A good meal at a theme park is sometimes hard to find, but the Disney Parks always seem to have wonderful dining spots, especially at the table service ones. Blue Bayou at Disneyland will always be my favorite sit-down restaurant to eat at, but over at Disney’s California Adventure my favorite spot to go is Wine Country Trattoria in Pacific Wharf. The restaurant serves Italian fare and wine in a villalike setting with outdoor seating. It’s been closed the past year due to the pandemic, and only recently reopened. I was lucky to get a reservation right before they became booked up (very quickly!) and was able to dine there just a week ago.
If you love Italian food you can’t go wrong with this spot. The ambience is gorgeous with the Mediterranean garden setting, especially at night after the sun goes down and the lights are twinkling making it feel like a relaxed atmosphere somewhere in Italy or Napa Valley. It’s open for both lunch and dinner, but the menu is the same for both meals. I was glad to have an evening dinner reservation as the summer heat can be overwhelmingly hot during the day and it is outdoor seating. I was seated at 6pm and it was perfect as the sun was going down and a cool breeze came through the courtyard where I was seated.
Unfortunately I did not try any wine and was only able to furiously chug down water as I had been in the sun all day and was probably a bit dehydrated. But I did not hold back on the food!
I started out with the Fried Calamari with Pepperoncini Aïoli. Calamari can bit a hit or miss depending on where you go, but if you do like calamari I highly recommend it here! It’s not overly fried or greasy and the aoli that accompanies it is molto delizioso (very delicious)! Plus, it comes with fried green beans which were also extremely delicious.
Before my main entree I also enjoyed the Tuscan Salad with Shrimp. It was very refreshing and was delicious, fresh, and had some bold flavors. The salad included marinated shrimp, Cannellini Beans, grape tomatoes, and Roasted Peppers tossed with Italian dressing. Highly recommend!
And finally for my main entree I had the Fettuccine Shrimp Alfredo (yes I obviously love shrimp). This dish is made especially delicious because they mix in red hot chili flakes which gives it a bit of a kick. It’s a simple dish yet sinfully delicious! Wine Country Trattoria has many other delicious entree options including Spaghetti Bolonese with Meatballs, Salmon, Spaghetti Aglio Olio, Chicken Parmesan, and many other options. However if you love a good cream sauce you definitely can’t go wrong with the Fettuccini!
I am a big believer in always enjoying dessert after dinner, but all they have on their dessert menu right now is Tiramisù and I am sadly not a huge fan. I had already enjoyed so much food I decided to wait until later in the evening to enjoy the Haunted Mansion Wedding Cake over at French Market at Disneyland, which worked out anyway since it was the Haunted Mansion’s anniversary that day! You can read my review on that killer dessert here!
I highly recommend making a reservation to Wine Country Trattoria for lunch or dinner next time you head to Disney’s California Adventure! It’s perfect for a family meal, date night, lunch or dinner out with a friend, or even if you are just having a foodie day (those are the best)!
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