Over at Disney’s Grand Californian Hotel & Spa, Storytellers Cafe is offering a World of Color Dining Package, which includes an all-you-care-to-enjoy buffet and a nonalcoholic beverage. This also includes a voucher that reserves your spot in the World of Color preferred viewing area at Paradise Gardens Park in Disney California Adventure Park. We reviewed the entire buffet as well as our viewing spot for World of Color.

Storytellers Cafe – Check-in and Seating

 

Our dining reservations were at 5 pm, but we arrived a tad bit earlier. It’s a good thing we did, as there were already guests lined up to get in.

Storytellers Cafe is located on the outdoor pathway at Disney’s Grand Californian Hotel & Spa.

After you check-in, you are directed to a table by a host.

Classic California folklore comes to life on the walls of Storytellers Cafe.

The paintings, quotes, and features were elegant to examine inside the restaurant. The atmosphere of Storytellers Cafe is very cozy and inviting.

Storytellers Cafe – Dinner Buffet

Sliced Fruit

The buffet starts with two different plates of sliced fruit. Some of the offerings were watermelon, grapes, pineapple, strawberries, and melon.

The sliced fruit was fresh and displayed nicely.

Salad Options

They offered many different types of salads. Pictured above is chopped romaine lettuce.

The dressings you can choose from are Ranch, Caesar, Blue Cheese, and Italian.

On the left, you can see a kale salad. This salad contained currants, aged parmesan, almonds, bacon crumbs, and garlic vinaigrette.

On the right, there was a mixed greens salad. This contained butternut squash and toasted pepitas. There were also additional salad toppings such as cheese, egg, cucumber, and onion.

Another option was this orzo salad. The ingredients include feta, lemon, greek olives, pine nuts, cucumber, and herbs.

Roasted Vegetables

This offering includes roasted potato with zucchini, carrots, shallots, and Brussels.

Mashed Potatoes

Creamy mashed potatoes with seasoning were found directly next to the roasted vegetables on the buffet.

Parmesan Polenta

This creamy parmesan polenta included vegetable ragout.

Citrus Salmon

This is a citrus salmon with lemon quinoa, tomato, and asparagus.

The lemon quinoa, tomato, and asparagus sat between salmon on both sides.

Poblano Chicken

This was a creamy poblano chicken with squash.

Soy Caramel Short Ribs

Another protein offering is soy caramel short ribs with broccoli.

Kids Roasted Corn and Broccoli

For a more kid-friendly option, roasted corn and steamed broccoli were available.

Kids Chicken Nuggets and Mac & Cheese

Two other kids’ options are these chicken nuggets and mac & cheese.

Artisanal Pepperoni & Cheese Flatbread

Two different kinds of flatbreads were available.

Corn Chowder

Bacon and corn come together in this soup to make a warm side. This is very similar to the corn chowder that is served in the park.

Bacon and Cilantro are available as toppings.

Desserts

Salted Caramel Chocolate Cupcakes

These cupcakes have a dark chocolate cake and with a light brown frosting and sprinkles.

Chocolate Caramel Tarts

This tart is a chocolate filling with a small bit of frosting on top.

Orange Tart

This is a refreshing dessert option featuring a crumble and small citrus orange.

Miniature Cheesecake

These tiny cheesecakes are topped with frosting and an edible red decorative splatter square.

Bread Pudding

The last dessert option is a bread pudding, which can be accompanied by a vanilla icing.

Carving Station – Roasted Turkey and Beef

At the carving station, you have two meat options. On the left is a beef option, and on the right Is a garnished turkey option.

Your server also brings you a bowl with two different bread options to your table — a standard white bread as well as a muffin.

Our Plates

Here’s a look at the plates we built at the buffet. As you can tell, there were many options, so we had to go up a few times.

On this plate, we got some of the mashed potatoes, roasted vegetables, kale salad, poblano chicken, and the turkey and beef from the carving station. We thought the mashed potatoes were pretty standard, warm, fluffy, and buttery, but nothing too extraordinary. We also tried some of the roasted vegetables; they were cooked well and had a savory crunch to them. While the kale salad may not be the most compelling option on the buffet, it was pretty tasty. We were excited to try the poblano chicken, but it ended up being a little dry. The turkey from the carving station was excellent; it was juicy, with a deep flavor, and seasoned exceptionally well. The beef was good, but not great, a little fatty, but had a rich flavoring.

On this plate, we got some of the same things. You see the mashed potatoes, roasted vegetables, and poblano chicken again. The salmon is one of the best offerings on the buffet, though. It had a refreshing taste and was cooked excellently. While the roasted corn is considered one of the children’s options, it was a good addition to this plate.

On this plate, we tried the corn chowder as well as the soy caramel short ribs. The ribs were good, but also a little fatty. We wish the meat quality was a bit better. The soy caramel sauce was the best part of this option. The corn chowder was the perfect soup to complement the rest of the food options. It was warm and the ideal creamy consistency. The bacon added a sweet, hearty flavor to the classic corn chowder.

Dessert Options

We got one of each of the desserts. On the far left is the chocolate caramel tart. It wasn’t anything unique, but still tasty. We found the inside to be very rich, but for anyone with a sweet tooth, this would suffice. The salted caramel chocolate cupcakes were also nothing that stood out too much. They were moist, but we didn’t taste the salted caramel too much, mainly just chocolate. The cheesecake was our least favorite. It was dry and didn’t have much flavor to it. We found ourselves not going back for a second bite. The orange tart was one of the better options. It was silky with a subtle citrus kick, not too sweet but not bitter. Our favorite choice was the bread pudding. This sweet treat was warm, chewy, and had a perfect cinnamon aftertaste.

Overall, the offerings at this buffet were delicious. There was a wide array of choices, as almost anyone could find something to enjoy. While there were a few weak food options, we thought the other items made up for it. Starting at $50 for adults and $25 for children, we believe this meal is reasonably priced for the dining and World of Color viewing. Discounts are available such as Cast Member, Annual Passholder, and Disney Visa cardholder.

World of Color Viewing

We had the option to pick between the 9:00 pm show and the 10:15 pm show. We chose the 10:15 show anticipating less of a crowd. They tell you to arrive at the preferred dining entrance around 9:45, but ended up not letting us in until 10:00 pm.

We ended up being the first in line to enter the area in Paradise Gardens.

There is a sign indicating where to start lining up.

We got placed in an area on the second level of the ramps onlooking the water.

This spot ended up being perfect. Being on the second level, you only feel a slight sprinkle of water.

At the end of this article will be a link showing video clip coverage of the final World of Color: Season of Light show from our viewing area. Overall, this dining package made for an appetizing, entertaining night. If you’re willing to spend the money, this is one of the better options at the parks. Let us know if you’ll be trying this dining package at some point!

Katy Dunn