The new menu at Cocina Cucamonga Mexican Grill located in Disney California Adventure recently had a makeover earlier this month. Was it for the better? Usually, with change, I tend to think that the previous version was better. When I heard that the menu changed and read all the new items Cocina Cucamonga had, my mouth began to water and overwhelming excitement spread over my body. I thought, “Could they actually pull off this new change?” Tyler and I decided to take a trip over to check out if Disney was indeed successful in the new menu change.
Right off the bat the positive vibes were heading our way. The allergy menu was actually full of options — the last menu they had, the gluten-free items were very limited. I am so happy that all allergies have choices here now!
The regular menu changed to what appears to be more streamlined. Cocina Cucamonga got rid of tamales, burritos, the carne asada grilled steak platter, and did away with flour tortillas and just kept corn tortillas. Now, they have tacos or a bowl with three meats to choose from with a vegetarian option of a potato cake. The menu also includes two entrees and a salad.
Let’s begin our eating adventure with classic chips and guacamole. The color of the guacamole was a beautiful vibrant green with a healthy amount of chips. The chips cannot be confirmed gluten-free but I had a couple and was not harmed. The chips seemed over-salted by themselves but worked great with the guacamole. The seasoning in the dip seemed like pre-packaged guac that one can find in the grocery store and they probably just added some fresh avocado. It was very heavy in citric acid which is probably why the color was so green.
Next, we tried the Carne Asada (Cocina Marinated Steak) Bowl and Pollo (Citrus Marinated Chicken) Bowl. The bowls came out beautiful with neat rows of Cilantro-Lime Rice, Epazote Black Beans topped with Queso Fresco, and Roasted Corn Salad. I could not wait to dig into these.
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- Carne Asada Bowl
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- Pollo Bowl
The chicken was well seasoned and seemed to be all dark meat. I am not a fan of all dark meat but I actually liked it. The rice was outstanding! The simplicity of just cilantro and lime made this so refreshing. I am a huge fan of black beans — when I saw that the refried beans on the old menu were exchanged for black beans I was so thankful! The beans were great paired with the rice. This whole dish was fantastic; It wasn’t heavy or greasy. The steak was great! It was little greasy when getting to the bottom of the dish but the steak was tender and seasoned well. It seemed a little heavy-handed with salt, but when you eat it with other items it works together to make an appetizing dish!
Tyler had to try the Torta Ahogada Al Pastor because of the Guajillo Salsa. This massive sandwich is layered with tender Pineapple Achiote Marinated pork, Black Beans, Cabbage, Queso Fresco and topped with a spicy Quajillo Salsa and drizzle of crema. The torta is served with a side of Cilantro-Lime Rice. Tyler was really impressed by this dish and thought that the bread would get soggy, but the salsa was thick enough to where it didn’t seep into the bread. All the layered flavors worked harmoniously into one amazing torta.
To answer my question in the beginning — “was it for the better?” 100% YES! Tyler and I were so impressed with the menu change that we want to eat here again! I am really excited to try other meats and dishes on the menu. I guess I could have ordered tacos and asked for one of each meat but now I have a reason to go back and try more!
