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Photo by Werner Weiss, 2015 |
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“Waterfalls, rain showers, live parrots, animated apes—and all the sounds of a real jungle!” What more could you want from a restaurant? How about “generous portions of fabulous food from around the world”? Rainforest Cafe definitely delivers on the first promise. As for the second promise… well… just remember you came here because of the first promise. |
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Photo by Werner Weiss, 2015 Rainforest Cafe, a Meso-American temple in a tropical jungle |
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You’re at the Rainforest Cafe at the Downtown Disney District of the Disneyland Resort. You have a lot of restaurants to choose from, all with impressive interiors and extensive menus. But none of them come close to this one for over-the-top theming. |
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Photo by Werner Weiss, 2010 Rainforest Cafe parrot demonstration |
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Before you go in, see if a parrot handler is out front doing an entertaining and informative demonstration with a cockatoo or green macaw. |
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Photo by Allen Huffman, 2017 Stand promoting temporary special menus |
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Photo by Werner Weiss, 2010 (left) and 2015 (right) Appetite-inducing food photos |
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Food photos to entice you to enter. Are you ready to begin your safari adventure? |
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Photo by Allen Huffman, 2007 Check-in podium |
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Step up the elephant head. A Tour Guide (host) will take your name. Even though it’s a big place, you might have to wait a long time. |
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Photo by Allen Huffman, 2018 Animal butt barstools at the mushroom-ceiling bar |
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While you wait, you could go to the bar and order a drink from a Navigator (bartender). Try a Mongoose Mai Tai, Green Python, or Cheetah Rita. |
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Photo by Allen Huffman, 2007 Tropical aquarium gateway into the dining rooms |
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As you’re shown to your table, be sure to take in all the amazing scenery. You might end up sitting next to an elephant or gorilla. There are also tables on outside patios on the second floor. While the patios don’t give you the immersive rainforest of the interior, they can be rather wonderful on a perfect Anaheim day (of which there are many). |
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Photo by Allen Huffman, 2001 Atlas holding the Earth, with “Rescue the Rainforest” in green neon |
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Photo by Chris Bales, 2018 Animatronic elephants |
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Photo by Chris Bales, 2018 Table watched by an animatronic gorilla who shakes trees |
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When your table has been cleaned by a Safari Assistant (busser) and you’re shown to your table, sit down and open your menu. The menu has many American favorites, including various kinds of burgers, wraps, and comfort foods. Some dinners have an international flair, such as Honey Sriracha Salmon, Caribbean Coconut Shrimp, and Korean Spicy Stir-fry Chicken. Taste of the Islands is a combo plate of Coconut Shrimp, Blackened Tilapia topped with a Mango Salsa, and Dynamite Scallops and Shrimp. If you really want to splurge, there’s the Ribs, Steak & Shrimp Trio. Your Safari Guide (server) will take your order. |
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Photo by Allen Huffman, 2018 Indoor dining under the tropical rainforest canopy |
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At some point while you’re at your table, you can expect to experience an indoor thunderstorm. The lights dim. Thunder rumbles. Lightning flashes. Elephants trumpet. Monkeys scream. Some Safari Guides scream too. The sounds of a downpour fill the restaurant. Conversations cease because of the noise. And then it all stops. You’re still dry, unless the event scared you into spilling your beverage. Was your meal as good as the description in the menu suggested? Now that you’ve eaten, it’s time for shopping. The gift shop is big. |
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Photo by Werner Weiss, 2015 Lots of plush |
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Photo by Werner Weiss, 2010 Lots of drinking vessels |
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Photo by Werner Weiss, 2015 “Peace, Love & Frogs” tie-dye apparel |
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Photo by Werner Weiss, 2015 Ready to check out? |
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When you’ve made your selections, a Pathfinder (retail associate) will ring them up. This concludes your exciting rainforest experience. Now it’s back to the humdrum reality of the Disneyland Resort. |
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Rainforest Cafe opened January 12, 2001, as an opening day feature of the Downtown Disney District of the Disneyland Resort. The world’s first Rainforest Cafe had opened in 1994 at Mall of America in Bloomington, Minnesota. Rainforest Cafe founder Steven Schussler had taken the concept of a themed restaurant to a new level. The public walked past other restaurants with better food and lower prices for the “eatertainment.” Other Rainforest Cafes followed at high-profile malls and tourist destinations. In 2000, Landry’s, Inc. acquired Rainforest Cafe, Inc. The Rainforest Cafe at Downtown Disney was the fourth one in California, joining those at Ontario Mills in Ontario (1996), South Coast Plaza in Costa Mesa (1997), and Fisherman’s Wharf in San Francisco (2000). Only the one at Ontario Mills is still operating. |
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Photo by Werner Weiss, 2019 Rainforest Cafe at Disney Springs, Walt Disney World |
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The Disneyland Resort was also the fourth Disney destination to get a Rainforest Cafe. It was preceded by Downtown Disney Marketplace (now Disney Springs) at Walt Disney World (1996), Disney’s Animal Kingdom at Walt Disney World (1998), and Disney Village at Disneyland Paris (1999). It was followed by Ikspiari at the Tokyo Disney Resort (2002). Rainforest Cafe at the Disneyland Resort closed June 30, 2018, to make room for a fourth on-site Disney hotel. Construction was supposed to begin July 2018 for a 2021 opening. Instead, the 700-room hotel was put on indefinite hold in August 2018 when Disney and the city of Anaheim reached an impasse over a $267-million tax break. The hotel was cancelled two months later. Nearby, Earl of Sandwich had also closed for the hotel, but reopened in October. The Orange County Register reported that Landry’s wanted to reopen Rainforest Cafe, but that never happened. The word at the time was that its interior had been stripped and its kitchen removed. The building sat unused for the rest of 2018 and all of 2019 and 2020. That changed when the building became Star Wars Trading Post. With the addition of some camouflage and props, the Meso-American jungle temple became a “hidden jungle Resistance base” in the Star Wars universe. Its grand opening was February 19, 2021. |
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Photo by Christian Thompson/Disneyland Resort, 2021 © Disney Former Rainforest Cafe as Star Wars Trading Post, with Rey’s Speeder out front |
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Photo by Christian Thompson/Disneyland Resort, 2021 © Disney Inside the Star Wars Trading Post |
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While Galaxy’s Edge inside Disneyland Park is limited to selling items that match the Black Spire Outpost story, Star Wars Trading Post is not tied to a specific place and time. So it can sell anything in the Star Wars universe. And with Galaxy’s Edge closed during the COVID-19 pandemic, Star Wars Trading Post can also sell items that were supposed to be exclusive to Galaxy’s Edge. According to Disney, “Here, guests will find a number of goods, including a Paddy Frog light-up sipper, and Child-inspired streetwear collection, including t-shirts, leggings, hats and more inspired by The Mandalorian series on Disney+.“ But can you buy genuine Beskar armor at Star Wars Trading Post? |
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© 2021 Werner Weiss — Disclaimers, Copyright, and Trademarks Updated February 19, 2021 |
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