Boardwalk Pizza and Pasta

After the tremendous let down that was pizza port, I wasn’t terribly excited for this place. I was pleasantly surprised. The pizza is great, the salads are amazing. A little pricy, but hey that’s Disneyland for you. Overall a great experience, I definitely plan on eating here again!

All the pasta entrees at Disneyland/​California Adventure have the same cafeteria-​churned taste. This place is no different. There are pasta, pizza, and salad options at Boardwalk.
Unlike other Disneyland cafeterias, your pasta is made to order here — order your pasta and they heat it up in a saucepan. I ordered their chicken sun-​dried tomato pasta ($ 9.49) It tasted very okay. The pasta was al dente, they were generous with the chicken, and the sauce wasn’t overwhelming.
It’s a fast and easy food option if you happen to find yourself in this part of the park.

So I’ve never eaten here, and from the looks of the line inside every time we stop by, you haven’t either. However, this little hidden gem, squirreled away behind an outdoor eating area, Goofy’s Flying School, and a few other odds and ends, is the shortest line in the park to purchase beer.
I know, Mildred… All these Millenials walking around with yellow plastic cups at a park designed for children makes you cringe. But let’s be clear: a cold Karl Strauss, Bud Light, or even a Tecate at Cucamonga’s can have a positive impact on your Happiest Place paradigm. And you’ve all seen countless folks at DL and CA, dragging kids and/​or bad attitudes through the park, and thought to yourself, «What that gentle spirit needs is a cold beer.»
Well, look no further than this pasta place. They have two taps going at any given time– Bud Light and whatever Karl Strauss keg they want (This time it was a seasonal Summer Ale) but do you really care? It’s 6 – 8 bucks a cup, and you can buy two per person. Most humans have two hands… Coincidence? I think not.
Oh, I should mention the eye-​watering stench of Parmesan cheese in this eatery smells like 800 toddlers woke up in the middle of the night and barfed half-​digested jar spaghetti sauce on their bunk beds… But if you can deal with that, drink up Buttercup!

Boardwalk Pizza and Pasta is a solid option if you are looking to satisfy your entire family. My kids tore up the spaghetti and meatballs (may wanna ask for extra sauce). I myself am not a huge fan of pasta or pizza however after looking at their options I must say I’ll be ordering on our next trip. While waiting in line the Sun Dried Chicken Pasta looked good and seemed to be the popular dish as several people were ordering it. Huge slices of pizza available and plenty of drinks to select from.
The chocolate brownie skewers with strawberries they had would be a great option for dessert… We didn’t have a problem leaving any of that behind.
Prices were very reasonable and there was plenty of outdoor seating to choose from (even on the weekends).

So the food is probably 2.75−3 stars outside of Disneyland, but as a theme park option, it’s a solid 3.5 stars. If you have little kids, this is definitely a good option as they can get a small personal pizza, two sides (choices between a bag of apple slices, carrots, or an apple sauce squeeze pack) and a drink (bottle of water, juice box, or plain/​chocolate Nesquik milk) all for $ 6.50. I wouldn’t recommend getting them the toddler Mac n cheese meal unless they are really a toddler (like maybe 2) since the portion is small.
For an adult meal, the pasta is probably a better choice than their pizza slices. The portions are fairly large (big enough for two people), nothing to rave about, but decent. Most of the pasta dishes range from $ 11-​$ 13 (no drink included), but you can get an AP discount here.

I’ve eaten here a while back before Unilocaling this place is all the way in back of DCA between Goofy’s Sky ride and the Boardwalk. They have pastas, salads, and pizza. I got the chicken Caesar salad and a slice of pizza. Both were good. The downside is they do take a while when paying sometimes it’s the customer and sometimes it’s the cashier either way it’s a wait. For DCA I guess if you want pizza or pasta this is really the only spot.

So I came here on a Friday night which means no meat for me since it’s Lent. I was really craving pasta that day, but sadly every pasta on the menu contained meat. Even though I couldn’t have meat, I still ordered pasta without the meat. So I ordered the Sun-​Dried Tomato Pesto without the chicken. The pasta was decent enough to fulfill my hunger. The noodle wasn’t that soft and the pasta was a bit cold. When I waited in line for my food I saw plates of pasta just lying on the counter waiting to be picked up, so I’m sure the pasta would be cold during that time. Anyways it cost about $ 9 and would’ve been $ 10 if it wasn’t for my discount with my annual pass. To be honest, I’d prefer eating at Pizza Port in Disneyland and ordering the Chicken Fusilli there.

Boardwalk Pizza and Pasta is located on the far side of Paradise Pier at Disney California adventure. In a sea of overcrowded eateries, this place gave me a sigh of relief upon entering. I really wasn’t expecting anything different but was soon pleasantly surprised.
There had three different stations. One for pasta, one for pizza and one for salads. It wasn’t overcrowded like most of the places were and the food quality was actually quite good! I went for the Italian chef salad and at 9.99 I’d say it was a great deal. We also ordered the spaghetti with meatballs will Pomodoro sauce. It too was exceptional. Did I mention they serve beer? YES they do…
Often times when stopping for a quick bite, you’re faced with a menu of bad food choices. Not in this case! The food at the Boardwalk Pizza and Pasta was Fresh AND Fast.
I’ll definitely be back!

I ordered the Chicken Sun-​dried Tomato Pesto $ 9.99
(Campanelle Pasta tossed with Sun-​dried Tomato Pesto Cream)
Pretty good for theme park food. My brother has an annual pass and he recommended this place.
Food was good, hot, and filling. I was surprised by the portions and the prices because it filled me up without having to pay an arm and a leg.
My daughter got the Spaghetti with Meatballs with Pomodoro Sauce $ 9.99
She liked it, but couldn’t finish it and I didn’t have room for her leftovers. We should have shared a plate and got a salad on the side. I hate wasting food like that. Oh well, next time.
* I thought getting the pasta was a better deal than getting a slice of pizza for $ 7.50 quite honestly.
Here’s the link:

This is one of my go to eateries at Disneyland/​DCA, mainly because its a quick AND i LOVE the 5 CHEESE RAVIOLI (~$ 10)! This is by far my favorite thing to eat at the park. The ravioli is always cooked perfectly, but what makes this dish is the pesto sauce and pine nuts! They also have a great selection of hearty salads. The pizza is not worth spending money on.

Solid 3.5, but I rounded up. Came here this past Sunday and the doors were still not open until about 11:15am, with lots of people waiting. And by the time we got to the pizza, there were only about 10 slices out. Please be more prepared.
Food:
— Chicken sun dried tomato pesto pasta: What a mouthful haha. I honestly don’t like pasta, but threw two packets of red pepper flakes and extra cheese on there and it was pretty good! The pesto wasn’t overpowering. Needs more chicken. ⁴⁄₅
— BBQ pizza: Apparently the only pizza available, other than cheese. Pretty good. Wish I had a microwave to warm it up though. I like oozing cheese on my pizza lol. ⁴⁄₅
— Kids cheese pizza meal was pathetic, but my son enjoyed it.
Would’ve been happier getting a corn dog, turkey leg, or some lobster nachos on paradise pier. I do like the café style ordering. And I do like how there are plenty of seating!

If your in California Adventure, and you want a hearty meal, pasta or pizza, try this place. The portions are not large enough to split unless you eat little. You’ll feel full. Pasta is not over cooked, has that bouncy texture to it. Desserts are delicious. Drink options are typical soft drinks and bottled water. There’s ample seating outside. Easier to find seating for two pie old than ten. Some covered seating. We’ve eaten here a few times. If this was near our house as a stand alone restaurant, we’d eat there often.

I had a salad and spaghetti. My kids loved the spaghetti it came with 2 snacks and a drink. This place has a variety of foods, and the service is quick.

Wanted to eat here ever since I started following the foods of Disneyland instagram! The pasta always looked delicious so I just had to try some. I got the sun dried tomato chicken pasta and it did not disappoint. The portion is waaaaay too big for me to eat alone, so the amount you get for the price (discounted for AP!) is seriously good — not to mention the quality is A+, the food itself was delicious, restaurant quality. I watched the servers making it before I ordered, so I knew it was fresh.
Disneyland probably has the best priced food/​portion/​quality ratio of any theme park.
I can’t wait to try all the other pastas on my next visits! mmmmmmmm

If you want something filling yet somewhat cheap and want to sit down at Disneyland then I think this is the place for you. The pasta is pretty good for what you pay for although I do find myself finding it a bit bland after a while. The pastas and salads are about $ 9 (w/​an AP) each. The portions are huge and could fill you up for the rest of the day. I like the chicken sun dried tomato pasta and have yet to try the rest of the pastas. I will definitely be coming here whenever I’m dying of hunger and balling on a budget when I know I’m gonna be spending a whole day at Disneyland.

This space used to be occupied by Pizza Oom Mow Mow when DCA opened in 2001. Now, the entire place was bulldozed and redone to fit in the Victorian motif of Paradise Pier. The exterior and interior looks sharp, crisp, and open. Gone were all the clutter of the beach themed buildings. Also gone were the old menu, which was heavily Hawaiian surfer themed pizza, pasta, and salad. Now, classic reincarnates of pizza, pasta, and salad are being served. I usually order their hearty portion of spaghetti and meatballs.
There is plenty of seating outside for simultaneous eating and people watching. If you move further down towards Paradise Garden Grill’s seating, there is a band or group that performs every so often (probably on weekends and definitely themed entertainment when it’s ¡Viva La Navidad! or Opa!).
Standard AP discounts here!

Good, filling meal for a decent price. There were only a couple families getting food when I came in, so after a day of lines it was a relief to not have to wait in another long one. The pizza looked good but I ordered the tomato pesto chicken pasta, which was about ten bucks, and it was delicious. Although they do have food sitting out, if it runs out they will make it fresh in front of you, which is what happened for me. I asked for extra parmesean cheese. Cleaned that plate for a late lunch and wasn’t hungry again that day.
There is plenty of outdoor seating available and when I was there a mariachi band was playing Disney music nearby. It was cute.
I would definitely eat here again next time I am at California Adventures.

This is one of my favorite «cafeteria» restaurants in all of Disney. If you’re craving pizza, pasta, or some beer — This is a decent spot. The pasta is cooked fresh, as you watch them continously create a new batch after batch after batch. Three dishes to choose from. They’ve also go delicious pizza, one is the mac & cheese pizza which is an overload of cheese in my opinion but my friend was an absolute fan.

When it comes to eating at Disneyland and California Adventure, there’s a thin line between fine dining and worth-​it dining. At one end of the scale, you have Blue Bayou, incredibly expensive, but also an excellent meal in terms of venue, portions, and, especially, taste. On the opposite end of the spectrum are places like Redd Rockett’s, where the slices aren’t huge, but they still cost that arm and a leg while being rampantly disgusting.
Boardwalk tries to find that middle ground, ramping up the flavor and aesthetic, while keeping the cost around that $ 10 marketing spot. It kinda works, in some ways. There are other restaurants around that cost a bit more, but dish out mass amounts of comfort food that are easily enough for two. Here, the taste (at least in their pasta and pizza, they also have salads despite the name of the place) shows more refinement than elsewhere serving similar fare. Does it make it better? It does. Does it make it worth it? That’s for the Disney review list afterward.
We only had a serving of their 5-​Cheese Ravioli tossed in a pesto sauce and topped with chopped tomatoes and pine nuts. It’s very good, the pesto isn’t too overwhelming and the tomatoes add a nice acidic bite while the nuts give a light crunch for differing texture. I will say, though, that I’ve never understood the need for dishes with more than two or three kinds of cheese. I make a three cheese macaroni and sometimes it can be tough to note the difference in taste between the Smoked Gouda, Cheddar, and Emmental. Unless you’re using cheeses of vastly different mildness /​sharpness, they can lose their uniqueness in the mixing. In the ravioli here, I’m not sure anyone could tell you what is in them passed Ricotta and Mozzarella.
Other than that, the flatbread looks slightly better here, a little fresher and moister; it definitely bears little resemblance to the heat lamp dryness of Redd’s, as do the other pasta dishes. The salads, while certainly not lacking in ingredients, do suffer from portion vs. cost issues, even given that they are being served at California Adventure, making them pretty, but not easily recommendable except for the hungriest of vegetarians.
All in all, not the best of places at the park. Still, it can be nice for those who come here often to go for a bit of variety or for those who don’t mind spending a bit more for a fare a culinary step above corn dogs and beer, making this a good three and a half stars.
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And for the Disneyland Reviews List:
Taste — Or the Overall Flavor: * * * (and a half)
It’s not bad, certainly a little better than average at Disneyland. If you have to have pizza or pasta, this is a safer bet than Redd’s. Though, if you really want better ravioli, Carthay’s is just up the street.
Convenience — Of the Seating & Service Options: * * * * *
Boardwalk Pizza and Pasta shares space with two other restaurants, but they have a large dining area with tables and chairs abounding, most of it under the shade of gorgeous tree cover or trellises. There’s typically enough room for patrons here and elsewhere in the park, making it an excellent place to both eat and rest.
Value — Will you walk away satisfied?: *
Every place in Disneyland is relatively over priced; the trick is to find food that will make you not want a snack two hours later, despite what you pay. Typically, paying around $ 10 per person is what you should expect, but still have a filling meal.
With the entrees alone already jumping over that $ 10 mark and drinks pushing the cost even higher, this place is a difficult sell. Mix in smaller portions that you can’t share to raise the value, and Boardwalk is really not worth it.
Kid Factor — Is there entertainment for the young ones?: * * * * *
Have to admit, this is where the Boardwalk shines. You are right next to Paradise Pier, giving an excellent view of both the Roller Coaster and the Ferris Wheel. You can also sit near Goofy’s Sky School, giving the constant chatter of Goofy’s chuckling mingled with the excited screams of kids going down the racing track. Last, but not least, there’s a gazebo area where bands play regularly, giving a lot of entertainment for little ones and adults alike.

If you’re a fan of Sbarro or really craving «Italian-​American» style eats from a mall food court type, then this place should feed that fix. Walk through the automatic doors, wander back and forth between the cuisine stations in this spacious cafeteria, check out what seems most appealing from the plates on display, and put it on your tray.
We shared a Caesar salad and a couple of slices. The salad was a decent sized portion of fresh greens and familiar flavors. The chicken breast strips were good, but a couple of pieces had inedible cartilage. No bueno. Wifey said her pepperoni slice was ok and I had a slice of the Viva Navidad seasonal chorizo pizza. It was tasty. Pizza is good. Chorizo is good. Chorizo pizza is tasty. Nice crumbles of Mexican sausage throughout. It’s closer to a thin crust style, with more of a firmer, toasted crunchy texture. Not really a soft, doughy foldable slice if I’m making a NY comparison. We didn’t get pasta, but I don’t think we missed missed out on anything «molto fantastico» after reading some mixed reviews.
After you pay inside, it’s outdoor patio seating with umbrellas. Sometimes a Disney parade rolls through the boardwalk. Dining al fresco in southern California in January is still an option. Snowbirds know what’s up.