The best start to any day at the parks is a good breakfast, and the Disneyland Resort has plenty of restaurants for that. The three hotels of the Disneyland Resort are also great places for breakfast, whether you’re looking for a quick stop, or a full, complete, sit-down meal. The best part is, you don't have to be a guest at the hotel to enjoy one of these magical meals.
The Disneyland Hotel
The original Disneyland Hotel has quite a few different options for breakfast. If you’re just looking for a quick grab-and-go breakfast, The Coffee House is a perfect place to stop before heading into the parks. A full coffee and tea bar, serving the parks-standard Joffrey’s Coffee, The Coffee House also has an assortment of fruit, pastry, and cereal options. This obviously isn’t the place if you’re looking to sit down for a nice meal, but if you’re rushing into the park (especially if you are planning to take the Monorail and not venture through Downtown DIsney, this is a perfect place to quickly grab some breakfast.
Across from the pool, attached to Trader Sam’s Enchanted Tiki Bar, is the Tangaroa Terrace, an often-overlooked restaurant that offers great food all day long, but especially in the morning. This is actually one of my favorite places for breakfast, with a menu of unique items that can’t be found elsewhere in the Resort, such as the delicious Loco Moco, and French Toast topped with Banana Caramel Sauce. Tangaroa Terrace is a tasty breakfast option that falls in between a casual quick service restaurant and a sit-down meal.
Goofy’s Kitchen Exterior. Photo by Megan Walker.
A fan-favorite, and one of my personal favorites is Goofy’s Kitchen, the character dining location for the Disneyland Hotel. Goofy’s Kitchen is the typical character dining buffet offering, with various types of breakfast dishes, lunch items (macaroni and cheese, chicken nuggets, hot dogs, pizza, etc.), a carving station, cereal, fresh fruit and salads, and a dessert bar. Goofy leads the crew of characters located here, with appearances by Minnie Mouse, Pluto, and Chip 'n' Dale, as well. Goofy’s Kitchen is a little expensive, as all of the character dining buffets are, but it is a lot of fun and I’ve never had anything bad here; all of the dishes have been very tasty; plus, you never know who may stop by your table to join you!
Chef Goofy at Goofy’s Kitchen. Photo by Megan Walker.
Finally, Steakhouse 55 offers a wonderful, sit-down breakfast with a wide variety of delicious entrees and a quiet escape from the hustle and bustle of the other restaurants around the resort. Steakhouse 55 recently rolled out a brand new breakfast menu that includes items such as a classic American breakfast, Pork Belly Chilaquiles, and Chicken and Waffles, among many others. The bar at Steakhouse 55 is also open and ready to serve in the morning if you’re in the mood for a Bloody Mary or a Mimosa with your breakfast; the service here is fantastic, as well and absolutely cannot be beat.
Disney's Grand Californian Hotel and Spa
The Grand Californian Hotel offers a unique option that stands out at the three hotels with White Water Snacks, a fantastic and handy little shop/restaurant located near the pool area of the hotel. Stocked with grocery type items of all varieties, as well as offering a menu of prepared food. White Water Snacks is incredibly handy and it doesn’t fail when it comes to breakfast either. Whether you’re looking for a quick grab-and-go option of cereal, oatmeal, or fruit, or something more hearty like a breakfast burrito, French Toast sticks, or Mickey waffles, White Water Snacks is a great place to stop on your way into the park or to take something back to your room.
The character dining option at the Grand Californian is the recently reimagined, Chip ‘n Dale Critter Breakfast buffet located at the Storyteller’s Café. Storyteller’s consistently has a pretty good menu throughout the day, especially for breakfast. The buffet, which touts a menu of omelets, Caramel French Toast, eggs benedict, fruit and pastries, and Mickey waffles, is a nice escape from the typical character-dining ambience. Storyteller’s Café is pretty big and tends to be a little quieter than its counterparts at the other hotels. Storyteller’s is also a very beautiful restaurant, and offers a fun environment for a nice meal with the family.
Storyteller’s Café. Photo by Megan Walker.
Finally, the last breakfast option at Disney's Grand Californian, though admittedly not much of an option for younger visitors, is the Coffee Bar at the Hearthstone Lounge. This is a pretty small breakfast stop, offering just an assortment of coffee, tea, and pastries, but it’s better than nothing. Much like The Coffee House at the Disneyland Hotel, this makes for a nice pre-park stop, especially if you’re a guest of the hotel.
Paradise Pier Hotel
Disney's Paradise Pier Hotel also offers a quick coffee and pastry shop with the Surfside Lounge. Located right in the lobby of the hotel, conveniently on your way out to the parks, Surfside Lounge also offers a few hot breakfast item,s like a breakfast burrito, a croissant sandwich, and a wood-fired flatbread.
Lastly, Surf’s Up! Breakfast with Mickey and Friends, located at the PCH Grill, is the character dining location for the Paradise Pier Hotel. I recently ate here for the first time and was pleasantly surprised. The breakfast buffet includes some of the same items as the other buffets, but it also has unique offerings such as a parfait bar, chilaquiles, peanut butter and banana with chocolate-stuffed French Toast, and breakfast flatbreads. The theming here is also a lot of fun, with Mickey and the gang in their beach attire, which makes for some fun photo opportunities. Unless you’re a guest at the Paradise Pier, its restaurants tend to get overlooked as the hotel is kind of out of the way, but if you’re looking for something fresh and new to try for breakfast on your next trip, it’s worth the extra steps.
Surf’s Up! Breakfast with Mickey & Friends. Photo by Megan Walker.
Whether you’re a guest at one of the hotels or just passing through on your way to the parks, the three hotels of the Disneyland Resort all have great breakfast options in for a variety of tastes and budgets, depending on what you’re looking for. If you’re searching for a quick stop, or a place to sit down and enjoy a nice meal with your family, you can be sure to find what you’re looking for at these three resort properties.
What's your favorite? Let us know in the comments!
