Carthay Circle Restaurant

Biscuits are delicious, definitely get them. Rather than get an actual entrée item, I opted to get biscuits, duck wings, and a couple desserts. All of it was really delicious.
The inside of the building is pretty interesting. In true Disney style, there are a lot of subtleties and hidden things (ask your server). It’s meant to be a mix of the Carthay Theatre, a nearby restaurant, and generally just a 1950s fancy dining place.
Staff is very friendly.
Be sure to make a reservation. It’s popular.

Was lucky enough (Or unlucky) to get a table for 5 as a walk in for lunch. It was abnormally hot for the day and both the park and restaurant weren’t very crowded, relatively speaking. I asked for a table for 3 adults and 2 children, one requiring a high chair. When we were fetched from the lobby and shown to our table, we needed to ask again about the high chair and wait as the hostess went and found one. This was a mild inconvenience but foreshadowed the rest of the time at the establishment.
I was excited to be told by my waiter that for Vegan options I had «access to the entire kitchen», and to just suggest what I wished to eat and the chef’s would make a dish. I asked for a stir fry with an emphasis on green vegetables and waited patiently to be surprised.
Thank goodness that me and my party WERE patient because it took 50 minutes for entrees to arrive as we watched our limited time in the park slip away.
I received a perfectly cooked plate of Spinach, Lima Beans, Broccoli, and Carrots. A side dish in most restaurants and though I eat my vegetables like a good boy, it doesn’t quite fit the stir fry description or a reasonable value for $ 20. As a side note the other two adults in my party ordered the Smoked Chicken and Trofie Pasta which were admittedly delightful, but one had to be returned to the kitchen for a rogue hair. I’m hood so I would have just eaten the rest, but that’s not really something you can expect of everyone. *The house did remove tainted item from the check.
Carthay staff inquire about all your needs and preferences to make a memorable dining experience, but fail on the execution.

Pros:
I absolutely love the setup here. It’s got that classic, elegant but charming taste. The servers were very attentive and also went out their way to make me feel comfortable … as comfortable as I’ll get with a fussy baby. Their lounge makes the best drinks as well.
Cons:
Got there 20 minutes before my reservation time, but the gal at the door told me to return in 10 minutes to check in. I find that odd especially since they have a wonderful lounge inside that I would gladfully order a drink or two while I wait for my table. Food was ok. For $ 40+ entrees I expected better taste. For appetizers we ordered the duck wings and ceviche. Wings were nothing special however I liked that they were sriracha spicy. The ceviche i loved. Definitely recommend this. For entrée we ordered the catch of the day and braised lamb. Both were average you can get anywhere. To be honest I thought my lamb was too fatty. I left 90% of it on my plate and didn’t ask for a box.
Will i come back? Maybe for the drinks and appetizer.

My family and I came here for lunch to celebrate my parents’ birthday and anniversary. We had a reservation and were seated within five to ten minutes of checking in. Linda was our server, and she was very helpful and patient in recommending drinks, starters and entrées to my indecisive family and me.
My parents and brother got their hot tea where you could choose whatever tea leaves you want brewed. My sister got the Shirley Temple, and I got their Pomegranate Lemonade. The drinks were sweet and delicious.
For starters, we got the Carthay Signature Fried Biscuits, which were very good. It was like cheddar broccoli inside a biscuit. Their complimentary bread was better than the bread at Blue Bayou (not tough). And we got the Fire Cracker Duck Wings that were spicy and tangy. The wings are very slender, but still good. I think there were 7 wings.
We got the Trofie Pasta with Smoked Chicken and that wasn’t very incredible. The Moroccan Lamb Meatballs were okay, not juicy or succulent, but not dry. The Tandoori-​glazed Skuna Bay Salmon, however, is amazing! Definitely get that if you’re a seafood kinda person.
Since we were celebrating my parents’ birthdays and anniversary, they gave us free desserts. Not sure what, but like a strawberry tart and chocolate Swiss roll.
Overall, our server was very wonderful, but very preoccupied as she was seated a lot of other parties. The starters are great but the entrées for lunch, not so much. Probably a better place for dinner.

A must order is their fried biscuits! They are so good! The menu changes with the season.
When I went this late time, I went with a big group and so we all many different items from the menu. But a popular dish among our group was the porkchop. It was very juicy and had a lot of flavor. It was cooked to perfection. I also got to try the pasta with smoked chicken. It was very delicious with a little kick at the end. But it was a little salty but still delicious. The duck was good from what my friends said. The skin had a good crispness to it. If you are looking for a nice dinner in the park, this is the place for you.
Unilocal 100 Challenge (13 out of 100)

Seriously. Hands down has to be the best restaurant at California Adventure!!! Came during lunch time and they were very accommodating. They didn’t need reservations and sat us right away. Since it is February they still had there winter menu. I ordered the tandoori infused salmon. It was amazing. The salmon was moist and the tandoori wasn’t too strong. It was amazing. Wish it came with more! Don’t forget to use your Annual Pass for that discount!

This place. Wow. So worth it, make a reservation and take a nice break from the park, especially if you enjoy cocktails because theirs are amazing!
My boyfriend was so excited that his bourbon drink came with a diamond shaped ice cube– it’s these type of details that make this place so great.
yes, it’s pricy but you’re on vacation and already paid so much to get into the park so why not indulge?
Their menu changes seasonally so don’t hold back if there is something on the menu that you want to try because it probably won’t be on the menu your next visit!
The service is wonderful, unbelievably professional and helpful with every detail.

oh Carthay Circle…
It took so long for me to finally come to this restaurant due to the fact that a reservation has to be made almost a month in advance.
You are not allowed to wait inside the restaurant until 10 minutes before your reservation. Once it’s your reservation time, you go to the hostess who offers either the 3 course «World of Color» meal option or the ala cart options.
Our waiter Scott was pleasant and gave us a good description of what food to order… but…
Let’s start off with the cons first
Wait time… our reservation was at 8pm and we didn’t get seated until 8 30. After that, it took another 10 minutes or so for us to even order our food.
We started off with the free bread… which was stale (even for sourdough). The crust of the bread was so chewy and hard that i was surprised that a molar didn’t fall out when i tried to eat it.
Dinner took a long time to get too as it was almost 9 15 before we even got our food.
This i wouldn’t blame on our waiter bc i feel like it wasn’t his fault the food took some time to cook.
Also, when we were finally ready to pay our bill we had to get some change as we had a rather large party. We asked for change and then all the waiters and waitress’ were huddled together asking each other if they had change? I don’t understand why none of them just went down the 1 flight of stairs to get the change. really…if it was such a big deal, then i would have just gone down myself.
The whole dinner process ended up taking 2 hours and unfortunately we were unable to walk around CA Adventure bc the park was now closed.
Pros:
The Fried biscuits– $ 12
You get 7 hush puppy sized balls of fried goodness that is filled with a creamy cheesy filling that was delicious. It was seriously worth paying the $ 12 for it.
Thick cut pork chops– $ 38
This was a bone in pork chop that was a pretty decent sized dish. The pork chop was cooked perfectly and there was pretty much nothing to complain about regarding the food. You even get a walnut. ONE…in the dish. Our party thought that was pretty funny.
Crisp Duck Confit– $ 34
Are you a fan of duck? Because normally I hate the gamey flavor and stay far far away from it.
That is NOT the case here, i was SO surprised that somehow they made the duck so tender it literally fell off the bone and had no hint of the gamey taste that i normally get when i eat duck. Seriously for a person who hates duck, i would order this hands down.
Angus Beef Delmonico– $ 45
This as well was great. I did ask for the meat to be cooked medium well but it came out more well done. Even still, the steak was tender and wonderfully seasoned.
Ginger Lemongrass Chicken Satay– $ 14
This actually might have been worth the most bang for your buck.
Its an appetizer and comes with 3 skewers, but had almost the same amount of protein as a full entrée.
I would love to come back and eat at this place, but next time, will make sure that our reservation is for an earlier time as it took 2 hours.

My boyfriend & I are Seattle-​ites so we made dinner reservations a month in advance here at Carthay Circle Restaurant for our Disney/​Cali Adventure weekend getaway! We went in the beginning of December! The minute you walk in, the ambiance immediately makes you feel like a movie star walking down the red carpet. The beauty of the interior of this restaurant cannot be overstated. Deep wood paneling really bounce against the surreal black and white memorabilia that adorned the walls. The craftsmanship was exquisite that you can’t help but gawk at the lavish vaulted ceilings splashed with Snow White inspired artistry. It was very elegant and classy. I don’t know about you but I was so in awe that my eyes lit up like a cat’s in a room full of yarn. We checked in at their lounge & were seated for a couple minutes up until we were finally escorted upstairs to their main dining room.
We ordered the Fire Cracker Duck Wings, Carthay Shellfish Cioppino, Angus Beef Delmonico and a couple cocktails. Hands down, I swear to you — the Fire Cracker Duck Wings is by FAR one of my favorite dishes between both parks. I still think about it till this very day. They were so mouth watering and had such an intense bold spicy flavor that you would only wish for more! Also, my boyfriend HATES spicy food with a passion but let me tell you this, he was in love with this dish! For the whole time we’ve dated, I have never seen him eat something spicy and liking it. That must mean something! I was sooo full at the end of our meal that I had to unbutton my jeans to let my tummy pooch hang out. In the end, our bill was around $ 150 including tip.
Our waitress was very sweet, attentive and knowledgeable. I forgot her name but she took really good care of us. I wish I took pictures of my meal but it was really dim in the restaurant that I didn’t want to scare/​annoy the other guests with my flash… lol.
Being an upscale restaurant inside this particular theme park is a tough balancing act because upscale dining requires a distinct menu, a certain level of service, and ambiance. I believe Carthay Circle Restaurant pulled it off one million percent! Without a doubt, definitely definitely definitely coming back when I come here for vacation!

Service was ok… Well really less than ok. But the food and drinks were to die for.
Had 3 plates and couldn’t miss with anything.

The food was pretty good, but the portions are so tiny! And with everything in Disneyland/​California Adventure being so expensive, I think my family would have to spend $ 400 here just to feel full…
The service here is extremely slow also. For some reason, this restaurant out of all the ones we have eaten at at the parks is so slow.
The quail was fantastic though. The udon was ok. And everything else just wasn’t special enough to comment about.

The Carthay Circle Restaurant is located in the replica of the Carthay Circle Theater, the centerpiece of Disney California Adventure. We had to make a reservation to have dinner here on a Monday evening! It turned out to be a great dinner indeed! We found Carthay Circle to be the best of all the Disneyland Resort restaurants! It is not super expensive, but the ends justify the means.
Guests wait in a paneled reception area. When your table is ready, you are shown upstairs to the dining area. When we were seated and shown the menu, I knew exactly what I wanted. I ordered the Pork Tenderloin special, which was excellent and topped off with fruits and vegetables. For dessert, we shared a Toasted Lemon Pound Cake, which was light and flavorful.
An added treat was to be able to see the Magical fireworks show from the restaurant. The soundtrack is piped in, so you can follow along from wherever you’re sitting.
It is highly recommended to eat here if you plan for a special meal at Disneyland Resort, but remember to make reservations!

I took my girlfriend out for a delicious anniversary date here at Carthay Circle. It was a wonderful surprise dinner for her. The light in her eyes when I told her where I was taking her for dinner was like 2 stars shimmering in the night sky. She was so ecstatic to give it a try.
I couldn’t get many pictures instead because it was fairly dim and I didn’t want to take pictures with flash inside and disturb others.
But take it from me, the service and food were both magnificent. We both left very happy at the end of the night. Definitely a cute date spot for anyone celebrating a birthday or anniversary. :)

The famous Napa Rose executive chef is the executive chef in carthay circle and both restaurants have successfully accomplished in bringing out the most flavors from any dish. I would say Carthay Circle and Napa Rose are my top 2 favorite restaurants in the whole resort, so if you want to try some good restaurants, those two are the my top picks.
My bf and I fit Carthay Circle on a very tight schedule. We had the very last Aladdin show spectacular at 6:20pm, Carthay Circle at 7:30pm, and the mickey paint the night parade at 8:45PM.
We were seated about 10 minutes after our reservation time but our server, Julie, promptly came to our table and we told her we had one hour with the restaurant. She went beyond our expectations! Our food came out super quick and she even got the bill for us right away and we made it on time to watch the parade.
The restaurant is very dim and has a great romantic vibe with chandeliers. There are many private rooms for larger parties as well.
Carthay Circle Salad — one of the best salads I have ever had! To be completely honest I couldn’t see what I was eating but there were so many flavors in this salad. There were dates, walnuts, and everything in the salad complimented all the ingredients very well.
Firecracker Duck Wings — I liked the kick the wings had but there was not much meat on the actual wings itself. The wings were lightly fried which added a nice crispy texture, just wish there were more meat on the bones.
New York Steak — The steak was very flavorful and for a new York steak it tasted very yummy! Carthay circle really knows how to go over the top to make the best sauces for each dish.
Also, the Carthay Circle lounge area is a great place to relax in. They have a full bar of all the classics and signature drinks you can think of.

As the expiration date on my annual pass nears, I decided to try everything at Disneyland and California adventure that I’ve never tried before. I guess you could call it my Disney adventures bucket list. Carthay Circle was one of the few things that I had yet to cross off the list, so I made a reservation.
Let’s start with the ambiance. The hostess told me that it was modeled after the original theater that showed Snow White and the Seven Dwarves as a tribute to the great success the movie gave Walt Disney. Ok, so that’s pretty cool and it’s a gorgeous old Hollywood style building. It’s dimly lit inside, but I felt like I was walking into the past. It was awesome. I felt like I should have been wearing a mink stole over my sparkly evening gown.
My awe ended there though. Although the service was stellar (well, when is Disney service not stellar?), the food was a huge disappointment. Here’s what we ordered:
Fried biscuits
Braised lamb shank
Thick cut pork chop
The Derby (drink)
Pimm’s punch (drink)
The only thing I liked was the fried biscuits. They’re balls of dough filled with gooey cheese and deep fried. Then, it’s served with an apricot dipping sauce. I had the pork chop, and was so disappointed by it. For $ 38, I expected better quality. The meat was dry and very hard to cut through. My boyfriend has the lamb, and although the meat was very tender and fell right off the bone, the taste left much more to be desired. It was drenched in sauce, but that couldn’t cover up the very distinctive odor lamb gives off when not cooked properly. I didn’t enjoy this at all. I believe this dish was around $ 40. The derby was decent, it tasted like their take on an Old Fashion. The Pimm’s punch was good, very fruity and sweet. You couldn’t even taste the alcohol.
Overall, we spent about $ 150 for the two of us and I was terribly disappointed by the quality of the food. For $ 150, I could have gone elsewhere and got a much better meal. I guess I shouldn’t have expected that much from this place, but at least I got to cross it off my bucket list. It’s not a place I’d recommend for a good meal, nor would I come back.

I came here with my boyfriend for my birthday on a Tuesday night with reservations already booked. The hostess was super nice because when we checked in, they already knew that we were celebrating a birthday. They took us upstairs where we sat next to the automatic doors (which was kind of annoying because it was super cold). We started off with some complimentary bread, which was super soft! We also ordered
Fire Cracker Duck Wings ($ 15) — This was marinated with soy, lime, and sriracha chili sauce. This definitely had a kick and some heat but it was delicious! I would come back here just to get the wings if I am at the parks.
We also ordered two entrees, one with chicken and another dish with gnocci. Both dishes were good but a little pricey. I believe they were both a little under $ 30. The gnocci was very good but got to full towards the end because it is very heavy.
I also got to pick out a complimentary dessert since it was my bday and they even put a candle on it!
Overall, great experience but I would probably just come back for wings and not a fancy dinner.

I can’t believe Im not required to wear a coat and button down shirt to dine here! What a wonderful experience for our family while at Disney’s California Adventure.
Carthay Circle Restaurant is modeled and named after Carthay Circle movie theater where Walt Disney premiered Snow White & The 7 Dwarves back in the 1930’s. Lots of classic Hollywood memorabilia adorn the walls throughout the restaurant. Its really a charming place to splurge and enjoy a quality meal that you will not soon forget.
As far as high standards go, this place is on par with Blue Bayou, Steakhouse 55 and the mythical Club 33. I say mythical cause Ive never been invited to Club 33. *Sigh If Only*
FOOD:
You’re covered here. From soups or salads to pastas, fish and steak! I had the Salmon, wife had the pork chop and kiddos off of the kids menu. Oh, and its no ordinary kids menu either. Mine was able to order a 6 oz. steak off of it and had it cooked medium rare. Wonder where she gets that from?
Started with the waiter recommended Carthay Signature Fried Biscuits. Stuffed with White Cheddar, Bacon, and Jalapeño with dab of Apricot Honey Butter. Not too filling and gets the taste buds going. It has bacon. Need I say more?
My Sesame Soy-​glazed Skuna Bay Salmon was outstanding. Forbidden Black Rice Stir-​fry and Red Thai Curry. Yeeeeessssssss.
I had to try my wife’s chop. It was a thick-​cut pork chop with warm Heirloom Potato salad and grilled Orange-​Blackberry Salsa. Holy Shit! Mmmmmm!
Heres another tidbit… CCR offers all sorts of alcoholic beverages! From wine to your favorite cocktails. Its heaven. I kept it classy with my glass of Silverado Cabernet Sauvignon. Mmmmm.
MISCELLANEOUS:
I can’t rave about the service enough! Polite, knowledgeable and attentive. Never an empty glass of water and vigilant to your needs. There is also bar lounge downstairs. However… you can’t just roll up to that bar and order a drink. Nope… you are escorted from a separate line that is formed outside. When a spot opens up you are free to order away. Makes total sense. Can you imagine a bunch of drunks loitering around and ruining the magic? Good call team Disney.
Reservations are highly recommended, though they will take walk-​ins if its possible.
OVERALL:
If you’ve done Blue Bayou, Steakhouse 55, Club 33 OR the Corn Dog Cart (you know which one, stop playing), you need to add Carthay Circle Restaurant to your 5 Star dining list while at the Magic Kingdom. Just so you know… that a party of 4 (2 adults 2 kids) could run you over $ 200 with the tip included. So yeah, its definitely a planned out treat, unless of course you’re use to eating like this all the time.
Cheers!

Stopped by here on a recommendation from a friend, and what a wonderful experience. We were walk ins but usually you have to make reservations. Always worth a shot trying to be a walk in, ya never know! After waiting in the lounge area, that is really loud we were escorted upstairs to the main dining room. There’s a bunch of old pictures of Walt with different celebrities of the times, I love seeing all different people that were in all the Disney films. The main dinning room is very elegant and grand! Multiple chandeliers hang from the center of the room, with a lot of tables surrounding this. There are small private rooms on the sides of the main dinning room, those look lovely!
Our server was so nice and attentive. Our food was delicious! My burger had bacon on it and it was so massive I couldn’t finish it. The French fries had a great flavor to them also, highly recommend! My husband liked his sandwich but said it was slightly cold. Not sure if it’s supposed to be or not but he still enjoyed it and gobbled it all up! Now for dessert my friend suggested we get the macaroons. Upon seeing the dessert menu we didn’t see the macaroons, and when we asked about it we found out they are only offered downstairs, apparently they are not the same restaurant like we thought. Our server was so nice she asked the cook if we could have them sent up to us. We were fully ready to go downstairs but they obliged us and how delicious they were!
I highly recommend checking out this restaurant! Just be prepared, our lunch lasted over 2hours. It was worth the time spent here though! We will definitely be back!

Made reservations using my Disney account a few weeks in advance. Great way to finish a day at Disneyland & California Adventure. We checked in with the hostess and were escorted upstairs when I table was ready. It was a great table located near the kitchen and the wine display. Our waitress, Holly, pointed out the Wicked Queens hidden in the wood of our table. Pretty cool.
We started off with the Carthay Signature Fried Biscuits, Steamed Pot Stickers filled with Gingered Pork and Red Pumpkin & Thai Chili Broth accented with Lemongrass. All of these dishes were amazing. The biscuits are heavenly. The pumpkin soup is a must.
Halibut fish of the day and Lamb Meatballs were our main entrees. The halibut was great. I was stuffed so I didn’t try the meatballs. Didn’t even leave room for dessert. :(
The only negative is that they ran out of the glowing skulls that come with the Poison Apple-​tini. I kept telling my date about the drink and how we can collect a bunch of these cool glowing skulls. They have since replenished them.

This restaurant has become my favorite place to eat at Disneyland. After having a few bad experiences at some of the other restaurants, I’ve come to realize that yes it is a little pricey to come here. But you get treated really well and the food is amazing.
The other day I came in and ordered the NY strip dinner. The steak was perfectly seasoned, it melted in my mouth.
For appetizers the potstickers are really good and the ceviche is bomb. I always ask for extra plantain chips
For drinks you must try the Manhattan, it is amazing. If you like something a little lighter their Pim’s Punch is also really good. Last time we went we tried the Brandy Alexander, which is more of a desert drink, which I also really liked.
If you come to Disneyland this place is definitely a must try in my book.