
Did someone say cupcakes?!?!
As I’m sure you know, Disneyland has a rather big birthday coming up. The resort will celebrate its 60th Anniversary in July. But you don’t have to wait until the middle of Summer to have your cake and eat it too!
On May 22, Disneyland and Disney California Adventure will debut some fun (and delish) treats to mark Disneyland’s Diamond Anniversary Celebration.
While cupcakes are usually more of an East Coast Disney thing than a West Coast one, when Disneyland does ’em, they’re incredible. Beginning May 22, find a Lemon-flavorored Cupcake at Jolly Holiday Bakery Cafe. Why lemon? It’s the perfect flavor to celebrate the Victorian theme of Main Street USA.
Disneyland Diamond Anniversary Cupcake, Available at Jolly Holiday Bakery Cafe
Disneyland Diamond Anniversary Cupcake, Available at Jolly Holiday Bakery Cafe
Similar Cupcakes will be available at Fiddler, Fifer & Practical Cafe in Disney California Adventure — but the flavor will be Orange there to represent the 1930s vibe of Buena Vista Street.
In addition to the cupcakes, Disneyland will release lots of new, limited-time beverages. I gotta say — I’m a little perplexed why they’d offer five different drinks that look and sound incredibly similar. 😉
Enchanted Cherry Apple Frozen Lemonade from Troubadour Tavern
Honey Bee Frozen Lemonade from Hungry Bear Restaurant
But I’ll reserve judgement until I get to try a few! I think I’m mostly looking forward to the [Read more…]
We’re featuring one of our favorite Disneyland snacks today. But we aren’t just gonna tell you about how awesome it is; we’re giving you the recipe, too!
If you haven’t had the pleasure of dining at Disneyland’s Hungry Bear Restaurant, I suggest you remedy that the very next time you can!
Hungry Bear Restaurant
And once you finish up a hearty lunch or dinner at this rustic spot with a view, be sure to save room for dessert.
We love their individual pies…
Trixie’s Pie
But we can never pass up their Lemon Bumblebee Cupcake!
Lemon Bumblebee Cupcake from the Hungry Bear Restaurant
Cupcakes aren’t nearly as much a thing in Disneyland as they are in WDW (where we’ve devoted entire crawls to them!), but this one is exceptional!
Lemon Bumblebee Cupcake — Cross Section
So we were pretty excited to find this recipe — what’s not to love when there’s lemon curd involved?!? The perfect treat for the first weekend of 2015, no?
, Disneyland
Makes 16 Lemon Bumblebee Cupcakes (plus 8 extra plain cupcakes)
Are you looking forward to seeing Fantasmic! at Disneyland, but waiting to grab a seat… well, not so much?
Fantasmic Finale at Disneyland
Beginning November 12, guests will be able to book dining experiences for Fantasmic shows starting December 12. Each dining package includes a Fastpass for Fantasmic (which will be a requirement for seats in reserved viewing starting December 12).
There are four packages to choose from:
Guests can book the Blue Bayou Restaurant “Fantasmic!” Dinner Dining Package. This package includes one three-course meal (an appetizer, entree, and dessert, along with a beverage), a special Fantasmic! souvenir, along with the Fastpass for Fantasmic! The price (tax and gratuity not included) is $61.00 for adults, $23.00 for children ages 3-9. Dinner seatings will begin at 4:00 pm.
Blue Bayou Sign
The River Belle Terrace will open exclusively to guests enjoying the River Belle Terrace “Fantasmic!” Dinner Dining Package. While River Belle Terrace will remain open as a quick service for breakfast until 2:00 pm every day, the spot will transition into a Table Service experience for Fantasmic guests. Dinner seatings will begin at 3:00 pm, and will include one three-course meal (an appetizer, entree, and dessert, along with a beverage) along with the Fantasmic Fastpass. The price (tax and gratuity not included) is $41.99 for adults, $21.99 for children ages 3-9.
River Belle Terrace
Prefer to fill up the critters [Read more…]
Our favorite new treat this week — the Caramel Apple Funnel Cake from Disneyland’s Hungry Bear Restaurant! This is one you simply have to try if you’re lucky enough to be headed to Anaheim anytime soon.
Caramel Apple Funnel Cake from Hungry Bear
Plus, click below for all the details on this week’s Disney Food News…
Check out all the latest Disney Food News — even the stuff we don’t mention in posts on the blog! — on our Disney Food News Pin Board, including restaurant closures, Victoria Falls Lounge at the Animal Kingdom Lodge is featuring a new menu with tapas, and more!
We’ve got all the latest for you, so check it out before you go.
If you find a fun new food — or other edible awesomeness — in or from Disney, share a photo with us on facebook or twitter so we can add it to our DFB Reader Finds each Sunday!
DFB Reader Megan shared this: seasonal treat at Be Our Guest Restaurant in Magic Kingdom: “I enjoyed a Halloween Chocolate Cream Puff with Blood Orange filling on September 28 ( a MNSSHP night). Beware: there is TONS of strongly flavored filling. The cake is excellent and the presentation is so cute, but there was definitely too much filling for my liking.”
Halloween Chocolate Cream Puff with Blood Orange filling
Facebook Friend, Sue, sampled this chocolate candy corn cupcake from the Mara at Disney’s Animal Kingdom Lodge.
Halloween Cupcake
What’s your Favorite Find? We can’t wait to see it!
We’re thrilled to announce that the 2014 DFB Guide to Animal Kingdom and Hollywood Studios Snacks e-Book is now available!
And in honor of our grand launch, you can get the new Guide for $3 off the regular purchase price for a limited time — just use code SNACKS14 at the check-out!
With over 280 pages of delicious snacks, the DFB Guide to Animal Kingdom and Hollywood Studios Snacks is part of our DFB Guide Snacks Series!
As always, you will enjoy an instantly downloadable PDF guide with comprehensive information and advice on well over 250 delicious snacks that you can savor at the Animal Kingdom and Disney’s Hollywood Studios parks in the Walt Disney World resort.
Good food is tops. But having a delicious meal with a lovely view makes everything taste even better, I think. And I’m pretty sure you agree with me, since we both love Disney!
Disneyland Dole Whip Float
I’m feeling a little homesick for the Park that Started It All today, so I thought I’d take a virtual trip to Disneyland and check out a few of my favorite spots that offer not just great food, but also cool stuff to look at. I’ll be honest — sometimes, it’s the view that draws me to a couple of these spots, even more than the eats!
Let’s take a look at some of our favorite Disneyland Meals with a View!
When thinking of a restaurant with a view, your mind may immediately jump to something outside — say, a river or a mountain. We’ll get to those, for sure — but we’re going to start with the Bayou.
That’s right. Our first meal with a view takes place at that Disney landmark, Blue Bayou. It may be Southern Cali sunny when you enter, but inside, the sky is inky blue, and the mood is foreboding.
Night Falls on the Bayou
Something mysterious and slightly sinister is in the air. Could it be…Pirates?
Should We Warn Them They’re About to Encounter Scallywags?
Yes, indeedy! Because Blue Bayou overlooks the entrance to Pirates of the Caribbean. So you’ll have a chance to see folks off at the beginning of their perilous journey.
Fortunately, you’re safe on the terrace of this gracious Southern mansion, about to tuck into some delicious, Cajun-inspired food.
The Beautiful Terrace Seating Area
Blue Bayou is open for lunch and dinner, but we prefer the former. That’s the only time you can get the famous and incredibly delicious Monte Cristo Sandwich.
Le Special de Monte Cristo Sandwich
Classic food with a classic view. It’s a pretty special way to pass the time.
When I’m in the mood for a little grown-up libation, I love to head over to Cove Bar in Disney California Adventure.
You’ll find this somewhat hidden gem situated above Ariel’s Grotto overlooking Paradise Pier. And it’s the location that makes this stop so special (though the food ain’t half bad).
View from Cove Bar
That covered area with the beautiful seaside touches is a great place to relax and unwind. With the shady patio seating and close proximity to the water, you’ll often enjoy cool breezes that make you feel like you’re inside and outside at the same time!
And while most of the drinks here are part of the Standard Disney Bar Menu, you will find a couple specialty drinks as well. Personally, I think it’s a fantastic opportunity to indulge in that Disney classic cocktail, the [Read more…]
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