The Disneyland Resort 70th Celebration is now in full swing at the Disneyland Resort. Throughout this milestone celebration, guests have the chance to celebrate the past, the present, and even the future of Disneyland Resort. This is a celebration of continuation of hopes and dreams that Walt Disney had when he said, “to all who come to this happy place, welcome.”
There are many different ways for guests to celebrate the 70th anniversary. For some, it is all about entertainment. For others, it’s the merchandise that takes the cake. There are also those who love to dig in and try out the variety of foods that are being offered. Over 70 dishes were created for this event. Some of these dishes were inspired by vintage foods that are a part of the history of Disneyland. Below is a look at some of these foods that was shared by the Disney Parks Blog, along with an interview from the media event for the 70th. Check them out and then share what you are most excited to try!
A Few of Walt’s Favorites
He’d tell you it was all started by a mouse, but it was Walt Disney himself that opened Disneyland Park back in 1955. Putting a few of his favs on the 70th menu is one way we can honor him during our anniversary celebration. Here are a few new dishes inspired by Walt’s love for chili, pie, and of course, mouse ears.
Mickey Hat Cookie
Find it at: Jolly Holiday Bakery Cafe and Market House in Disneyland Park
Vintage-Inspired Flavors: Cookie dipped in chocolate with a chocolate decoration.
These cookies utilize a design reminiscent of the mouse ear hat made popular by theMickey Mouse Club television series in 1955. You might not be required to sing, “M-I-C-K-E-Y’ between bites, but we won’t discourage it.
Chili Cheese Corn Dog
Find it at: Corn Dog Castle in Disney California Adventure Park
Vintage-Inspired Flavors: Corn dog topped with chili, shredded cheddar, and corn chips
Chili is a known favorite of Walt’s, with one of his recipes preserved in the Walt Disney Archives dating to 1958. Over the years, Disney chefs have refined the recipe and continue to serve “Walt’s Chili” for park guests around the world. This chili corn dog is the perfect vehicle for a heapin’ helpin’ of Walt’s homestyle favorite.
W.E.D. Chili Cheese Baked Potato
Find it at: Troubadour Tavern in Disneyland Park
Vintage-Inspired Flavors: Baked potato topped with beef & bean chili, cheese, sour cream, diced onions, and cornbread.
Walt enjoyed simple and comforting food, and this dish fits the bill. It’s named after WED Enterprises, the company Walt founded in 1952 to help create Disneyland. Today, WED Enterprises is known as Walt Disney Imagineering, and we are known as people who are about to eat this potato.
Lemon Chiffon Pretzel
Find it at: Pretzels near Star Tours – The Adventures Continue
Vintage-Inspired Flavors: Cream cheese-filled pretzel dipped in lemon-flavored icing topped with crushed vanilla wafer.
Walt famously loved pie and one slice of choice was lemon chiffon pie with a graham cracker crust. Today, take in Tomorrowland’s futuristic views while pulling apart this literal twist on one of Walt’s favorite desserts.
New Bites Inspired by Casa de Fritos
What we’re looking at here is not only the Frito Kid, but also a chip vending mechanism — the perfect combination of surreal Disneyland foodie fun in 1955 that formed memories in the minds of kids everywhere. The Casa de Fritos was located where Rancho del Zocalo Restaurante currently serves up classic Mexican cuisine. For the Disneyland 70th Celebration, the menu includes the following two takes on Casa de Frito classics.
Fried Tamale Walking Taco
Find it at: Rancho Del Zocalo Restaurante in Disneyland Park
Vintage-Inspired Flavors: Fried beef tamale with chili, corn chips, and diced onions with cilantro, shredded cheese, and sour cream.
This dish is a fusion of two items once served at Casa de Fritos in Frontierland: A Ta-cup and a Frito Chili Pie. The Ta-cup was an open-faced taco housed in a fried corn tortilla. Both items were early favorites at Casa de Fritos, so their descendant is likely to be a big hit.
Mocha Cream Puff
Find it at: Rancho Del Zocalo Restaurante in Disneyland Park
Vintage-Inspired Flavors: Cream puff filled with cinnamon-mocha pastry cream topped with chocolate-covered corn chips.
Yes, we said chocolate-covered corn chips. Using the classic corn chip as a topping on a sweet dessert offers the right amount of sweet and savory flavor combo that will have you trying to remember the last time you had something this good.
Tropical Nods to Tahitian Terrace
In 1962, the Tahitian Terrace opened in Adventureland, offering the live entertainment of the Royal Tahitian Dancers and a menu inspired by the flavors of the South Seas.
Guests who visited the park in those days might remember visiting until midnight, peering over a menu at a parting curtain of water or a fire dancer nearby. To remember this literal hot spot, let’s dance over to Carnation Café and Bengal Barbecue for a couple of new delights.
Tropical Rum Cocktail
Find it at: Carnation Café in Disneyland Park
Vintage-Inspired Flavors: Bacardi Superior Rum, Myers’s Rum Original Dark, Pineapple, Orange & Lime Juices, and Grenadine.
Raise a glass to Tahitian Terrace with the bright tropical flavors of this classic drink that may remind you of past vacations in the sun, palms swaying in the breeze, cocktail in hand.
Grilled Tahitian Ribs
Find it at: Bengal Barbecue in Disneyland Park
Vintage-Inspired Flavors: Ribs served with white rice and pineapple slaw.
Succulent ribs with pineapple and rice appeared on the original Tahitian Terrace menu, and we’re so glad to see the modern version at Bengal Barbecue.
Nostalgic Carnation Inspirations
Carnation Ice Cream Parlor opened on July 17, 1955, complete with an ice cream counter where guests could try the latest creamy cool treats right on Main Street, U.S.A. Today, guests can experience a few callbacks to their favorites, both savory and sweet.
Beef Stroganoff
Find it at: Carnation Café in Disneyland Park
Vintage-Inspired Flavors: Braised Beef, Bacon, Onions, and Mushrooms over Egg Noodles.
A delectable Beef Stroganoff was offered on the Carnation Café menu in the 1990s. If the rad memory of this savory mountain of pasta and beef has stuck with you since the days of Darkwing Duck, give this latest version a try.
Banana Split
Find it at: Gibson Girl Ice Cream Parlor in Disneyland Park
Vintage-Inspired Flavors: Vanilla, chocolate, and strawberry ice creams topped with strawberries, pineapple, hot fudge, fresh banana, chopped nuts, whipped cream, and a cherry.
The Victorian Banana Split was a favorite at Carnation Ice Cream Parlor in Disneyland Park beginning in 1955. We consulted with the original Carnation Ice Cream Parlor menu, and it can be found today at the Gibson Girl Ice Cream Parlor hosted by Dreyer’s, and this banana split is so very close to the original, making it the perfect sugary treat to transport you to another time.
Banana Split Churro
Find it at: Churros near Goofy’s Sky School in Disney California Adventure Park
Vintage-Inspired Flavors: Classic churro rolled in cocoa powder with banana and strawberry sauces garnished with whipped topping, crushed peanuts, and a cherry.
The latest in-carnation of the Victorian banana split, this modern treat takes the banana split to new heights and to the churro-lovers out there. If you’re looking for your next churro to check off the list, this is certainly the most ap-peeling.
Party Like it’s 1955
The foodie landscape at the park in 1955 played on the adventurous spirit of guests and pirates alike.
With so many new foodie inventions in the past 70 years, Disney chefs enjoyed taking a look back and recreating some of those mid-century recipes. Here are a couple of bites that harken back to that first summer at Disneyland.
Hook’s Galley Tuna Melt
Find it at: Red Rose Taverne in Disneyland Park
Vintage-Inspired Flavors: Fresh tuna salad topped with Muenster and herb-marinated tomatoes served with house chips.
In August 1955, shortly after Disneyland opened, the Chicken of the Sea Pirate Ship and Restaurant in Fantasyland offered tuna sandwiches. Guests could enjoy both photo opportunities at the ship’s wheel and sandwich oppor-tuna-ties inside. Chicken of the Sea Pirate Ship and Restaurant becameCaptain Hook’s Galley in 1969 (and later closed in 1982). Today, you can savor your own swashbuckling dreams and this delicious take on the classic sandwich.
Apple Pancake Rolls
Find it at: River Belle Terrace in Disneyland Park
Vintage-Inspired Flavors: Apple pie topping, walnut streusel, and cinnamon Chantilly cream served with choice of bacon or sausage.
Pancake roll-ups were a staple on the Pancake House menu when it opened in August of 1955. Strawberry and blueberry pancakes are also available as a variation of an original item sold at the Pancake House. The Apple Pancake Rolls served today are a close double to those that guests snacked on nearly 70 years ago.
More Retro Treats Inspired by Eats from Decades Past
In the totally tubular 1980s, Disneyland opened Videopolis in Fantasyland and proved even Mouseketeers could moonwalk.
With giant video screens that played the latest music videos and a huge dance floor, it was the place to boogie down before fueling up with futuristic round fries at The Space Place restaurant in Tomorrowland or grabbing a burger in Frontierland.
Here’s a few more most-righteous modernized must-eats that will take you back.
Dancing Shimmering Lights
Find it at: Troubadour Tavern in Disneyland Park
Vintage-Inspired Flavors: Sweet berry lemonade with blackberry topper and colorful sanding sugar.
This vivid concoction was inspired by Videopolis, that radical high-tech area guests were able to dance the night away in the 1980s and 1990s. With each sip, reflect on your dance moves and hair choices back then and let us know if you’ve seen any improvement over the years.
Space Place Cottage Fries
Find it at: Galactic Grill in Disneyland Park
Vintage-Inspired Flavors: Fries tossed in Parmesan butter and parsley served with house-made ranch.
These Cottage Fries take us back to The Space Place restaurant in Tomorrowland from 1977 to 1996 where they were served as a futuristic side dish. Wait — if Cottage Fries are coming back in 2025, now soaring to entrée status… that means Tomorrowland’s vision of the future was right all along!
Cowboy Fries
Find it at: The Golden Horseshoe in Disneyland Park
Frontierland restaurants used to offer hamburgers in the 1980s, 1990s and early 2000s, so to tip our cowboy hats to those burgers of the past, we topped fries with all the goodness of a burger, without the bun.
What do you think of these vintage inspired foods for the Disneyland Resort 70th Celebration? Have you tried any of them yet? If so, what was your favorite? If not, what do you most want to try? Share your thoughts and opinions in the comments below! Check out all of Daps Magic’s Disneyland Resort 70th Celebration coverage at DapsMagic.com/Disneyland70!
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