Seating half indoors half outdoors
Serves broasted chicken, pasta, gourmet salads omelets, and Mickey shaped waffles
July 1965 operations assumed by Disneyland
From New Attraction Profiles 1966:
The new Restaurant offers a setting of red brocade, sparkling crystal, nostalgic stained glass and authentic antiques -- all taken from the late Victorian era. This same theme is carried to a pair of lamp-lighted dining terraces, set as a prelude in front of the restaurant.
From WED Disneyland Dictionary 1968:
Is a plush Victorian restaurant for buffet dining in the grand manner at moderate prices. Located near the entrance to Tomorrowland, it includes two palatial dining rooms with crystal chandeliers and velvet appointments, two flower-hung porches, and two solariums for dining. Authentic antiques have been collected from many nations to add interest to the Plaza Inn. French pastries are a specialty from Disneyland's own bakery, housed in the Inn's kitchen.
1969 Menu speciality: Veal Pojarski
1969 Capacity: 500
From Disney University Food Showmanship Disney Style 1973:
Located on the Hub is the elegant Plaza Inn, one of the most beautiful restaurants in the world, and the first of its kind to be built in over 60 years. The Inn is one of Disneyland's most elaborate dining facilities, incorporating rich red brocades, stained glass canopies, gleaming crystal and a galaxy of foods served buffet-style from giant lazy susans and marble counters. Here, guests enjoy gracious dining in a beautiful Victorian setting. With lavish application of luxurious red brocades, gleaming crystal, dramatic stained glass and a generous use of mirrors to create the magnificent Victorian atmosphere in the antique studded foyer and two large dining rooms. Among the most interesting items in the Plaza Inn's foyer are: a superbly hand carved, gilded wood wall clock and matching barometer, the work of master craftsmen in 1840 at Versailles. Seventeen bronze and crystal sconces adorning the walls of the dining rooms, each crowned with a rosette, and utilizing the world famous Baccarat Crystal (a line of very fine crystal produced in Baccarat, France.) Twenty-four basket chandeliers, also of Baccarat crystal and bronze. Two specially designed rotisseries mounted on selected Norwegian rose-marble pedestals. Each Rotisserie features a stained glass canopy, a pair of highly ornate coffee urns with rosette spigots, custom made for the Plaza Inn. Centered in the foyer is a 200 year old French chandelier of bronze and crystal, found in a New Orleans antique shop.
From Steve Birnbaum brings you the best of Disneyland 1982:
At dinnertime during the summer season, the patio area outside the Plaza Inn buffeteria becomes a waitress- service restaurant. A hostess carrying a parasol in a long, yellow, old-fashioned dress, who turns out to be one of the most photographed of all Disneylanders, will help you decide where you'd prefer to dine. Choice-grade New York sirloin steaks (like those at New Orleans Square's Blue Bayou Restaurant) are a specialty here, along with roast beef, smoked pork loin, halibut steak, and a boneless chicken cutlet topped with Parmesan cheese and a Florentine sauce. Cheesecake, pecan pie, hot fudge and strawberry ice cream sundaes, and chocolate mousse add a sweet ending. Children's portions are available for those under 12. Since many people don't realize that the Plaza Terrace and the Plaza Inn are separate restaurants, keep in mind that the line here tends to be very short. It's also a great place to sit during the Main Street Electrical Parade. The split baked chicken served here was one of Roy Disney's favorite meals and this was one of the restaurants that made Walt Disney proudest. Just one look inside tells you why: Tufted velvet upholstery, gleaming mirrors, and a fine, ornate floral carpet elevate this buffeteria far above its fellows. The draperies are a lovely shade of coral; the valances of silk satin trimmed with custom- made fringes, rosettes, and borders. The ceilings are stained glass, the moldings elaborate and immaculately painted. Mounted on the walls there are sconces made of Parisian bronze and Baccarat crystal, and two dozen basket chandeliers, also of crystal and bronze, hang from the ceiling. There's even a 200-year-old French chandelier, found in an antique shop, that's hung from the ceiling on a chain that allows the fixture to be raised and lowered for quarterly cleanings. (Plain old ammonia and water are used, and the process takes three and a half hours.) The four-shelf French cabinet, elaborately inlaid with fruit woods and trimmed in bronze ormulu, is just as old, and the ornaments that embellish it (and the rest of the establishment) are antique as well. Among the few decorative objects here that are not true antiques are the two ornate coffee urns behind the counter. The setting, all $1 million of it, is so lovely that the food- chopped steaks, stuffed bell peppers, smoked pork loins, and the like-pales a bit by comparison. Children's portions are available. One of Disneyland's very special experiences is a birthday party here: cakes decorated with the celebrant's name and appropriate appurtenances are served upon advance arrangement (ten days' notice and a check one week before the event). Serves Lunch, Dinner, Snacks.
