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Former Disneyland Location Demolished and Torn Apart After Nearly 20 Years

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Posted on by Luke Dammann
A family of four, including two young children, interacts with Mickey Mouse in front of Sleeping Beauty Castle at Disneyland, each enjoying their Disney vacations at the Disney parks in California.

Credit: Disney

A once iconic location is being demolished by Disney.

Decorative blue entry arch bearing the "downtown disney" sign above a walkway leading to various shops and eateries, with people walking and green trees under a clear sky.
Credit: Drew Tarvin, Flickr

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While Disneyland may be one of the most classic and cherished theme parks in the world, Disney’s Southern California theme park resort has seen numerous changes in recent years.

From new rides and attractions like Mickey & Minnie’s Runaway Railway to entirely new lands like Avengers Campus, Disneyland and its sister park, Disney California Adventure, have only further cemented themselves as one of the country’s most beloved theme park destinations.

However, to make way for new, old must go out, with Disneyland now in the middle stages of demolishing a once-iconic location at Downtown Disney.

Disney Tears Down Tortilla Jo’s Walls Following Closure

Tortilla Jo's
Credit: Visit Anaheim

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The second-story walls of Tortilla Jo’s and Taqueria have been demolished as Disneyland continues its renovation project at Downtown Disney.

A once vibrant and bright Mexican restaurant, Tortilla Jo’s, closed permanently in March 2024 to make way for a new eatery called Arthur & Sons Steak and Bourbon and a new barbecue joint called Pearl’s Roadside BBQ. The former will be a table-service restaurant, and the latter will be a quick-service location.

Twitter/X user Jason shared a photo of the ongoing demolition of Tortilla Jo’s, revealing what the eatery currently looks like.

ICYMI: My picture post from Friday @ #Disneyland Resort featuring a check of the status of three #DowntownDisney Projects – Tortilla Jo’s Demolition, ESPN Zone conversion, and new Earl of Sandwich

My picture post from Friday @ #Disneyland Resort featuring a check of the status of three #DowntownDisney Projects – Tortilla Jo’s Demolition, ESPN Zone conversion, and new Earl of Sandwich

Tortilla Jo’s opened at Downtown Disney in 2004, marking a nearly 2o-year legacy for the defunct restaurant.

This is hardly the only project happening in Downtown Disney, with the outdoor shopping and dining center receiving some critical upgrades over the past several years. The same can be said about Disney Springs, Walt Disney World’s version of Downtown Disney, with the shopping hub seeing multiple locations both close and open in recent years.

This year is a big one for all of Disney’s theme parks, with the company using 2025 as a launching pad for one of the most significant transformations its resorts have ever seen. A record number of attractions are set to close permanently, with some already shutting their doors forever earlier this year.

Eventually, places like Magic Kingdom, Hollywood Studios, and the original Disneyland Park will feature new rides, attractions, and lands, as Disney prepares to take its theme parks into a bold new chapter.

Do you enjoy visiting Downtown Disney? Where is your favorite place to grab a bite to eat at Disneyland?

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Luke Dammann

When at Disney world, Luke will probably be found eating with his favorite animatronic, Sonny Eclipse at Cosmic Ray's Starlight Cafe. When not at Disney World, Luke will probably be found defending Cosmic Ray's Starlight Cafe to people who claim "there are better restaurants"

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