Blue skies, sunshine, and delicious New Orleans-inspired fare are just around the corner as Disneyland has announced that Tiana’s Palace Restaurant on Thursday, September 7, 2023. This reimagined quick-service style restaurant is inspired by the one Princess Tiana created in the beloved Walt Disney Animation Studios film, “The Princess and the Frog.”
The opening of Tiana’s Palace Restaurant marks the beginning of bringing more stories from Princess Tiana and her friends into the story of New Orleans Square and the surrounding area. It first began with the opening of Eudora’s Chic Boutique featuring Tiana’s Gourmet Secrets in 2022 and will continue with the opening of Tiana’s Bayou Adventure in 2024. The restaurant opening helps to expand upon Princess Tiana’s story and pays homage to the cuisine of the Crescent City.
Of course, there will be many elegant, yet subtle details throughout the restaurant that offer fun hints at Tiana’s rich past in New Orleans. We’ve seen the new marquee that reads “Tiana’s Palace” that hangs above a metallic gold balcony. Below the marquee is an emerald green wrought iron railing and awnings dyed in yellow and green that is reminiscent of Tiana’s beautiful formal ball gown. You will be surrounded by the colors of Mardi Gras as you sit at yellow tabletops, on warm vanilla-colored chairs with green seats, in the shade of yellow and green umbrellas.
Disney Imagineers also took inspiration from the film for the interior of the restaurant, which includes a large mural of the bayou. You will also see other references to Tiana’s story – lilies represented on numerous signs, plaques, light fixtures, frog porcelains, cookbooks Tiana has collected on little shelves, and her father’s favorite gumbo spoon proudly on display. Also be on the lookout for the letters from her father and neighbors that will be on display, alongside a childhood photo of Tiana.
And here’s a fun fact! The former French Market Restaurant served as an inspiration for the design of Tiana’s Palace from the Disney Animation film “The Princess and the Frog.” In the film, Disney Animation artists added a wheelhouse and two smokestacks to give Tiana’s Restaurant an iconic silhouette, so when the time came to bring Tiana’s Palace to life at Disneyland, Imagineers made those same additions to create the real Tiana’s Palace, making this a full circle moment!
The opening of Tiana’s Palace Restaurant also marks the return of the ever-so-popular Mint Julep Bar! At Tiana’s Palace, you can enjoy new menu items that represent Tiana’s story and honor the flavors and flair of New Orleans, with an effort to source some ingredients directly from the state of Louisiana when possible. When the restaurant reopens, you’ll be able to place a Mobile Order on the Disneyland App. Stay tuned for a first look at the full menu that will be coming soon on Daps Magic!
