Princess Tiana's new restaurant in Disneyland features New Orleans classics
Add Axios as your preferred source to
see more of our stories on Google.
Princess Tiana was in New Orleans earlier this year for an event at Preservation Hall. Photo: Carlie Kollath Wells/Axios
Princess Tiana's new restaurant in Disneyland has unveiled its menu, and it features the New Orleans hometown classics of the "The Princess and the Frog" star.
Why it matters: Princess Tiana is largely inspired by New Orleans chef Leah Chase. Her family has been actively involved in the creative process with Disney as the company expands Tiana's presence in the parks.
- Tiana was Disney's first Black princess and broke barriers, much like Chase did with her restaurant, especially during the Civil Rights Movement.
Driving the news: Tiana's Palace is opening Sept. 7 in New Orleans Square in Disneyland in California, and the menu will "pay homage to the cuisine of the Crescent City," Disney says.
- The new food items announced this week include beignets, gumbo with andouille and chicken, red beans and rice, shrimp and grits, a roast beef poboy and a muffuletta.
Zoom in: Some of the descriptions are a little weird ("olive relish" instead of olive salad on a muffuletta), but overall the dishes seem OK for New Orleans food outside of New Orleans.
- One of the dishes, a seven greens gumbo, appears to be a riff on Chase's famous gumbo z'herbes, which uses nine types of greens.
- The beignets are stuffed with lemon icebox pie filling and topped with lemon glaze, Disney says.
Big picture: Disney also is converting Splash Mountain into Tiana's Bayou Adventure in California, and Florida and making it a "love letter to New Orleans."
- "Bayou Adventure" will still be a log-flume ride, complete with the famous payoff splashdowns.
- The ride will have a new theme song written by New Orleans native PJ Morton.
Worth noting: Walt Disney World in Orlando does not have a Tiana-themed restaurant, and executives earlier this summer were mum when asked if beignets or other New Orleans-themed food might be added as part of the plans.
What's next: The new rides are expected to open in Florida and California late next year.
Read more: