NEWS: Downtown Disney To Permanently CLOSE Another Restaurant

By Samantha Kendall Leave a Comment

Change is certainly no stranger to Disney fans, and another change is coming to Downtown Disney in Anaheim — but it’s not a totally welcome one.

Earl of Sandwich Tavern

We’ve already seen some restaurants close for good, while others have opened in their place. Yet another restaurant is permanently closing at Downtown Disney soon, and it happens to be one of our favorite, underrated, quick spots to grab a bite to eat — Earl of Sandwich Tavern.

The Orange County Register has reported that Earl of Sandwich Tavern will close its temporary location at Downtown Disney so that a new Porto’s Bakery can take its place — and will lay off 167 employees in the process. Earl of Sandwich Tavern will close its temporary location in the former home of La Brea Bakery as construction continues on a permanent location for this sandwich shop.

Earl of Sandwich Tavern

The layoffs were first announced in a Worker Adjustment and Retraining Notification (WARN) letter sent to state employment officials on May 29th. The layoffs will begin on July 28th and will end by August 10th, the letter states.

The temporary Earl of Sandwich food truck that has been operating on the west end of Downtown Disney since 2024 will continue to operate, according to the Earl of Sandwich website.

Temporary Earl of Sandwich location at Downtown Disney

But, all is not lost because a NEW two-story Earl of Sandwich location is under construction near the Downtown Disney performance lawn. This restaurant will feature a quick service walk-up counter, a sit-down Earl of Sandwich Tavern restaurant, and an upstairs cocktail bar.

The original location was torn down in 2022, with AMC Theatre, Starbucks West, and Sugarboo and Co. as part of the continued renovations at Downtown Disney.