The unthinkable has happened and the Disneyland Resort has been closed down for over two months now due to the Covid-19 pandemic. The resort closure has given us time to reflect on the important things in life (tongue in cheek) – where is the best spot for churros in the Parks? What is the best quick service restaurant? And which popcorn cart is the best popcorn cart? Today we are focusing on popcorn. You can count on deliciously buttery and salty popcorn whenever you visit Disneyland Park, but which cart serves up the best popcorn? Of course, not everyone is a fan of popcorn, but for those of us who are fans – it doesn’t get much better than having a box of popcorn at the Happiest Place on Earth. Not only is the popcorn delicious, but you also can collect the themed popcorn buckets when they are released – let’s dig in.
One of the benefits of going to Disneyland regularly and consuming popcorn regularly during my visits is that I’ve come to have certain favorite places to get my popcorn because “it tastes better than the other carts.” Am I crazy? Or do you also have a popcorn cart that you prefer because it just has that extra something that makes your day a touch more magical? My wife and I thought that we were the only ones who had a preferred popcorn cart, but I have seen people engaging in this debate on Instagram posts about popcorn. So whether you’re a bucket collector or just someone who likes to munch on popcorn, let’s embark on this highly unscientific and subjective discussion of the best popcorn cart in Disneyland Park.
Main Street U.S.A. is home to two popcorn carts. One near City Hall and one near Central Plaza. These might be the two busiest popcorn carts in the park, but I’ve found both to have some of the lowest quality from among the popcorn carts. Every time I’ve gotten popcorn from either cart it doesn’t feel as hot as I’d like and it isn’t as salty or buttery as I’d like. The line at the cart near Central Plaza nearly always has a line while I’ve found that the cart near City Hall doesn’t typically have a long line except on special days when they’re releasing a new themed bucket.
Tomorrowland is home to one popcorn cart near the Star Trader storefront. I’ve found this popcorn cart to be busy at times, but generally speaking not too bad in terms of your wait. The popcorn quality has been really hit-and-miss though. Hot, buttery, and salty one time while the next time it tastes stale and lacks in the flavor department. Still, I’ve enjoyed this cart due to its proximity to Space Mountain where the wait times can be horrendously long if you don’t have a fast pass for the ride. What better way to pass the time in line than with popcorn and a soda?
Fantasyland is home to two popcorn carts. One in the Small World Promenade across from the Storybook Land Canal Boat Rides while the other one is to the side of Small World near the Fantasyland Theatre. I’ve found both of these popcorn carts to have good popcorn that is consistent in its quality. The cart across from the Storybook ride gets the edge for consistently having hot, buttery, and well salted popcorn.
Mickey’s Toontown has a popcorn cart near Gadget’s Go Coaster. In all honesty, I’ve only gotten popcorn from this cart one time since it has been closed nearly every time I’ve come across this cart. I don’t even have a great recollection of how good the popcorn was or wasn’t. In any case, due to its oft closed status I think it is best to leave this cart out of contention for the best popcorn cart.
In Adventureland there is a popcorn cart near the Mark Twain Riverboat. Due to desperation I have gotten popcorn from this cart far more than I ever would have if not for the location. The popcorn has been stale, lacking in salt, and lacking that buttery taste that I love nearly every time I’ve had popcorn from this cart. I would categorize this cart as my least favorite due to the quality of the popcorn and the excessive lines that can accumulate at this cart.
Lastly, we have the popcorn cart in New Orleans Square near the Haunted Mansion attraction. This one is another favorite place of mine to get popcorn. The lines can seem long, but they always seem to move along at a brisk pace. The popcorn has always been hot and salty. In fact, of the few people I’ve talked to about this topic before writing this article, this seems to be the favorite cart of many. Getting popcorn and going into the Haunted Mansion is a fantastic way to enjoy your day at Disneyland Park.
So which cart is the winner? That, of course, is entirely subjective. Nevertheless, I will crown my favorite popcorn cart champion. It was close, but in the end I’m going to go with the Fantasyland popcorn cart in the Small World Promenade across from the Storybook Land Canal Boat Rides as my champion. It is consistently hot, buttery, and salty. I debated between this cart and the Haunted Mansion cart, but ultimately I went with my gut and chose my personal favorite.
What do you think? Do you have a favorite popcorn cart? Check out our Instagram story polls to cast your vote for the best popcorn cart at Disneyland!