There are lots of options when it comes to dining at Disneyland Resort. It can be a bit overwhelming when you realize just how many dining locations are throughout the resort. We are here to help, though! We have eaten everywhere at Disneyland, and we want to make sure you have all the information you need to make the best dining choices. 

We recently stopped by Trader Sam’s Enchanted Tiki Bar at Disneyland Hotel for some eats and drinks, and now we’re bringing you our FULL review. Is it worth a stop on your next trip to the Happiest Place on Earth? Find out here!

Atmosphere

Trader Sam’s Enchanted Tiki Bar is located at the Disneyland Hotel. It is inspired by the world-famous Jungle Cruise and will whisk you into another world. It is full of trinkets from Trader Sam’s travels, and you never know what might happen while you are here!

This bar is well-known for its variety of drinks that have a variety of consequences. And no, we aren’t just talking about the consequences of drinking alcohol. Depending on the drink you order, you might get an animated story or the drink may trigger a special effect. We definitely recommend people watching during your visit as you will see all sorts of shenanigans happening!

But enough about the restaurant — what’s on the menu here?!

Menu

Trader Sam’s Enchanted Tiki Bar offers appetizers and salads. 

You can also choose from a variety of entrees, and they also have a plant-based option. 

There are also two options for dessert (plus they have a secret menu item that we will talk about in a bit!).

There are also some options for kids’ meals, too!

Of course, there are LOTS of drink options! It is a tiki bar after all!

There are also some non-alcoholic drink options.

You can also choose from a variety of draft beer, beer, and hard seltzer. 

Trader Sam’s also offers a selection of wines. 

As well as red wine, and three items that are only available at the Patio Bar: DOLE Whip and one alcoholic beverage.

Now that we have browsed the menu, let’s take a look at what we got to eat and drink!

Eats

We started off with the Pupu Platter which costs $26. It comes with pork gyoza, tempura-battered green beans, shrimp tempura, chile-orange glazed chicken wings, togarashi aïoli, and ponzu dipping sauce. This dish allows you to try four of the five appetizers available here (only missing the chicken tenders), so if you are having a hard time deciding, why not try them all! We LOVED this dish. The pork gyoza was crunchy on the outside and soft on the inside. We loved the crispy exterior on the green beans, and they paired perfectly with the togarashi aïoli.

We thought the breading on the tempura shrimp was great. The wings have a decent kick to them, and we love the sweet and salty balance in the sweet orange sauce. Each piece was crispy and had a great amount of sauce. The sauces are great compliments to all the elements. We definitely recommend trying a variety of combinations!

Next up, we grabbed the Szechuan Cucumber Salad for $17. This dish features field greens, arugula, pickled cucumber sunomono, red onion, chili crisp vinaigrette, and edible violas. There are A LOT of flavors in this salad…almost too many. It was on the salty side and there is a bit of spice to it. We tasted a lot of the chili crisp viniagrette and the arugula. Our favorite element was the cucumber sunomono as it had a great tang and tartness to it.

We also tried the Hawaiian Platter for $27. We got it with braised kālua beef short rib, but you can also get it with teriyaki chicken thigh. It also comes with steamed jasmine rice, stir-fried vegetables, baby bok choy, and sweet teriyaki glaze. We were not huge fans of this dish.

The short ribs were dry and way over cooked. While the sauce they had was tasty, it didn’t make up for how dry and tough they were. While the rice and veggies were cooked well and had good flavor, we just can’t get over the short ribs.

We also grabbed the Poke Bowl for $24 with Ahi tuna. You can also choose to get this bowl with salmon or tofu. The bowl also features avocado, cucumber, edamame, surimi crab, sushi rice, and togarashi aïoli. We were so impressed with this poke bowl! Everything tasted super fresh, and all the ingredients worked well by themselves, and even better together. The tuna was so fresh and melted in our mouth. We loved all the textures and flavors in this dish!

Finally, for dessert, we grabbed a secret menu item! These are the Mochi Ice Cream Bars that our waiter shared with us as a secret dessert option. We were super excited for a secret menu item, but unfortunately, we were very disappointed. It is served with two large cubes each of “mochi” flavor and “ube” flavor and there is a small scoop of ice cream in the middle.

The ube bars were hard as a rock and the texture was gritty and off-tasting. The mochi bars had a waxy consistency that reminded us of hard jelly. The flavors and textures throughout this whole dish were a big miss. Our reporter is a huge fan of mochi ice cream, and they could barely eat any of this dessert.

Now, let’s talk about the drinks we got!

Drinks

To drink, we picked up the Tangaroa Cooler. This is made with Hamilton Pot Still Gold Rum, Tamarindo syrup, grapefruit, and tropical juice blend. Grapefruit and rum are the most prominent flavors in this drink. The Tamarindo syrup was subtle, and we also picked up on some more tropical juices in the sweet aftertaste. This drink is definitely dangerous though! It is fruity and sweet, and the rum can really sneak up on ya!

Nosh or Not

This Disney World restaurant is a must-visit if…

• You are looking for a Jungle Cruise-themed bar experience. We always have such a great time at Trader Sam’s as there is always so much going on. Different drinks trigger different events in the bar, and it is so much fun to experience.
• You want a fun place to hang out that isn’t in the parks. You will need to make your way over to Disneyland Hotel to dine at Trader Sam’s, but we think it is SO worth it!
• You are looking for tasty food and drink in a lively and entertaining atmosphere. For the most part, we really enjoyed our meal, and it is hard to beat the atmosphere of Trader Sam’s!

You should skip this Disney World spot if…

• You want to spend all evening hanging out with friends or family. Trader Sam’s Enchanted Tiki Bar does have a 90-minute limit for guests. While that is generally plenty of time for some drinks and food, if you are wanting to hang out for longer, you may want to choose somewhere else.
• You have kids under the age of 21 and are looking for somewhere past 8 PM. If it is past 8 PM, guests must be over the age of 21 years. So, if it is later in the evening and you have kiddos, this won’t be a good option.
• You are in a time-crunch and don’t have a reservation. Reservations tend to book up pretty quickly for Trader Sam’s. You can always stop by and join the walk-up list but be prepared that you may need to wait a bit. This may not be a good option if you are in a time-crunch and don’t have a reservation.

Overall

Overall, we had SUCH a fun time at Trader Sam’s Enchanted Tiki Bar. For the most part, we really enjoyed our food too. We would definitely grab the Poke Bowl and Pupu Platter again. However, we would probably skip the Hawaiian Platter with Short Rib and the Mochi Ice Cream Bars. The atmosphere at Trader Sam’s is so unique and we definitely think this is a great option for dining on your Disneyland trip!

In the meantime, we’ll be on the lookout for more restaurant updates from Disneyland and beyond. Make sure you stay tuned to the Disney Food Blog for the latest Disney news and more!

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Have you eaten at this Disneyland restaurant before? Tell us in the comments!