It Was Disneylands Most Controversial Restaurant
ID:
TMS-5815
Source:
SFGate
Author:
Katie Dowd
Dateline:
Posted:
Status:
Current
If you check Yelp reviews and fan forums, one restaurant comes up again and again as the worst place for a sit-down meal in Disneyland. And word has clearly gotten around: If you’re looking for a same-day reservation, there’s almost always availability at the River Belle Terrace.
Situated in a no man’s land between Frontierland, Adventureland and New Orleans Square, River Belle Terrace has gained a reputation for forgettable food, a stodgy indoor dining room and empty seats. Although it’s now one of the most overlooked eateries in Disneyland, it was once one of its most popular and controversial.
Originally called the Aunt Jemima Pancake House, the restaurant opened in 1955. As the name suggests, it was sponsored by the pancake company, and Disney took the brand’s image one step further by adding a live actor to portray Aunt Jemima. Although it wasn’t explicitly stated, descriptions of the 1955 version of the restaurant indicate the restaurant was meant to evoke the pre-Civil War era making Aunt Jemima an enslaved person. The restaurant was a “faithful reproduction of a southern plantation mansion,” the Orange County Register wrote before its opening.
“A trip to Aunt Jemima’s Kitchen will be a memorable visit to the Old South,” the story concluded.
The concept was a roaring success, skyrocketed to popularity in part by Aylene Lewis, the actor who played Aunt Jemima. Along with pancakes, it served waffles, sausage, bacon and coffee. Although they’re now ubiquitous brunch items, at the time it was a novelty; for many, it was the first time they’d ever tried a waffle. The concept was so popular that it launched an Aunt Jemima’s restaurant chain across the county.
Seven years after its opening, it was still constantly running at full capacity, with ever-present waits at the door. In 1962, Disneyland rebuilt the restaurant to accommodate 250 diners. The exterior also received a refresh. When it opened, it was originally part of Frontierland, but with construction nearby on the New Orleans Square expansion, it was given a Louisiana style to match. Upon its reopening, the Anaheim Bulletin hailed it as “one of the most beautiful and unusual restaurants in the country.”
As the Civil Rights Movement continued to change American politics and society, an Aunt Jemima-themed restaurant began to fall out of favor. By the 1970s, Black actors were no longer part of the experience. In 1970, it became the Magnolia Tree Terrace; a year later, it took the name River Belle Terrace, which it has kept ever since.
It’s now been over 50 years since the River Belle Terrace had anything to do with Aunt Jemima but, once you know that, it’s clear the antebellum influence is still everywhere. The dining room is decorated with a mural of a Mississippi River steamboat and 19th century-style wallpaper with parrots and flowers. The room is lovely, but it feels a bit formal for children in a theme park, especially when it’s dead quiet inside. The parties around me on a recent visit were all speaking in hushed tones fine for a normal restaurant but not the most family-friendly environment in a busy theme park.
Unlike other restaurants, which have signature items like the Monte Cristo sandwich, River Belle Terrace’s menu changes often. Perhaps it’s symptomatic of a larger problem: The chefs are constantly trying to find a new menu that will revive interest in the spot. But it may be a chicken and the egg scenario, where there’s no must-have item to bring guests back time and again, so guests simply don’t return. There are still plenty of pancakes on the current menu (the restaurant serves only brunch and dinner), but on a summer theme park day, a sugar bomb of apple pancakes probably isn’t the meal you want in your belly at 1 p.m.
There are two sandwiches available at brunch, a Cuban and a fried chicken option, and I went with the chicken. I’d made a reservation, but it was evident I shouldn’t have bothered. Shortly after noon, I counted less than a dozen tables, both inside and on the terrace, that were occupied. About five minutes after placing my order, my sandwich arrived. That felt too fast to be made to order, and I was reminded of the many complaints online about lukewarm food.
Large pieces of buttermilk fried chicken, mostly moist but occasionally stringy on the edges, were sandwiched between greasy slices of Texas toast. A pickle coleslaw gave it a little bit of freshness but not a ton of flavor. A few fried cherry peppers added a zing, although with how heavy the chicken already was, it probably would be nicer as an unfried addition to the slaw. A small side of thick fries looked a bit dry and sad but tasted perfectly fine. Everything would have been better served hotter.
For dessert, I ordered the key lime tart. At $12, it was a great deal, as it could easily serve two people. It wasn’t particularly tart, and the graham cracker crust was so cold it had hardened to the consistency of a brick, but the flavors were pleasant. As with the sandwich, nothing was bad. It was mediocre and forgettable. And at over $50 with an iced tea and a tip about standard for a Disneyland sit-down restaurant it wasn’t so well priced that I would be eager to return.
The only current draw at the River Belle Terrace is its Fantasmic dining package, which allows guests to take in the nighttime show from preferred seating. Without that, the River Belle Terrace might have long ago been rethemed. With plenty of Southern-style eateries available in New Orleans Square, there’s nothing at River Belle Terrace that stands out but if an ambitious Imagineer wanted to revamp it, its location directly across from the entrance of the Indiana Jones ride opens up a world of adventurous and exciting possibilities.
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