Disneyland is full of restaurants with menus that guests love, so much so that we are often disappointed when these menus remove fan favorites. But there are also a few hidden gems that can be easy to overlook, especially if you don’t know they exist!
One popular Disneyland restaurant has a secret menu that many guests may not even realize is available. Here’s what you need to know about the overlooked secret menu and how to order it. Mickey Visit brings you the latest Disney news and planning resources, including the opening date for the Jelly Rolls replacement announced and eligibility rule change for Disney College Program.
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Lamplight Lounge is one of the most popular table-service restaurants and lounges at Disney California Adventure, located along the waterfront in Pixar Pier. The restaurant is a celebration of Pixar animation, featuring artwork, character sketches, and movie-inspired décor. There is a waterfront dining area that offers a great view of Pixar Pier and the surrounding park. This is one of the most popular lounges for locals, most notably because of the spacious outdoor eating and large bar.
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One of the biggest draws of this popular restaurant isn’t something you will find on the regular menu- it’s the secret drink menu. The origins of this secret menu are largely inspired by the former Cove Bar, which occupied the space before Lamplight Lounge. This secret menu features a variety of adult beverages and one dish, and you need to ask your server to access it.
Keep in mind the ingredients for all these can change based on what is available at the bar and on the menu generally. A secret menu isn’t a fixed, guaranteed menu in the same way the printed menu is. Ingredients and availability can change, and some drinks may depend on what the bartender is currently able to make.
Lamplight Lounge’s Secret Menu
The Lamplight Lounge secret menu has included drinks like:
- Fun Wheel: A colorful, layered cocktail and probably the most famous of the secret drinks. It has historically been made with multiple spirits, pineapple juice, and blue curaçao, creating its pretty multicolored appearance.
- Zombie: A Cove Bar classic that remains associated with Lamplight’s off-menu offerings. It blends light, dark, coconut, and spiced rums with blue Curaçao, orange juice, pineapple juice, and grenadine.
- Dole Whip cocktail/shot: A newer addition to the unofficial secret-menu scene, made with coconut rum, vanilla vodka or Absolut Citron, pineapple juice, and whipped cream.
- Black Pearl: Another Cove Bar classic variation of a Long Island Iced Tea, combining vodka, gin, rum, sweet and sour mix, Sprite, and a topper of Chambord raspberry liqueur.
- The Earthquake: A strong drink featuring vodka, light rum, gin, blue curaçao, and a heavy Bacardi 151-proof rum floater with sweet and sour mix and Sprite.
- Neverland Tea: A strong, colorful cocktail with a Long Island Iced Tea-style base.
- Sea Witch: A fruity, tart drink featuring raspberry vodka, peach schnapps, blue curaçao, cranberry, and Sprite.
These other choices are a bit more of a wild card, but if you get to know your server, it might be possible!
- Melrose Place/Sideshow Novel-Tea: A base of standard Long Island liquors, sweetened with strawberry puree, and sparkling wine.
- Midway Martini: Apple vodka, Domaine de Canton Ginger Liqueur, cranberry juice, agave, and lime.
- Al Pastor Pork Chop: This is often a seasonal special, but your server may recommend it as an option from the “Secret Menu.” The dish includes marinated al pastor bone-in pork chop served over Oaxaca cheese polenta (or cheesy polenta), topped with pineapple relish and charred onions, and finished with roasted red chile butter and green chile (or tomatillo serrano) sauce.
We enjoyed all the drinks we tried from the secret menu, but fair warning, these are strong cocktails. We had an ambitious plan to try them all and only ended up having two cocktails each plus the iconic Dole Whip shot. Most of these cocktails take inspiration from Long Island Iced Teas, so that is also an important caveat. If you don’t like that style of cocktails, you might be better off sticking to the traditional menu.
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As for the “secret dish” or Chef’s Special, the Al Pastor Pork Chop, this was one of the favorite dishes we’ve had at Lamplight Lounge. Availability for this dish isn’t guaranteed, and it has come and gone over the years, but it’s worth asking your server for. We found it to be flavorful and high quality. It reminded us largely of the type of dishes you get served on Disney Cruise Line, which is a high compliment!
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