Steakhouse 55 in the Disneyland Hotel was an old Hollywood-inspired steakhouse with old-school waiters, dirty martinis and bone-in rib eyes. The restaurant has closed permanently and Disney is exploring how to use the space. (File photo by Cindy Yamanaka, Orange County Register/SCNG)
Disneyland plans to turn a dimly lit and lavishly decadent Old Hollywood-style hotel restaurant that was home for decades to an upscale steakhouse steeped in Disney history into a seasonal bar and lounge with a lighter and brighter design.
The former Steakhouse 55 restaurant will be converted into a flexible lounge space that will occasionally serve as an extension of a seasonal bar to accommodate more guests during peak periods, according to Disneyland officials.
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Disneyland has not yet announced names or opening dates for the new lounge space and seasonal bar at the Disneyland Hotel.
Walt Disney Imagineering has been exploring new options for the former Steakhouse 55 restaurant since January.
The refreshed space will feel lighter, brighter and more cohesive with the rest of the hotel lobby, according to Disneyland officials.
Steakhouse 55 permanently closed in July 2021 during the phased reopening of eateries, shops and attractions at the Disneyland resort following the yearlong COVID-19 closure of the Anaheim theme parks.
Fans of the Disneyland steakhouse cheered a few months later when the high-end restaurant concept was revived at Walt Disney World in Florida.
Steakhouse 71 opened in October 2021 at Disney’s Contemporary Resort during the kick off of the 50th anniversary celebrating the 1971 debut of the Magic Kingdom.
The clubby and pricey Steakhouse 55 opened in 2006 at the Disneyland Hotel with an elegant Old Hollywood atmosphere. Steakhouse 55 replaced Granville’s Steak House, which opened in 1983. The 55 in the steakhouse name refers to the 1955 opening date of the Disneyland theme park.
The dimly lit and dark wood appointed Disneyland Hotel steakhouse promised to take diners back to a bygone era of lavish decadence and Old Hollywood glamor.
An Orange County Register restaurant review called Steakhouse 55 the place to go for dirty martinis, bone-in rib-eyes and the “legendary” 24-layer chocolate cake.
Originally published at Brady MacDonald