Disneyland Dining: The French Market

The French Market is a buffeteria-style eatery on the edge of New Orleans Square. Disney introduced a new menu over the summer, and we hadn’t been there to try it yet, so that’s where we went for dinner before attending the Mickey’s Trick or Treat party later that evening.

In addition to the new menu, the French Market usually has some special menu items and decorations during the run of Haunted Mansion Holiday. As far as I know, it’s the only counter service restaurant that does much decorating. They did a great job again this year – notice the zombie gingerbread man in the window?

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And the huge spider web overhead:

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One of my complaints about the French Market in the past is that the service is very slow…and unfortunately that hasn’t changed. Once you get inside there are two sides to choose from, each offering the same menu items. Cast Members take your order, plate it, and hand you the plate. When we arrived at about 5:30 on a Friday evening only one side was open, and the line was out the door – but it’s almost always out the door. They opened the other side and put us in that line, but they weren’t quite ready for guests, so it was still slow.

The new menu features items like citrus chicken, four cheese pasta, roast beef, and seafood and chicken jambalaya. Lee wanted to try the jambalaya but was told it wasn’t ready, and it would be a 20 minute wait for that. Gee, thanks. (We’d already been in line about 20 minutes to get to that point!) So he had the Herb and Garlic Salmon Creole instead. It was served with wild rice, seasonal vegetables and cheddar corn bread for $13.99. He thought it was fine – not Artist Point quality, but ok.

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I had the Four-Cheese Pasta & Vegetable Gratin – A creamy blend of Cheddar, Smoked Gouda, Provolone and Asiago surrounding tender pasta and smooth, subtle bites of Shiitake Mushroom and Cauliflower Florets topped with Seasonal Breadcrumbs. Oven-baked to a golden finish. With Seasonal Vegetables and Cheddar Corn Bread. $12.49. It was pretty rich – I could definitely taste the smoked gouda! I ate most of it, but wasn’t impressed – I wouldn’t get it again. The vegetables were fine, though I received mostly carrots (Lee got more yellow squash and zucchini). The corn bread, though, was inedible. I didn’t taste any cheese in it – it tasted like orange to me. And it was dry and tough. Really bad.

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Here’s a photo I took of the Dixieland Cajun Chicken Salad – I think I would’ve been happier with that.

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There is no indoor seating – it’s all outside, though the main seating area has colorful cloth banners overhead that provide shade. Like most of the other buffeteria-style restaurants, your food is served on real plates with real stainless flatware, and that’s a nice touch. Disney cast members will clear the table for you when you’re done – I always feel a bit guilty about leaving it on the table, but in fact there isn’t a place for guests to deposit their used plates/flatware themselves.

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According to Disneyland’s “HalloweenTime” press release, Zero’s Ghostly Ghoulash was supposed to appear at the park this season – and in the past the Mansion-themed menu items have always been at the French Market. No sign of that when we were there, although there was this Haunted Mansion Holiday-themed dessert:

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I believe it is the only place in the park to buy the Haunted Mansion Holiday-themed souvenir mug, but I’m not positive about that.

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I’m glad we tried it, but it’s not something I will be rushing back to try again. The service is too slow and the food is expensive and just not worth it. For my money I’ll eat at Plaza Inn or Rancho del Zocalo.

The full menu is HERE.

Speaking of menus – I’d like to extend a HUGE thank you to Mukta, who sent me a bunch of DL/DCA/DTD menus last week. So I’ve been able to continue to update a lot of the menus on our menus page. There’s still some that need updating, if anyone else would like to help.
Thanks again, Mukta!

Disneyland Resort Menus page

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Laura Gilbreath is a native of San Diego, CA. She has been making the trek up Interstate 5 to Disneyland since she was a small child and terrified of talking tikis and hitchhiking ghosts. She and her husband Lee enjoy trips to Disneyland and Walt Disney World, as well as sailings on the Disney Cruise Line.

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