After we booked our flights and knew we would be spending Luke’s birthday in California, I asked him what he wanted for birthday supper. I told him it would be my treat, whatever he wanted – Napa Rose, Steakhouse 55…. but he decided he really wanted to go to Trader Sam’s to celebrate being another year older. So, Trader Sam’s it was!

This Tiki Bar is located by the Disneyland Hotel – not quite inside the hotel, but close to the pool.

We arrived, and were able to find a table right away – we were pretty excited about that! We had been to the one at Walt Disney World a few weeks prior, so we know how busy these places can get.

First things first – some pictures of the drink menu!

I had the Uh-Oa in Florida, so I already had that souvenir glass. I knew I wanted something different this time, so my drink #1 was the Hippopotomai-Tai – light and dark rums, orange curacao, orgeat (Almond) syrup, organic agave nectar and fresh lime juice. Served in a souvenir Tiki glass, $21.

Before you see the picture I’ll tell you exactly what our server told us – even though the menu states that it is served in a souvenir glass, they actually serve it in a normal, plain, boring glass. I did get the Tiki mug to bring home though 🙂

I love that the one I brought home actually says Disneyland Hotel, Anaheim CA on the back – I guess I now need to get one from Florida so I have the set 😉

The drink itself was like all Trader Sam’s drinks – very strong! It was good though, and definitely one I would order again.

Luke’s first drink was Shipwreck on the Rocks – Bourbon with freshly muddled lemon and mint with organic agave nectar. Served in a souvenir tiki mug.$25

This pretty much tasted like straight bourbon. I hate the taste of alcohol, but for some reason have always liked bourbon, so I thought this was pretty good. Luke liked it once he got over how strong it was.

I loved the mug this was served in, and I was really excited to add it to our collection. When you pay for the mug, it shows up on your receipt, and you pick up a brand new mug on your way out of the bar. When they are handed to you, they are boxed up and taped shut. I didn’t open the boxes until we were back in Canada, and instead of getting this awesome barrel-looking glass, they accidentally gave us the Shrunken Zombie Head mug (that was in the picture with my Hippopotomaitai glass). The Zombie Head was going to be one of my first choices on our next trip, and it’s a really cool addition to our collection, but I’m a little sad we didn’t get the Shipwreck One. I’m sure I could have contacted Disney somehow, but I had no idea how to go about that.

When we placed our order for our first drinks, we also ordered food! The first thing to come out was the Pu-Pu Platter : sweet and spicy Asian wings, glazed Portuguese sausage bites, panko-crusted Chinese long beans, tropical slaw and sriracha aioli $17.

The wings were too spicy for me, but Luke really enjoyed them. The sausage bites were really tasty, the sauce on them was so good! I’m not a big coleslaw person, so I have no comments on that. The sriracha aioli wasn’t too spicy, and was so amazing with those beans. Oh, those beans. So, so, so delicious. Shortly after this trip, Luke actually tried making his own version of them using green beans, and they were also awesome. We both agreed we would order this platter to share again.

For my main entree, I ordered the Kalua-Style Pork Flatbread: Pulled pork, barbecue sauce, red onion, cilantro and mozzarella cheese $9.49

This was also really great! I ordered it without the red onions of course… The sauce had a nice flavour, the flatbread was good. I wouldn’t hesitate to order this again either!

Luke’s main entree was the Angus 1/3LB Hawaiian Cheeseburger: Ground Angus burger wit teriyaki sauce, fresh caramelized pineapple, havarti cheese, bacon, lettuce and tomato on a multi-grain bun. Includes choice of one side: sweet potato fries, classic french fries, island fruit or tropical slaw $12.49

Luke chose the sweet potato fries as his side. He said this was a really great burger, and he ate it all. According to him, the flavours all worked really well together and he would gladly order this again sometime.

While we were eating, Luke ordered his second drink of the night – a Tiki Tiki Tiki Tiki Tiki Rum: reserve rum, cream of coconut and pineapple and orange juices dusted with cinnamon and nutmeg. $12 (no souvenir mug).

Of course we had to sing the name of this drink over and over… It was really tasty! Not as strong as our first two drinks, but it was not lacking in rum either! The cream of coconut was interesting, and the cinnamon/nutmeg really brought some new flavours into it. I would order this myself next time!

My drink #2 was Piranha Pool: Strawberry vodka blended with pineapple juice, cream of coconut, strawberry puree and blue curacao $11(again, no souvenir mug)

Mmm, a drink named after bloody water…. The name of this drink aside, it was tasty! I love slushie-type drinks, and I love flavoured vodka – this checked off two of those boxes! Again, the cream of coconut is interesting – I don’t think I love it, but I did finish this drink… I think I need more taste tests before I determine my feelings on it haha.

Luke decided to order one more drink – it was his birthday after all! He asked our waitress for a Murky Mojito but she told him that it was a terrible drink haha. She said most people that order that one end up sending it back, and she can’t figure out why it’s still on the menu. We took her word for it, and he instead went for the Mosquito Mojito: strawberry rum, organic agave nectar, falernum, mint and fresh lime juice topped with soda water $10.75.

I loved the slight Strawberry taste the vodka gave this! This was probably my favourite drink of the night, and Luke seemed to enjoy it as well.

By this point, we had spent about 2 hours at our table and had drank 5 drinks between us. This might not seem like a lot, but those drinks all packed a punch, and neither of us drink all that often. When we stood up, oh boy. We were having a good time!

Since I had just purchased an annual pass, this was my first time getting to use it 🙂 It saved us 15% off the food only, so $5.85. Our bill came to $121.63 after the discount – it was an expensive start to our vacation, but a very tasty one! Happy birthday Luke!