With the news of Trader Sam’s Grog Grotto coming to the revamped Disney’s Polynesian Village Resort next year (BEST NEWS EVER!), I thought I’d take a trip out to Disneyland and visit one of my favorite places, Trader Sam’s Enchanted Tiki Bar. This was a must do for me when I visited Disneyland for the first time last year. I had heard it was like a combination of the Tambu Lounge and the old Adventurer’s Club, both favorite spots of mine in Walt Disney World.
Located in the Disneyland Hotel, this adventurous watering hole is the home of Trader Sam, head salesman of the Amazon Jungle. You may know him from a little attraction called the Jungle Cruise… Anyway, after decades of traveling through the jungle, Sam has collected tons of artifacts and perfected the art of mixology. He’s now set up shop and one of the most unique and entertaining lounges was born! We set up camp here for quite some time on a hot afternoon and just had a great day. It is small, dark and full of adventure!
Wait…are we in the South Pacific?? Sure looks like it… It’s amazing how you feel completely transported to another place! And it’s not just the atmosphere that does that, but the food & drinks fit right in. The menus are so unique and SO delicious! Let’s start with some cocktails…
Hands down, our favorite drink was Ginger’s Pear-adise. This is pear vodka, ginger liquor, organic agave nectar and fresh lime juice served straight up with cherries. This is so good, it’s dangerous!
Make sure to ask for extra cherries, then let them sit and marinate in your drink 😉
I also tried the Shrunken Zombie Head. I mean, Sam is known for shrinking heads so it only seemed right. This is reserve and aged rums, tropical juices, falernum and cinnamon. You can get this in a regular glass OR in a souvenir shrunken zombie head. That’s an obvious choice, no?
This was good, but a little too sweet for my taste. However I was a big fan of the twisty straw it came with. Oh and speaking of souvenir mugs…they have various limited edition mugs that you can buy! They are all really cool and I almost bought them all, but the zombie is the only one that made it back to CT.
Like beer? Watch out because whenever you order something from the tap, it angers the gods a bit…
After a cocktail, some snacks are definitely in order and Trader Sam’s doesn’t just offer your typical bar fare. The menu is awesome!
We had eaten lunch not to long before that, but I knew I had to try the Fish Tacos. O.M.G. These were SO GOOD! I mean, I’ve never really met a taco that I didn’t, but these were fantastic.
Next time I think I’m going to try the Ahi Poke and the Kalua Pork Flatbred…YUM!
The bartenders are really fun and have a great time with all of the guests. I think I might have mentioned that I really liked the bendy straw…so I got a bunch of them with my water.
Don’t be surprised if you get sprayed with lava when someone orders the famous Uh Oa…Watch Out!
Yes, he’s shrinking! A few of the chair around the bar actually shrink while you are sitting there. At first you start to wonder if you’ve had too much to drink, but no, it’s just the fun bartenders playing a trick on you…
I just LOVE this place! It is so much fun and the news that it is coming to Walt Disney World just made my day!! Now, I just need to convince B that we need to get points at the new Polynesian DVC Resort so we can just stumble back to our bungalow 🙂
Have you been to Trader Sam’s? Are you excited it is coming to Walt Disney World?
Fish tacos are my favorite!! I’ve never been here, but it looks freakin’ awesome! Did they mention when it will open officially in WDW?
No official date that I’ve seen yet…just some time in 2015. It will probably coincide with the Ply DVC opening.
Wow, that looks like a fun tiki bar if I’ve ever seen one. The food menu looks pretty good too!