The Disneyland Restaurants Bracket -- Round 2

OK, folks, we’ve been through the entirety of the first round, during which no major news of any serious consequence occurred. Ahem. (Also, thank God.)

Anyway. It’s time for Round Two of the Disneyland Restaurants bracket, so let’s get going with my picks for each of the matchups.

Day 1

(1) Napa Rose vs. (8) Tangaroa Terrace: While I adore the Tangaroa Terrace, I cannot deny the allure of Napa Rose.

(5) Hearthstone Lounge vs. (4) Cozy Cone Motel: As you’ll see later on, I have Strong Opinions about restaurants vs. lounges. But I also like having a place to sit to enjoy my meal, snack, or drink, and Cozy Cone Motel is more about the novelty of eating coned food. And that’s fine! But Hearthstone Lounge has the benefit of being in the Grand Californian Hotel. So it gets my vote.

(6) Hungry Bear Restaurant vs. (3) Steakhouse 55: So, shocking revelation: I have not eaten at Steakhouse 55. I won’t abstain here, because I love chaos in this kind of vote. But I also can’t vote for Steakhouse 55 (in part because while it looks swanky enough, it also seems kind of personality-free from what I’ve seen at its entrance). Hungry Bear it is.

(7) French Market Restaurant vs. (2) Cafe Orleans: Both in a wonderful part of Disneyland, but only one of these restaurants has beignets and pommes frites and Monte Cristo sandwiches, and God, I wish I was at Cafe Orleans right now.

Day 2

(1) Carthay Circle Restaurant vs. (8) Plaza Inn: Carthay Circle Restaurant. I know Plaza Inn has great fried chicken, but I’d be voting for Carthay Circle for its jazzy background music alone.

(5) Jolly Holiday Bakery Cafe vs. (4) Napa Rose Lounge: When it comes to restaurants vs. lounges (as in, “Do I eat at this restaurant or its connecting lounge?”), I prefer the whole thing. So for that alone, I’m sticking with Poppins and the penguins for this one.

(6) Smokejumpers Grill vs. (3) The Tropical Hideaway: You may recall that I said The Tropical Hideaway would go far in this competition if I had anything to say about it. My opinion is unchanged.

(7) Wine Country Trattoria vs. (2) Goofy’s Kitchen: Somehow, it took nearly eight months of me doing brackets for one of the matchups to wind up in a tie. That occurred in the first-round battle between Wine Country Trattoria and Refreshment Corner, thus inspiring a Bluth-esque “…them?” from me. Anyway, as manic as Goofy’s Kitchen can be, I’d much rather go back there than WCT anytime soon.

Day 3

(1) Blue Bayou Restaurant vs. (8) Flo’s V8 Cafe: Both of these restaurants have impressive ambience, but when it’s between a restaurant that’s seated next to the greatest theme-park attraction of all time and a restaurant with talking cars…well, it’s no contest. Blue Bayou.

(5) River Belle Terrace vs. (4) Oga’s Cantina: I get the appeal of Oga’s Cantina. I do. And I don’t love River Belle Terrace. But when I even think about the rigamarole you have to go through (well, that you had to go through back when Disneyland was open, and I promise, it really was) to get into Oga’s, I get worn out. River Belle Terrace wins this one.

(6) Docking Bay 7 Food and Cargo vs. (3) Lamplight Lounge: I know people have a lot of love for the Galaxy’s Edge dining, but Lamplight Lounge has great ambience and some killer lobster nachos. Lamplight it is.

(7) The Golden Horseshoe vs. (2) Carnation Cafe: Carnation Cafe has expanded its footprint on Main Street, but remains a favorite. Sorry to the Golden Horseshoe.

Day 4

(1) Storytellers Cafe vs. (9) Pacific Wharf Cafe: Have you ever had the corn chowder at Storytellers Cafe? Because it’s heavenly. Pacific Wharf Cafe has lovely atmosphere (especially at night), and fine bread bowls, but…the corn chowder at Storytellers.

(12) Tiki Juice Bar vs. (4) Bengal Barbecue: So, this is a toughie for me. Yes, you can get Dole Whips at the Tropical Hideaway. And the skewers at Bengal Barbecue are very good. But both of these spots have long lines. And the atmosphere at the Enchanted Tiki Room is unbeatable. The Tiki Juice Bar.

(6) Ronto Roasters vs. (3) Carthay Circle Lounge: Here, I’ll stick with the Galaxy’s Edge crowd and give it to the Ronto Roasters.

(7) Galactic Grill vs. (2) Trader Sam’s Enchanted Tiki Bar: This one’s very easy. Trader Sam’s all the way, and it’s not a contest.