After a year-long reimagining, Disneyland Resort’s #1 restaurant at its flagship Grand Californian Hotel is finally ready to welcome guests. We had the opportunity to preview the prix fixe menu and new-look dining room, and are happy to report that Napa Rose is back and better than before.
We’ve been fans of Napa Rose since our first visit to Disneyland when we first experienced the restaurant by eating in the lounge. That hooked us from day one, and we made a point of returning to Napa Rose on each trip. After moving to California for the first time, Napa Rose became our default “special occasion” restaurant at Disneyland Resort and one of our top spots in all of Orange County.
We’ve done Thanksgiving Dinner at Napa Rose (our least-favorite meal at Napa Rose), the Chef’s Counter at Napa Rose (our absolute favorite way to dine here), light meals in the lounge, special events with unique meneus, and standard dinners in the main dining room. With well over a dozen meals at Napa Rose over the last decade-plus, we experienced the many seasons of the vine at Napa Rose.
In the last 5 years, our experiences at Napa Rose had been more mixed. Like so many restaurants at Disneyland Resort (and beyond), it felt like Napa Rose had lost a step coming out of the closure. The cuisine wasn’t quite as ambitious, the options more limited, and the overall experience wasn’t one we found ourselves eager to revisit–especially given the ever-increasing prices.
Napa Rose still topped our list of the Best 26 Restaurants at Disneyland Resort, but it came with the above caveat that it had lost its luster and was no longer the unequivocal #1. Carthay Circle Restaurant and the improving culinary scene in Downtown Disney had started to give Napa Rose a run for its ranking, whereas previously it wasn’t even a close call.
This is one reason we were looking forward to the Napa Rose reimagining. It would give the restaurant a chance to hit reset, offering the creative culinary team a chance to work its magic and reinvent the menu. Overhauls like this almost always result restaurants returning with bolder and better menus.
More obviously, the reimagining would refresh the interior. Admittedly, I was more anxious about this core component of the reimagining. There are aspects of the Grand Californian receive undue criticism about being dated, when really, that’s the Craftsman style. And frankly, it’s a style that I love.
The problem is that, as a practical reality, Craftsman doesn’t always “read” as luxurious or comport with guest expectations when they’re paying premium prices for a luxury hotel. And the Grand Californian and its offerings have become very, very expensive.
It’s also fair to say that there are elements of Napa Rose’s design where it’s difficult to discern where the Craftsman style ends and the early 2000s design sensibilities begin. For Walt Disney World fans, the comparison I’d draw is something like Citricos at the Grand Floridian prior to its reimagining a few years back. Like that, Napa Rose definitely needed an update; this project was undeniably overdue.
Against that backdrop, let’s take a tour of the new-look Napa Rose. We’ll start with photos of the bar & lounge:
Napa Rose Bar & Lounge
Guests looking to drop in at their leisure for a crafted cocktail and luxurious small bites served à la carte will want to visit the bar and lounge at Napa Rose.
This area offers cozy and intimate seating areas around a bar, all lit by the warmth of a new fireplace for a relaxed evening. The bar and lounge also offers alfresco dining on a newly renovated outdoor patio.
Reservations are not required to dine at the Napa Rose bar and lounge; walk-ins are welcome and subject to availability. This is also the most economical way to enjoy the Napa Rose experience, with the bar & lounge food prices ranging from $18 to $75, with most dishes in the $25 to $35 ballpark.
Next up, photos of the main dining room at Napa Rose:
Main Dining Room
The main dining room will debut a seasonal prix fixe menu, with the option to add custom wine pairings to the multi-course meal. A new and enhanced children’s menu for kids 9 and younger will be available for families looking to enjoy a special dinner together.
The restaurant’s redesigned interior draws inspiration from California’s Arts and Crafts tradition and honors the history, people and nature of Napa Valley. Each thoughtful detail pays homage to the colors and textures of the region, incorporating both natural and handcrafted materials and a strong connection to place with artwork and artifacts capturing the journey of Napa Valley.
The restaurant interior uses natural textures such as reclaimed French oak flooring and columns (a type of wood used to make wine barrels), hand-pinged artisan metals, leathers, deep colors of cabernet, and other thoughtful details.
In the main dining area, a stunning chandelier is modeled after the Mission Vine, with hanging glass bauble-like grapes and a branch-and-vine design. Towering wooden columns with metal bands are classic Craftsman architectural details, while evoking the essence of wine barrels. Arched ceiling detailing frames a mural evoking the vineyards of Napa Valley.
Warm woods, cork, stone, and leather define the space, while architectural references to wine barrels and vineyard structures create a welcoming and refined atmosphere. Distinct dining areas, including an open show kitchen, private dining space, outdoor terraces, and a bar and lounge, offer a variety of experiences within a cohesive design.
A dramatic floor-to-ceiling wine wall and art installation showcasing Napa Valley history greet guests upon entry. Napa Rose has one of the most extensive wine programs in the region, with a cellar housing more than 13,000 bottles across approximately 1,500 labels. The new-look Napa Rose leans into this more, with wine bottles displayed proudly throughout the restaurant.
“At Napa Rose, we invite guests to savor a dining experience that honors the past, draws deeply from nature, and takes inspiration from innovation,” said Katrina Mosher, creative director, Walt Disney Imagineering.
“The restaurant’s design reflects Napa Valley as a place where history, nature and people beautifully converge and is inspired by the stories told both inside and outside of the bottle. The aesthetic influences harmonize into an updated and more modern Craftsman look, paying homage to the roots of Disney storytelling and Napa Valley.”
During our preview of Napa Rose, Mosher discussed some of the details in Napa Rose. These included artisan-made tiles embedded with leaves from the Golden Vine Winery in Disney California Adventure, glasswork featuring recycled accidental breaks from parks around the globe, and the inspiration to bring the outdoors in and celebrate the natural world.
Here’s a look at the Chef’s Counter:
Chef’s Counter
The Chef’s Counter will offer up to 18 guests the opportunity to sit and dine in direct view of the dynamic exhibition kitchen, where the Napa Rose chefs personalize each course of your meal, based on seasonality and creativity. Reservations are highly recommended for this interactive and engaging dining experience, and for the first time, you will be able to book your seats online at NapaRose.com.
For a private, more intimate and curated experience, you may also choose to celebrate a special occasion in our newly renovated private dining room, available for up to 16 guests. Guests can contact the restaurant directly for booking.
Here’s a look at the outdoor terrace:
Outdoor Terrace
The outdoor terrace has been enhanced to welcome more guests for al fresco dining. This outdoor space offers comfortable seat surrounded by lush greenery and soft lighting, with the crisp California breeze being ‘offset’ by the warm, flickering fireplaces.
The atmosphere of the terrace is lovely, laidback and lowkey. What they’ve done looks fantastic. At the same time, a big part of Napa Rose’s appeal, at least for us, is the energy of the main dining room. Seeing the open kitchen adds to the kinetics, and gives you a greater appreciation of the culinary artistry. To each their own, but I’d do an outdoor meal at GCH Craftsman and indoors at Napa Rose.
Advance reservations are highly recommended to dine in the main dining room or outdoor terrace at Napa Rose. They can be booked up to 60 days in advance at Disneyland.com or NapaRose.com. Same-day reservations can be made on a limited basis and are subject to availability.
Our Impressions of the New-Look Napa Rose
Prior to stepping foot in the new-look restaurant, my fear was that Napa Rose would trade one distinct style mixed with an era (Craftsman plus early 2000s) for another. That it was just a bit too on-trend, featuring currently chic design flourishes. That it would be catering more towards first-timers and non-fans choosing Napa Rose not for its Disney-ness, but in spite of it.
My other hope was that Napa Rose would remain unapologetically Craftsman. As noted above, the style is timeless, and distinctly Californian–it’s just often misunderstood.
In actuality, the new-look Napa Rose lands in the sweet spot somewhere between the two extremes. The style is best described as modern Craftsman, which was the stated aim of Walt Disney Imagineering on the project according to Katrina Mosher. Given that, I’d say mission accomplished.
Stepping into the Napa Rose feels at once familiar and new. The restaurant retains its warmth and coziness, and the layout is generally the same. Yet, there are massive differences in style and substance.
The dining room is at once sophisticated, modern, elegant and themed. It feels like a contemporary Californian fine dining establishment, and one that would be right at home in Napa Valley, but that also fits at the Grand Californian.
The fairest criticism of the Napa Rose overhaul is that it’s not a pure Craftsman theme. That modern style crept into the design, and Walt Disney Imagineering purposefully chose modern design features. Not exactly a bold revelation, since they essentially said so.
While this is accurate, it’s also accurate to say that Napa Rose was not previously a timeless Arts & Crafts style. It was previously California Craftsman as interpreted through an early-aughts lens, and is now that meets modern–a fresh and posh intersection of two otherwise disparate design styles.
We’ve been through this before, most recently with the Grand Floridian reimagining, which we gave incredibly high marks. The challenge Disney faces with every upscale offering is balancing the expectations of actual paying guests with thematic integrity. That’s undoubtedly doubly true with Napa Rose, which is positioned as a fine dining establishment aimed at affluent clientele in the Los Angeles and Orange County markets, and not just Disney fans.
Given these practical realities, I was impressed by the new-look Napa Rose interior. We both were.
Sarah has less attachment to the Craftsman style than I do, so I’m undoubtedly the tougher critic here. She had no attachment to the prior interior, and was blown away by the overhaul. She loves the variety of textures, lighting, and attention to detail. For her, it feels more like a fine dining establishment commensurate in quality with its prices.
Napa Rose threads the needle well enough for me. It’s thoughtfully done, with design features that are distinctly Craftsman, and stylistic flourishes that reinforce the same. It feels appropriately at home in the Grand Californian.
My favorite aspect of the design is how the columns and overhead beams have been made more elaborate and accentuated, mirroring the main lobby. These are now a focal point, as opposed to fading into the background of the design.
There are stylistic choices that I don’t love, like some of the light fixtures (one of which is identical to Citricos). I don’t like the murals overhead as much as I loved the old ones, but by the end of our marathon meal, they had already grown on me. There are ways the interior feels a bit excessive, drifting too far into modern territory for my own taste.
But by and large, the team threaded the needle really well, and I’m cognizant of the fact that being both perfectly on-theme and catering to guest expectations was an impossible task. This was never going to be a reimagining that made me completely happy as a lover of the Craftsman style, but it came as close as conceivably possible.
What I’d also add is that, setting aside thematic integrity and all else, the ambiance and experience of the main dining room at Napa Rose is simply better. The central booths breaking up the space is a welcome improvement that adds to the intimacy, the lighting is more moody, and the seating is excellent.
In chatting with Chef Sutton after the meal, he shared that this was purposeful. For example, he specifically requested that there be no tablecloths to make the space more inviting and warm, letting the woods shine and offer a contrast with the plating.
The plating was also his doing, and it is fantastic. Not just the presentation or food styling, but the actual dishes themselves. It reminded me of, again, Citricos or Takumi-Tei at Walt Disney World, and surpassed what we had experienced previously at Napa Rose.
The end result is a restaurant that somehow feels more sophisticated than before, but also disarming and cozy. It’s completely unpretentious. I wouldn’t say that Napa Rose was stuffy before–it wasn’t, we felt comfortable there from our first visit as college students–but it’s more inviting now. It is the most comfortable, fancy experience you can imagine. From that perspective alone, it’s a great fit in the Grand Californian, which is essentially that distilled into hotel form.
This is definitely aided by the warm but attentive and expert service, but that’s nothing new when it comes to Napa Rose. The Cast Members here are as good as ever, as is the culinary team…
Napa Rose Culinary Team
Chef Andrew Sutton, Culinary Director of Signature Dining at the Disneyland Resort, has a relationship with Napa Rose spanning its entire history. At the time of the restaurant’s opening, Chef Sutton was instrumental in shaping Napa Rose’s identity as a wine country–inspired destination rooted in California cuisine.
Twenty-five years later, Chef Sutton’s leadership remains a guiding force as Napa Rose enters its next chapter. Chef Clint Chin, Executive Chef of Napa Rose, leads day-to-day kitchen operations, bringing classical French training and technical discipline to the menu. The dining experience is overseen by General Manager Jess Soman, whose background in Forbes Five-Star and Michelin three-star dining informs the restaurant’s polished and attentive service.
The dynamic duo behind the delectable desserts at Napa Rose are Executive Pastry Chef Jorge Sotelo and Pastry Chef Nubia Renteria. Each bring more than 25 years of experience at Disneyland.
This team is truly talented. Our critique above that Napa Rose had lost a bit of its luster post-reopening should not be construed as criticism of them. We’ve had enough exceptional experiences thanks to them over the years, and even a couple in the last 5, to know that wasn’t the case. Napa Rose has an all-star culinary team.
Likewise, the servers and front of house Cast Members at Napa Rose are superlative. And we’re happy to report that all of them have returned with the reimagined Napa Rose. Despite the nearly year-long closure, 100% of the team is back.
Every Cast Member we encountered during the preview was beaming, energized and proud of the new space they call home. So while I’m reluctant to say that the already-excellent team at Napa Rose is “better than before,” they are.
With all of that out of the way, let’s dig into the dishes–here’s a look at what we ate during the media preview of Napa Rose…
Prix Fixe Menu at Napa Rose
The main dining room offers a four-course tasting menu presented as a cohesive experience, allowing guests to select from multiple options for each course. Select tableside preparations and the chef’s counter offer guests a closer look at the care and craft behind each dish.
According to Disneyland, the reimagined Napa Rose menu is grounded in wine country cooking and guided by the rhythms of the seasons. The culinary team works closely with farmers, growers, and foragers to source seafood, meats, and produce at peak quality, allowing the integrity of each ingredient to define the experience. The approach favors balance, restraint, and clarity.
Entrees on the opening menu include favorites such as Colorado rack of lamb, tangerine roasted rocky chicken or miso cabbage scallion crepes. Desserts include the Fiscalini reserve white cheddar cannoli or the warm apple honey brioche. The prix fixe menu is priced at $188 per guest. There is also a vegan menu available, as well as three tiers of wine pairings and plenty of a la carte cocktails and zero-proof beverages.
As noted above, this was a pre-opening media preview of Napa Rose. We hesitate to “review” food in such circumstances due to concerns about how our experience will differ from the regular guest experience. (Unlike the dining room itself, which is a static space.)
This cuts in both directions here, as it was a media event but also a pre-opening preview after a year of Napa Rose not opening. With that said, what we were served is on the prix fixe menu and I doubt our experience will deviate materially from that of regular guests.
Accordingly, I’m going to offer ‘quick hit’ impressions of each dish…
Our dinner began with Napa Rose’s Signature Mushroom Cappuccino amuse bouche, which is a returning fan-favorite that opens the meal with something familiar and welcoming.
This is quintessential Napa Rose. Earthy, rich, and addictively delicious.
The second course made a strong impression, Sautéed Seasonal Fish with Lobster Toast and Lemon Bubble.
The range of this dish was remarkable, with the flaky fish offering a meatiness and hearty flavor, which was further enhanced by complimentary sauces. The lobster toast presented something lighter and the lemon bubble was a fun burst of citrusy flair. I was much more impressed with the fish than the lobster toast, which was fine.
The second course featured American Wagyu N.Y., thinly-sliced medium rare and paired with grape mostarda.
We were more mixed on this course. The American wagyu was a lighter dish while still, obviously, being rich and meaty, and a flavorful one. It was elevated when paired with the mostarda, and the beets underneath were good (by beet standards). But the meat itself struck me as a bit lacking, especially as contrasted with the quality of the other courses. It was still delicious and beautifully presented, but it did feel like an outlier from the rest of the meal.
This contrast was brought into sharp relief by the third course, Sorpresine Pasta with California Crab Broth and Pacific Uni.
Now this is the type of creativity and quality that’s emblematic of Napa Rose. It was an unexpected and inventive favorite, a delicate pasta in a rich broth. This was a flawless duo, and a dish that was indulgent and addictively delicious. So much so, in fact, that I found myself uncomfortably/audibly scraping my spoon on the bottom of the (beautiful) textured bowl.
Our main entree course was the Sustainable Fish of the Day with ancient grains, black lentils, and hijiki.
At opening, that sustainable fish is swordfish. I’m a big fan of swordfish, which in my view, is the perfect marriage of ‘steak’ and seafood. This is probably the best swordfish I’ve ever had. Meaty and hearty, great exterior texture, mild and semi-sweet flavor, and the signature earthiness of Napa Rose. Everything about this dish was divine.
Our other main course was the Roasted Boneless Colorado Rack of Lamb with Dried Fig-Orange Gremolata.
Since we’ve been dining at Napa Rose, it seems like there’s always been some twist on Colorado Rack of Lamb on the menu. This almost Wellington-style preparation was the best yet. The hefty hunk of meat was tender, perfectly-prepared and seasoned appropriately to mostly mitigate the gamey quality of the meat. Or at least, that was our impression–we both love lamb and don’t mind it tasting…like lamb. This was yet another flawless dish.
Both of these main courses are dishes we would love to be able to order on an a la carte basis at the lounge. I hope that option is available in the future, as it has been in the past, because I can’t see having the budget–in time or dollars–to do this marathon meal more than once every few years. Whereas we’d drop in to the lounge to order these two entrees and desserts on a regular basis.
Last but not least, the Elevated and Reminiscent Valrhona Chocolate Bar with Hazelnut Praline.
Several Signature Restaurants at Walt Disney World (and maybe Disneyland?) have dabbled in ‘grown-up candy bars’ as desserts. Some have been good, none have been great. Until now. Chef Sutton told us the culinary team wanted something playful for the finale, evoking childhood. It’s definitely playful. I’m not sure what kind of fancy candy bars you all were eating as kids, but this was nothing like the Little Debbies of my childhood.
This dessert was a symphony of flavors and textures, harmoniously coming together without anything overpowering. It was rich and decadent, as expected, but never excessive or overly-indulgent. The caramel, in particular, was fantastic. Perfect in sweet and savory qualities–just a pure joy. This will go down as one of the best desserts I’ve ever had at Disney, many of which have also been at Napa Rose over the years. I’d love to be able to order this on an a la carte basis.
For the longest time, we considered Napa Rose to be the second-best Disney restaurant at which we’ve dined, behind only Victoria & Albert’s at Walt Disney World. Again, there’s a reason it’s always ranked so highly on our our List of the Best Restaurants at Disneyland Resort.
After falling off post-reopening, the new-look Napa Rose once again is in the conversation for Disney’s second-best restaurant. For us, it is right up there with Citricos, Takumi-Tei, Monsieur Paul, and the premium Disney Cruise Line restaurants. (Although, admittedly, our firsthand experience with some of those isn’t completely current now that we’re parents.)
More to the point, Napa Rose is back as the #1 restaurant at Disneyland Resort. It once again far surpasses Carthay Circle and everything at Downtown Disney, and oddly has no competition from the other resort hotels. Of course, this should be expected with the $188 prix fixe price tag. While we won’t be frequenting the main dining room as often due to the cost, we’re looking forward to celebrating more special occasions at Napa Rose in the years to come.
Planning a Southern California vacation? For park admission deals, read Tips for Saving Money on Disneyland Tickets. Learn about on-site and off-site hotels in our Anaheim Hotel Reviews & Rankings. For where to eat, check out our Disneyland Restaurant Reviews. For unique ideas of things that’ll improve your trip, check out What to Pack for Disney. For comprehensive advice, consult our Disneyland Vacation Planning Guide. Finally, for guides beyond Disney, check out our Southern California Itineraries for day trips to Los Angeles, Laguna Beach, and many other SoCal cities!
YOUR THOUGHTS
What do you think of the new-look Napa Rose? Any of these new dishes look intriguing to you? Excited for the restaurant’s luxury reimagining or are you fine with the style as it was before? Will you do the prix fixe dinner at $188 per person? Do you agree or disagree with our commentary? Any questions we can help you answer? Hearing your feedback–even when you disagree with us–is both interesting to us and helpful to other readers, so please share your thoughts below in the comments!
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