First Review: Cars Land Restaurants

Flo’s V8 Cafe (menu)

Tom Bricker says:

“Flo’s V8 Cafe serves comfort food. We really enjoyed the New York strip loin!”

• Quality: Good-Excellent
• Value: B+
• Portion: Medium-Large

Selections

French toast, chicken tamales, pork loin, New York strip loin, vegetarian shepherd’s pie, and fruit pies

Comments

Cars Land’s largest eatery serves classic American diner food with a creative Southwestern flair. Breakfast selections feature chicken and egg tamales and caramel banana french toast. Signature lunch and dinner choices include a vegetarian Boca casserole, New York strip loin, and citrus turkey breast, with “ugly crust” apple-cheddar and cherry pies for desert. Memorabilia from proprietor Flo’s past as a famous Motown singer is featured in the décor.

Cozy Cone Motel (Menus: Cones 1, 2, 3, 4, and 5)

• Quality: Good
• Value: B-
• Portion: Small-Medium

Tom Bricker says:

“The breakfast cones are ok, but expensive for what you get. I enjoyed the pomegranate limeade.”

Selections

Chili, popcorn, ice cream, churros, pretzel bites, specialty drinks

Comments

Each conical commissary in this food court, based on Sally’s construction-cone motel from the film, serves different snacks and drinks with punny names like “chili cone queso” and “route beer floats.” For breakfast, cone #3 sells scrambled eggs in a bread cone. Popcorn comes in unusual favors like dill pickle and bacon cheddar, with 2 rotating varieties offered daily. Check the selections before you line up, since each of the 5 cones vends a different menu.

Fillmore’s Taste-In

• Quality: Fair-Good
• Value: C-
• Portion: Small-Medium

Selections

Fruit juices, bottled water, and other healthy snacks

Comments

Inside in a geodesic dome near the Cars Land entrance is this grab-and-go snack bar, themed after the groovy VW microbus character voiced by the late George Carlin.

All eyes in the theme park industry turn this week to the Disneyland Resort in Anaheim, where the grand re-opening of Disney California Adventure is being celebrated in the high style befitting the finish line of a billion-dollar makeover marathon. Before this massive expansion officially opens to the public on June 15, invited media and paying sneak-preview participants will have already had an opportunity to experience the new attractions of Cars Land and Buena Vista Street, and naturally the TouringPlans.com team is there on the scene. Touring Plans’ official photographer Tom Bricker, Unofficial Guide to Disneyland co-author Seth Kubersky, and new Touring Plans researcher Guy Selga, Jr. will all be on-property this week, documenting every detail to your touring advantage. Over the next few days, please check back on the blog for our hot-off-the-press first reviews direct from DCA, edited versions of which will appear in the 2013 edition of the Unofficial Guide.

All photos by Tom Bricker.