February 2001 – present
LOCATION
Frontierland – Rancho del Zocalo sits on the main path through Frontierland. If you enter Frontierland from Main Street USA, you’ll find this restaurant on the right, just beyond the Shootin’ Exposition. If you’re coming from New Orleans Square or Fantasyland, head toward Big Thunder Mountain Railroad. You’ll see the Rancho del Zocalo patio on the right of the roller coaster, so follow the patio around until you reach the entrance.
EXPERIENCE
Details:
- Service Type – quick service
- Seating – indoor dining room and enclosed outdoor patio
- Reservations – no
- Entertainment – periodic live music
- Menu
Rancho del Zocalo is Disneyland’s Mexican café. This open-air restaurant offers a selection of Mexican cuisine and desserts, served from a series of grilling stations. Diners can eat in either the adobe-style dining room, complete with mosaics and iron detailing, or in the semi-enclosed patio, where they can watch the nearby Thunder Mountain Railroad passing by or listen to periodic Mariachi performances.
MY RATING – ★★★★★
Rancho del Zocalo is one of my favorite restaurants in Disneyland. I’m not a huge Mexican food fan to begin with, but the food here is good, and the atmosphere is absolutely amazing. The restaurant is so much bigger than it appears from the outside, and its interior is gorgeous. The covered patios offer a unique view of Big Thunder Mountain Railroad, where you can see the train circle through the tiny mining town as it loops back to the loading area. If you’re looking for a quick service restaurant with good food and an even better atmosphere, give Rancho del Zocalo a try.
MY FAVORITES
- Steamboat Breakfast
- Citrus Fire-Grilled Chicken
- Trio of Street Tacos
- Tres Leches Cake
TRIVIA
Rancho del Zocalo replaced Casa Mexicana, a similar restaurant that was once sponsored by Frito.
The space now occupied by Rancho del Zocalo used to be part of Frontierland’s main square (hence the name…zocalo means “town square” in Spanish). If you look up at the windows overlooking the patio, you can still see the name of a building in the square: Mineral Hall.
Rancho del Zocalo has had two sponsors since its 2001 opening: Ortega, and its current sponsor, La Victoria.