Restaurant Reviews

Tangaroa Terrace Breakfast Review

Tangaroa Terrace is a counter-service restaurant at the Disneyland Hotel that serves Hawaiian inspired fare. Sitting above the pool and next to Trader Sam’s Enchanted Tiki Bar, the restaurant is open for breakfast, lunch and dinner. A Magic Key and DVC discount are accepted at Tangaroa Terrace. In this post, we’ll review breakfast at the restaurant, discussing the food, value and atmosphere.

Tangaroa Terrace outside

Tangaroa Terrace has become a favorite dinner spot for us over the last few years. Not only is quiet and offers some of the best counter-service food at Disneyland Resort, it’s also along the way of our walk home. That’s not everyone’s luck but the restaurant is a nice respite from the park crowds thanks to a far more relaxed atmosphere. Taking the monorail out of Disneyland makes the journey quick, the only downside is that you’d have to go through security again if going back into the parks. While we like the lunch and dinner menu, we’d never made it there for breakfast but had heard good things.

The setting is even more of a contrast to the parks in the morning, as the pool isn’t as buzzing and Trader Sam’s isn’t open yet. That leads to more outdoor seating. It’s even comfortable seating to boot! When we were there, all of the seating on the deck was open. It’s not heavily themed but there are some torches around along with the building’s Polynesian aesthetic and greenery. Tangaroa Terrace is one of the best restaurants at Disneyland to have a quiet and relaxing meal.

Tangaroa Terrace outside seating

If it’s a hot day or sitting outside isn’t your thing, there are a few booths in the air-conditioned restaurant. Guests order at a small counter inside that’s next to a grab and go station. Food will then be brought out to the table. You can get it to go, as well!

As for the food, here’s a look at the menu! This is one of the most ambitious counter-service breakfast menus at any of the Disney resorts. That’s not a high bar as I generally advocate for skipping theme park breakfasts. Of course, this is outside of the parks but is still more exciting than most options I’ve seen. Every item, save for the Short Rib Steak and Eggs, is around $15 which is in line with most counter-service pricing.

Loco Moco burrito Tangaroa Terrace

Above is the Loco Moco Burrito consisting of Steamed Jasmine Rice, Chopped Garlic Beef Patty, Fried Egg, Gravy, crunchy Fried Onions and Furikake inside of a Flour Tortilla and served with Salsa Roja. This is filling breakfast that I enjoyed! The predominant ingredients were the beef, egg and rice. They all tasted good! One nit to pick is that I wish there would have been a little more gravy, or sauce of any kind. Adding the salsa was necessary to keep it from being dry. That said, I would happily get it again and thought it was worth the $15 price.

Tangaroa Terrace Japanese pancakes

The Thick & Fluffy Japanese Pancakes are also delicious! These are fluffy Vanilla Pancakes topped with a Tropical Fruit Blend with Starfruit and Guava Syrup and served with Bacon. I thought the Japanese Pancakes were the most memorable item I tried for breakfast. They tasted like shortcake and were perfectly fluffy. The assortment of fruit on top (mango and kiwi, I believe) was a nice and unique touch that mixed in well with the different syrups. These were $14 and I’ll definitely go back for them, I wish they were served all day. The bacon was fine.

Tangaroa Terrace platter

Finally, here’s the Short Rib Steak and Eggs. This platter included Scrambled Eggs, Marinated Short Ribs and a Sweet Potato Medley, served with a Pineapple Wedge. The Short Ribs were basically the same as the ones that are served with the Hawaiian Platter at lunch and dinner. That’s fine by me because they’re pretty good! They were very tender and the marinade added a nice sweetness. The Sweet Potato Medley was also good and a nice change of pace from the typical counter-service breakfast potatoes. The eggs were fine. This is $21 and was good but I’m not sure the dish was any better than the other two I’ve mentioned.

Tangaroa Terrace offers the best counter-service breakfast I’ve had at a Disney Park. The meal is in a really relaxed and enjoyable setting and the food is excellent. The value is fair, but I wouldn’t consider it cheap. Having a late breakfast here after rope dropping would be an ideal way to spend a Disneyland morning! I’ll definitely be back for more breakfast options here.

Inside Tangaroa Terrace

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!

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