December 2002 – January 2018
LOCATION
Paradise Pier – Ariel’s Grotto stuck out, as it was the only restaurant to actually extend into Paradise Bay. To reach the entrance of the restaurant, visitors walked along the bridge to Paradise Pier, next to Pacific Wharf. The entryway was on the right of the bridge, before the walkway wound down to California Screamin’.
EXPERIENCE
Details:
- Service Type – Table service
- Seating – Indoor dining room & outdoor patio
- Entertainment – Character meet & greets
In its first few years of operation, Ariel’s Grotto served a higher-end menu than most restaurants in California Adventure. But when World of Color opened in 2010, Ariel’s Grotto shifted gears. For breakfast and lunch, visitors could dine with their favorite princesses. At dinnertime, the Grotto had a special prix fixe menu as part of a World of Color Dining package. Each diner received a fast pass for the nighttime show, with access to a premium viewing location.
CLOSURE
In the summer of 2017, Disneyland announced plans to transform the rear section of Paradise Pier into a new land: Pixar Pier. As part of this transformation, Ariel’s Grotto would close to make room for a new Pixar-themed restaurant and lounge. Ariel’s Grotto hosted its last princess lunch in January 2018, and construction on the new land began the next day.
TRIVIA
For the first six months of California Adventure’s operation, this restaurant was a fine dining restaurant called Avalon Cove by Wolfgang Puck.
In the mid-2000s, Ariel’s roof changed from a muted blue to bright red.
The Cove Bar, which began as part of Avalon Cove, survived even after the original restaurant closed. The Cove Bar quickly became one of the most popular dining spots in the entire resort.