Credit: Disney ParksWhen Steakhouse 55, the iconic Disneyland Hotel restaurant, shut down in 2020 due to the Covid-19 pandemic, it was generally assumed it would re-open along with the rest of the park. Shockingly, it was announced that Steakhouse 55 was being closed permanently, and now we know what is being put in its place: not much in particular.
Credit: Disney
Steakhouse 55 was considered the trademark restaurant of the Disneyland Hotel and was located in the main building; it was opened in 2006 and replaced the older Granville’s Steak House, keeping a continuity of a white-tablecloth sit-down restaurant in that location.
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It was one of the most prestigious (read: expensive) restaurants in the Disneyland Resort and modeled after classic Old Hollywood eateries, which essentially means really big cuts of beef. At the very least, it was considered a little oasis of maturity and sophistication in the middle of the mostly child-oriented Resort
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Now, according to Twitter’s Scott Gustin, the former Steakhouse 55 is being replaced with a “flexible lounge space,” which basically makes us think of an all-purpose area with a bunch of couches around.
NEW: The former Steakhouse 55 at Disneyland Hotel is being converted into a flexible lounge space, which will sometimes operate as an extension of a seasonal bar. There are no plans to bring back Steakhouse 55. Work is set to begin today – including removal of the marquee. pic.twitter.com/KiXd2BeSUH
— Scott Gustin (@ScottGustin) July 31, 2023
Apparently, it will also occasionally be utilized as part of a seasonal bar, which especially makes it seem as though the former location of a legendary Disneyland Hotel attraction is now just a utility space.
It sounds like the Walt Disney Company is wasting no time in turning the former Steakhouse 55 into a lounge space, but does raise the question if this valuable hotel space cannot be used more appropriately (or efficiently) than as basically a place for tired parents to sit.
All Disney Parks around the world are constantly being refurbished and remodeled, with new attractions frequently replacing old ones. If Splash Mountain can be replaced by Tiana’s Bayou Replacement (for historically justifiable reasons, to be fair), what chance did Steakhouse 55 have?
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At the very least, California Adventure and Disneyland Paris are both getting some new eateries. That’s a small relief.
Will you miss Steakhouse 55? Let us know in the comments below!