Dine in an environment that’ll take you back to Hollywood’s golden age at Carthay Circle. As a Fine/Signature Dining experience at California Adventure, this is one impressive place to enjoy a meal, and though it first opened in 2012, it’s steeped in Disney history.

Featuring Art Deco architecture as well as interior decor and accents. Carthay Circle Restaurant will take you back in time. While the exterior of the restaurant is modeled after the original Carthay Circle Theatre in Los Angeles – where Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs premiered back in 1937 – the interior features touches that showcase the highlights of Walt Disney and the company at large over the decades since.

Carthay Circle Restaurant Location

Carthay Circle Restaurant sits on Buena Vista Street. It’s the centerpiece of the land, so you can’t miss it – you’ll enter underneath the theater’s marquee. 

Carthay Circle Restaurant Menu

Since Carthay Circle Restaurant offers Fine/Signature Dining, you can expect a top-tier meal here. Lunch and dinner service features a seasonal menu that changes regularly, with innovative dishes that highlight Southern California flavors and locally-sourced ingredients.

While the lunch and dinner menu often remain the same, Carthay Circle does offer a prix-fixe lunch menu on weekends (Friday, Saturday, and Sunday) that features a starter and entrée for both kids and adults. 

Additionally, one of the standouts of Carthay Circle is its impressive list of wines and specialty cocktails. For adults looking to enjoy a date night or a great drink, the indoor lounge and the restaurant both offer options you can’t find elsewhere inside California Adventure.

Take a look at what’s currently on the Carthay Circle Menu below.

Prix-Fixe Lunch Menu

Starters (choice of one)

• Green Garbanzo Bean Fritters
• Farmers Market Stone Fruit Salad
• Carthay Greek Style Salad

Main Course (choice of one)

• Pan Roasted Shrimp
• Rigatoni Pasta Carbonara
• Grilled Chicken Meatloaf
• Ginger and Soy-Glazed Tri Tip

Kids’ – First Course (choice of one)

• Watermelon Cubes
• Tempura Green Beans

Kids’ – Entrees (choice of one)

• Rigatoni Pasta
• Classic Grilled Cheese
• Chicken Empanadas

Premier Enhancements

• Warm Cheddar Parker House Rolls

Dinner Menu

Starters

• Peruvian Sashimi
• Shrimp a la Plancha
• Watermelon & Hibiscus Salad
• Mediterranean Mussels and Bay Scallops
• Spanish Potato Croquettes
• Squash Blossom Filled with Braised Short Rib
• Mediterranean Heirloom Tomato Salad
• Spicy Thai Corn & Lemongrass Soup

Entrées

• Honey Mustard Glazed Rocky Organic Chicken
• Porcini Mushroom Raviolis
• Grilled Certified Angus Rib Eye
• Signature Thick Cut Pork Chop
• Pan Roasted U-8 Scallops
• Miso Glazed Sautéed Fish of the Day

For the Table

• Warm Cheddar Parker House Rolls
• Yukon Gold Mashed Potatoes
• Blistered Brussels Sprouts

Desserts

• Warm Blueberry Honey Cake
• Valrhona Chocolate S’mores Bar
• Seasonal Sorbet

Kids’ Entrées

• Rigatoni Pasta
• Classic Cheese Quesadilla
• Chicken Skewers Pineapple-Ginger Glazed
• Petite Filet and Buttered Broccoli

Kids’ Desserts

• Hazelnut Crunch Mickey Pop

A menu of cocktails, wines, beers, and more is also available.

Advance Dining Reservations

Though expensive and a fine dining experience, Carthay Circle Restaurant is popular – and its advance dining reservations (ADRs) book up fast. It’s typically tough to get reservations for the dining room on short notice, and you’ll notice time slots start to disappear right at that 60-day booking window.

Walk-up availability disappear fast (and early in the day) at Carthay Circle, so make sure to grab a reservation if you want to enjoy a meal here indoors versus at the alfresco lounge.

Is Carthay Circle Restaurant Kid-Friendly?

Since Carthay Circle Restaurant is one of Disneyland Resort’s Fine/Signature Dining locations, you might expect it to be pretty kid-unfriendly. However, though the atmosphere is more upscale and the food more elevated than your average table-service restaurant, Carthay Circle is actually a perfectly welcoming place for families and kids of all ages.

The more elegant interior of Carthay Circle does mean diners are a bit quieter and better behaved here than at other theme park dining spots. However, the restaurant offers multiple dining rooms and, in my experience, if you opt for a slower time of the day, it’s easy to get seated away from others if you have kids who might be prone to making noise or getting wiggly.

When it comes to the menu, the kids’ menu offers just enough variety to please parents and picky eaters. The kids’ pasta, for example, can be made three different ways: with marinara sauce, Alfredo sauce, or butter and parmesan cheese. The waitstaff here are used to young kids, and they don’t bat an eye at cranky toddlers or slightly messy young diners – trust me, I speak from experience!