Today the long-awaited Tropical Hideaway, a new quick-service restaurant at the Disneyland Resort, has finally soft-opened to guests. Replacing the former Aladdin’s Oasis, this new Adventure Land restaurant features menu items that might be familiar to guests visiting from the Walt Disney World Resort. The offerings range between sweet and savory, so there certainly is something for everyone. Let’s take a look!
Swirls and Loaded Whips
Disneyland has traditionally served only pineapple soft-serve Dole Whips, but this new location brings us two new flavors. First we have Pineapple and Orange Swirl. While not our favorite, this swirl was packed with a ton of orange flavor. If you are a fan of the citrus soft-serve in Florida, you’ll like this one. But if orange is out of your taste range, you might prefer the Pineapple and Raspberry Swirl.
This swirl was a hit in our group, as the two flavors combined really complement one another. The pineapple adds a tartness to the sweetness of the raspberry. Plus, it’s the perfect swirl for photos with Rosita. Each swirl costs $5.69 and they are worth the indulgence.
If you plan to dine with a group at the Tropical Hideaway, we suggest sharing the Twisted Ambush—a load whip made of orange-pineapple swirl, topped with exotic fruit and crystallized hibiscus. While the price of $7.99 is a bit on the higher side, this loaded whip is worth every penny. Every bite packs a punch and we especially liked the coconuty taste of the hibiscus topping. The chocolate sticks were an interesting addition that could be omitted and would not be missed. Overall, even the pickiest of eaters will enjoy this dessert, particularly on a hot day.
Trio of Baos
For folks with a more savory palate, we suggest skipping the swirls and heading straight for the baos. The menu offers Spiced Vegetable Bao, Kaffir Lime Chicken Bao, and Bulgogi. You can purchase these separately, but opting for all three gets you free spicy dipping sauce.
These baos come out fresh and steaming, but word of caution: eat them quickly, for they cooled down significantly after these photos were taken.
The Bulgogi Beef Bao is filled with sweet chillies and potatoes, and it was perhaps our least favorite of the three. However, the spicy dipping sauce did make eating this bao much more enjoyable. We felt similarly about the Kaffir Lime Chicken Bao, which is filled with butternut squash and fresh herbs. While it was slightly less bland than the beef, it still is not an item we would purchase again.
The only bao worth returning for is the Spiced Vegetable Bao, filled with chickpeas and braised vegetables. It was packed with flavor and tasted just as good cold as we imagine it would when still steaming hot. This one had a curry flavor to it, which you will enjoy even if curry isn’t typically your thing.
Tantalizing Treat
And finally, guests of the Disneyland Resort are treated to Sweet Lumpia. This egg roll-looking dessert is filled with cream cheese and pineapple, and dusted with a layer of sugar. It comes with a Dole pineapple dipping sauce, which we thought to be a great accompaniment. However, we found the price of $6.99 to be a bit much for these two rolls and sauce. While it was certainly a good dessert, we would recommend spending an extra dollar on the Twisted Ambush instead.
At the Tropical Hideaway guests can also find plenty of refreshments, as well as trail mix, fresh fruit, and chips. At the current time, Cast Members have informed us that mobile ordering is not being offered and it is uncertain if it will be in the future.
There’s something for everyone here, and only time will tell if the menu will be receiving an expansion. But for now, we think this small menu will suit guests just fine when in need of a late afternoon or a sweet indulgence.
