After the 6 hour drive down to Anaheim we were hot, tired, hungry, achy and a bit cranky. My in-laws had been thinking ahead (bless them) and had already made reservations for us to have dinner that evening at the Rainforest Cafe in Downtown Disney. They were familiar with the Rainforest Cafe but my husband, child and I had never been.

When at Disneyland the previous year we had opted out of the Rainforest Cafe in order to eat at The ESPN Zone (twice) as my sister-in-law had commented that we’d enjoy The ESPN Zone food more and that the Rainforest Cafe really wasn’t all that. I'm afraid she was right….

the Rainforest Cafe in Downtown Disney, Anaheim

It’s located near the end of Downtown Disney walking from Disneyland. If you’re parking in the Downtown Disney parking (which is free for 2, or is it 3? hours) it’s very close. You cannot miss the huge building made to look somewhat like a Mayan temple (or something) with waterfalls and if all else fails it is right next to The ESPN Zone which you also cannot miss.

Just inside is a very large gift shop and I must say; they do have a very cool gift shop. The items were, of course, overpriced but they were actually things that were pretty interesting. The stuffed animals were awesome and there were plenty of Rainforest Cafe t-shirts and such that might have been nice to own (we passed). There were enormous fish takes which were truly awesome to look at, there was a very frightening tree that would talk (for real, these are the things nightmares are made of) and there were a few places to sit down while waiting for a table – every one of which was already taken.

Yes, this place is hopping. Apparently it’s wildly popular so if you want to have a chance at getting a table in the Rainforest Cafe in Downtown Disney you really should make reservations. Call them at (714) 772-0413.

The Food and Service

We had a party of 5 (my husband’s parents, my husband, myself and our 7 year old son). We started off our meal with the Rainforest Cafe’s Awesome Appetizer Adventure which included 4 different items – a chimichanga of sorts, fried calamari, crab dip with chips and coconut chicken strips served with the most amazing coconut curry sauce. I tried every thing and the only thing I really enjoyed was the chicken strips and the coconut curry sauce. It was like a dessert – it was very strange and unlike anything I had ever had before but so good!

I ordered the Mayan Beef Burrito which was pretty good. I can’t say it was wonderful but it was more than edible. It was tasty and had a slightly different twist than any other burrito I’d had before and living in California I’ve had my share, believe me. It was served with sides of rice and beans – neither of which I found the least bit appetizing (unusual for me). That didn’t matter as the burrito itself was huge and very filling. My husband ordered their burger which he said was ok. Our son had the Shrimpkens which was fried shrimp, chicken strips and fries. He really enjoyed his entire meal – I tried a couple of his fries and they were quite good.

Soft drinks were typically priced around $2 or so. Each drink had the option of being served in a souvenir cup for between $5 and $8. eeep! The cups were pretty cool – clear plastic with flashing colored lights built into the bottom. Cool, but not eight bucks cool, sorry Rainforest Cafe! My son ordered an Icee which came in a gigantic sports bottle type cup that had a screw off bottom with a little monkey figure inside. He thought that was the coolest thing. Between the “free” monkey toy and the huge Icee he was in hog heaven. I don’t even want to know what they charged for that Icee.

The service was only ok. It wasn’t spectacular, our waitress probably could have been more attentive but we didn’t ever lack for something for very long. So many wait staff where constantly walking past our table that it just seemed like for all the staff and all of the times they walked by us, the service could have been better. It took awhile for our drinks to be refilled and it took us asking twice for more sauce/ketchup before it was brought to us; just little things like that.

The prices were, I felt, typical. Overpriced for what the food tasted like, absolutely. But you’re paying for the whole Rainforest Cafe experience so I guess the prices of the food was to be expected. My burrito was around $14; a local place here will give a much tastier burrito that’s even bigger than this one was for less than half that. Of course, said local place does not have elephants, gorillas or fluttering butterflies…. My burrito happened to be one of the cheapest items on their menu.

The Atmosphere

If you’ve never experienced eating at a Rainforest Cafe – well it’s basically set up like you’re eating in the rainforest; you know, minus all the bugs, your life being in danger and all that. There are mechanical animals all around – elephants, gorilla’s butterflies and more. Every so often each section of animals will come to life and move a little and make some noises. Also from time to time the lights would go down and it would sound and appear as though thunder was rolling through the restaurant. The first time this happened my 7 year old was a bit freaked out but once he quickly realized it wasn’t real he was cool with it. He adored all the animals; he loved looking around at the different set ups and waiting for the animals to come to life and do their thing.

“VOL-CAAAAA-NOOOOOOOOO!” is what they yell all around the entire place anytime someone orders the dessert the Sparkling Volcano. The first couple of times, it’s fun and silly – but it’s gets old real quick during a full meal where you hear them yelling “VOL-CAAA-NOOOOOOOOO!” a good twenty times. They don't all say it at the same time either, so it takes a few minutes for each volcano experience to wave through the restaurant with the staff yelling “VOL-CAAAAA-NOOOOOOOOO!”

Recommendation

The Rainforest Cafe in Downtown Disney Anaheim was a lot of fun for our 7 year old. For my husband and I – we enjoyed watching our child have a good time. The food was ok though not amazing and the atmosphere wasn’t really all that though it is unique.

Over all I’d have to say that for our family the Rainforest Cafe was probably a once in a lifetime thing. Yes, it was fun; we’re glad we did it and I certainly wouldn’t mind going back to see the large fish tanks. That said I’d rather eat somewhere else and there is an awesome aquarium locally that I can visit anytime. So the Rainforest Cafe really doesn’t hold a whole lot of appeal to me personally. Would I go again? Possibly since my son had a ball.





Recommended: No