After reading so many rave reviews about this place, I knew we had to try it! We managed to score a reservation within a few minutes of when we wanted to – not an easy feat, this is a teeny-tiny little place!

It’s located at the Beach Club resort, close to Stormalong Bay. It’s designed to look like an old fashioned soda shop, decorated in pastel colours and retro designs.

The menu is fairly basic – hamburgers, hot dogs, etc.

To start, we both ordered a Vanilla Coke <3 . I love vanilla coke so much, and wish it was available more places.

For my main meal, I went for the Grilled Cheese with Tomato Bisque – with six-cheese blend, $10.50

This might have been the best grilled cheese I’ve ever had. I’m a person of very simple taste, but seriously – this was amazing. The bread was great, the cheese blend was great and the ratio of cheese to bread was perfect! You might laugh, but there really is such a thing as too much cheese, and it completely ruins a sandwich for me. (I love cheese, but there’s a fine balance you need to find in creating a perfect grilled cheese).

The tomato bisque was also wonderful! Luke hates tomato soup, but he tried this and actually loved it. The flavours were fantastic, and my only complaint was that I wanted more!

Luke went for the Beaches Patty Melt – angus beef burger served with sauteed onions, swiss and garlic-peppercorn dressing on rye bread – $16

This is typically served with fries, but Luke decided to switch those out for onion rings. I did steal an onion ring (and pulled the onion out of course – I only eat the batter…), and it was pretty good! I didn’t try his sandwich due to all the onions on it, but Luke said it was good (but not necessarily great). I don’t think he loved it like I loved my grilled cheese, but he ate it all and didn’t really have any complaints.

Luke also decided he wanted a cherry Coke –

While we were waiting outside to be called in and seated, there was a group of 5 friends who were clearly having a good time, and had made up some song/chant about getting the kitchen sink. They were seated shortly after us at a booth beside our little table, and sure enough, they ordered the kitchen sink – scoops of vanilla, chocolate, strawberry, cookies and cream and mint chocolate chip ice cream smothered in every topping we have (including a full can of whipped cream!). Also available: chocolate lovers or Neapolitan.  $29

The group noticed me trying to snap a picture of this monster, so they invited me over to get a better shot before they started digging in.

That was obviously way too much ice cream for Luke and I, so we decided instead to share a No Way Jose – a peanut butter and hot fudge delight featuring chocolate and vanilla ice cream, peanut butter and chocolate morsels, whipped cream and a cherry $9.

Not only is there hot fudge, but the peanut butter was also warm and melted. I’m not even a huge peanut butter person, but this was INCREDIBLE. Oh. My. God. Seriously. It’s also huge – 3 generous scoops of ice cream and no shortage of whipped cream – it was more than enough for the two of us to share.

Look at all that peanut butter!

And after we were finished:

This is a place I would not hesitate to return to. It’s a terrible use of credits if you are on the Disney Dining Plan though, as it costs a table service credit – but if paying out of pocket it is a great deal (as far as Disney deals go…)

The total for our meal was $48.17 (we had no discounts, so that is full price), plus tip. It was actually one of our cheapest meals on this trip.

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!

We enjoyed this meal so much on our January 2016 trip that we made it one of the few repeat restaurants on our January 2017 trip. We also figured it would be a good option for the night before our 5km race – not that a 5km is that hard, but I knew I didn’t want to be eating greasy, deep-fried foods the night before my first ever runDisney event.

We checked in for our 4:50 reservation pretty much on time, and didn’t wait long before being led to our table – a 4 seater on the top level (same as the year before). According to the time stamp on the following picture, we were at our table by 4:56 (with a cute hidden Mickey formed out of a plate and 2 bowls).

For those not familiar, Garden Grill is a pre-set menu served at your table family style. The restaurant itself revolves around The Land – but it is very slow and you barely notice the movement.

The first thing your server brings to your table are the warm buns – which are fairly basic, but I will rarely complain about warm white bread served with soft butter!

Next up is the salad, some of which is made with ingredients grown by Disney themselves. Immediately, we placed all of the egg, the radishes and the cherry tomatoes on Luke’s plate, I don’t like any of those things haha. But, there’s still plenty in this salad for me to eat – fresh mixed greens, cucumbers, bacon!, shredded carrots, etc. I also like the light dressing they put on this. I’m pretty sure we cleaned out this entire bowl.

Then the main platter comes out – turkey, green beans, mashed potatoes, cranberry sauce, stuffing, sausage and pot roast. The presentation was different from the previous trip, and the beef option was different, but everything was still so delicious!

They also drop off some side dishes – sweet potato fries and mac n’ cheese with Goldfish crackers.

Since it is a family-style meal, you can ask for seconds of any item you wish – we asked for more green beans and pot roast. We were both hungry clearly – here’s the empty plate that had our second helping of beef and beans haha –

Here’s the picture Luke took of our food:

I tried the mac and cheese again this year – I’m still not a huge fan… The sweet potato fries are ok, but kind of unnecessary with everything else. The mashed potatoes were good and creamy, the turkey was nothing special, but we ate it all, the gravy on it was fairly standard turkey gravy.  The stuffing was good. I let Luke eat all of the sausage, since I’m not a huge fan (and it wasn’t huge anyways). The green beans were clearly cooked in lots of butter/oil – making them delicious! And the pot roast was so tender – yum!

Once you’re stuffed, they bring out dessert:

A mixed berry shortcake. This is sooo good! There are large sugar granules on the cake which is just so amazing mixed with the tartness of the berries. We weren’t able to finish this, but we made a decent dent in it!

Of course, this is also a character meal! So while you are eating, Chip, Dale, Pluto and Farmer Mickey are making their rounds to say hello.

This was the tiniest little Mickey! I’m only 5’2, and you can see above that I’m taller than this Cast Member…

This is not a cheap meal, as with all character meals the cost is $45/person. You leave stuffed though! We will definitely eat there again at some point.

Also – there is a hidden Mickey in the mural on one wall. It’s a tough one, but once you see it, you can’t un-see it!