Tangaroa Terrace is a counter-service restaurant at the Disneyland Hotel that serves a mix of American, Polynesian and Japanese food. The restaurant is connected to Trader Sam’s Enchanted Tiki Bar and overlooks the Disneyland Hotel pool. Tangaroa Terrace does accept a discount from DVC members and Annual Passholders. In this post, we’ll review the restaurant’s theme, cuisine and value.

Being a decent sized walk from the two theme parks, Tangaroa Terrace still manages to be in the middle of the action. The restaurant resides right in the center of Disneyland Hotel’s different wings and sits high above the pool. Along with that, Trader Sam’s is right next door and remains the most popular bar on property that’s not named Oga’s Cantina. The counter-service has an outdoor bar of its own that offers many of the same drinks along with Dole Whip. In other words, Tangaroa Terrace is bustling!

There’s outdoor and indoor seating at the restaurant, though the indoor is a little bit limited. The outdoor offers nice views of everything that I mentioned. Tiki torches surround the deck seating and, for being right above the pool, it’s not too noisy. If you choose to sit inside, you’ll be met with a Polynesian theme inspired by the Enchanted Tiki Room. Tropical flowers adorn the wall and there’s some birds, as well. The tables and chairs fit the theme and it all meshes well together. It’s not going to blow you away but it’s a nice restaurant to have a meal in.

Guests can order inside or place a mobile order. There’s a spot to pick up or, if you choose to dine in, a Cast Member will bring you your food. I enjoyed dining in and seeing the real plates that Disneyland uses, it’s always a treat compared to Walt Disney World. While the atmosphere isn’t exceptional, the restaurant is a very nice place to sit and have a meal regardless of if you’re inside or out.

Moving on to the food, here’s a look at the menu. Points to the restaurant for some ambitious options! There are quite a few crossovers from Trader Sam’s menu including the delicious Long Beans. Both of the items we tried are also at Trader Sam’s so take this as an extension of that review!

I ordered the Hawaiian Platter which consisted of Furikake seasoned Thai Jasmine Rice, Macaroni Salad and Roasted Pork Belly. You can substitute Poached Chicken Breast for the pork if you’d rather. That may be a mistake though considering just how good that Pork Belly was. The meat was incredibly tender and had good flavor, melting in your mouth. I imagine it is the same pork that they use in the Tonkotsu Ramem because it did have a very similar texture to other pork in ramen that I’ve tried. Adding in a little Teriyaki Sauce made the pork even better and it was really the star of the dish.

Not to be forgotten, the Macaroni Salad was also quite good. It was a fairly typical Macaroni Salad except that it did have a little spice to it. I’d happily get that again. The Thai Jasmine Rice was good but nothing out of the ordinary. At $17, I wouldn’t call this meal a great value but it did fill me up and I was more than happy with the taste. Some of the other dishes do look enticing but I’d be happy with this anytime.

The other entrée we tried was the Angus 1/2 lb Hawaiian Cheeseburger. This burger came with Grilled Pineapple, Applewood-smoked Bacon, Havarti Cheese, Butter Lettuce, Tomato, Onions, and Sweet-and-Spicy Spread, served with Sweet Potato Fries. There’s a lot going on in that description! It all made for a good but not great cheeseburger. I thought the meat didn’t have a lot of flavor and it could have used a little more spread. On the other hand, the pineapple and bacon enhanced the flavor. There are better burgers on property but this one is decent. I would call it overpriced at $18 though.

Whether Tangaroa Terrace is worth taking time out of a day in the parks is the big question here. Unfortunately, I would say no but that’s not really a knock on the restaurant. Disneyland has excellent counter-service options and DCA has one or two good choices but sits right beside the Grand Californian which has the best counter-service place on property.

If you’re staying at the Disneyland Hotel or spending some time in Downtown Disney then Tangaroa Terrace suddenly jumps up the list to one of the best options available. The restaurant has some exciting entrees and quality food to combine with a nice atmosphere. That’s more than I think of almost all of Downtown Disney’s options. I would recommend trying to go to Trader Sam’s instead though. The menus are so similar and the prices are the same but Trader Sam’s offers a unique and better atmosphere. If the line is long then settling for Tangaroa Terrace is a good way to go!

Overall, I think Tangaroa Terrace has good food with a nice atmosphere but gets overshadowed by other places throughout the resort. Ultimately, it lands in the middle of the pack of all the counter-service places we’ve tried at Disneyland. The ambitious menu and fun location are certainly reasons to check it out!

Overall Rating – 8/10

Have you been to Tangaroa Terrace? Let us know your thoughts on the restaurant, along with any other questions you might have, in the comments below. Planning a trip to Disneyland? Check out our Planning Guide here. If you enjoy what you are reading here on Wandering in Disney please share this post with your friends, as well as like our social media pages. You can also subscribe to the blog via WordPress or email. All of those links are on the right side of this page. Thank you for reading, we really appreciate it!