The Disneyland Restaurants Bracket -- Round 4

Well, folks, we’ve narrowed down the field of 64 seeds of Disneyland eating locations down to just eight. That, of course, means it’s time for me to share my picks for this round moving forward.

We’re down to just one matchup a day (so I’m going to stop breaking them out by day). Let’s go.

(1) Napa Rose vs. (2) Cafe Orleans: The right mix of good food and good ambience will get you anywhere. Or, at least, that mix will get you through to the next round if I have anything to say about it. That’s my longwinded way of saying that I’m voting for Cafe Orleans here. I can’t say anything bad against Napa Rose, of course, and if it wins here, I won’t be surprised or dismayed. But Cafe Orleans has excellent food, a beautiful design and some of the best people-watching you can find in the entire resort. I stick with Orleans.

(1) Carthay Circle Restaurant vs. (3) The Tropical Hideaway: As I said above, good food and good ambience gets you far in my book. And as I’ve said throughout this bracket, The Tropical Hideaway is going very far if my votes line up with everyone else’s. Now, frankly, this is a little more difficult than the matchup above. I like Carthay more than I like Napa Rose (a restaurant I admire perhaps a bit more than I like). But The Tropical Hideaway’s food is incredible, the Dole Whip is manna from heaven, and the atmosphere is pitch-perfect. When the parks reopen, you’ll find me here.

(1) Blue Bayou Restaurant vs. (2) Carnation Cafe: I’m not going to kick each of the number-one seeds to the curb in this round. To wit: I’m voting for Blue Bayou in this matchup. Both of these restaurants have good food, and they both boast an inviting atmosphere. (Now that Carnation Cafe has indoors seating, too, it’s even nicer.) But a restaurant that abuts the Pirates of the Caribbean is close to unbeatable.

(4) Bengal Barbecue vs. (2) Trader Sam’s Enchanted Tiki Bar: And here I thought we’d have all four top seeds in the Elite Eight. The voters proved me wrong on this one, and that’s a shame. I like Bengal Barbecue well enough, but I tell you, that corn chowder at the Storytellers Cafe is life-changing. Even if I was less put out (relatively speaking) about the arrival of the Bengal Barbecue here, I’d still be voting for Trader Sam’s Enchanted Tiki Bar. The drinks, the snacks, and that atmosphere make for one hell of a combination.