We love having a Disneyland – if not exactly on our doorsteps then, at least, not a 10-hour flight away.
The idea of hopping on a Eurostar and stepping out in Walt-world (via a pesky change in Paris) is tantalising. But there’s no doubt that more than three decades after it opened, Disneyland Paris still feels a little like a work in progress.
Our main issue, apart from the lack of some of its Florida cousin’s Epcot-based rides (it could definitely do with Soarin’) is the food. It feels crazy to say this of a park that’s based in a country renowned the world over for its obscenely delicious cooking, but Disneyland Paris is overshadowed by its US counterparts. In fact, I’d go so far as to say you’ll find a better variety of European-style cooking at Epcot’s World Showcase.
Sure, they’ve got favourites like Bistro Chez Remy for your classic French dining, La Table de Lumiere for Be Our Guest aficionados, Plaza Gardens for Crystal Palace fans, Casey’s Corner, for hotdog-lovers and their own Rainforest Cafe, but it still feels as if there’s more work to be done on the dining front to hit the market between formal adult dining and family-friendly – which Orlando achieves so well.
Here are six restaurants – or styles of restaurant – we’d love to make the trans-Atlantic leap to give us the kind of varied cuisine we Disney-goers adore:
The Coral Reef
We have long been regulars of this pescatarians’ paradise, located in Walt Disneyworld’s Epcot Centre and we think it is just the kind of high-quality, innovative dining experience Disneyland Paris needs. It even has the perfect location waiting for it too – somewhere in the vicinity of Crush’s Coaster at the Walt Disney Studios Park would be perfect. The Coral Reef serves delicately flavoured fish dishes like salmon and mahi mahi, alongside meat and veggie options but, the best thing about it is that diners get to sit alongside a huge aquarium and can watch sharks, turtles and rays swim past – not to mention the occasional deep sea-diving Mickey Mouse. It’s a lovely family dining experience and we’d love to see it swim across the Atlantic to join us in Europe.
Space 220
Disneyland Paris has seen Star Wars take over its version of Space Mountain, so we’re calling for another takeover to land asap in the shape of the Space 220 restaurant. This fabulous Epcot dining experience only touched down in 2021 but it’s already become a firm favourite among Disney fans, thanks to that winning Disney combination of take-your-breath-away theming and superb quality. You step into a lift (or rocket) and watch yourself “blast off” away from Planet Earth and up to your dining experience, where you can sit and eat Starry Calamari and Space Pad Thai while planets and space stations float by outside the window. It’s so much fun – but imagine blasting off and seeing the Eiffel Tower beneath your feet? Surely this is too good an opportunity for those Imagineers to miss?
California Grill
So the food at the California Grill, located at Walt Disneyworld’s Contemporary Resort, is obviously outstanding (and expensive!) But what we love about this and Narcoossee’s (at the Grand Floridian) is that you can step away from your table and view the Magic Kingdom fireworks display. The same applies to other restaurants dotted around Disneyworld – you can, for example, view them from afar at both Toledo and Three Bridges at the Coronado Springs resort. And it makes a fantastic change for weary little legs (I’m talking mine, not the kids’) to sit and dine after a hard day’s park-hopping and not miss the evening celebrations. Disneyland Paris’s only comparable restaurant is La Table de Lumiere which offers amazing views of the parks but, at present, you do need to be staying at the Disneyland Hotel to eat there… which is a real shame. One way to solve this problem, Disney, would be to offer more restaurants in Paris with fireworks views – what do you say?
Columbia Harbour House
This Liberty Square dining destination, located in Orlando’s Magic Kingdom, makes a fabulous pit-stop for lunch or dinner – or just a snack. The menu is classic American meat and seafood dishes – lobster rolls, shrimp skewers, clam chowder and chicken strips, all of which are both tasty and popular with visitors – thanks to their relatively budget-friendly price tag. This restaurant’s outdoor seating also means it’s a great place to take time out from the bustle of a Disney day and if you time your lunch right, you can even watch the parade pass by from the comfort of your table. We feel this is precisely the kind of casual dining experience – relaxed and reasonably priced – that Disneyland Paris could do with expanding. If you wanted to make it more French-themed, you could swap clam chowder for moules-frite or maybe Boston cream pie for tarte tatin? Bon appetit!
Akershus Royal Banquet Hall
We know it’s unlikely that Disney plans to bring the entire Epcot World Showcase to Disneyland Paris any time soon – sadly (although they are always telling us how they like to make dreams come true!) However, what we think they could do is offer some of the varied selection of cuisine available at World Showcase. To some extent, they do this already. In the Disney Village, King Ludwig’s Castle’s menu is German-themed. Vapiano, also in the village, and Pizzeria Bella Notte, in Fantasyland, give you your Italian fix. The Toad Hall Restaurant serves traditional British fish and chips. And, of course, there are plenty of French selections. But, given that the park is based in Europe, we feel there’s an opportunity to showcase a bit more continental cuisine – fondue or paella, for example. Or Scandinavian food. Akershus is located in Epcot’s Norway Pavillion in Florida and offers a buffet-style menu – including salmon and meatballs, alongside greetings from the princesses. It’s really lovely and Scandinavian food is so popular in many parts of Europe – just see how crowded Ikea’s cafes are on a Saturday morning and you’ll know! We think this is just the kind of well-priced variety Disneyland Paris needs.
Third-party dining like The Boathouse/ Wolfgang Puck Bar & Grill
Given that both of these third party restaurants – which operate in Orlando’s Disney Springs – are under US ownership, it’s perhaps unlikely they’ll make the leap across the Atlantic to Disneyland Paris (although we’d love it if they did!) But several US chains have done this and have venues in Paris’s Disney Village – the Rainforest Cafe, McDonalds and the Earl of Sandwich to name a few. We think it’s great to have a few chain eateries at Disney to mix up the food offering. Our question is: do they all need to be American? Think about the trip the average British tourist makes when going to Disneyland Paris: many will start out at St Pancras Station, in London, where they’ll be surrounded by Carluccio’s, Yo! Sushi, Le Pain Quotidien, an M&S, Pret a Manger and luxury patisserie and macaron-maker extraordinaire Laduree. When they get to Disneyland Paris, much of this variety vanishes (although you can still find some delicious macarons on Main Street). If you were heading to Orlando, it’s doubtful you’d miss these predominantly European chains because of all the Disney-fare on offer. But we think at least a couple of European brands – perhaps Bill’s or fresh-food eatery Leon – would make a great addition to Disneyland Paris, increasing options and showcasing the range of international cooking Europe has become famous for. Throw in a fantastic Chinese restaurant, sushi stop-off or a curry house and, well, now you’re talking.
Is there anything else from Disney parks around the world you’d love to see brought to Paris? Get your requests in below (disclaimer: we can’t promise Disney will actually act on anything we write!)
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