REVIEW: Smoked Beef Bulgogi and Peach Sojito at Lucky 8 Lantern in Disney California Adventure – Lunar New Year 2020

Specializing in Asian-inspired cuisine, Lucky 8 Lantern was a real hit for us during last year’s Lunar New Year celebration at Disney California Adventure. So, we’re excited to try the booth again this year, which is returning with some of our favorite dishes, adding a new item and an entirely new beverage selection.

Lucky 8 Lantern Booth at Disney California Adventure Lunar New Year 2020

Lucky 8 Lantern at Disney California Adventure Lunar New Year 2020

Menu for Lucky 8 Lantern Booth at Disney California Adventure Lunar New Year 2020

Lucky 8 Lantern at Disney California Adventure Lunar New Year 2020

Lucky 8 Lantern at Disney California Adventure Lunar New Year 2020

Food:

  • Shrimp Fried Rice with Garlic Bacon Edamame – $8.00
  • 🆕 Smoked Beef Bulgogi Shortrib on Rice Cake – $8.25
  • Mandarin Orange and Green Tea Tart – $5.50

Beverages:

  • 🆕 Peach Sojito (alcoholic beverage) – $13.00
  • 🆕 Hitachino Nest Beer (bottled alcoholic beverage) – $14.25

Photos of Menu Items from Lucky 8 Lantern at Disney California Adventure Lunar New Year 2020

Shrimp Fried Rice with Garlic Bacon Edamame – $8.00

Shrimp Fried Rice with Garlic Bacon Edamame – $8.00

This was nothing crispy here. Nor was it garlicky. It tasted like fish sauce with overcooked shrimp.

Shrimp Fried Rice with Garlic Bacon Edamame – $8.00

Sadly this was subpar at best as it has all the things I love on paper. The rice was okay. The edamame was mushy. The shrimp was rubbery. I was hoping at least the flavor would be okay, but it smelled and tasted like fish sauce.

Shrimp Fried Rice with Garlic Bacon Edamame – $8.00

The few bites on the side with just bacon were okay, but not worth $8 for maybe getting a few solid bits of bacon.

Shrimp Fried Rice with Garlic Bacon Edamame – $8.00

 

Shrimp Fried Rice with Garlic Bacon Edamame – $8.00

Skip this and get the tart here.

*NEW* Smoked Beef Bulgogi Shortrib on Rice Cake – $8.25

*NEW* Smoked Beef Bulgogi Shortrib on Rice Cake – $8.25

Our beef bulgogi was missing the green onion salad that comes on top, but we actually didn’t miss it! This dish was perfect as is. Our meat was tender, tasty and had noticeable char marks on it from the grill. The rice was cooked correctly, which is greatly appreciated as last year it was hard and overcooked. While this dish may seem simple, it’s really just meat and rice, don’t underestimate how good it was. The seasoning on the whole dish was perfect, with sesame oil and soy sauce.

*NEW* Smoked Beef Bulgogi Shortrib on Rice Cake – $8.25
*NEW* Smoked Beef Bulgogi Shortrib on Rice Cake – $8.25

Mandarin Orange and Green Tea Tart – $5.50

This gets an A+. So much yes! It was cute. It was simple. It wasn’t a sugar bomb. And it is shaped like Mickey.

Mandarin Orange and Green Tea Tart – $5.50

Aside from carefully placed fruit flecked with gold, this held together well.

Mandarin Orange and Green Tea Tart – $5.50

There was no taste of green tea. The pastry was light and easily broken apart. The fruit was simple and delicious.

Mandarin Orange and Green Tea Tart – $5.50

There was just enough cream on the inside to give a tiny hint of sweetness, but all the flavors melded well. Easily one of my favorite things I’ve had in any Disney park.

Mandarin Orange and Green Tea Tart – $5.50

 

Mandarin Orange and Green Tea Tart – $5.50

Do yourself a favor and give this a try. This is Asian-inspired dessert at its best.

*NEW* Peach Sojito (alcoholic beverage) – $13.00

*NEW* Peach Sojito (alcoholic beverage) – $13.00
*NEW* Peach Sojito (alcoholic beverage) – $13.00

This drink tasted exactly like a peach mojito and was excellent. The drink had a touch of sweetness, but was mostly bubbly and had a hint of mint, to make the drink refreshing.

*NEW* Peach Sojito (alcoholic beverage) – $13.00

The only downside to this drink was the pear on top had clearly been frozen previously, where we would’ve preferred to have something fresher.

*NEW* Peach Sojito (alcoholic beverage) – $13.00

We didn’t find this to taste overly of citrus and the simple syrup added just enough sweetness to cut through the rum. We would get this every trip (and probably will!)

*NEW* Hitachino Nest Beer (bottled alcoholic beverage) – $14.25

Lunar New Year is back for 2020 and we’ll be celebrating from January 17th to February 9th, 2020. We highly recommend making it out for a trip to taste all of this yummy food!