In the midst Downtown Disney’s culinary overhaul — not to mention a $1.9 billion plan for future theme park expansion — the Disneyland resort will welcome another new restaurant to its arsenal: Tiendita, a fast-casual Mexican restaurant with a menu helmed by chef Carlos Gaytán. Tiendita will join Paseo and Céntrico, two other eateries with menus created by Gaytán, inside the Downtown Disney District.
Aiming to be a more casual affair compared to Paseo and Céntrico, “Tiendita will offer guests an expedited dining choice,” said Frank Moreno, vice president of operations at Patina Restaurant Group, in an emailed statement. Patina Restaurant Group owns and operates restaurants at Walt Disney World and EPCOT Center, as well as nearby eateries like Naples Ristorante e Bar in Downtown Disney and Leatherby’s Café Rouge at Segerstrom Center for the Arts.
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Menu highlights at Tiendita will include esquites, similar to elote but served off the cob; tacos al pastor, which includes thin slices of pork, pineapple juices and roasted onions; and arroz con leche, a cinnamon and vanilla treat topped with raisins that’s billed as a twist on a nostalgic treat from chef Gaytán’s childhood.
Gaytán made a name for himself outside the food world after appearing as a contestant on “Top Chef” in 2013, placing third. His Chicago restaurant Mexique, which shuttered in 2019 after a 10-year run, won consecutive Michelin sparklers in 2013 and 2014, making Gaytán the first Mexican-born chef with a Michelin-starred restaurant.
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Tiendita, Paseo and Céntrico are anticipated to open this spring. Twenty-year stalwart Tortilla Jo’s (also owned by the Patina Restaurant Group) will close on March 31 to make way for the trio of new eateries.
Downtown Disney’s Parkside Market, an $8 million food hall-style concept with a top-floor outdoor bar, is expected to open by late 2024.
