Disney is now allowing non-hotel guests to dine at their locations inside the Grand Californian Hotel. Storytellers Cafe was among those restaurants opening up to non-hotel guests. Guests are able to feast on savory fare that celebrates the art of storytelling, and are greeted with the following message on the floor as they enter: “Let us provide you with food and drink, as you embark on your journey through Californian folklore. The storyteller awaits – listen and enjoy.” We were able to partake in their updated dinner experience.
The Basics
Dinner pricing is $39 for adults and $25 for children ages 3-9. Legacy passholders are still able to receive their discount. Full menu HERE.
Storytellers Cafe is located at the Grand Californian Hotel & Spa across from the hotel pool area. Advance reservations are highly recommended and can be booked online through the Disneyland app or Disneyland website up to 60 days prior to your visit. Reservations can also be made in person on a limited basis, subject to availability. If you need to cancel your reservation you must cancel at least one day prior to your reservation to avoid a per-person cancellation fee. If you fail to cancel timely and are a no show, the credit card provided at the time of reservation will be charged $10 per person. Don’t have a dining reservation? You now have the opportunity to add your party to the mobile walk-up list at select table-service restaurants (subject to availability).
Complimentary 3-hour parking is included when you dine at Storytellers Cafe. Validation is available at Disney’s Grand Californian Hotel & Spa. After the initial 3-hour period, Guests will be charged as follows:
$25.00 for the first hour for self-parking
$35.00 for the first hour for valet parking
Each hour after that is an additional $10.00 for both self-parking (up to $65 maximum) and valet (up to $105 maximum)
Appetizers
The restaurant, formerly a buffet, is now operating under a family dining type of experience. There are four appetizers and each guest, even our children, were included. They brought out enough of the four appetizers to feed everyone at the table.
Roasted Corn Chowder with Rotisserie Chicken, Bacon, and Cilantro
Mixed Green Salad with Cucumber, Carrot Ribbons, Tomato, Radish, and Honey-Balsamic Vinaigrette
Garlic Soy-glazed Chicken Wings with Fresno Chile, Togarashi Spice, Furikake, Carrot and Celery Ribbons
Blistered Shishito Peppers with Garlic-Ponzu Reduction and Lemon
Entrées
Guests are allowed to choose one entrée to eat, so this is where it differs from the buffet style they offered before the shutdown. This is also the only part of the meal that is not served family style at the table. Each guest gets their own entrée. For the full list of entrées click HERE.
Roasted Half Chicken – comes with Parsley Celery Leaf Salad, Roasted Pee Wee Potatoes, Seasonal Vegetables
Kids’ Grilled Cheese
Kids’ Spaghetti and Meat Sauce with Parmesan
Dessert
Chef’s Choice of Assorted Cookies and Bread Pudding with fresh Strawberries, Ice Cream, Crème Anglaise, and Whipped Cream
Dessert is served family style. Guests are given a very generous portion of the world-class bread pudding (topped with vanilla ice cream), 4 strawberries, 4 cookies (two chocolate chip cookies and two sugar cookies at our table), and crème anglaise (fancy, fresh whipped cream). What an over the top way to end your meal! This dessert was epic. We were talking about it long after we left the restaurant. If you’ve never had the bread pudding at Storytellers Cafe you are missing out!
Final Thoughts, Pictures, and Video
We had a fantastic experience dining here. The service and food were both excellent. Highly recommend making reservations if you’d like to eat here. Make sure you come hungry because you are going to eat a lot of food! The ambiance, decor, and serenity of this location are even more pronounced with the physically distanced tables and limited capacity. Everything was delicious, but especially the roasted corn chowder soup and the bread pudding. We will definitely be back for more in the future!
