Dining Review of The Blue Bayou Restaurant at Disneyland

Disneyland has some amazing food with so many choices to consider. Here’s a dining review of the Blue Bayou to help you decide if you should dine here on a future trip.

Last month, I (Marisol) rang in my 40’s by eating at The Blue Bayou Restaurant which is nestled inside the Pirates of the Caribbean attraction at Disneyland. I’ll take you through what we ate and if it was worth the total cost of dining at this restaurant.

The Blue Bayou Restaurant

Situated within the same building that is part of the Pirates of the Caribbean attraction at Disneyland Park in Anaheim, the restaurant that features New Orleans inspired Cajun food first opened to hungry guests on March 18, 1967.

The restaurant is located in New Orleans Square.

Known for its outside ambience and theming, guests are immersed with the illusion of eating at an outdoor restaurant at nighttime. One can hear the sounds of crickets and frogs while witnessing the glow of fireflies.

One of the reasons why The Blue Bayou is so popular is because the restaurant offers a view of the opening scene of the Pirates of the Caribbean attraction.

Guests can see riders float by in boats, and the riders see those that are eating in the restaurant as they pass by. It is a pretty neat experience from both points of view. Similarly, Pinocchio Village Haus offers the same experience for “it’s a small world” at Magic Kingdom!

Originally the restaurant was supposed to feature live entertainment, but Disney historian Jim Korkis reported after a dress rehearsal and trial dinner in 1966 Walt Disney declared, “In this restaurant, the food is going to be the show, along with the atmosphere.”

Currently, there are three Blue Bayou Restaurants. The first located in Disneyland Park, and the other two are at Disneyland Paris and Tokyo Disneyland.

Dining Reservations for The Blue Bayou

Upon arrival at your seat, guests will find a QR code on the table that can be scanned by a phone to pull up the menu. The menu can also be found on the Disneyland app and website.

However, if guests prefer a paper menu instead, they are also available.

Advance reservations are highly recommended. They can be made on the Disneyland page or with the Disneyland app up to 60 days prior to the guests visit.

Same-day reservations can be made on a limited basis and are subject to availability.

In-park dining requires a theme park reservation and valid admission for the same park on the same date for each person ages 3 and older.

This is also the only restaurant located inside Disneyland that offers alcoholic beverages. There is a limit of two alcoholic beverages per guest per transaction.

The Blue Bayou Restaurant is open for lunch and dinner. The menu remains the same for both meals.

What To Eat?

I had a reservation for 3:00 pm. At that time, I checked my party into the restaurant through the Disneyland app on my phone and waited to receive the message that our table was ready.

So, what did we eat? I personally had been wanting Jambalaya for some time, so I knew from the moment I sat down what I would be ordering. The Jambalaya dish ($36) consists of Jumbo Shrimp, Andouille Sausage, Chicken, Tasso Ham, Creole Rice and Spiced Tomato Jus.

It was a good sized portion and I enjoyed it so much that I cleared the plate!

I also ordered the Hurricane Cocktail for $16.00. When in New Orleans, right?

My youngest ordered the Mickey’s Cheesy Macaroni off the Kid’s Menu ($10). It is also served with a choice of two side menu items and the choice of a small low-fat Milk or small Dasani Water.

For her sides, she ordered the seasonal fruit and mashed potatoes.

My oldest also ordered off the kids menu but instead ordered the Chef’s Beef Specialty ($13) which is just steak. She ordered the seasonal fruit and jasmine rice.

I do have to say that the portions of the kids food were very small. In fact, I knew right away that it would not be enough food for my oldest. She agreed and asked our waitress if it would be possible to order another serving of the jasmine rice.

Minutes later, the waitress brought her a second serving. We were charged but it was only an additional $3.00 which we did not mind.

For dessert, the kids and I shared a slice of the 8-Layer Chocolate and Hazelnut Cake ($10) which comes with Chantilly cream and a Macaron.

Our server knew that I was celebrating my birthday, so when she arrived at the table with the dessert, she placed a candle and lit it for the girls to sing to me!

All menus, including restaurants at Disneyland, can be found on Character Locator! Be sure to purchase a $10 subscription for Disney planning at your fingertips!

The Blue Bayou Restroom

There are three restrooms located within New Orleans Square. However, only one of them is accessible as the other two require restaurant reservations.

One of them is the restroom located inside The Blue Bayou Restaurant.

If you are interested in learning more about all the restrooms located inside Disneyland Park you can read all about them HERE.

Overall Thoughts

This was my third visit to eating at The Blue Bayou, and although each visit has been meaningful, I would have to say that I do not have a grand desire to eat again at the restaurant very soon.

I feel that it is nice to experience for special occasions such as a birthday, anniversary, or first visits to Disneyland.

In terms of pricing, when comparing it to other sit down restaurants around Disneyland and Walt Disney World, it really is not all that expensive.

As mentioned before, do keep in mind that the kids menu portions are very small and meant for younger kids who do not eat a lot! The nice part is that guests can order additional servings at a small cost.

The ambience around the entire restaurant is what makes the experience of this dining reservation truly worth the visit to The Blue Bayou.

Have you ever eaten at The Blue Bayou? What is your favorite part of dining at the restaurant? Let us know in the comments on Facebook and in our Facebook group.