Downtown Disney is the shopping and dining district that connects both the Disneyland theme parks to the Disneyland hotels. This is a great place to grab a quick bite to eat whether it’s on a park day or on an arrival day when you’re not planning on doing the theme parks quite yet.

We have tried all dining in Downtown Disney and have ranked the best Downtown Disney restaurants! At Mickey Visit we work hard to try all the restaurants that we rank and discuss.

Get exclusive access to prices on hotel & tickets just for Mickey Visit subscribers. Don’t miss our travel hacks newsletter!

Photo Credit: Mickey Visit

Downtown Disney offers both seated dining (table service) and grab-and-go dining (quick service) with some iconic options available that are worth experiencing after you’ve already eaten at your favorite best Disneyland restaurants.

Let’s talk about our favorite options for the best Downtown Disney restaurants for both table and quick service. This is the best ranking for the shopping district restaurants at the Disneyland Resort in California.

Naples Ristorante e Bar

Photo Credit: Mickey Visit

Naples Ristorante e Bar is the best spot to get pizza in Disneyland making this one of the best Downtown Disney restaurants. This restaurant offers wood-fired pizza, homemade pasta, appetizers, and salads. But the pizza is what makes this spot so popular! The pizza here is delicious and served in classic Italian style. There is a large indoor dining space along with an outdoor patio. There is also a quick-service option next door to grab pizza by the slice, sandwiches, and salads called Napolini Pizzeria.

Favorite Menu Item: Neapolitan pizza. Seen next.

Our Favorite Pizza at This Best Downtown Disney Restaurant

Photo Credit: Mickey Visit

This is our favorite pizza place in all of the Disneyland Resort and you can see why this option is so popular with adults and kids alike in our Naples dining review.

Top Tip: If you’re looking for grab-and-go, there is also a quick-service option to grab pizza by the slice, sandwiches, and salads called Napolini Pizzeria.

Earl of Sandwich

Photo Credit: Mickey Visit

Earl of Sandwich is a popular quick-service location in Downtown Disney offering hot sandwiches, salads, breakfast dishes, and baked goods. There are full sit-down breakfast, lunch, and dinner options plus a full bar. This is more than just a “Subway” style sandwich shop and offers far higher quality sandwiches largely due to their diverse menu options and freshly baked bread. This sandwich shop is one of the most popular best Downtown Disney restaurants.

Favorite Menu Item: Holiday turkey sandwich with stuffing, Spicy BBQ Brisket Sandwich.

Top Tip: There are not many breakfast options in Downtown Disney making the Earl of Sandwich one of the top contenders for breakfast or a place to grab a quick black coffee with a lower line than Starbucks.

Jazz Kitchen Coastal Grill & Patio

Photo Credit: Mickey Visit

Jazz Kitchen Coastal Grill & Patio received a large makeover to transform it into a more modern space than the previous style of Ralph Brennan’s Jazz Kitchen. While many of us lament this change as this new theme feels a bit like a downgrade (read our Ralph Brennan’s Jazz Kitchen review before this change to see why we loved it!) the menu here still offers great Louisiana-inspired food like Creole and Cajun specialties, such as Gumbo Ya-Ya, Pasta Jambalaya, and Southern fried chicken.

Favorite Menu Item: Gumbo Ya-Ya.

This Best Downtown Disney Restaurant Also Has Quick Service Option

Photo Credit: Mickey Visit

This location also offers a quick-service option, Beignets Expressed, which sells popcorn shrimp, red beans and rice, and sandwiches. And of course, their famous fresh beignets! Beignets are a must for any best Downtown Disney restaurants list.

Top Tip: Take advantage of the quick-service option to try the fresh beignets, they are a must-try dessert in Downtown Disney.

Ballast Point

Photo Credit: Mickey Visit

Ballast Point was the first brewery to open in Downtown Disney and offers over 50 styles of craft beers across 100 taps along with specialty brews made just for this location. Menu options here include \ Southern California favorites such as Baja-style fish tacos, “Black Marlin” BBQ flatbread, the California “Kolsch” steak burrito, a variety of burgers, gluten-free options, vegetarian dishes, desserts, and a kid-friendly menu.

Here’s a Look at Food at This Best Downtown Disney Restaurant

Photo Credit: Mickey Visit

You can read our full Ballast Point review to see why this is a great spot to grab a beer and food on your Disneyland vacation.

Favorite Menu Item: Baja Style Fish Tacos.

Top Tip: Ballast Point does not take reservations through the Disneyland website but you can usually find it via Open Table or see if walk-up seating is available.

Black Tap

Photo Credit: Mickey Visit

Black Tap features craft burgers, American fare, and Instagrammable style larger-than-life shake options. This quick-service restaurant has an option for indoor seating along with a walk-up Crazy Shake Window. This restaurant is inspired by a 80s and 90s New York Vibe which their food called ‘an homage to the great American luncheonettes of our childhoods.’

Check Out the Shakes at Black Tap!

Photo Credit: Disney

The Instagram-worthy Crazy Shakes are what help rank this restaurant on our best Downtown Disney restaurants list. The menu will feature seasonal Disney shakes to celebrate different events and holidays like Halloween and Christmas at Disneyland.

Favorite Menu Item: The Greg Norman Burger, an award-winning burger. Special edition Crazy Shake featuring Mickey Mouse.

Top Tip: Take advantage of the Crazy Shake Window if your family is just interested in trying one of the shakes for shorter lines.

Salt and Straw

Photo Credit: Mickey Visit

Salt & Straw is a Portland-based ice cream shop with the most diverse ice cream flavors you can find anywhere. Salt & Straw ice cream is handmade in small batches with local, organic, and sustainable ingredients. Salt & Straw is a popular ice cream stop in Downtown Disney and is well-known for its unusual flavors. This ice cream shop makes for a unique addition to the best Downtown Disney restaurants.

Favorite Menu Item: Salted Malted Cookie Dough.

Top Tip: Check out the seasonal menu to see what limited-time creations are offered during your visit.

Downtown Disney Restaurants to Skip

Photo Credit: Mickey Visit.

There are some Downtown Disney restaurants that are worth skipping like chain restaurants such as Starbucks, Jamba Juice, and Wetzels Pretzels. But there are also two table service restaurants that you can skip in favor of some of the best Downtown Disney restaurants we have already named.

Skip at Downtown Disney – Splitsville Luxury Lanes

Photo Credit: Mickey Visit.

Splitsville Luxury Lanes is a two-story luxury bowling alley with indoor/outdoor seating areas and twenty bowling lanes. Splitsville Luxury Lanes offers a variety of American food options along with a full bar. The menu includes pizza, sushi rolls, classical American food, and a wide range of appetizers from nachos to loaded fries.

However, if you do not plan on bowling then this is a Downtown Disney restaurant you should skip as there are far better options to dine at!

Skip at Downtown Disney – Tortilla Jo’s

Photo Credit: Mickey Visit.

Tortilla Jo’s serves Mexican food with both an indoor and outdoor patio. The décor includes Spanish tiles, ceramic pottery, and rustic wooden furniture. Their menu includes traditional Mexican food such as tacos, fajitas, enchiladas, and burritos.

While the Mexican food here is fine, it’s more reminiscent of a chain-style restaurant and there are far better Mexican food options inside the theme parks. Because of that, we think Tortilla Jo’s is a Downtown Disney restaurant you should skip.

These 15 Disneyland Secrets Have Been Kept Quiet For Years

Photo Credit: Disneyland.

There are countless secrets and stories about Disneyland that will change the way you look at the park. Read about the most shocking ones in our list of 15 incredible Disneyland secrets CLICK HERE!

Avoid These Rookie Mistakes at Disney!

Photo Credit: Mickey Visit.

When you visit the happiest place on earth, you want to be sure you’re making the absolute most of your time. There are several common rookie mistakes that can ruin the magic, but we’ll help you avoid these and give you tips for the best Disneyland trip!

Everything New at Disneyland We’re Excited About!

Photo Credit: Mickey Visit.

There are several fantastic new additions to Disneyland this year. From rethemings and re-imaginings to brand new attractions and shows, we’ll break down 10 New Additions to Disneyland that we’re most excited about for you to check out during your next trip!

Newest Additions to Disney World You Can’t Miss

Photo Credit: Mickey Visit.

From new attractions to shows and festivals, there are several new additions to Disney World that we are excited about. In our
10 Newest Additions to Disney World, we walk you through each of these so that you have something to look forward to for your next Disney World vacation!

Top 50 Disney World Tips to Save Money and Experience More

Photo Credit: Mickey Visit.

It’s never too soon to start planning for your Disney World trip, and we have several tips to consider for making the most of your experience. Check out our top 50 Disney World tips for the most up-to-date information and guidance for saving money and valuable time!