Carnation Café is a table-service restaurant on Disneyland’s Main Street. The restaurant serves American comfort food with both indoor and outdoor seating. While Carnation Café is open for breakfast, lunch and dinner, this review will only cover the lunch and dinner menu. Annual Pass and DVC discounts are accepted here. In this review we’ll cover Carnation Cafe’s atmosphere, food, and value.

Disneyland’s Main Street is quaint and romantic. I’ve heard many scoff at the smaller castle but one of the benefits of the smaller size is that the Main Street feels like its own entity instead of just the opening curtains for a grand view. There are a few little areas tucked away, including the beautiful flower market, and the restaurants are all cohesive in that small town, Victorian architecture theme. That is especially true for Carnation Café.

Jolly Holiday and Plaza Inn both sit at the very end of Main Street but Carnation Cafe resides right in the middle. Main Street is supposed to mimic a small town and this restaurant acts as a sort of meet up location – the Cafe where all the locals would gather before or after work. Both the food (more on that later) and the atmosphere set that up and make it work within Carnation Cafe’s setting.

There are very few seats actually inside of Carnation Café, I would guess about ten tables total. That said, it does have a nice atmosphere. The décor is reminiscent of an early or mid-1900’s diner. The lamps and wallpaper in the photo above really reflect that.

Would I call this the prettiest restaurant at Disneyland? No, although those that love this style may disagree. But Carnation Café does feel like a tribute to a bygone era and that is Main Street’s goal.

The outdoor seating is more cramped but with an excellent atmosphere. There are heat lamps and umbrellas to protect from whatever weather might come. The reds and whites of the inside seating are still very apparent outside. Sitting outside will also give you a view of Main Street and there is just a good energy to the restaurant. It’s warm and comforting, much like the food that is served there.

Speaking of the food, here’s a look at the menu. It’s a fairly simple menu, not terribly ambitious, but the big draw here is the value offered for it being a table-service restaurant. With the most expensive option for dinner being $26 and most entrees falling somewhere around $20, Carnation Café has counter-service like prices. The menu does change frequently and the last few options we’ve reviewed aren’t on the current menu.

To start, we tried the Fried Pickles. We were both fans of this appetizer! It’s served with a creamy house sauce that is similar to a ranch dressing. The breading had a nice flavor and didn’t come off to greasy. At $11, this is an appetizer we’d come back for!

The Turkey Club Sandwich has that classic diner vibe. Consisting of Turkey, Applewood-smoked Bacon, Vine-ripened Tomato, Monterey Jack, Lettuce, Avocado Mayonnaise and Lemon Aïoli on Toasted Sourdough, this was a solid sandwich. The Lemon Aïoli was the highlight for me, giving a nice zip to an otherwise satisfying but slightly boring dish. This is $19 and we probably wouldn’t get it again. It wasn’t bad but there are better sandwiches throughout Disneyland Resort that are cheaper.

The Fresh Catch of the Day was a more exciting option. I assume there are different types of fish depending on the time of year but when we were there, a nice piece of salmon served. The cook on it was perfect, adding just a little bit of crispiness. The potatoes and cauliflower were also crisped very well. I didn’t love the green pea puree but did like the cream sauce that was served with it. In total, the dish might have tried to do a little too much but was still good. For a solid seafood dish, this came in at a moderately priced $26.

Here’s the Parmesan Toasted Patty Melt which consisted of Angus Chuck Patty, Monterey Jack, Grilled Onions and House Sauce on Toasted Parmesan Sourdough Bread and served with your choice of fresh Fruit or Seasoned French Fries. This is tasty but a little monotonous. We ended up splitting the dish and both wished it included more of the house sauce. I also though the Parmesan Sourdough Bread was a bit of a letdown. That said, the patty was much better than most burgers at Disneyland Resort and this is a solid sandwich to share. At $24, I’d recommend something else on the menu unless you love Patty Melts.

For dessert, we had the Peach Pie à la Mode. I like almost all pie and this was no exception. I didn’t think the peach filling was anything special but it did pair well with the caramel drizzle and vanilla ice cream. It’s a wonderful treat after a warm day. There are desserts we like better at Disneyland but this is a good option at costs $10.

The next few dishes aren’t currently on the menu but we are hopeful that they’ll bring them back.

My favorite item I’ve ever tried at Carnation Cafe is the Chicken Fried Chicken. This dish is served with Mashed Potatoes, Seasonal Vegetables, and Country Bacon Gravy. There’s no shortage of good fried chicken around Disneyland Resort but this dish is slightly different than those, as the Chicken Fried Chicken is crispier and presented a little classier. The chicken was absolutely delicious, served over Mashed Potatoes and the gravy really drove home the southern comfort to the dish. The Broccolini was fresh and added some much needed green to an otherwise heavy dish.

Another entrée we’ve tried that isn’t currently on the menu is the Homemade Meatloaf. Who made the Meatloaf and where is their home? I couldn’t tell you. What I can tell you is that the dish included a blend of Beef and Pork served with Ketchup Glaze, Mashed Potatoes, Mushroom Gravy, and Seasonal Vegetables and a Dinner Roll. Meatloaf is a strange thing, as I’m never confident in ordering it but always interested. What’s this made of? Who thought of doing this? Will it be any good? It’s like a Hot Dog’s classier, wiser brother.

I’m pleased to report that Carnation Cafe’s Meatloaf was very good. I liked the flavor of the meat itself but covering it with the Mushroom Gravy certainly augmented the dish. Adding in the Mashed Potatoes really warmed me up on what was a cool, February evening. They are adding a meatloaf to Plaza Inn and I’m hoping it’s similar to this.

Carnation Cafe’s value was very apparent once we got the check. Ordering 2 entrees, a dessert, 2 drinks and paying a standard tip still came in under $60. That does include an AP discount but nonetheless, having all of this food at a table-service restaurant in Disneyland is a great deal.

Overall, I don’t think Carnation Café is going to wow anyone in one certain aspect. Instead it’s just a really nice place to eat, with good food and a really strong value. Disneyland has a fairly robust dining scene but Carnation Café holds its own and brings something to the table among all of the other options. We will be going back!

Overall Rating – 8/10

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