I’m sure you’ve gathered this about me by now, but I am a HUGE Disney history fan. I find Walt fascinating, and I love everything about his life and the history of the parks he built. This makes me a sucker for Disneyland, the original Disney Park, painstakingly built by Walt. I love the attention to detail and the charm the smaller park holds. One of these charming, detailed places is Cafe Orleans; tucked away in New Orleans Square, it has one of the best patios in any Disney Park.
Last September, we had the pleasure of dining at Cafe Orleans, which has been around in some form (it was originally a quick service restaurant) since the late 60s. The restaurant features both indoor and outdoor seating, but we thought the patio was highly preferable, with views of the bustling park, and shady tree cover. The inside emotes a feeling of old New Orleans, with deep reds and french-styled chairs. One of our favorite parts of the restaurant was Walt’s espresso machine that was on display that he brought back from Italy. Our server, (who was fantastic), even brought out a picture from the back of Walt WITH the espresso machine. It was two of my favorite things in one picture, and I could hardly contain my excitement.
Now on to the reason you’re all reading this – and the reason we were there – the FOOD. I was pleasantly surprised by the prices at Cafe Orleans. We’re so used to restaurants at WDW, which tend to have high prices, that the completely reasonably-priced restaurants at Disneyland were a pleasant change of pace. We started with the Pommes Frites with comes with a Cajun Spice Remoulade. Our fantastic waiter knew that only one side of sauce would not be enough, so he brought us three. Because sauce is king, and this sauce is fantastic. We split the Monte Cristo sandwich, which is a Disneyland cult classic for a reason. It’s a delicious sandwich, but a lot like eating a donut for lunch. We got gumbo as well, and felt so full we might as well have just eaten Thanksgiving dinner. Our waiter brought out some complimentary beignets for us to try, and they were great. They’re the same ones you can get next door, but they come with dipping sauce (and remember, sauce is king).
We highly recommend eating at Cafe Orleans. It’s not only delicious, but a relaxing, enjoyable, and historical piece of Disney that should be experienced. You also need to get several orders of Pommes Frites and thank us later.