Starbucks

March 2014 – present

LOCATION

Downtown Disney – Starbucks faces the front end of Downtown Disney, drawing in visitors coming from and going to the park gates. If you’re coming from either park, you’ll see it on the left side of the street, just after World of Disney.

EXPERIENCE

Details:

• Service Type – Quick Service
• Seating – Adjacent patio
• Reservations – no
• Entertainment – none

Downtown Disney’s Starbucks location offers coffees, teas, pastries, and a selection of mugs. Visitors order inside, and wait in a large open space with interactive features. The adjacent shaded patio offers views of Downtown Disney’s scenery, but most visitors take their items to go as they race off to the park gates.

MY RATING: ★★★☆☆

This location is a pretty typical Starbucks. They have a pretty extensive menu, plus some Disneyland and California Adventure mugs available for purchase. I docked two stars because the line is always pretty long, and it moves brutally slowly. In the morning, as visitors stream by from the hotels, this place is just out of control. But in the afternoon, it quiets down a bit and can actually be a really pleasant place to sit and relax with a drink.

MY FAVORITES

• Hot chocolate – I’m not a coffee drinker!

TRIVIA

Starbucks has its own hidden gem: a “living wall” by the patio, made of plants shaped like a coffee cup.

This is the first Starbucks location featuring an interactive touch screen. With the screen, you can navigate the story of Starbucks coffee and how the beans end up in your cup.