Ralph Brennan’s Jazz Kitchen

The gumbo is delicious! My husband and I visited on our honeymoon and were very impressed with the service. We tried several menu items and loved them all. I recommend the appetizer sampler, because you get a wide variety of tasty treats.
The only thing I didn’t like were the fried green tomatoes, because there was something «off» about the batter they fried it in. But everything else, yummy!

We are regulars here. Well known by the staff.
We tip generously and spend generously.
Half the time they will forget to bring your food to the table and that really sucks.
You have to remind them though you shouldn’t have to. It sits in the galley and your food waits while you wait. This is not a Disney run restaurant and employees are not Disney employees.
We love the chicken and waffle breakfast, the gumbo soup, Jambalaya, we love it all.
Great menu selection, excellent quality dishes.
Excellent bar located way in the back of the inside dining room. But they too, forget about you.

YUM! That should be enough.
We split BBQ shrimp and grits (next time I’m getting some all to myself!) and a Banana’s Foster. We were comped some Champagne because it was our honeymoon! Great live entertainment at the most colorful piano in the world!

This review is for Christie, our waitress, on 1÷23÷16 at 1:00pm.
Christie was absolutely fantastic. She promptly met with us to explain the menu and when asked, provided her recommendations with great info on why those were her preferred plates. She went above and beyond to treat us like family and there was never a time where we felt abandoned or left alone. In fact, I don’t believe we ever had to grab her attention for anything as she always got our plates out at just the right time, always had our drinks refilled before we ever hit empty, and generally made sure we had everything we needed before ever needing to ask for them.
She is a real gem to this place and quite frankly, everything should be done to keep her! Thank you again, Christie, for your wonderful service and making our experience such a treat!

This is one of my best friend’s favorite restaurants, so I’ve been back MANY times since that first review in 2011. I’ve learned my lesson regarding drinks to only order wine — since you know what you’re getting, no risk of weak Sangria! Also if you are trying to decide between regular bread pudding ($ 8.00) and double chocolate bread pudding ($ 12.50) — get one of each for the table. I personally prefer the regular plus it’s $ 4.50 cheaper, I’m just saying.
This last time I ordered the Blackened Chicken Mac — but with no Blackened Chicken! ($ 25.50) I know crazy, right? Instead of chicken they made it for me with double bacon which was just perfect. This Mac is super rich and by the time we had polished off the large Bourbon Street sampler platter ($ 33.50) plus the soup du jour ($ 7.50), Tomato Artichoke, I could only eat a couple bites. But it made for delicious leftovers!
This place has «special occasion» pricing — Filet Mignon $ 38.50 and Medallions of Beef $ 33.75 so where you sit is really important to having a good experience. This is my personal opinion so you don’t feel bitter or resentful when you get the check! I don’t recommend sitting on the patio because it’s way too casual and noisy for the price you’re paying. Plus if you sit too far to the left, there is a blinding neon sign on the Jazz Kitchen Express. Also, don’t sit in the inside atrium area that is by the hostess station, staircase, bathrooms. Believe me, they have some tables squeezed in there and there is a lot of traffic and zero ambiance. The two locations we have been most happy and had the best experience is the main inside dining room — live music and great energy. And the upstairs smaller dining room — intimate and quiet. So with or without a reservation (reservations are recommended) hold out for a good table and you won’t be disappointed.

The Vegan Pasta was not only good, it was better than expected. Like, legit tasty! But YIKES the $ 17 price tag!!! It’s good but not exactly something I’m willing to spend $ 17 for or even go out of my way for.
Jazz Kitchen is one of those places I would suggest going when friends or family from out-​of-​town invite me to Disneyland and I wanna avoid paying for a park ticket. So then the compromise becomes lunch at Downtown Disney.
Service was pretty average for Christmas Day. I’d say my rating is a 3.5 rounded up. I will give credit to Jazz Kitchen for offering an off-​menu vegan dish. The mix of mushrooms, onions, asparagus, green onions, and arugula in a tomato sauce makes me a fan.

Straight outta DD with a Ralph Brennan’s Jazz Kitchen review. Whenever I made the trip to Disneyland, I always told myself to try this restaurant. However, I never got around to it until today. Thank goodness for today. I probably have, surprisingly, have had some of the best salads during my time in Orange County and Jazz Kitchen is no exception.
I opted for the Green Goddess Salad (get the dressing on the side) and added grilled chicken. This salad consists of Romaine hearts, Granny Smith apples, cherry tomatoes, apple-​wood smoked bacon, toasted pumpkin seeds, feta cheese, and a «Green Goddess» dressing.
If you get this salad because you’re a bacon fan, be aware that it is probably about a half (maybe a quarter) slice of bacon cut into small pieces. For me, this was enough. Without the grilled chicken, this salad may have been a little lacking, but the grilled chicken was amazing in flavor and texture! Seriously. Can I take that chicken back with me to San Francisco?
I also got to try the fried chicken that was included in the Fried Chicken Po-​Boy (Applewood smoked bacon, lettuce, tomato, pickles, Creole mustard aioli served with Mardi Gras slaw) and OH-​BOY was THAT chicken good, as well. The flavor was on point and the crispiness was perfection – excellent breading to chicken ratio! I now need to go back and try the Chicken & Waffles!
The servers were attentive and accommodating, which was greatly appreciated. For two, the price was around $ 30.00, which I don’t consider too bad, considering Disneyland/​tourist prices! If you’re in Downtown Disney and not too full from the kettle corn and/​or churros (I’m not judging), try Jazz Kitchen! There are tons of food options, as well as an amazing dessert menu. If I weren’t saving my sweet tooth for Gibson Girl Ice Cream Parlor, I’d be all over that Double Chocolate Breading Pudding Soufflé or those beignets. Beign-​YAY, amirite?

Jazz Kitchen is the place you want to be if you fancy sweet delicate chocolate desserts after your satiating lunch/​dinner. I’ve eaten at the Jazz Kitchen numerous times and their meal has always been exquisite. I’ve tried their chicken and waffles, blackened chicken mac and cheese, and their pasta jambalaya.
All meals were great but I wouldn’t expect it to blow any minds. What really seals the deal however is their dessert. They sell the best bread pudding I’ve ever had dubbed «Double Chocolate Bread Pudding». When a dessert has a name like that and requires a 25 min prep time, you have to know you’re in for something special. Once the slice of heaven arrives on your table I highly recommend splitting it like the red sea in the middle of the bread. Pour the dark and white chocolate sauce right into the crevice and try to control your salivating. This signature dessert is what seals Jazz Kitchen as a definite must try in Downtown Disney. Don’t forget to validate your ticket if you’re just there to eat!

In all of our dates at Downtown Disney, we hadn’t hit Ralph Brennan’s Jazz Kitchen (though we have tried the Express version next door —
). Yesterday, as we saw that they had a Sunday Brunch menu, we finally decided to give it a try.
We ordered the following brunch items: the two-​person Bourbon Street Sampler (a bunch of popcorn calamari, two blackened chicken dumplings, two coconut crusted shrimp, and two boudin balls — formed balls of slow roasted pork and dirty rice — served with cocktail sauce, creole mustard aioli, and tabasco pepper jelly; $ 18), the Crab Cakes and Eggs (served with Pontalba potatoes & Creole hollandaise; $ 17.50), and the Chicken & Waffles (two fried chicken tenders served atop wilted baby arugula, diced andouille sausage, portabello mushrooms, and maple-​butter sauce on a large waffle; $ 15). Yes, this was pricy, but that’s Downtown Disney for you… and this is before our annual passholder discount kicked in.
The food actually didn’t disappoint — the calamari wasn’t too soggy or overly cooked, the boudin balls had a mild kick, and we both loved the coconut shrimp with the tabasco pepper jelly. The dumplings weren’t too bad, but I was hoping for more filling inside them. As for our orders, Kathy loved her crab cakes and the poached eggs; the bite I had was very pleasing and not too fishy tasting. The waffle that was the base of my order was just right; that is, a crispy outside and a chewy interior. The coating of my chicken wasn’t overdone, and the sausage, arugula, and mushrooms enhanced the flavor of my meal. Much as we would’ve liked to order the beignets for dessert, we were too full… and besides, you could get them from the Express anyway for the same price.
We were seated on the outside patio; it gave us plenty of opportunities for people watching. We got some photos taken by the roving photographer, and they turned out so well that I ordered one for $ 16 (and got the other two for free, minus the frames). Service was very friendly and made sure that we were taken care of — in fact, our server boxed our copious leftovers for us and placed them in a large bag… which had enough room for the large bag of popcorn we’d brought from the AMC theater nearby.
Definitely one of the better sit-​down restaurants in the Downtown Disney area, and you gotta get a pic outside the front entrance of the statues! Looking forward to coming back, just to see the differences between dining in the top level and in the bottom level.