Downtown Disney, the shopping and dining district of Disneyland Resort, is rapidly changing. In the last few weeks alone, a new dessert spot opened, a longtime favorite restaurant moved into a new building, and a dining location of 23 years permanently closed. This has all happened as many other future Downtown Disney establishments are in active development and construction, including a pair of new eateries we're taking a look at today.
Two new dining concepts are coming to the former location of a Mexican restaurant in Downtown Disney. Over two years after that beloved Mexican restaurant's closure, let's see what's coming and the current state of the progress. Mickey Visit brings you the latest Disney news and planning resources, including Disneyland stopping sales of a new ticket type that was just announced and menu changes at Disneyland restaurants.
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Permanent Closure of Former Downtown Disney Restaurant
Tortilla Jo's was a fan-favorite Mexican restaurant at Downtown Disney that opened in 2004 and permanently closed in 2024 as part of Disneyland Resort's sweeping changes to its shopping and dining center. That long-term plan continues today.
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Many fans had strong opinions when Tortilla Jo's closed, despite three new Mexican eateries from the same proprietor, Patina Group, opening elsewhere in Downtown Disney shortly after Tortilla Jo's was shuttered: Tiendita, Paseo, and Céntrico Bar & Restaurant.
Tortilla Jo's served up large portions of Tex-Mex and was famous for sizzling fajitas, table-side guacamole, and large margaritas. This was a bright colored and brightly lit spot that was loud and meant for families.
Compare this to the new restaurants that focus more on authentic Mexican flavors. They feature regional recipes from Mexico and a much sleeker presentation.
The Céntrico Bar & Restaurant brings some of the same fun of Tortilla Jo's and made it on to our best Disneyland restaurants list, but the Paseo restaurant upstairs in Downtown Disney is far more subdued and upscale. We really like Céntrico and did not like Paseo very much. It felt like it tried too hard and added complexity that didn't quite deliver during our experience. See our full review of the new restaurant.
The current state of the former site of Tortilla Jo's may come as a surprise, given that the restaurant closed over two years ago.
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Construction Progress of Former Tortilla Jo's Location
During a recent visit to Downtown Disney, we checked in on the construction progress where Tortilla Jo's once stood. Disney is preparing for new restaurants here, which we detail below.
The future tenants will reside in a new building altogether rather than being jigsawed into Tortilla Jo's previous space. We've seen a bit of both tactics throughout Downtown Disney's ongoing changes. For example, the upcoming Bopo Go! bubble tea shop will repurpose an interior that formerly belonged to Jamba instead of starting a new build from scratch.
The building that housed the Tortilla Jo's table service restaurant and its more casual Taqueria was completely bulldozed in summer 2025.
In the photo above, captured over Fourth of July weekend 2026, you can see that all traces of what once stood here are gone. Foundation work is present for the future restaurants replacing Tortilla Jo's, but not much has gone vertical yet.
Here's what the site looked like in April 2025, a year after Tortilla Jo's closed and a few months before the building would be gone:
This slow progress stands in contrast to the accelerated speed of other projects nearby. Disneyland usually kicks things into high gear with Downtown Disney construction. The recently opened Parkside Market and Din Tai Fung, as well as the new permanent location for Earl of Sandwich, were all finished reasonably quickly.
Tortilla Jo's replacements seem to be in somewhat of the same boat as Porto's Bakery & Café, another new project under construction at Downtown Disney that's progressing quite slowly.
2 Restaurants Replacing Tortilla Jo's at Downtown Disney
Where Tortilla Jo's once stood, Disney will build two separate new restaurant concepts.
Arthur & Sons Steak and Bourbon will be a full-service steakhouse, expanding a franchise that already has locations in New York and the Hamptons.
Pearl's Roadside BBQ will be a quick service restaurant serving pulled pork, beef brisket, and smoked wings.
Both of these new restaurants come to Downtown Disney from Michelin-starred Chef Joe Isidori.
Do you miss Tortilla Jo's? Have you had the chance to try out any of Downtown Disney's new Mexican restaurants?
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