Photo by Tony “WiseBearAZ” Moore, 2001

Get ready to dine dramatically! Step into ABC’s hot daytime dramas—Port Charles, All My Children, One Life to Live, and General Hospital. This table-service restaurant is just past the Hollywood Pictures Backlot Elephants.

Only, it’s not called the ABC Daytime Drama Bistro. It’s called the ABC Soap Opera Bistro. The term “soap opera” comes from the detergent manufacturers who sponsored daily serials about interconnected lives and loves, first on radio and then on television.

Photo by Allen Huffman, 2001

Sleek Streamline Moderne exterior

Photo by Tony “WiseBearAZ” Moore, 2001

Front door

Before you go inside, take a look at a menu to the left of the front door.

Photos by Tony “WiseBearAZ” Moore, 2001 (left), 2002 (right)

Dinner menu (left); lunch menu (right)

First, let’s look at dinner:

Opening day dinner menu, based on photo by Tony “WiseBearAZ” Moore, 2001

Now, here’s lunch:

Lunch menu, based on photo by Tony “WiseBearAZ” Moore, 2002

Did you enjoy the puns? California Adventure might be the “Punniest” Place on Earth. “Prime Thyme Roasted Chicken,” haha.

Give yourself extra points if you know who Erica, Tad, Asa, Nora, Vicki, and Bo are, and why particular menu items are named after them.

There’s also breakfast at the ABC Soap Opera Bistro. Here’s what the official park website says about it:

“Get your day off to a dramatic start at the ABC Soap Opera Bistro, which features a fabulous breakfast that includes a Main Affair entrée like Scammin’ Salmon, Bad Boy Banana Waffles and the I’ve Got the Blueberry Pancakes, and an all-you-can-eat selection of practically every other breakfast delicacy ever invented served right at your table.”

Regardless of when you eat, your table and dining room will be as dramatic as the food. If you think the menu is clever, wait until you see the dining rooms.

Photo by Allen Huffman, 2002

Host station

Step into the reception area. Here’s where people would wait for a table—except that there’s never a wait.

An ABC page will show you to your table.

Photo by Allen Huffman, 2002

General Hospital nurse station

Medical decor surrounds you as you dine at the General Hospital nurses’ station. The details are authentic and witty. Even the dining chairs are different throughout the various dining rooms. The chairs in the nurses’ station look like office chairs that you might find in a real hospital.

Photo by Allen Huffman, 2002

Dining accessories?

“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.

Photo by Allen Huffman, 2002

Clever X-rays above the General Hospital nurse station

Photo by Allen Huffman, 2002

Authentic General Hospital telephone at the nurse station

The servers are not just there to take your orders and serve your meals. They’re dressed as soap opera characters—such as a butler, candy-striper, orderly, doctor, or policeman—and they treat you as a character too.

Photos by Allen Huffman, 2001

Putting you in the middle of the action

Photo by Allen Huffman, 2002

Confrontation at the Llanview Country Club from One Life to Live

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.

Photo by Allen Huffman, 2001

Luke’s Night Club

Have a drink at Luke’s Night Club, just like characters in General Hospital. 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.

Photo by Allen Huffman, 2002

Kelly’s Diner

Photo by Tony “WiseBearAZ” Moore, 2001

Inside Kelly’s

Eat in a restaurant themed to look like a restaurant.

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

Photo by Tony “WiseBearAZ” Moore, 2001

Chandler Mansion Christmas decor

Photo by Allen Huffman, 2002

Chandler Mansion with guests

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. It’s always Christmas at the Chandler Mansion. Another dining room re-creates the Llanview Country Club from One Life to Live, complete with a wedding gazebo.

Photo by Tony “WiseBearAZ” Moore, 2001

Docks of Port Charles

After you finish dining, it’s time for shopping.

Photo by Allen Huffman, 2002

SoapLink, the gift shop at the ABC Soap Opera Bistro

Photo by Allen Huffman, 2001

Souvenir tee shirts

Buy a tee shirt or General Hospital scrubs at SoapLink, the Bistro’s store. It isn’t just a place to shop for logo merchandise. You can also buy one-of-a-kind items from actual soap operas, such as real costumes that were worn by soap opera stars.

Photo by Tony “WiseBearAZ” Moore, 2001

ABC Soap Opera Bistro at night for dinner

If you enjoyed your breakfast and lunch, end your ABC Soap Opera Bistro day with a big dinner and full bar service.

There are plenty of tables, and most of them are empty most of the time.

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 premiered on the ABC network on April 1, 1963, and celebrated its golden anniversary on April 1, 2013. The show continues to offer new episodes, even though soaps seem to have run their course. The restaurant that allowed guests to dine in re-created sets from General Hospital didn’t last nearly as long.

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 pricey, food. If you look at menus in this article, the prices don’t seem that bad—but remember that these menus are from 2001 and 2002. The atmosphere and improvisational actors/servers were fun, even for guests who never watched ABC daytime dramas—but it was best for those who did.

Historical postcard, from the photographic collection of the California State Library

ABC Radio studios on Vine Street in Hollywood

The façade of Soap Opera Bistro was based on the historical ABC Radio studios on Vine Street in Hollywood. (For more about it, see Real Buildings that Inspired Disney’s California Adventure, Part 1.)

The restaurant 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.

Photo by Werner Weiss, 2006

Playhouse Disney - Live on Stage!

On April 11, 2003, the former ABC Soap Opera Bistro reopened as Playhouse Disney - Live on Stage! The musical revue and interactive show was primarily for young children (and their parents) who were familiar with Bear, JoJo, and Stanley. Unfortunately, whoever designed the sign made no effort to fit in with the theme and era of the street.

Photo by Werner Weiss, 2006

Out-of-place sign on a street from the Golden Age of Hollywood

Photo by Werner Weiss, 2013

Disney Junior - Live on Stage!

Over the years, the show has been updated and renamed. Fortunately, the signage was also updated to match the style of the building and the era of the Red Car Trolley.

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Playhouse Disney Live Avalon Cove by Wolfgang Puck Home

© 2007-2017 Werner Weiss — Disclaimers, Copyright, and Trademarks

Updated February 17, 2017.