Storyteller Cafe: Great Decor and Disney Characters make a nice mix
Written: Jan 08 '05 (Updated Jun 21 '06)
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Pros: Great food, Disney character breakfast, child friendly, location
Cons: Expensive
The Bottom Line: A great restaurant right outside Disney's California Adventure Park.
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| modernmarvel's Full Review: Storyteller's Cafe |
We ate at the Storyteller's Cafe at Disney’s Grand Californian in January 2005. We visited once for dinner and once for breakfast. It makes a nice beginning or end to a day at Disney and is one of the higher quality yet affordable sit down restaurants.
LOCATION
This restaurant is located in Disney's Grand Californian hotel at ground level. You must access the restaurant from the outside of the hotel, you can't go through the lobby. The entrance is right near the California Theme Park entrance which, if you are coming from the park, is across from Grizzly River Rapids. There is also self-park and valet parking at the hotel if you drive. If you enter from Downtown Disney, enter the hotel and proceed outside toward the park where you will see the restaurant just near the park entrance.
DECOR
The decor in this restaurant is really well done. Like the hotel that houses the restaurant, the decor is in the craftsman style. There are lots of earth tones and tons of detail at every turn. The craftsman style is a particular style of furniture and graphics. This style is represented in the decorations, lighting, lit fireplaces, benches in the lobby and elsewhere throughout the restaurant. Each lamp on the lampshade has a different scene. The tile mural over the buffet is an intriguing piece of art. The overall theming is clever without going overboard. Even the bathrooms are nicely done (and clean!).
THE FOOD
We ate here once for dinner. I had ribs that were very good and too many for me to finish. They came with fries and vegetables, but the waiter allowed me to swap my fries for mashed garlic potatoes. Other adult diners had fish and mexican entrees and reported that the food was above average. This being Disney, there is, of course, a kid's menu that included drinks and an entree. The kids got chicken nuggets and fries because the chicken nuggets were shaped like Mickey's head. Adult dinner entrees were around $15. There was a tasty dessert menu but we were too stuffed from the entrees to eat more.
We liked this restaurant enough to come back for breakfast another day. There is a breakfast buffet that consists of many kinds of muffins, scones and pastry, bagels, creme cheese and smoked salmon, scrambled eggs, fried asparagus (very tasty!!!), sausage, bacon and a few other items. The buffet costs around $21 for adults and $12 for children. However, you can order off the menu instead of getting the buffet. I highly recommend this option since the meal options are much cheaper. For around $10, I got a standard breakfast that included two eggs any way I wanted them, a huge helping of delicious potatoes, spicy chicken sausage and toast. I couldn't finish the portion. The kids got the buffet and ended up eating mostly muffins. In hindsight, I wish I had just bought them the muffins because it would have been much cheaper.
CHARACTER BREAKFASTS
Our breakfast was a character breakfast. I am not sure if they have them every day so please check before you go. Our character breakfast included Chip and Dale, Koda and the racoon from Pocahontas. There were also a couple of adults in ranger uniforms that talked with the kids. We visited Disney on a very slow day in January and the restaurant was not very busy. The kids got at least 5 minutes with each character but I doubt this is always the case.
SERVICE
For both of our meals, we had to wait about ten minutes to be seated. This was very frustrating because we saw many empty tables. However, once we were seated, the service was fantastic. The friendly waitstaff was very quick with the orders, food delivery and bill delivery. They also kept the water glasses full and effortlessly handled all special orders.
OTHER THOUGHTS
The restaurant is all on one level and would be easy for anyone handicapped.
This is Disney so it is casual and very family friendly.
I suggest reservations on any busy day.
This is Disney so they take credit cards.
This restaurant would be a nice sit-down option if you are visiting Disney's California Adventure park. The food was much better than the restaurants in the park.
They have a full bar.
FINAL RECOMMENDATION
We liked this restaurant enough to visit twice. The decor was really nice and the service was good. The food was above average and better than the theme park food. All in all, it was a great experience.
MY REVIEWS OF THE DISNEY THEME PARKS IN CALIFORNIA
Disneyland
Disney's California Adventure
MY REVIEW OF THEME PARK HOTELS IN CALIFORNIA
Disney’s Grand Californian
Marriott Suites Anaheim
Residence Inn Anaheim
MY REVIEW OF THEME PARK RESTAURANTS
Blue Bayou
Wine Country Trattoria
Goofy’s Kitchen
MY REVIEWS OF INDIVIDUAL RIDES AND ATTRACTIONS IN DISNEY’S CALIFORNIA ADVENTURE
Soarin’ Over California
Grizzly River Run
The Sun Wheel
Orange Stinger
Mulholland Madness
Jumpin’ Jellyfish
Playhouse Disney Live on Stage
Twilight Zone Tower of Terror
Monster’s Inc. Mike & Sully to the Rescue
Jim Henson’s Muppet Vision 3D
It’s Tough to be a Bug 3D
Princess Dot Puddle Park
Heimlich’s Chew Chew Train
Tuck and Roll’s Drive ‘Em Buggies
Flik’s Flyers
Francis’ Ladybug Boogie
Misson Tortilla Factory Tour
Boudin Bakery Factory Tour
MY REVIEWS OF INDIVIDUAL RIDES AND ATTRACTIONS IN DISNEYLAND
Pirates of the Caribbean
Indiana Jones Adventure
Storybook Land Canal Boats
Snow White’s Scary Adventures
Pinocchio’s Daring Journey
Peter Pan’s Flight
Mr. Toad’s Wild Ride
Alice in Wonderland
Matterhorn Bobsleds
It’s a Small World
Tarzan’s Tree House
Aladdin’s Oasis
Splash Mountain
The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh
Autotopia
Honey, I Shrunk the Audience 3D
Astro Orbitor
Buzz Lightyear Astro Blasters
MY REVIEWS OF OTHER THINGS TO SEE IN SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA
Legoland
SeaWorld San Diego
Birch Aquarium at Scripps
The San Diego Zoo
The San Diego Wild Animal Park
Balboa Park
Cabrillo National Monument
San Diego’s Old Town
The Museum of Making Music
Anza-Borrego Desert State Park
Recommended:
Yes
Kid Friendliness: Yes
Vegetarian Friendly: Yes
Notes, Tips or Menu Recommendations The Character breakfast was fun.
Best Suited For: Kids and Families
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modernmarvel
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Can anyone recommend a western family dude ranch for a vacation this summer?
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