Fellow Boozers! Best watering hole in Disneyland Resort!

Kramerica

Kramerica

Well-Known Member
Original Poster
It's funny, because despite the fact that Disneyland itself doesn't offer alcohol (yes, I know, with the exception of Club 33) Disneyland Resort does have some excellent bars. I'd like to hear some of your favorites and maybe find a hidden gem or two. My top three are as follows-

Hearthstone Lounge. This is one of my top three simply because it's open so late. I can't tell you how many times I've left Disneyland and wanted a night cap before hitting the hay only to find all the bars in Downtown Disney to be closed up for the night. I don't get this, guys. Not to diverge from the topic too much, but the vast majority of downtown Disney closes quite early. What Gives! Disney Spring in Disneyworld stays wake until the wee hours of the morning, as it should! But Disneyland's closes early. Leaving you with very few options. Hearhstone is a good one. You can always find a spot and it's always open until 2am. The service for me has always been consistently good and It gets the job done. Especially if you're staying there!

Next is Trader Sam's. I know a lot of people think that this almost legendary bar should be number one. But to me, it's most endearing aspect is it's biggest issue. It's size. It's so popular and so small that you could wait an hour just to get inside. Worth it? Most of the time, I love this bar. But it requires more that just spontaneity. Still though, I've had a lot of good times at this place.

My favorite- Gotta be Cove bar. Especially after the recent expansion. The view. Top of the line. The food. Beyond bar food. The service. Very attentive. I have a hard time thinking of things I dislike about this place. It's just perfect.

Honorable mention goes to Carthay Circle Lounge. It might even be good enough to replace one of my choices, but who knows. I'm trying to keep this short. where do you enjoy drinking while in the parks?
 
D

Deleted member 107043

Carthay Circle no question is my number one. First it's actually in a park rather than in one of the hotels or DTD. Second they have an AWESOME drinks program. My next favorite is Cove Bar, with Uva Bar being a close third. Fourth would be Tortilla Joe's outdoor patio bar in DTD.

I loved Trader Sam's when it first opened but then the word got out and the place become too busy to be enjoyable. The novelty has worn off for me. Hearthstone is OK, and perfectly fine as hotel lobby cocktail bars go, but somebody needs to turn the lights down in that place. It's supposed to be a bar not a cafeteria. :)
 
Stevek

Stevek

Well-Known Member
Sitting on the patio at Trader Sam's on a cool summer night, listening to live Hawaiian themed music...that's number one for me, easily. Beyond that...
Outside the Parks: Hearthstone Lounge, Tortilla Joe's outside bar & UVA bar
Inside the Parks: Carthay, Cove Bar, Golden Vine Winery
 
D

Deleted member 107043

Ha. No bar at that sleazy motel.

I can't believe that place is still there! Just did a Google search and here it is in street view in all its tacky 70s glory. Luckily for us the crackheads aren't visible from this distance.

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George Lucas on a Bench

George Lucas on a Bench

Well-Known Member
Everyone except me seems to adore the Cove Bar. Yuck. Crowded, noisy, just bad atmosphere with Screamin' right there. Hate it.

Carthay Circle's lounge is a-mazing. Grab one of the tables in the lobby. Oh my God! So charming! It's hard to believe this is DCA, but then that's Buena Vista Street for you. Love their martinis. Man, I wish I was there right now just thinking about it!

Of course, I gotta give mad props to my beloved Hearthstone Lounge at the Grand Californian. Napa Smith Hopageddon and that outdoor smoking section with the fireplace is heavenly. I wish I was there too! What am I doing drinking wine in the back yard reading these forums???
 
Kramerica

Kramerica

Well-Known Member
Original Poster
Dr. Hans Reinhardt said:
Carthay Circle no question is my number one. First it's actually in a park rather than in one of the hotels or DTD. Second they have an AWESOME drinks program. My next favorite is Cove Bar, with Uva Bar being a close third. Fourth would be Tortilla Joe's outdoor patio bar in DTD.

I loved Trader Sam's when it first opened but then the word got out and the place become too busy to be enjoyable. The novelty has worn off for me. Hearthstone is OK, and perfectly fine as hotel lobby cocktail bars go, but somebody needs to turn the lights down in that place. It's supposed to be a bar not a cafeteria. :)
Click to expand...


I totally agree about Hearthstone. That place is as good as it is for how late it's open, it's convenience, and the ease of getting a spot and that it's never crowded. But with some very easy tweaks they could turn this nice bar into a fantastic one. Lower the lights. Maybe music could help. The seating could be improved I feel.
 
TP2000

TP2000

Well-Known Member
Great thread!

I'm gonna throw out my wild card and let you all know one of my favorites is The Lounge at Napa Rose. I started hanging out there around '02 and have seen it become much more popular (on busy weekends you have to wait for a table/seat with the hostess) but it's always a home run. Fabulous cocktail menu, with bartenders who can make anything with their lavishly stocked top-shelf bar. Great wine options from the Napa Rose cellar, and the ability to order anything from the Napa Rose menu in addition to their bar menu from the Napa Rose kitchen. And since it's Napa Rose, the service and polish and presentation is top notch. At Christmastime with the tree and the roaring fireplace and the decorations it's always perfect. Cigar smokers are welcome to gather round the fire pit on the flagstone patio attached to the room.

Agreed that Hearthstone has good bones and much potential, but not as much polish and panache as Napa Rose Lounge or Carthay Circle Lounge.

Carthay Circle is a great option, but can be very busy during the cocktail hour. Trader Sam's is fun and nicely done, but a bit too much of a Disney Geek scene for me, with always a small crowd of clueless conventioneers crashing the party.
 
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TP2000

TP2000

Well-Known Member
Now for my Highly Overrated Award, which goes to...

Club 1901. I went there once in 2014 as a guest of someone connected to Standard Oil, the same connection that's gotten me into Club 33 a few times. The room is themed like a club's casual sun porch, vaguely from the 1930's (except with a 1960's Lear Jet model perched on a shelf, so what year is it really?), and done up in a Bohemian and almost a funky anti-establishment style. I can't imagine that corporate Midwest values Walt Disney would have ever approved a decor scheme like this in the mid 20th century, so I'm not sure what the story or theme is supposed to be. Some furniture was comfy upholstered armchairs, and some was rickety wicker. Tables were small and very low. Nothing matches.

Again, this wasn't a style Walt or his contemporaries would have enjoyed, so it's obviously some 21st century hipsters interpretation of something old fashioned yet funky.

The CM's are Club 33 employees, and have that vaguely detached but talented-enough service style that epitomizes the tenured Club 33 employees. The younger employees visibly pretend they are cool, and lack the finer polish and professional service skills one finds at truly fine dining locations. Whoever does their training program focuses on getting the visuals to 90% and then lets too many details go unattended. When I went the lounge was barely a third full, and service was casual and not exactly prompt or intuitive.

The other folks in the room ranged from nice looking normal people, to obnoxious Club 33 jerks who spoke very loudly about all the connections they had and name dropped all the Disney execs they know. (If you have to speak loudly about yourself, that's a clue you aren't as cool as you think you are.) The sole perk was having a Lounge hostess come get us when our table was ready upstairs in the Carthay dining room.

The menu is almost the exact same as the Carthay Circle Lounge, and the bar facility is smaller and not as well equipped. The kitchen is shared with the Carthay Lounge, so there's nothing extraordinary about the menu offerings.

For the money, I would much rather visit the Carthay Circle Lounge. I could visit Club 33 again perhaps one more time in life and be happy, but I have no desire to return to Club 1901. Can you imagine if they had done it up like some secret society club from the 1940's, like a cross between The Edison and The Optimist? What a missed opportunity they had!
 
Californian Elitist

Californian Elitist

Well-Known Member
Endor Sightseer said:
Everyone except me seems to adore the Cove Bar. Yuck. Crowded, noisy, just bad atmosphere with Screamin' right there. Hate it.

Carthay Circle's lounge is a-mazing. Grab one of the tables in the lobby. Oh my God! So charming! It's hard to believe this is DCA, but then that's Buena Vista Street for you. Love their martinis. Man, I wish I was there right now just thinking about it!

Of course, I gotta give mad props to my beloved Hearthstone Lounge at the Grand Californian. Napa Smith Hopageddon and that outdoor smoking section with the fireplace is heavenly. I wish I was there too! What am I doing drinking wine in the back yard reading these forums???
Click to expand...

You know I don't drink, but I want to check out the Carthay lounge. Let's visit next time!
 
FerretAfros

FerretAfros

Well-Known Member
I agree that Trader Sam's is fun, but the novelty wears off quickly for me. And the unremarkable patio does nothing to help it for me. Like @Endor Sightseer , I also don't understand the appeal of the Cove Bar; it's crowded, noisy, minimally-themed, and the drinks are nothing special

I really like the Carthay Circle lounge, but it's often tough to get a seat. I've seen queues outside the building, which I have no interest in. Like so many have said, Hearthstone has potential to be great, but it just doesn't quite measure up. Uva Bar is also a nice place to people watch on a warm evening, and the food is pretty good too

But I'm surprised there have been no mentions of my favorite yet: the Alfresco Terrace, upstairs at the Wine Country complex. It's off the beaten path so it often gets overlooked, but it has a nice cozy-casual atmosphere, very friendly CMs (who often have lots of time to chat due to the small crowds), and one of the best views in the resort (sorry, Cove Bar!). It's been busier the last few times I've gone, but it tends to clear out pretty quickly after sunset. You can see/hear parts of World of Color from up there, and the neighboring hillside is a favorite of Disney's cats
 
dweezil78

dweezil78

Well-Known Member
Carthay Lounge pretty quickly catapulted to #1 for me after my first time there a year or so ago. Great food, drinks, atmosphere, and relatively small crowds unless you go at peak times.

I still love Trader Sam's though just for the fact that, when you're inside there, you feel so far removed from the rest of the resort -- it can make even a quick day trip feel like a vacation. I typically will only go there right around open (via a well-timed monorail ride) for a mid-day drink and snack/lunch so I've never really had to bother with the crazy crowds.

Also -- special tip: if the crowds at Sam's bother you, you can always sneak a flask into the Tiki Room for similar effect (and with Dole Whip!). ;)
 

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