Popular Disneyland Spot Been Closed For Years Getting Replaced, Fans Not Impressed

Dirk Libbey
·3 min read
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Disneyland Hotel Sorcerer Hat
Disneyland Hotel Sorcerer Hat
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After Disneyland Resort shut down during the global pandemic, fans were, of course, at a loss. When the parks and associated locations finally began reopening more than a year later, it was slow going, with a lot of previous offerings still left unavailable. It wasn’t a shock when the Disneyland Hotel’s Steakhouse 55 didn’t immediately reopen, but it was a shock when fans were told that the high-end dining establishment would not reopen at all, but would instead be replaced.

Over the last three years, Steakhouse 55 has remained empty, but also no work on a replacement had ever commenced, giving many the slim hope that perhaps Disneyland had reserved course and decided to leave the restaurant as is. Unfortunately, today the hammer fell, as theme park reported Scott Gustin has announced that work is beginning today to dismantle Steakhouse 55.

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The end of the popular restaurant wouldn’t be the end of the world for everybody, if Disneyland announced something impressive that was taking over the space. Unfortunately, what’s taking over the space is essentially, nothing. As it is being transformed into what’s being called “flexible lounge space” that will, at some points, become seating for a seasonal bar. Needless to say, this is not the news fans had been hoping for. Several are responding on Twitter that they are less than thrilled with the change…

That seems…productive and great. 🙄

And to be fair, it is a somewhat surprising decision. Steakhouse 55 was a popular location, and the major “fine dining” restaurant at the Disneyland Hotel. As such, it almost certainly brought in a lot of money, which makes replacing it with something that largely won’t, a somewhat baffling choice. A lot of people want to have nice dinners at Disneyland and are willing to pay for it, but now there’s one less option…

…why?? Wasn’t this place like the only “nice” restaurant at the hotel?

While Steakhouse 55 had only been around since 2006, it paid homage to the beginning of Disneyland, which opened in 1955. As such, in addition to it being a nice steakhouse to have dinner, it also had a decor that included old photos of the park’s construction and early days, many of which included Walt Disney himself. For many, the decision to not reopen the location is just the latest in a series of bad food decisions at Disneyland Resort…

At some point @DisneyParks will stop making stupid decisions, right? Bring back 55 to #Disneyland! There's no other restaurant on property like it (and they've ruined Jazz Kitchen's decor & ambiance). :( Grrrr.

It’s also a little interesting to see Disneyland make the call to close its steakhouse when Walt Disney World just opened its version of Steakhouse 55, Steakhouse 71, after the pandemic shutdown. Of course, Disney World has also been known to close seemingly popular locations…

I’m used to WDW copying DLR but the other way around is interesting.

While there wasn’t much hope that Steakhouse 55 would be saved, what little hope their was is now gone, and the expectation of even more, that it would at least be replaced by another restaurant that would be as good, if not better, is now also gone. Maybe whatever plans the Disneyland Hotel has for seasonal bars will be enough to make this space feel useful.