Eating My Way Through Disney's California Adventure

Pizza Oom Mow Mow is to California Adventure what Redd's Rocket Pizza Port is to Disneyland; an overpriced, unoriginal, culinary nightmare. Located on Paradise Pier, near the boardwalk games, Pizza Oom Mow Mow is Disney's salute to Cali's surfers. The venue is decorated with surf boards, colorful neons, road signs, tikis, and everything beach related; it really looks like Venice Beach threw up on it. Inside it is like most counter service restaurants on the property. There are the a few cashiers, with lines on either sides of the register. The lines move fast and there is never enough seating.
Although the theme is surfer the food really doesn't reflect it. Although they do have pizza, which somewhat fits the theme, the other item on their menu is pasta. I can't remember the last time that I heard a surfer exclaim "Dude, pass me a bowl of that wicked Alfredo." I think burritos and tacos would have been a better, more realistic fit, but then again Disney has never asked me my opinion for anything. The menu includes pizza, and there is a variety to choose from; the Bodacious Sausage (with Italian sausage and mushrooms, $5.99), Big Kahuna Hawaiian (Canadian bacon and pineapple, $5.99), Extreme BBQ Chicken (chicken, red onions, and cilantro, $5.99), Awesome Pepperoni ($5.99), and the Wipe-Out Mozzarella Cheese ($5.79). The prices a for one slice. A whole pie is $31.99, Honestly if you are visiting California, espcially if you are from the East Coast, avoid the pizza out here. There are many things that SoCal is famous for, but pizza isn't one of them; heck, it doesn't even make it on the list. Disney's Pizza is no exception.
They also offer different pastas and salads. There is the Totally Marinara Pasta for $8.49, the Pipeline Pizza Salad with chopped greens, sliced pepperoni, tomatoes, red onions, black olives, feta, mozzarella cheese, and vinaigrette dressing for $8.49, the Surfin' Chicken Caeser for $8.49, and then there is the Far-Out Chicken Fusilli for $8.99. The portions are genorous, but the taste will left me wishing that I wasn't given so much.
My reccomendation, if eating here, is to go for the pasta. Honestly the pizza is way over priced, and wont fill most people. Although I'm not even going to pretend that I'm a fan of the pizza, but in the end you'll get more bang for your buck. This is also one of the more kid friendly places in the park to eat. They offer items that the little ones will be fimilar with on both the adult and kids menu, so no parent should have to walk away with a $50 bill and nothing was touched by the little ones.

I am convinced that this one of the first places built in California Adventure. No expense was spared, it doesn’t look like it was built in a rush, it’s not out of place, and it looks like something Walt Disney would have designed himself, (kudos for DCA for doing something right…now lets do something with the rest of the park; I digress). From the outside it has the ere of a real vineyard, and on the inside the understate beauty of wine county. In other words it’s simple, uncomplicated, yet well themed.
Wine Country Trattoria is located on the bottom floor of an adobe-mission style building (upstairs is the Vineyard Room). Choose to sit outside on the patio for an ugly view of the Bug’s Life land or inside. My preference is inside. The space is split up into different rooms so there is a more laid back feel then a cafeteria atmosphere. Inside the walls are decorated with simple crafts that help create a somber feel to the room. Although there isn’t much to look at the real attraction is the open kitchen. This is where all of the action is taking place. Waiters run back and forth with orders while the cooks prepare everything fresh.
Thus far I think that Wine Country Trattoria offers one of the best menus in either park. However this isn’t really a kid friendly place. This is a nice; sit down restaurant with food catered to the adult pallet. Outside they post their menu to review before they take your name for seating. Check it out to see if there is anything your child will eat before entering. After seeing the menu that was what persuaded me to try the place.
The restaurant offers a variety of items that can’t be found in the rest of the park. They serve harvest minestrone soup ($5.49), pizzeta salad with Italians dressing ($9.99), Caprese Sandwich on pretzel bread ($9.99), or a chicken panini ($10.29). It was the lasagnas that took my eye. There choices included lasagna rustica with meat sauce for 12.79 and roasted vegetable lasagna with zucchini, red bell peppers, eggplant, and basil garlic mariner sauce for $12.79. I ordered the chicken alfredo lasagna ($12.79).
While I waited for my lasagna my waiter brought me a delicious basket of garlic bread. When my food arrived I was in heaven. There were layers of pasta separated between tender, citrus marinated chicken and spinach. All of this covered with creamy alfredo sauce. It was heaven. When I finished eating I didn’t want to leave anything on my plate, so I used the garlic bread to wipe up the remains of the alfredo sauce.
My waiter tried to tempt me with their desserts such as tiramisu ($4.99), orange sorber ($4.99), or Trattoria chocolate crème ($4.99). All so tempting, but I just couldn’t eat any more.
As I left the restaurant I walked around the patio. The sun was setting and more people were arriving at Wine Country. I found a small out door wine tasting area that had sprung to life next door. I also learned that they sold bottles of California wines; however guests aren’t allowed to carry the bottles around the park, so the bottles are sent to the gate for pick up.

Unlike Disneyland, which was well though out, and everything fits into a theme, makes since, and enhances the experience, I can’t say the same for California Adventure. Most of the snack food places seem to be space fillers. Nothing (food wise) was inspired by the rich cultural diversity or history of California. Instead patrons are given lack luster buildings, less then inspiring food, and puns for names…seriously they are cute at first and more annoying as time passes.
There are just a hand full of free standing snack places around the park, but hopefully with all of the renovation and the snack stands will also get some much needed TLC.
Just around the corner from the main entrance of the park is a train…yes a real train that cleverly houses a souvenir shop, and ice cream parlor, and a bakery.
Baker’s Field Bakery- Inside the sliding train door is a small bakery that serves a variety of treats such as muffins, brownies, cakes, and a variety of coffee. I had a sticky bun that was pretty good. They even warmed it up for me. I never really see a line here, but since it is along the parade route it gets busy when people start to line up.
Bur-r-r Bank Ice Cream (Disney can’t pass up a pun). Right next to Baker’s Field is the ice cream shop. They serve various sundaes, such as the Strawberry Station (vanilla ice cream with a raisin scone, strawberry topping, chocolate shavings, and a cherry, $5.49), the Steam’n Chocolate (vanilla ice ream with chocolate cake, hot fudge, and walnut, $5.79), the Loco Mocha Fudge (Mocha Almond Fudge ice cream, with bananas caramel sauce, and peanuts, $5.49), or the Mint Express (mint chocolate chip ice cream, hot fudge, crushed cookies, and a cherry, $5.49). Their serving size is enough to feed two people.

Catch a Flave- This place is easy to miss. Nothing stands out about its appearance. It’s located across from Ariel’s Grotto and serves soft serve ice cream. The only thing that is fun about the place is that they can mix in flavor to the ice cream such as cotton candy, grape, orange, lemon, butter pecan,
bubblegum, strawberry, or chocolate. I got vanilla they can with swirls of orange.

Corn Dog Castle- I’m not sure of the corn dog connection to California, but I do know that the first corn dog place can be found along Route 66, which was one of the inspirations for this section of the park as it transitions into Route 66. The corn dogs are HUGE!! I split one with a friend and it held us over to lunch. My only complaint was how greasy it was.

It was one of those places that I walked past a million times, always wanted to eat at, but never did. Finally I committed myself to it, drove to Disney, and rode some rides, then made my way to California Adventure to Taste Pilot’s Grill. It's located next to Sorin’ Over California (the most popular ride in the park), so lines get long. The set up is simple, but fits the theme of Condor Flats. From the outside the building looks like a hanger with a plane bursting out of the logo. Inside is an airplane themed setting. Seating can be found both inside and outside. Even though they boast the largest seating capacity in the park, seating can be hard to come by during even slower days in the park, which to me isn't a surprise since the menu is so delicious.

Like most of the restaurants in the park Taste Pilot’s is counter service, but a great tip I found that is always handy here is to watch the lines. Like most counter service places in the parks there are two lines on either side of the register (one checker, two lines for that person), however most people only line up on one side. Most times the checker will keep yelling to get everyone to line up on both sides, but only one or two people actually listen. This is a great way to cut the line.

My greatest complaint about the parks restaurants is the lack of diversity on the menus. Taste’s Pilots is no exception, but they do offer a menu that is pretty unique to the rest of the park and the items they offer are really good.. Their menu includes ribs with slaw (three ribs $9.99, five ribs $12.49), a chicken sandwich with fries ($8.59), BBQ chicken sandwich ($8.59), chili burger with cheddar chesse ($8.59), bleu cheese burger ($8.49), or a cheeseburger ($7.59). The side orders include Full Throttle fires with cheese, chili, onions, tomatos, and sour cream ($5.49), onion rings ($3.29) or fries with BBQ sauce hot sauce, salsa, or jalapenos for toppings ($2.99). The child’s menu includes nuggests or sliders, and the toddlers menu features macaroni and cheese. There is also a beer station sering Budweiser and Karl Strauss.

I ordered the Wild Bleu Yonder burger, found a seat and dug in. I admit I was very skeptical about the food quality (I’m not a fan of the park or most of the food in it), but was very surprised. The combination of bleu cheese and BQQ sauce worked well together, although it is a bit of an acquired taste, it was really delicious. One tip though, don’t add ketchup. Trust me, I had a momentary lapse of judgment; it just doesn’t add anything to the burger.

My only complaint is the seating. They offer both inside and outside seating with very little shade. And although it is much cooler inside the tables are very close together and families tend to linger either waiting for their fast pass times to come up or to wait for family members to get their Sorin' fast pass before they order. Considering that was the only down side to Taste Piolt's that's a huge plus, as far as I'm concerned.

Overall the food is gets a B+, the price is decent, portions are big enough to fill up an adult, and the atmosphere gets a B (It’s nothing special, but it does fit in with the theme of the area). Taste’s Pilot’s Grill is miles above most of the other places in the park and should be considered by anyone who is looking for a fast meal with their kids.

The best part about living in Cali, but not being a native is how much you appreciate the diverse array of food found in the southlands. Everything from Asian and Hawaiian to Mexican can be enjoyed here with a great sense of authenticity. Being an East coast girl born and bread I find myself often going through withdrawal over a real pizza or a Philly cheese steak, but overall I can’t complain.
With that said Cocina Cucamonga Mexican Grill is great for visitors to LA, but if you live here I would skip it. It’s decent, yet overpriced Mexican food that really can’t even be compared to any whole in the wall, family run food place that you can find throughout California. In other words it’s a couple of steps above Taco Bell, and several steps under the taco truck that drives around my neighborhood and makes everything front of you. They serve the basics. There is two main things on the menu; fajita style tacos with refried beans and Mexican rice with beef, chicken, or vegetable ($9.49). They also serve fajita style burritos with bean and rice as well for $9.99. They also offer tres leches cake and crispitos. The kids menu includes bean and cheese burritos and chicken tacos for $5.99.
As for atmosphere I give it a C+. It is located on Paradise Wharf. All of the buildings around it are inspired by Cannery Row in Monterey, making it feel as if you just stepped out of Disney and into a row of factories. Although this may not sound romantic, seats along the "harbor" make for beautiful views of the Sun Wheel or duck watching (tip: you can feed the ducks! They love the bread from the Boudin Bakery). Honestly nothing really screams Mexican restaurant for me here, but then again that’s my overall complaint about California Adventure: the themeing is random and feels like it was pulled together at the last minute to come in under budget.
What makes Cocina Cucamonga special is that all of the tortilla’s are made next door in the tortilla factory. Tours go through every 5-10 minutes. The tour itself isn’t very long and at the end you are given a fresh tortilla right out of the oven.
Overall at you get a lot of bang for your buck proportion wise, but not so much taste wise. As far as atmosphere goes I recommend Rancho del Zocalo Restaurante in Disneyland over Cocina Cucamonga. The food isn’t much better, but the atmosphere makes for a better overall experience and a much more romantic setting.

Sitting on Paradise Pier next to Pizza Om Mow Mow and Muholland Madness is Burger Invasion. It's easy to miss if your not looking for it, but once found it is almost impossible to forget. Burger Invasion is written across the top of a giant hamburger, hovering over the restaurant like a UFO, in Sci-fi style font. Truth be told, Burger Invasion is nothing more then McDonald’s without the golden Arches. And it’s an over priced McDonald’s at that. They serve the usual Big Macs ($5.99), double cheeseburgers ($5.89), and Chicken sandwich ($6.29), along with shakes, fries, apple pies, and all of the Mickey D hoopla that goes along with it. If you wish to drink it will be an extra $2.50 for a soda. Happy meals are $4.99 each.
Finding seating on crowded days is hard, since this is stictly a counter service restarurant. All seating is outside next to Mulland Madness with umbrealls over the tables for shade. If I'm truely honest about Burger Invasion I feel that it is a waste of space. Like most of the Disney parks McDonalds does have a small stand that sells fries and sodas, but a whole restrauant, is it really nessacary? Especailly when it stands next to another kid freindly, better themed, budget restaurant, Pizza Om Mow Mow. And by judjing from the reactions of the other guests, most walk up only to turn right back around and go next door. My suggestion is that if it's a burger you want try Taste Piolet's in Condor Flats. They serve up a unqiue mix of delicious burgers that left me wanting and craving more.