Blue Bayou or Storytellers Cafe?

[CanadianDisneyFan456]

We are heading to Disneyland in Nov 22. We will only do one sit down meal in the parks and are trying to decide between Blue Bayou and Storytellers Cafe (Character Dining). What are the pros/cons of each?

Thanks

 

[shosh1530]

Just for reference would you be thinking Storytellers Cafe for breakfast? (that's my guess since they only do characters at that time). What is the make up of your party?

If that's the case, I'd opt for Blue Bayou for lunch or dinner if you can get a reservation. I love the ambiance and all of my party enjoyed the food. My 10-year-old wanted to go back for sure. You could also possibly do the Fantasmic upgrade to get a dedicated viewing spot if you were interested.

We have done Storytellers twice now (once with characters, once without). My kid loves it, but it is an expensive breakfast. You'd have to take a quick detour over to the Grand Californian to go there, so would probably want to do it on a morning when you were at California Adventure. But it would cut into your park time and wouldn't be as much of a respite as Blue Bayou.

But if you have little kids who would be super into the characters and maybe not able to sit still long enough for Blue Bayou, then Storytellers might be the way to go.

 

[CanadianDisneyFan456]

It’s myself, my husband, my son (15), my daughter (11) and my parents. My parents have never been to Disneyland and we have been once.

It is the breakfast at Storytellers that we were looking at and probably a lunch for Blue Bayou.

I’ve looked at the menu for both and I’m not sure Blue Bayou is the right choice. I LOVE the location but we aren’t really a fan of some of the menu selections.

Decision, decisions LOL

Thanks so much for your reply!

 

[maleficent55]

It’s almost apples to oranges…

It’s the comparison of in park dining that is arguably one of the most popular restaurants since it’s the only one IN an attraction with a long long park history compared to a character dining experience that is out of the parks

I’ve only experienced the Blue Bayou myself, but the two don’t seem comparable.
Personally, I wouldn’t leave my one day to go eat elsewhere.

The good news is you have plenty of time to look at each more thoroughly and decide later.
I’m sure the Blue Bayou will be able to be reserved by then

 

[UnderTheRialto]

Did you consider the Plaza character breakfast?

 

[SOCALMouseMommy]

The food at Storytellers is good for a buffet. I would suggest you go for brunch around lunch time to take a break in your day and to get the expanded brunch menu, which includes all the breakfast items plus many different small plates that you order from your sever.

I like Blue Bayou on occasion but if the menu doesn’t appeal to you that’s a lot of money to spend on food that isn’t your preference.

 

[V.I.N.CENT.]

Blue Bayou will sub out items if that makes a difference to you. If you are not a rice fan, they will include other sides from other selections. I love their mashed potatoes so I always ask Also, another option is making a later in the evening reservation and just ordering desserts/drinks. We always provide a larger tip when we do that. I would actually go with a suggestion above and try for Plaza Inn breakfast for a character dining option. Make a reservation for around 10am, hit the park at rope drop and get a bunch of rides in. Then go for the late breakfast at 10am or so. That's always been our favorite plan.

 

[clallen72]

My kiddo, almost 10 now, loved Storytellers and requested it for our upcoming trip. My husband really liked the food. We'll do brunch for the expanded menu plus the characters. For the money, it has greater value for us around food and experience. Good character interaction, very good service, the buffet is higher end and nice small plate menu.

We went to Blue Bayou with our kid once several years ago, she disliked how dark it was. She's also a picky eater and their menu is limited. I have also been put off a bit by the negative reviews just prior to the last closing. The quality for the money has to be there for us. We may try it again when it gets back to the level it use to be. And when she's a bit older to enjoy the moody twilight.

 

[MonocularVision]

We are going to do brunch at Storytellers for the first time. Are all the items you can order in the Disneyland app / website menu for the it brunch?

 

[FeistyDisneyMom]

Just clarify, in case it isn't clear - Storyteller's isn't actually in the park. So you could do it on a non-park day and also do BB if you wanted to. If you are only having 1 day in the park at all, I'd skip the TS entirely and just do quick service instead.