RESTAURANT REVIEW: We’re Talking Disneyland Café Orléans! Don’t Miss This Place!
Café Orléans is an incredible table service restaurant located in New Orléans Square. And it has been there since day 1 in 1966! Originally called the “Creole Café,” this restaurant has gone back and forth between quick
service and table service through the years before settling on its current iteration. So how is Café Orléans? Let’s talk about it!
The Basics
Let’s Start with the basics. Café Orléans, located in New Orléans Square, offers indoor and outdoor dining. When the weather is nice, nothing beats the outdoor seating. While we were dining, Red, the Pirate, and Captain Jack Sparrow roamed past us several times! This is a moderately priced dining experience, ranging from $15-$35 per adult meal, so it won’t break the bank. This location is also home to Walt Disney’s ORIGINAL Espresso machine, and you’ll want to take a peak at it, or maybe order a coffee!
The Menu
The menu here is Creole-inspired. It also closely resembles that which you’ll find at the Blue Bayou for less! You can start with creamy Chicken Gumbo or a salad. For your main dish, consider classics like Shrimp & Grits, Red Wine braised short rib and frites, or the FAMOUS Monte Cristo!
Café Orléans also has plant-based offerings. These include white bean hummus, French onion Farro risotto, and crème brûlée. Additionally, kids can dine on their own menu, with classics like chicken, mac n cheese, and fries!
Dining with Food Allergies
Great news for food allergy diners! You have options. AND you have SECRET options at Café Orléans! As someone with celiac, you can see that the only options for me based on this menu are Shrimp & Grits or Roasted Half Chicken. However I had the Monte Cristo! How did I do this, you ask? AND I’M SO GLAD YOU DID!
The gluten-free Monte Cristo is not something you’ll find on the menu. And, in most cases, they cannot accommodate you if you order it at the table. Instead, you’ll need to contact Special Diets in advance! In this case, I emailed 2 weeks in advance with my reservation
number and meal time and asked for the sandwich. I heard back from them that they received my request and that it would be accommodated. They then told me to check with my server at the restaurant, which I did. At this point, the manager came to the table and confirmed my food allergy order. She told me that because they do not have a dedicated fryer, I would not be able to have the fries, but I got this side of MASSIVE, delicious strawberries instead. It was so worth it. TWO THUMBS UP!
Food For Dietary-Typical People
Husband ordered the shrimp and grits. A surprising choice, since he doesn’t like grits, but he said that it was amazing. He didn’t regret his choice at all! Child ordered the roasted chicken with rice. She asked if they could substitute fries but apparently no substitutions allowed at Café Orléans. There was literally almost half of a chicken here, so she was definitely not hungry!
Final Thoughts
Café Orléans has a fantastic atmosphere, especially when dining outside. The food was absolutely incredible, HOWEVER the options are limited. For someone who is
somewhat picky, there may not be many options available. Overall, we LOVED it and will likely go back again!
Have you dined at Café Orléans before? Let me know your thoughts! Ready to visit Disneyland?