The Solo Scale:

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Disney, lately, has become known for having plenty of dining options that are pretty good, but Lamplight Lounge in California Adventure goes beyond that and is fantastic. It’s located atop Pixar Pier, giving you great views. Combine that with the kinetic energy of the Incredicoaster and the Pal-A-Round Wheel and it’s the best lunch spot. That’s even before we get into the delicious food options.

I’ve gone to Lamplight twice, both times for lunch. That said, I used different techniques with both.

The Bar

For this lunch, I deliberately waited until a little before 1PM — still lunchtime, but not in the prime period. I had a park hopper and I wanted to get over to Disneyland by 2PM. While I was in line, I put myself on the waitlist, expecting a 30 – 60 minute wait.

My spot was ready for me within 10 minutes, which meant that I could head back to the restaurant. I was seated at the bar, with a great view of the Incredicoaster. I was also positioned near some other solo travellers, making it easy to strike up conversation!). The service was quick. Within ten minutes, I had a beer and plate of beef nachos (sadly the nachos have since been discontinued). The food was okay (the beef was a little dry), but the beer was absolutely fantastic and refreshing. The bar is shaded and there’s lots of room, so it was a great place to hang out for a while before I park hopped.

You get a server extremely close in the bartender, the food service is quick, and I barely had to wait for a spot. For a solo traveller, it’s a great deal!

The Lounge

For this one, my friend and I dined in the Lounge. We made reservations when our window was open (60 days in advance, but if you’re not on property as we weren’t, you’ll have to do it every day that’s 60 days out instead of all at once like you would in Florida. Luckily, while reservations open at 6AM, that’s PST, which means a much more leisurely 9AM wakeup to make those bookings).

We first thought that we could try for brunch. That was before we realized that brunch only takes place on the weekends. For this one, we headed inside at open (11AM). Our seating was downstairs in the lounge where we were seated in extremely comfortable chairs.

The view was a bit obstructed by the downstairs bar (a second option for dining without reservations, but it filled up fast, even at open!), but the table was really comfortable. For this meal, I had a fruit beer and the lobster nachos. I highly recommend these as they really are just as good as everyone talks about. Hopefully they’re still on the menu. There’s been a few months where it seems like the lobster nachos keep getting pulled. The service here was fantastic. Our server even put together a plate of plain chips for my friend whose stomach was misbehaving (at no additional charge).

The location is amazingly central, the food & beer is great, and the views are premium. Lamplight Lounge is definitely popular for a reason, but you can’t go wrong. Grab a reservation and try for yourself next time you’re in California Adventure!

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