Update since renovation- our server was amazing, shout out to Alex! With the princesses circulating the pacing was not great we preferred the old format when you went to them in the courtyards. The interaction was actually better though. They all spent time with my girls. Bummed that the story time and leaning moves with Mulan are no longer part of the experience. This is now a once in a while meal, not a must do.
Breakfast with the princesses is always amazing. They princesses are always wonderful with my very shy but very princess obsessed 4 year old. All the CMs are wonderful. We have also enjoyed dinner here.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Kiki
Came after the refurbishment, and as someone who had gone several times throughout the years was looking forward to it, could not have been more disappointed.
The food was drenched in lemon oil or truffle oil, oversalted or left to age under the lamp. Wagyu was poorly cut, fish was rubbery. Over two hours in and we still had not gotten our entree. They could not locate two different bottles of wine we requested from their list. When someone in our party voiced their displeasure with a dish there was no effort made to make it right.
Place is nothing like the jewel it used to be.
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 2
Service: 1
Omar K
So I have been to Napa Rose many times before the renovation to celebrate special occasions so I had high expectations when I went after it reopened once all the renovations were finished. To start with the food was good but was too salty, even my family members that were with me were saying the same thing, the amount of time between courses was much longer than before, and to get a simple glass of ice only I had to ask 2 different servers then finally after about 15 mins+ it arrived, the amount of staff seemed to be less then before as well. The ventilation from the kitchen area wasn't working well, at times there was a smoky/strange smell and as soon as you walked into the restaurant. Pre-renovation you never smelled any of the food cooking. Be prepared to be seated for almost 3 hours to get through the whole meal of 4 courses. I honestly would think twice going back or recommending it to anyone I know after my experience especially with it being $188 per person and the tip being added automatically is quite high.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 4
Service: 1
JASON NICASTRO
What an experience. This place just reopened after renovations. First time there in years but even better than before. Riley and Victor made our evening wonderful. The Coachella Valley Cooler and Wild Boar were my favorite. The wife loved the mushroom bisque too. Just be ready to spend. Just remember you get what you pay for and it’s worth it.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Ryan Baldwin
A MUST-STOP #1 ON OUR LIST
We were lucky enough to be one of the first groups to sit at the chefs' viewing tables. Simply AMAZING!
The Opus One paired perfectly with the Goose & Lamb.
TOP-NOTCH, ONE OF THE BEST
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Ashley Kiely
We enjoyed dinner in the newly renovated dining space. Service is always outstanding at Napa Rose and this visit was wonderful. Our top food choices included the seasonal fish first course which was cooked perfectly (would have happily had a larger portion as an entree), the goose en croute and rib-eye courses were savory and paired well with the wine, and the apple brioche was a great dessert. We can’t wait to visit again!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 4
Service: 5
Loretta Dudzik
Napa Rose was a lovely dinner. I enjoyed the atmosphere and ambiance of the restaurant. The food was delicious.
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 4
Service: 4
Crystal_Will Dawkins
The Princess special brunch is delicious and a wonderful experience but $149 for every person (children and adults) is wild. My kid and I met 5 princess, and service is definitely 5 stars.
courtney
To our magical friends at Disney,
We recently had a stay for our first time at the Grand Californian. My parents had never stayed at a Disney hotel, and we thought that this experience was truly magical! We were immediately welcomed with the friendly valet staff, had an easy check in despite the longer lines, and were immediately texted that our room was available shortly after. The rooms themselves had amazing views of California adventure, and although my parents and I could not be on the same floor, we felt that the overall rooms were great! We experienced a handful of dining experiences on the property, and were delighted with both the brunch and dinner at Storytellers cafe. The reason for our stay was to celebrate my daughter's 4th birthday with her grandparents there. Storytellers has (and has again) done an amazing job at making someone feel special for their birthday. During the brunch AND new dinner service, the characters embraced her special day and so did the wait staff. They made an excellent experience for our whole party; it was really special to see my dad taking pictures of characters he grew up loving.
Our last morning, we were so excited since we had the Disney Princess Breakfast reserved. After experiencing such an unforgettable experience at Storytellers, we were confident that the breakfast would be even more intimate, special and memorable for my daughter. Now, the venue I was told would be different because of the unavailability of the Napa Rose at the time. But the specialness would still be the same. It is quite a pricepoint to pay, but we were sold on the fact that this would be another Disney successful dining experience. As we arrived, we were greeted by friendly staff. I won't lie, I was very disappointed to be escorted into almost a conference center. This was nothing like what we saw on previous videos, and I completely understand that the change of venue creates a different space, but it felt corporate, dull and almost lackluster of the Disney magic. Besides this, I had high hopes.
As the princesses made their rounds, we experienced almost a warm/cold energy. A staleness/stiffness and almost mundane routine for some of the characters. I mentioned that we were celebrating my daughter's birthday upon arrival. They took down her name (including the spelling). Not once was she acknowledged by anyone. Not once did she get a special greeting/call out from any of the staff or characters. I was almost surprised that characters didn't come back for more greetings to our tables after making the first round. There were not that many guests, and for the pricepoint that we were paying for - it seems as though they would have more time to go up to the characters as guests wanted to. This environment made it feel not personable, and echoed how Storyteller was with a much higher pricepoint. We were happy about the two photo opportunities with princesses. But even this felt slightly rushed as we were corralled in and out. The food was surprisingly lacking. And we were just comparing this to Storytellers cafe. There was nothing I felt was elevated (the only possible appetizer that I felt even slightly elevated to qualify for $142/plate were the lobster bites), everything else were fare that we could find at the other restaurant.
I guess, this is what sticks in my mind the most now for our stay at the Grand Californian. We unfortunately ended on such a disappointing note, and one of the biggest build ups for the weekend. I am happy to speak with whomever about our experiences, because I definitely would like them to hear how high of an expectation we had - and how completely disappointed we felt. We had 6 in our group, and this sentiment was across the board. For such a sought after reservation, we expected more of Disney. That is just how Disney does it, and we almost felt cheated of the experience.
Atmosphere: 1
Food: 3
Service: 4
Ale
Amazing food! The portions are small but full of flavor.
What an exceptional experience. For starters our server Brett had outstanding knowledge of the menu the wines and the overall fine dining experiences in the area even outside of the local restaurants.
The food was an unconventional mix of amazing flavors and spices to create one of the greatest restaurant experiences I can remember. I wanted to take more photos but I couldn't help but enjoy the food and wine despite it's hefty price, which I must say is very well worth it. I will definitely return to this place in the future, one of the best restaurants in Los Angeles or Orange County in my opinion
Austin S.
Amazing food and service. Wendy helped us out for my daughters 5th birthday and was amazing with her. The entire staff went out of their way to make her feel welcomed and celebrated and even threw in some extras. My daughter was glowing the rest of the night.
Lola And Blair
Food was below average and service was poor. Took my daughter for her 5th birthday and they didn't even sing happy birthday to her or anything for the amount people spend and not even get a candle with a dessert is ridiculous. Did not feel special at all whole mood was bland from servers.
Johnny Lightning
Very peaceful environment, service was great and hospitality was amazing.
Update since renovation- our server was amazing, shout out to Alex! With the princesses circulating the pacing was not great we preferred the old format when you went to them in the courtyards. The interaction was actually better though. They all spent time with my girls. Bummed that the story time and leaning moves with Mulan are no longer part of the experience. This is now a once in a while meal, not a must do.
Breakfast with the princesses is always amazing. They princesses are always wonderful with my very shy but very princess obsessed 4 year old. All the CMs are wonderful. We have also enjoyed dinner here.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Came after the refurbishment, and as someone who had gone several times throughout the years was looking forward to it, could not have been more disappointed.
The food was drenched in lemon oil or truffle oil, oversalted or left to age under the lamp. Wagyu was poorly cut, fish was rubbery. Over two hours in and we still had not gotten our entree. They could not locate two different bottles of wine we requested from their list. When someone in our party voiced their displeasure with a dish there was no effort made to make it right.
Place is nothing like the jewel it used to be.
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 2
Service: 1
So I have been to Napa Rose many times before the renovation to celebrate special occasions so I had high expectations when I went after it reopened once all the renovations were finished. To start with the food was good but was too salty, even my family members that were with me were saying the same thing, the amount of time between courses was much longer than before, and to get a simple glass of ice only I had to ask 2 different servers then finally after about 15 mins+ it arrived, the amount of staff seemed to be less then before as well. The ventilation from the kitchen area wasn't working well, at times there was a smoky/strange smell and as soon as you walked into the restaurant. Pre-renovation you never smelled any of the food cooking. Be prepared to be seated for almost 3 hours to get through the whole meal of 4 courses. I honestly would think twice going back or recommending it to anyone I know after my experience especially with it being $188 per person and the tip being added automatically is quite high.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 4
Service: 1
What an experience. This place just reopened after renovations. First time there in years but even better than before. Riley and Victor made our evening wonderful. The Coachella Valley Cooler and Wild Boar were my favorite. The wife loved the mushroom bisque too. Just be ready to spend. Just remember you get what you pay for and it’s worth it.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
A MUST-STOP #1 ON OUR LIST
We were lucky enough to be one of the first groups to sit at the chefs' viewing tables. Simply AMAZING!
The Opus One paired perfectly with the Goose & Lamb.
TOP-NOTCH, ONE OF THE BEST
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
We enjoyed dinner in the newly renovated dining space. Service is always outstanding at Napa Rose and this visit was wonderful. Our top food choices included the seasonal fish first course which was cooked perfectly (would have happily had a larger portion as an entree), the goose en croute and rib-eye courses were savory and paired well with the wine, and the apple brioche was a great dessert. We can’t wait to visit again!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 4
Service: 5
Napa Rose was a lovely dinner. I enjoyed the atmosphere and ambiance of the restaurant. The food was delicious.
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 4
Service: 4
The Princess special brunch is delicious and a wonderful experience but $149 for every person (children and adults) is wild. My kid and I met 5 princess, and service is definitely 5 stars.
To our magical friends at Disney,
We recently had a stay for our first time at the Grand Californian. My parents had never stayed at a Disney hotel, and we thought that this experience was truly magical! We were immediately welcomed with the friendly valet staff, had an easy check in despite the longer lines, and were immediately texted that our room was available shortly after. The rooms themselves had amazing views of California adventure, and although my parents and I could not be on the same floor, we felt that the overall rooms were great! We experienced a handful of dining experiences on the property, and were delighted with both the brunch and dinner at Storytellers cafe. The reason for our stay was to celebrate my daughter's 4th birthday with her grandparents there. Storytellers has (and has again) done an amazing job at making someone feel special for their birthday. During the brunch AND new dinner service, the characters embraced her special day and so did the wait staff. They made an excellent experience for our whole party; it was really special to see my dad taking pictures of characters he grew up loving.
Our last morning, we were so excited since we had the Disney Princess Breakfast reserved. After experiencing such an unforgettable experience at Storytellers, we were confident that the breakfast would be even more intimate, special and memorable for my daughter. Now, the venue I was told would be different because of the unavailability of the Napa Rose at the time. But the specialness would still be the same. It is quite a pricepoint to pay, but we were sold on the fact that this would be another Disney successful dining experience. As we arrived, we were greeted by friendly staff. I won't lie, I was very disappointed to be escorted into almost a conference center. This was nothing like what we saw on previous videos, and I completely understand that the change of venue creates a different space, but it felt corporate, dull and almost lackluster of the Disney magic. Besides this, I had high hopes.
As the princesses made their rounds, we experienced almost a warm/cold energy. A staleness/stiffness and almost mundane routine for some of the characters. I mentioned that we were celebrating my daughter's birthday upon arrival. They took down her name (including the spelling). Not once was she acknowledged by anyone. Not once did she get a special greeting/call out from any of the staff or characters. I was almost surprised that characters didn't come back for more greetings to our tables after making the first round. There were not that many guests, and for the pricepoint that we were paying for - it seems as though they would have more time to go up to the characters as guests wanted to. This environment made it feel not personable, and echoed how Storyteller was with a much higher pricepoint. We were happy about the two photo opportunities with princesses. But even this felt slightly rushed as we were corralled in and out. The food was surprisingly lacking. And we were just comparing this to Storytellers cafe. There was nothing I felt was elevated (the only possible appetizer that I felt even slightly elevated to qualify for $142/plate were the lobster bites), everything else were fare that we could find at the other restaurant.
I guess, this is what sticks in my mind the most now for our stay at the Grand Californian. We unfortunately ended on such a disappointing note, and one of the biggest build ups for the weekend. I am happy to speak with whomever about our experiences, because I definitely would like them to hear how high of an expectation we had - and how completely disappointed we felt. We had 6 in our group, and this sentiment was across the board. For such a sought after reservation, we expected more of Disney. That is just how Disney does it, and we almost felt cheated of the experience.
Atmosphere: 1
Food: 3
Service: 4
Amazing food! The portions are small but full of flavor.
Restaurantji Recommends
Absolutely phenomenal.
What an exceptional experience. For starters our server Brett had outstanding knowledge of the menu the wines and the overall fine dining experiences in the area even outside of the local restaurants.
The food was an unconventional mix of amazing flavors and spices to create one of the greatest restaurant experiences I can remember. I wanted to take more photos but I couldn't help but enjoy the food and wine despite it's hefty price, which I must say is very well worth it. I will definitely return to this place in the future, one of the best restaurants in Los Angeles or Orange County in my opinion
Amazing food and service. Wendy helped us out for my daughters 5th birthday and was amazing with her. The entire staff went out of their way to make her feel welcomed and celebrated and even threw in some extras. My daughter was glowing the rest of the night.
Food was below average and service was poor. Took my daughter for her 5th birthday and they didn't even sing happy birthday to her or anything for the amount people spend and not even get a candle with a dessert is ridiculous. Did not feel special at all whole mood was bland from servers.
Very peaceful environment, service was great and hospitality was amazing.
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