July 1955 – August 1997
LOCATION
Main Street USA – The Plaza Pavilion stood at the corner of Main Street, next to the Adventureland entrance. Today, this space houses the Jolly Holiday Bakery Café.
EXPERIENCE
Details:
- Service Type – quick service
- Seating – outdoor patio
- Entertainment – none
The Plaza Pavilion was a casual restaurant with a large comfort food menu. Diners purchased meals inside, and then could sit at one of two patios: the Adventureland side or the Main Street USA side. The Tomorrowland patio overlooked the Jungle Cruise, and the Main Street patio faced the castle and central hub. Eventually, the Adventureland patio became a separate restaurant (Tahitian Terrace), and the Main Street patio became the only dining area.
CLOSURE
Over time, the more ornately decorated Plaza Inn restaurant became much more popular than the Plaza Pavilion. Rather than have two competing restaurants in one area, Disney decided to close the Pavilion. But Disney didn’t have any plans for the building, and the space remained massively underutilized for over a decade.
For a while, the Pavilion building was used as an annual pass holder service center, and then a guest resource center. Finally, in 2011, the building closed to become the Jolly Holiday Bakery Café. Today, the central hub once again has two different restaurants, and both seem to be quite popular among park visitors.
TRIVIA
In its later years, the Plaza Pavilion had an official sponsor: Contadina, a subsidiary of the Carnation Company.
When the space was an annual pass holder service center, the patio hosted a cookie-making activity for children.
I worked at the Plaza Pavilion from 1969-1971. It was fun,but a lot of work, especially after it closed for the day. Polishing all that brass,and chrome. I worked on the line making sandwiches to order,and also as a ” runner” keeping a line( we had two lines) supplied. They would sometimes have a competition to see which line could serve the most in an hour. My line ALWAYS won. I worked the evening to closing shift. We could hear the shows from the Tahitian Terrace.
I worked at the Plaza Pavilion ’72-75 while in college…I wish I had stayed on. It was the best job I ever had..mostly because I just loved where I worked… Disneyland! At the time the main kitchen also served as main kitchen for Tahitian Terrace .
That kitchen smelled so good..most of the time..
At 67 I still love and will go back to DL ASAP…
Thanks for this history
RJones
Many thanks for this. My favorite restaurant in the Disneyland park. Regards
Thanks, Strona! Plaza Pavilion is definitely a historic restaurant in Disneyland 🙂 I’m glad you like it!