What should you know?

Easily the best restaurant in Disneyland Park, Blue Bayou is as close to fine dining as you'll get here. The restaurant fills quickly and stays busy, so make reservations before you leave home (up to 60 days in advance) or obtain a same-day reservation at the restaurant door as soon as you get to the park. Although there's a children's menu, this isn't the place to bring wound-up or tired kids for a leisurely meal; they'll be bored. Tables are tightly packed, and nothing disrupts the busy servers more than wild kids up and out of their seats. Blue Bayou is more of a place where adults can escape the noise and happy chaos in the rest of the park without having to exit the gates. For lunch, we love the Monte Cristo sandwich, a deep-fried turkey, ham, and cheese creation that you don't find on many menus these days. Servers are Disney-pleasant, if a tad harried, but they're more than happy to accommodate the random request.

What’s it like inside?

The Blue Bayou overlooks Pirates of the Caribbean and maintains an appropriately dark, moist ambience. The best tables ring the perimeter and afford a view of the faux bayou, replete with fireflies flickering among the weeping willows and mangroves, dilapidated houseboats, and soft lantern lights. If you're not lucky enough to get a table bayou-side, there's still enough wrought iron, uneven lighting, and twilight allure to soften the most hardened soul.

What are the specialties?

Monte Cristo Sandwich, gumbo.

Any discounts?

Blue Bayou Restaurant offers the following discounts:

• DVC Member: 10%
• Inspire Key: 15%
• Other Magic Key Passes: 10%