Construction is underway at Tiana’s Palace, a new restaurant themed to “The Princess and the Frog” over in New Orleans Square at Disneyland. French Market Restaurant closed in February to be turned into Tiana’s Palace.

Tiana’s Palace Construction

We stopped by to get a sneak peek at the construction. Much of the exterior of the building is already surrounded by scaffolding and scrim. You can also see the concept art for Tiana’s Palace on the wall that surrounds the construction site.

As you can see above, much of the outside of the building is unchanged, since they are using the original French Market Restaurant’s exterior. It appears they have the scaffolding up to install the large crown-topped pillars that are to come out of the top of the restaurant. It also appears that they are working on the gated rooftop patio that we saw in the concept art. Scrim is sometimes rolled up, but can be lowered to hide secret parts of a project and protect crew members.

Disney Imagineers are partnering with Disney Animation artists from “The Princess and the Frog” to bring Tiana’s Palace to life. The film’s designers took inspiration from the exterior of the original French Market Restaurant in New Orleans Square when designing Tiana’s Palace, so the retheme will be relatively simple.

Mint Julep Bar is also closed for construction but will reopen with Tiana’s Palace, still as Mint Julep Bar and still serving mint juleps and Mickey beignets. The classic treats are available at the nearby Royal Street Veranda during construction.

Tiana’s Palace

At the 2022 D23 Expo, it was announced that in addition to her own ride — Tiana’s Bayou Adventure — Tiana from “The Princess and the Frog” would be getting her very own restaurant, Tiana’s Palace.

Tiana’s Palace will be very similar to the restaurant that Tiana owned in the movie and will feature elegant fixtures and decorations that represent Tiana’s life and friendships. The quick-service restaurant will offer New Orleans flavors inspired by Tiana’s friends and adventures. It’s scheduled to open later this year.

Tiana’s Palace will not be a character dining location, but guests who wish to meet Tiana will be able to do so in New Orleans Square.

Tiana’s Bayou Adventure is expected to open in late 2024. Splash Mountain will close for the transformation next month. Eudora’s Chic Boutique featuring Tiana’s Gourmet Secrets is already open in New Orleans Square.

The release window for the Disney+ “Tiana” series recently changed.

Are you excited to try Tiana’s Palace? Let us know in the comments below.

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