The LampLight Lounge is one of the few table service restaurants available at Disney California Adventure. Whilst Disney California Adventure likes to market itself to older, adult Disney fans with bigger rides and alcohol-serving restaurants, it only has half the table service restaurants compared to Disneyland Resort.
Sometimes during your day at Disney, all you want is to rest those weary legs with a ‘proper’ meal (and if you wish, a proper drink) complete with table service so you can relax and enjoy your surroundings. LampLight Lounge is one of the table service options available at Disney California Adventure- but is it any good? Here, we review the LampLight Lounge so you can decide whether to add it to your all-important Disney Dining Reservations!
What is the LampLight Lounge?
The Lamplight Lounge is a themed table service restaurant located in Disney California Adventure just off Pixar Pier. Lamplight Lounge opened in 2018, replacing the old Cove Bar. If the location does not give the theming away, then the name LampLight should; this restaurant is themed around Disney Pixar, named after Pixar’s original Lamplight character. The menu is gastro-pub-themed and the downstairs location means you are right on the water with stunning, panoramic views of the pier. Their Non- alcoholic and alcoholic beverages list is extensive, with specialty cocktails named after Pixars’ famous filmmaking skills. The Lamplight Lounge is one of our favorite restaurants at the whole of Disneyland California and we make sure we include a reservation in our trip every time we go!
How can I visit The LampLight Lounge?
It’s important to note at this point that to visit The Lamplight Lounge you must first have a Park Reservation for Disney California Adventure on the day you want to go. Tips on how to get Disneyland/Disney California Adventure Tickets can be found HERE
Ok, so now you have booked your trip to Disneyland and Disney California Adventure and you are ready to book your Lamplight Lounge dining reservation. The single best way to get the reservations that you want is to be ready and prepared for when they go live. Disneyland and DCA dining reservations go live 60 days in advance at 6 AM PST on the Disneyland Website/App.
The LampLight Lounge is one of the more popular dining experiences at the Parks and can sell out fast. If you really want to eat at the LampLight Lounge during your visit to Disney then your best bet is to be as organized as possible and be online and ready to book your reservations at the time they go love. Remember to account for any time zone differences so that you log on at the correct time!
If you do not manage to secure a reservation at the time of release then do not give up hope, there are other chances. One thing you can do is regularly log on and check for any cancellations, right up until the day of your park visit. Other options include walk-ups and signing up for Reservation Alerts, more info on how to get that all-important Disney Dining experience can be found HERE
Dining Experience and Theming
The Lamplight Lounge Restaurant is a tribute to all things Pixar. In the early days of the Disney-Pixar relationship, the collaborations always began with an animated short of the little Pixar Lamplight. Since Disney officially purchased Pixar in 2006, the 2 companies have created some of the best movies and characters in the world of Disney. Toy Story, Cars, Finding Nemo, WALL-E, Monsters Inc., and UP are all Disney Pixar movies that are loved just as much as the original Disney Animation Studios classics.
Situated just off Pixar Pier, the restaurant interior is decorated all over with Disney Pixar memorabilia, iconic quotes, and original animation sketches. It’s the perfect place to sit, relax, eat, and enjoy all things (Disney) Pixar! And if the inside of the restaurant is not appealing enough to you, the Lamplight Lounge has an outdoor seating area right on Pixar Pier with panoramic views of the water and of course, the iconic Mickey-Pal-Around Wheel. As massive Disney fans, we find the Lamplight Lounge is the perfect place to celebrate all the amazing movies and characters from what we like to call ‘the Pixar Era’ of Disney.
Menu
It’s not just the decor and views that the Lamplight offers that keep us coming back, we are massive fans of their menu too! Lamplight Lounge offers a Brunch Menu, a Lunch/Dinner Menu, and an AMAZING drinks menu. We break these down below:
Brunch
- Friday – Sunday 9 AM- 1 PM ONLY
- $15.99- $34.99
Brunch at the Lamplight Lounge is only served 3 days a week on Fridays and the Weekend. Brunch in the Disneyland Parks is hard to find, possibly as many guests tend to spend the morning trying to beat the queues and get as many rides under their belt as early as possible. To be honest, this is our strategic plan on our first day at the parks. We always opt for Park hopper tickets and we spend our first day at the parks from opening to close, ensuring we get on as many of our favorite rides on the first day. This then leaves us will a more relaxed, second day with a later start and more time to enjoy other parts of the park including a dining reservation! Will most of our MUST DO’s completed by day 1, we are ready for a calmer day at the parks including a nice meal, and at weekends, we choose brunch at LampLight Lounge.
The food is American gastro-pub style and the Brunch Menu includes brunch classics including:
- Spiced Ham Benedict
- Brunch Burger
- Indulgent French Toast
- New York Avacado Toast
The kid’s menu is a little limited with only 2 options available: mini versions of the brunch Bruger and the Indulgent French Toast. There are, however, plant-based and low-calorie menu options available. Seasonal offerings are also available for a limited time and change regularly. The full brunch menu can be viewed here.
Lunch/Dinner
- Lunch: 11:30 AM- 3:55 PM
- Dinner: 4 PM- 8:30 PM (opening times vary for special ticketed nights)
- Lunch/ Dinner: $15.99- $34.99
First off, the Lunch and Dinner menus at the Lamplight Lounge are the same. The only different menu is the brunch menu available 3 days of the week (Fri- Sun). So whether you visit the Lamplight Lounge for lunch or later in the evening for dinner, then the same menu items are available. We have visited Lamplight Lounge for lunch but the meals available are perfect for an evening meal in the park too (and the view of Pixar Pier at night from the outside seating is not to be missed!) The small bites and entrees are both big enough to share between 2 people or if you are really hungry, you can purchase 2 different items and share! Menu highlights include:
- Lobster Nacho’s
- Salmon Poke
- Pipers Clams
- Cheddar Burger
- Al Pastor Pork Chop
Again, the Kids menu is pretty limited but has more options than the brunch menu:
- Pasta
- PB&J Roll
- Meat-Bread-Meat Sandwich
There are also several plant-based meals and low-calorie options to choose from. Full Lunch/Dinner Manu can be viewed here
The only Dessert option available is Donuts but, during the Halloween season at the parks, there is a limited offer of Pumpkin Spiced Donuts to try! We do feel that this is a pretty poor dessert offering in general for a restaurant, however, as you are at Disney you are never too far away from a shop that sells yummy sugar-filled mickey-shaped treats so you are not going to go hungry!
Drinks
One of the things we love about Lamplight Lounge is that it has an extensive non-alcoholic and alcoholic drinks menu all inspired by the Pixar creators and imagineers. Whether you simply want a refreshing ‘soft’ drink to rehydrate you after a busy time in the parks or you want to celebrate your visit with something a little ‘harder’ then the Lamplight Lounge has you covered!
Non -Alcoholic Drinks ($7- $7.50)
Forget your average soda drinks, Lamplight Lounge has refreshing mock-tails and soft drinks with amazing Pixar-inspired names:
- Falling with Style: orange juice with mango puree
- 2319: frozen mocktail with coconut, pineapple juice and strawberry puree
- Mint to Be: Limeade, Mint, Watermelon, Berry puree and soda
- Goofball Island: fruit punch, lemonade and Raspberry puree
The 2319 frozen mocktail is our favorite but we dare you try and say its name without shouting it!
Alcoholic Cocktails ($17- $20)
One of the highlights of DCA is how many places offer ‘Adult Beverages’ compared to Disneyland Park. Disney California Adventure feels a little older with the bigger rides and more table service restaurants, which of course offer alcoholic beverages. We personally love nothing more than raising a glass to Walt himself and celebrating another magical trip with an alcoholic drink, and if that drink also happens to have a Disney-inspired name then even better! The Lamplight Lounge has an extensive list to do just that! Highlights include:
- Open Ocean with a Splash: a Frozen Cocktail made with Bacardi Raspberry Rum, Bols Blue Curaçao, Liquid Alchemist Orgeat (Almond), Agave Nectar, and fresh Lime Juice
- Scream Canister: Bacardi Reserva Ocho Rum, Cream of Coconut Pineapple, and Orange Juices with a mist of Angostura Bitters
- Over Budget: Grey Goose Vodka, Liquid Alchemist Passion Fruit, fresh Lime Juice, Agave Nectar and Ginger Beer
- Abstract Thought: Cold Brew Coffee, Heavy Cream, Frangelico, Bailey’s Irish Cream, Kahlua, and Agave Nectar topped with Cinnamon
The Scream Canister is our personal favorite (can you tell we are big Monster’s fans?!) but we have also chosen the coffee-based Abstract Thought as a dessert before! The prices of the cocktails are a little steep but no more than expected inside a theme park, especially a Disney theme park! They are also good quality and made with top-shelf ingredients.
The Lamplight Lounge also has a large selection of beers available to purchase including Ales, Lagers, and IPAs ranging from $9.50- $13.25. Wine is also available including several wines from Napa Valley, the rest of the USA, and an Italian Prosecco. Prices start around $19, making the cocktail prices look more reasonable!
The full beverages list can be found here
Overview
For us, Lamplight Lounge is where we like to relax, recharge, and enjoy a good all-American style meal while we rest our weary bodies and enjoy the Disney Pixar surroundings. It is hard to choose between outdoor and indoor seating as the outdoor views are spectacular but ultimately, for us indoor seating wins as we are surrounded by memorabilia from some of our favourite films. The food portions are a good size, even the ‘small bites’ are big enough to share between 2 and the cocktails are all made with top-shelf brands. Good food, good drinks, and a good atmosphere are everything we want for our precious (and limited) downtime at the Disneyland California Parks!
Have Your Say
Have you visited the Lamplight Lounge? Did you enjoy it as much as us or do you have another Disney California Adventure favorite restaurant? Let us know what you think in the comments section below. Also, if you have any questions about the LampLight Lounge then pop them in the comments section and we will get back to you.
