Magic reimagined with food from Tiana’s Palace

While planning your next trip to the Disney parks, a place to make your experience worthwhile and embrace the magic is Tiana’s Palace restaurant. This new addition to the park not only captures the essence of the nostalgic movie, but also offers an experience you certainly do not want to miss out on.

Tiana’s Palace, formerly the French Market restaurant located at Disneyland in New Orleans Square, reopened earlier this September with the new “The Princess and the Frog” inspired theme. This location opened only a week prior to my trip, so I had the opportunity to see what the new attraction had to offer.

Tiana’s Palace is a great spot for a bite to eat while waiting for lines to die down. Conveniently, the restaurant is located next to the Pirates of the Caribbean and Haunted Mansion. The eatery is perfect at encapsulating the magic of “The Princess and the Frog” and New Orleans, with vibrant purples, greens and golds throughout its architecture. The atmosphere is illuminated by beautiful string lights and surrounded by a French quartet band that transported us into the city. 

Tiana’s Palace serves Creole-Cajun fusion cuisine, with a menu ranging from gumbo to shrimp and grits. My cousins and I wanted a quick dessert that was not the classic Disneyland churro, so naturally we ordered the beignets. We ordered in from the Disneyland app using mobile order, so even though the wait was long, we were able to take in more aspects of Tiana’s Palace such as its Mardi Gras-inspired color scheme and easter eggs from the movie such as portraits of Tiana and her father.

It is also a perfect spot for characters passing through, as Disney parks are currently decorated for Halloween and fall. It was fun to see Jack Skellington walk by the outdoor eating areas and interact with other park goers. 

When the beignets finally arrived, the aroma of sugary sweetness filled our table. Shaking the bag in eagerness to equally distribute the powdered sugar, we were not disappointed. The beignets were light and fluffy; every bite was very fulfilling and delicious. They were Mickey-shaped, which made the beignets more magical and added to the Disney experience. The beignets were perfectly sweet and fresh out of the warm oven. The pastry was golden brown and generously covered with powdered sugar. A bag of six is the perfect sharing size between five cousins and I. We were very satisfied, evident from the powdered sugar spread across our cheeks and along the table. 

Tiana’s Palace was worth a visit during my trip to both Disney parks. The restaurant was full of magic and is a place I definitely want to come back to, and hopefully have the opportunity to try more of the menu. I really loved all of the attention to small details and Disney perfectly captures the magical essence of  “The Princess and The Frog.”