Photo by Roger J. Runck, 1964, courtesy of Robin Runck

The Tahitian Terrace Restaurant in Yester-Adventureland is your gateway to the islands of Tahiti, Samoa, and Hawai‘i.

This is a popular place. There are no reservations. Timing is important. There are scheduled show times, so you might want to ask in the afternoon when the best times are to return in the evening.

Photo by Gene Spesard, 1979, via Flickr (CC BY 2.0) (modified)

To the right of the exit from Walt Disney’s Enchanted Tiki Room

Photo by Chris Bales, 1990

To the left of the exit from the Jungle Cruise

Photos by Chris Bales, 1990

Portal to Polynesia

Don’t be surprised if there’s a wait before you’re seated. When it’s your turn, you’ll be shown to a table beneath a constantly blooming 35-foot tree. It’s a faux tree with faux flowers.

Photo by Roger J. Runck, 1964, courtesy of Robin Runck

All seating outdoors

Your menu offers a selection of dishes inspired by the South Pacific, but first turn to the back of the menu for the story of this exotic restaurant:

Welcome to the wondrous realm of Polynesia… the Tahitian Terrace! Here Walt Disney has opened wide the portals to an enchanting island world across the blue Pacific… a world of romance, beauty and exciting entertainment!

Towering high above you is an amazing tree, a tree that grew (in less than a year) to a height of 35 feet through a secret formula of Walt Disney and his “Imagineers”! The branches of this “species Disneydendron” are laden with more than 14,075 hand-grafted leaves and fiery-colored flowers that bloom perpetually. Today this tree is Disneyland’s second largest of this rare, unnatural species, exceeded only by the Swiss Family Treehouse.

Nestled beneath the tumbling waterfall is a matchless stage setting… a stage whose “curtain” is a cascade of water, and whose “footlights” are a leaping flame of fire burning in the water itself! For your summer evening entertainment, the falls magically draw aside… and out from behind the waters, sarong-clad natives appear to perform the swaying rhythms and amazing rituals of the islands… the hypnotic bare-foot fire walk and thrilling fire-knife dance, and the traditional grass-skirted “twist” of Samoa, Tahiti and Hawaii. (The dedicated student will note how the story-telling technique varies from island to island… here a hip movement, there the entire torso.)

May you enjoy dining, dancing and watching our show (every Summer evening except Sunday) in this unique amphitheatre, Disneyland’s Tahitian Terrace!

Now turn back to the other side. It’s time to decide what to order. Many people consider this to be the best food in the park.

How about the “Montea Kristo Ai - Mama”? Read it out loud, and you’ll figure out it’s a sandwich with sliced breast of turkey, choice ham, and cheese, dipped in egg batter and fried to a golden brown. It’s served with a compote of seasonal fruit. The price is $2.75.

“Ia‘ko Lau” is a pineapple boat filled with turkey salad, garnished with sliced orange, shredded coconut, and almonds. It’s also $2.75. What could be more Hawaiian than a pineapple boat?

The Tahitian Terrace specialty is the “Kaulana O Kahiki Lanai Hona Papa Kuikawa,” a tasty combo with barbecued pork back ribs, crisp fried shrimp tempura style, Polynesian vegetables, and Cantonese rice. It’s $3.25. Don’t be intimidated by the name. Just ask for the “Tahitian Terrace specialty.”

If you want to splurge on the most expensive item on the menu, go for the “Haunaele Teriyaki I‘o Koa, Ia.” That’s a top sirloin steak, marinated in teriyaki sauce, and served with Polynesian vegetables, Cantonese rice, and fresh pineapple. Yum. The price is a whopping $3.95.

Be sure to order a Planters Punch Tahitian. It comes in a tall cylindrical glass with little orchid. There’s no rum in the punch, just a delicious blend of tropical fruit juices.

Your dinner was great. Which dessert is more appealing? The “Niu Painaapala Hau Aikalima” (coconut pineapple ice cream) or the “Tahitian Anuenue Aikalima” (Tahitian rainbow ice cream)? Either is 70 cents.

As you finish your dessert, the waterfall curtain parts. On with the Polynesian Revue!

Photo by Hal Schultz, 1970, courtesy of Jason Schultz

Men making music, women dancing

Photo by Hal Schultz, 1970, courtesy of Jason Schultz

Costume changes reflecting various Polynesian islands

The musicians fill the warm evening air with island rhythms. With graceful hip and hand movements, the dancers give you a tour of Polynesia. To add to the authenticity, the dancers emerge from backstage wearing sarongs, grass skirts, or other traditional garments, as appropriate for each island.

The lights dim for men who perform the daring barefoot firewalk and the exciting fire-knife dance. Flames leap from water. Wow! Good show.

You undoubtedly enjoyed the dinner and show, so consider lunch the next time you’re in the park.

© Walt Disney Productions

Luncheon menu

On the luncheon menu, the items cost less and their names are more straightforward. There’s not the Polynesian Revue, but the exotic setting still makes you feel as if you’re on an island in the middle of the Pacific Ocean.

Aloha!

Tahitian Terrace Restaurant opened in June 1962 at Disneyland. It was constructed as part of the project that also brought Walt Disney’s Enchanted Tiki Room to the park.

The space that became the Tahitian Terrace had originally been the dining patio of the Plaza Pavilion, which oddly straddled two lands. Guests would enter the Victorian-style eatery from the Main Street U.S.A. hub, order their food from Hawaiian-style counters inside, and seat themselves at the Adventureland patio overlooking the Jungle Cruise boats returning from the rivers of Africa and Southeast Asia.

The changes in 1962 were a big improvement.

For over 30 years, Disneyland guests enjoyed food and entertainment inspired by the islands of Polynesia. The restaurant and show operated during the summer and on busier weekends.

Originally, the sponsor of the Tahitian Terrace was Stouffer Foods, which also sponsored the Plaza Pavilion. A later sponsor was Kikkoman, a Japan-based food company best known for soy sauce.

Tahitian Terrace closed permanently on April 17, 1993. After and Arabian overlay Aladdin’s Oasis opened in its place on July 2, 1993. It must have seemed like a good business decision at the time, but Aladdin’s dinner show only lasted two seasons.

Photos by Chris Bales, 2022

Tropical Hideaway patio

Photos by Chris Bales, 2022

Expanded Dole Whip menu

The former Tahitian Terrace is now The Tropical Hideaway, which opened Dec. 21, 2018. Guests once again order at Hawaiian-style counters (but not inside the Plaza Pavilion building) and seat themselves at a patio overlooking Jungle Cruise boats returning to their dock. With a menu of ever-popular Dole Whips, Chinese bau buns, and Filipino lumpia, The Tropical Hideaway is a relaxing place to escape from Disneyland crowds and refuel before heading back out for more rides.

Photos by Werner Weiss, 2019

Tahitian Terrace Restaurant at Hong Kong Disneyland

Disneyland still has a Tahitian Terrace—only it’s Hong Kong Disneyland. The Halal-certified counter-service eatery doesn’t offer a dinner show, but the Imagineers borrowed heavily for the California original, with excellent results.

If you really want to see what Disney can do with a Polynesian theme, there’s Disney’s Polynesian Village Resort at Walt Disney World. Alas, it no longer has its Spirit of Aloha dinner show. And then there’s Aulani, a Disney Resort & Spa in Ko Olina, Hawai‘i, one of the island nations of Polynesia.

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© 2023 Werner Weiss — Disclaimers, Copyright, and Trademarks

Any photos used under Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike licensing may be reused under the same license as the original. Larger, higher-resolution versions of such images, without the Yesterland watermark, are available at Wikimedia Commons and/or Flickr.

Updated July 14, 2023