If you want breakfast at Downtown Disney before heading into Disneyland, you currently have several good options ranging from coffee and breakfast sandwiches to burritos, chilaquiles and a full sit-down breakfast. Parkside Market Coffee and Starbucks are useful for early mornings, while Naples is the better fit when you actually want to sit down for breakfast.
This guide covers the Downtown Disney District at Disneyland Resort in Anaheim, not Disney Springs at Walt Disney World. If you are still planning the rest of your visit, our main Downtown Disney guide covers the district beyond breakfast.
One warning before you start looking at older recommendations online: La Brea Bakery and Catal Restaurant are no longer open. Downtown Disney’s restaurant lineup has changed considerably, so an older breakfast list can send you looking for restaurants that disappeared years ago.
Downtown Disney breakfast options compared
| Breakfast spot | Best for | Current morning opening |
|---|---|---|
| Parkside Market Coffee | Coffee and quick breakfast | 7:00 AM |
| Starbucks | Fast, familiar breakfast | 7:00 AM |
| Earl of Sandwich | Quick-service breakfast | 8:00 AM |
| Tiendita | Breakfast burritos and chilaquiles | 8:00 AM |
| Naples Ristorante e Bar | Sit-down breakfast | 8:00 AM |
| Beignets Expressed | Sweet morning snack | 9:00 AM |
Restaurant hours can change, particularly around holidays and special events, so check Disneyland’s current Downtown Disney dining listings before relying on an opening time.
You can also see where these restaurants sit in relation to the parks and hotels on our Downtown Disney map.
Parkside Market Coffee is one of the earliest options
Parkside Market Coffee is one of the most useful additions to Downtown Disney for anyone looking for an actual morning meal rather than waiting until lunch restaurants start opening.
Disney currently lists it as opening at 7:00 AM. The breakfast menu goes beyond coffee and pastries, with items such as a bacon, egg and cheese sandwich, the Chicken & the Egg sandwich, cinnamon rolls and a plant-based breakfast sandwich.
This is particularly convenient if you are approaching Downtown Disney from the western side of the district or staying near the Disneyland Hotel. Parkside Market is located on the West End of Downtown Disney, so pay attention to where you are entering rather than assuming every breakfast restaurant is equally close to the park gates.
If you’re unfamiliar with the layout, our guide to getting to Downtown Disney explains the main approaches by car, walking and rideshare.
Tiendita has one of the most substantial quick breakfasts
Tiendita is a better choice when you want something more substantial than coffee and a pastry but do not want to spend your morning on a long table-service meal.
The current breakfast menu includes breakfast burritos with options such as egg and cheese, chorizo, carne asada and pork. There are also breakfast quesadillas, chilaquiles and a lighter yogurt parfait.
That variety makes Tiendita especially useful for a group where one person wants a full hot breakfast and someone else wants something fairly simple. It currently opens at 8:00 AM, so whether it makes sense before Disneyland depends on the park schedule for your particular day.
Naples is the Downtown Disney choice for a sit-down breakfast
If breakfast itself is part of the morning rather than something you want to finish as quickly as possible, look at Naples Ristorante e Bar.
Naples currently serves breakfast from 8:00 AM until 10:55 AM. The menu includes dishes such as avocado toast, banana French toast and a breakfast burrito, giving you a more traditional breakfast experience than the coffee shops and grab-and-go counters.
The tradeoff is time. A table-service breakfast is not the option I would choose immediately before a serious rope-drop morning. If getting onto popular attractions with lower waits is the priority, read our Disneyland rope drop tips before committing an hour of your morning to breakfast.
Naples makes more sense when you are not rushing into a park, when you have a later start, or when Downtown Disney itself is part of the day’s plans.
Earl of Sandwich works when speed matters
Earl of Sandwich is another practical Downtown Disney breakfast option, particularly when you want something portable.
Disney currently categorizes Earl of Sandwich as a breakfast restaurant and lists an 8:00 AM opening. The restaurant has moved around Downtown Disney over the years, so travelers returning after a previous Disneyland trip should not necessarily expect to find it where they remember it.
Its main advantage is the format. A quick-service meal is easier to fit into an active Disneyland morning than a restaurant where you are waiting for a table, ordering and then waiting for the check.
For even more dining choices later in the day, the project has a complete list of Downtown Disney restaurants rather than trying to stretch non-breakfast restaurants into this guide.
Starbucks is still the easiest familiar option
Sometimes the best breakfast before a theme park is simply the option you already know.
The Downtown Disney Starbucks currently opens at 7:00 AM and serves the drinks, baked goods and breakfast items you would expect from Starbucks. It is not the most distinctive meal at Disneyland Resort, but predictability can be useful when you are trying to keep the morning moving.
If you’re going directly into a park afterward, compare Downtown Disney with the separate guides to breakfast inside Disneyland and breakfast inside Disney California Adventure. Depending on the park opening time, waiting until you’re inside may make more sense.
Beignets Expressed works better as a treat than a full breakfast
Beignets Expressed is worth knowing about, but I would put it in a different category from Naples, Tiendita or Earl of Sandwich.
It currently opens at 9:00 AM and specializes in New Orleans-style beignets, including classic powdered-sugar versions and specialty glazed varieties. Pairing beignets with coffee can work for a light morning bite, but this is primarily a treat rather than a complete breakfast.
For someone spending the morning in Downtown Disney without entering the parks, however, 9:00 AM is much less of a problem. You can grab beignets and continue into the district without worrying about losing valuable early park time.
What is the best Downtown Disney breakfast before rope drop?
If your goal is getting into Disneyland or California Adventure as early as possible, I would keep breakfast simple.
Parkside Market Coffee and Starbucks are currently the earliest Downtown Disney options on this list, opening at 7:00 AM. But location matters too. Walking across the entire district for a particular breakfast sandwich can defeat the purpose of choosing a quick meal.
Check the park opening time first, figure out which direction you will be approaching from and work backward. Downtown Disney is compact compared with a theme park, but the minutes add up when security lines and park entry are involved.
If getting on rides is more important than eating before entry, it may be smarter to enter the park first and eat afterward. The decision is different if you’re having a relaxed day without a park ticket.
You don’t need a Disneyland ticket to eat breakfast here
Downtown Disney is outside Disneyland Park and Disney California Adventure, so you do not need theme park admission simply to visit its restaurants and shops.
That makes these breakfast spots useful on arrival days, departure mornings and non-park days. Our guide to whether Downtown Disney is free explains which parts of a visit can still cost money even though admission to the district itself is not a theme park ticketed experience.
If breakfast is just the beginning of a non-park day, there are also plenty of things to do at Downtown Disney and a separate guide to Downtown Disney shopping.
What if you want breakfast near Downtown Disney instead?
You are not limited to restaurants physically inside Downtown Disney.
The Disneyland Hotel and Disney’s Grand Californian Hotel & Spa both have additional morning dining nearby, and there are many hotels and restaurants within walking distance of the resort.
If you’re choosing lodging partly around your morning routine, compare the hotels closest to Downtown Disney. Budget-conscious travelers should also look at hotels near Disneyland with free breakfast, since an included hotel breakfast can save both money and time over several park days.
Guests considering an official Disney hotel can also read whether the Disneyland Hotel includes breakfast before assuming the room rate covers a morning meal.
Parking just for breakfast can get expensive
If you’re driving to Downtown Disney solely for breakfast, check the parking rules before you arrive. Downtown Disney parking is not simply unlimited free parking because you bought coffee or breakfast.
Read our current guide to Downtown Disney parking for the basic rates and rules, then check how Downtown Disney parking validation works if you plan to eat or shop in the district.
This matters more than it might seem. A breakfast that looks reasonably priced can become considerably less attractive once parking is added.
A simple way to choose where to eat
There isn’t one Downtown Disney breakfast restaurant that makes sense for every morning. Choose based on what happens immediately after you eat.
- Heading to the parks early: favor an early, quick option such as Parkside Market Coffee or Starbucks.
- Want a filling quick-service meal: look at Tiendita or Earl of Sandwich.
- Want to sit down and enjoy breakfast: Naples is the stronger fit.
- Want something sweet later in the morning: Beignets Expressed makes more sense as a treat.
- Not visiting a park: choose based on the food rather than worrying about rope-drop timing.
And because Downtown Disney dining continues to change, check current hours before your trip rather than relying on a restaurant list from several years ago. If you’re making an entire morning or evening out of the district, our guide to Downtown Disney hours and closing times can help you plan the rest of the visit.
