Review: Gordon Ramsey at The Carnaby is the Restaurant Downtown Disney has Been Missing

There are so many places to eat at the Disneyland Resort that when a new one comes along, it really needs to do something special to stand out. Luckily, Gordon Ramsey at The Carnaby stands out thanks to its name alone.

You don't need to be a foodie for the name Gordon Ramsey to mean something to you. He's hosted so many shows about food on television that it's unlikely you haven't seen him somewhere. He has so many different restaurants in so many places there's a decent chance you've already eaten at one of them. But one place he's never had a restaurant before is a Disney property.

The first Gordon Ramsey restaurant at Disney Parks is also the first of its kind from Gordon Ramsey. The Carnaby has a 1960s British vibe complete with pop music posters and psychedelic colors decorating everything. The placemat alone is a wild collage of colors and images, including one that is actually Gordon Ramsey himself, at the age he was during the era in question.

Getting a reservation to The Carnaby is a somewhat tall order right now, but I was able to snag a table recently and decided to take full advantage. I checked in for a late meal and scored a table on the outdoor patio. And as it turns out, it’s a decent spot to catch Disneyland’s fireworks while having dinner. An added benefit.

My first thought after getting a look and feel for the ambiance of The Carnaby is that it’s a perfect fit for Disneyland Resort, and Downtown Disney specifically. While its arguably the most upscale restaurant at Downtown Disney, it still has a casual vibe. The majority of visitors are going to be people on vacation, who are dressed that way, and they won’t feel underdressed walking in. If you're looking for a "special" meal while visiting Disneyland, but aren't necessarily dressed for it, you're covered here. That said, if you want to take things up a notch and dress a little nicer you won’t feel out of place either.

The menu is equally flexible. While there are some high end offerings if you want to splurge, you can also get solid comfort food like bangers & mash, or a burger or fish & chips.

I started my evening with a cocktail, on the advice of the hostess I chose the Clarified Pineapple & Jalapeño Margarita, which was exactly what I was looking for in a drink that blends sweet and spicy quite nicely. I sipped this while watching the aforementioned fireworks, and I can't think of a nicer way to do that.

The same could be said for the Salt & Pepper Squid which I chose as an appetizer. Served with a lime and coriander aioli, this elevated calamari dish worked well for me solo, but would have also been great as something a small group shares. 

When it came to my entree I thought long and hard about what to get. To be clear, I paid for this dinner, which meant that the Gordon Ramsey classic Beef Wellington, at $73, was a somewhat eye watering price. However, as a fan of MasterChef who has seen the dish on TV more times than I can count. Not knowing when I’d ever find myself back at the Carnaby, I took the plunge.

I’m certainly glad that I did. Gordon Ramsey’s Beef Wellington is one of the dishes that put him on the map as a chef, and while (as far as I know) he wasn’t the one that prepared it for me, it’s now completely understandable why the dish has the reputation that it does. 

The meat was juicy, and the puff pastry was crispy, and all of it tasted even better with the red wine demi glaze. Eating the Wellington one realizes why the majority of the Carnaby’s appetizers are probably on the light side, as it was quite a bit of food. I’m glad I went in hungry. Considering the price point, you’re going to want to eat the whole thing out of principal.

Following the famous Gordon Ramsey Beef Wellington there is really one option for dessert, the equally famous Gordon Ramsey Sticky Toffee Pudding. As decadent desserts go, I’ve had few that were more decadent than this one. The date cake and caramel sauce were quite rich, but the creaminess of the vanilla ice cream balances it all quite well. 

Even if you’re not eating the most expensive entree on the menu at Gordon Ramsey at The Carnaby, it's not likely to be the cheapest meal at the Disneyland Resort you have. It isn’t quite “fine dining” at the level of the Napa Rose, but it doesn't need to be because we already have that. What Downtown Disney had been missing was that step between Napa Rose and and the purely casual locations.

There are plenty of places to get good food at Downtown Disney but there just isn't anything else like Gordon Ramsey at the Carnaby, and that fact alone makes it a worthy addition to the resort. Sometimes you want to take a pause from a busy theme park day and really enjoy a meal, and when you do, you want that meal to be worth it. This one was.