American Wagyu. Credit: Disneyland Resort/Ron DeAngelis

Napa Rose Reopens With a Refined Take on Fine Dining at Disneyland

8 Minute read

06 Feb 2026

Heather Platt

Journalist

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After a 10-month renovation, Disneyland’s flagship fine dining restaurant returns with a refreshed space, confident cooking, and service that balances polish with approachability.

When it comes to eating at Disneyland, four-course tasting menus, 13,000-bottle wine lists, and Redwood smoke-infused craft cocktails are not the first things that come to mind. Parkgoers are more likely to gravitate toward Mickey Mouse-shaped waffles, cheese-stuffed pretzels, “angry” hot dogs, churros, funnel cakes, and other familiar indulgences. And yet, at Napa Rose, the fine-dining restaurant inside Disneyland’s premier hotel, The Grand Californian Hotel and Spa, something entirely different is taking place.

Since the hotel opened in 2001, Napa Rose has aimed to offer one of Disneyland’s most upscale dining experiences. Last year, the restaurant closed for a 10-month renovation and reopens this Friday, February 6, with a reimagined interior, refreshed menus, and a reworked cocktail program.

Chef Andrew Sutton and executive chef Clint Chin remain at the helm, continuing to offer seasonal, market-driven California cuisine in tasting menu form. Longtime guests will recognize subtle nods to the restaurant’s past, including a frothy mushroom “cappuccino” amuse-bouche that once appeared as a soup and now arrives in a small cup to sip before the meal begins.

The Grand Californian may be Disneyland’s most upscale hotel, but its location in the heart of Downtown Disney means navigating busy public walkways that pass directly through the lobby and in front of Napa Rose. The transition at arrival, guided by a well-dressed maître d’, moves diners away from the crowds and into the restaurant’s quieter, more focused atmosphere. A row of front-of-house cast members, the term Disney uses for all employees, welcomes guests with a level of polish and attentiveness that immediately signals a shift in pace.

The dining room favors rounded forms. That visual approach carries through the space, shaping the guided walk past the barrel-shaped bar and elongated chef’s counter and creating a subtle sense of movement on the way to the table.

That said, there is nothing overtly Disney about Napa Rose. The interior is tasteful and grounded in California wine country aesthetics, with murals, grape-leaf references, textured walls, working fireplaces, and sculptural light fixtures. In the main dining room, a large chandelier draws from the form of the Mission grapevine, its branching structure and suspended glass elements echoing clusters of fruit without feeling literal. Attention to detail is evident throughout, from the comfortable seating to the extremely subtle Disney references that reveal themselves only on closer inspection.

There is, however, a $48 children’s tasting menu, and somehow the experience still feels unmistakably Disney. Napa Rose retained its full front-of-house team through the renovation, and the staff appears genuinely enthusiastic to be back, delivering service that is attentive, focused, and intentionally unstuffy. Like any major tourist destination, Disneyland must remain approachable, and for many guests, Napa Rose represents a first encounter with fine dining. That accessibility shows up in small but meaningful ways: warm service, clear explanations, and dishes that feel polished without being intimidating. A Colorado rack of lamb with dried fig-orange gremolata, for example, arrives boneless, generously portioned, and easy to navigate.

One of Sutton’s standout dishes is a handmade sorpresine pasta served in a bowl of California crab and Pacific uni butter broth. He notes that the dish is personal enough that he is the only one in the kitchen who prepares it.

Like most things Disney, Napa Rose is consistently in demand, but it is not entirely out of reach for guests without reservations. The bar and lounge operate on a walk-in basis, with a separate à la carte menu that includes refined bar bites like lobster-filled blue corn tamales topped with osetra caviar, and cocktails that stand on their own as a reason to visit. And while dining at this level inside Disneyland remains a novelty, the reopened Napa Rose has settled into something more enduring: a serious restaurant, worth seeking out whether you arrive for the attractions or the food.