Welcome to the ABC Soap Opera Bistro. Here’s your chance to dine within re-created sets from popular ABC soap operas—Port Charles, All My Children, One Life to Live, and General Hospital.

Step into the reception area. An ABC page will show you to your table.

Let’s look at the lunch menu...

If you think the menu is clever, wait until you see the dining rooms.

The details are authentic and witty. Even the dining chairs are different throughout the different dining rooms. The chairs in the nurses’ station look like office chairs that you might find in a real hospital.

“Please pass the salt and a tongue depressor.” Sorry; the tongue depressors are just props, and you can’t remove the lids from the containers.

The servers are not just there to take your orders and serve your meals. They’re dressed as soap opera characters—such a butler, candy-striper, orderly, doctor, or policeman—and they treat you as a character too. You’re part of the intrigue and scandal that form the plots of daytime dramas. You might be accused of embezzling money or being someone’s mistress—or both. Maybe you’ll be addressed as the Chief of Surgery, and be called upon to make important decisions.

Ex-mobster Luke—that’s Lucas Lorenzo Spencer—of General Hospital is the co-owner of Luke’s Night Club. It’s not just one of the hot spots in the fictional town of Port Charles, it’s also a real bar in the ABC Soap Opera Bistro.

Luke Spencer is also a co-owner of Kelly’s Diner, another dining room in the ABC Soap Opera Bistro.

There’s more to the ABC Soap Opera Bistro than just General Hospital. A portrait of Adam Chandler watches over the dining room based on the Chandler Mansion from All My Children. Another dining room re-creates the Llanview Country Club from One Life to Live, complete with a wedding gazebo.

SoapLink, the gift shop at the ABC Soap Opera Bistro, isn’t just a place to buy logo merchandise. You can also buy one-of-kind items from actual soap operas, such as real costumes that were worn by soap opera stars.

The Soap Opera Bistro is open all day. Start the day with a delicious breakfast with fresh fruit. End the day with a big dinner and full bar service. There are plenty of tables, and most of them are empty most of time.

The ABC Soap Opera Bistro opened to the public on February 8, 2001, the official opening day of Disney’s California Adventure. One day earlier, stars from the ABC series Port Charles, All My Children, One Life to Live, and General Hospital participated in a grand opening ceremony for the press.

General Hospital, which premiered on the ABC network on April 1, 1963, has lasted for over forty years. The restaurant that allowed guests to dine in re-created sets from General Hospital and other soap operas didn’t last nearly as long. The ABC Soap Opera Bistro closed permanently on November 3, 2002, after struggling for 21 months.

The ABC Soap Opera Bistro had a reputation for good, if somewhat pricey, food. The atmosphere was fun, even for guests who never watched soap operas— although it was more fun for soap opera fans for whom the re-created sets meant something.

It was an attempt at synergy between The Walt Disney Company’s ABC television network and Disney’s newest theme park. But Disney’s California Adventure opened with too much dining capacity and too few attractions for children.

On April 11, 2003, the former ABC Soup Opera Bistro reopened as Playhouse Disney - Live on Stage! This musical revue and interactive show is primarily for young children (and their parents) who know who Bear, JoJo, Stanley are.

It’s no longer a restaurant.

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© 2007 Werner Weiss — Disclaimers, Copyright, and Trademarks

Last updated June 15, 2007.

Photograph of ABC Soap Opera Bistro exterior: 2002 by Werner Weiss.
Photograph of ABC Soap Opera Bistro reception area: 2001 by Allen Huffman.
Photograph of ABC Soap Opera Bistro nurses’ station: 2001 by Allen Huffman.
Photograph of ABC Soap Opera Bistro nurses’ station detail: 2002 by Allen Huffman.
Photograph of ABC Soap Opera Bistro staff playing characters: 2002 by Allen Huffman.
Photograph of Luke’s Night Club at the ABC Soap Opera Bistro: 2002 by Allen Huffman.
Photograph of Kelly’s Diner at the ABC Soap Opera Bistro: 2002 by Allen Huffman.
Photograph of the Chandler Mansion at the ABC Soap Opera Bistro: 2002 by Allen Huffman.
Photograph of tee shirts at the ABC Soap Opera Bistro: 2002 by Allen Huffman.
Photograph of ABC Soap Opera Bistro at night: 2001 by Allen Huffman.
Photograph of ABC Soap Opera Bistro: 2006 by Werner Weiss.