Recently, Tangaroa Terrace at the Disneyland Hotel reopened as the Tangaroa Terrace Tropical Bar & Grill featuring a brand new menu!
I’m sure I will eventually try the lunch and dinner updates, but wanted to start with breakfast because a couple of the new signature items intrigued me.
Breakfast includes a standard Breakfast Platter [$10.00], a Hawaiian-style Breakfast Sandwich [13.00], and an Acai Chia Breakfast Bowl [$8.00]. What I came for though, is the Tangaroa Toast [$10.00] and the Pineapple Upside-Down Pancakes [$10.00].
Both entrees are served with “island fruit” and two slices of bacon. The bacon was better than typical Disney buffet bacon and had good flavor. One of the pieces was slightly crispy, but overall, I like my bacon way crispier. The island fruit consisted of grapes (two colors), pineapple, and two different kinds of melon.
I guessed that I would probably enjoy the toast more, so I started with the pancakes. I was right.
The meal came with three pancakes embedded with a ring of pineapple. While the menu said that they were served with maple syrup, the “breakfast syrup” was actually the standard packets kept at the counter with the ketchup, hot sauces, and jelly.
The pancakes did need the syrup. Respecting what the chef put on the plate, I tried them without syrup first and they were not very sweet at all. The syrup helped, but my major problem with the dish was the texture. While the bottom of the pancake was fine, the top almost felt under-cooked because the pineapple was what touched the griddle, not the pancake underneath.
Couple that with my dislike for warm pineapple (why is Hawaiian Pizza a thing?) and I probably wouldn’t go for this dish again. It’s not a horrible dish, and many of you will probably enjoy it, but it’s not for me.
Now, let’s talk about the dish I would keep going back for: the Tangaroa Toast!
Setting aside the bacon and fruit, this dish was perfect.
The HUGE piece bread was very light, with an almost croissant texture. It wasn’t prepared French Toast-style, and was instead re-baked (I’m guessing) for a crispy dry toast-like effect on the outside.
The toast was topped with a bit of Bananas Foster (bananas and caramel), some lightly-sweetened whipped cream, and a sprinkling of toasted coconut.
I’m not going to show you the “after” picture, but let’s just say the only thing left on the plate was island fruit and bacon. I didn’t intend to eat the whole thing…so I could come back for lunch…but my fork kept going back for more. I can’t say enough good things about the Tangaroa Toast.
If you’re in a hurry for breakfast, Tangaroa Terrace does still offer a few grab & go options, such as fruit or pastries, plus bottled beverages.
If you’re looking for your morning coffee, the window outside has several hot and cold coffee options. The pick-up window is just inside the building.
Overall, I like the new menu and I think the additional seating was needed, but I’m concerned that there is only one cashier now and I’m not sure that the kitchen was made bigger. Still, the new breakfast at Tangaroa Terrace Tropical Bar & Grill is a great option for folks visiting the Disneyland Hotel and I’m glad it’s back!
Here are more of my thoughts:
Tom is the former host and producer of the Disneyland Edition podcast, and is now providing Disneyland content from the parks. He enjoys traveling with friends and spending time with family, including his son and grandson. In his spare time he volunteers with Scouts BSA and Cub Scouts, and help found his son's former Cub Scout Pack. His favorite Disneyland attraction is Space Mountain.
