When you are staying right next to Disneyland, finding good food on-property that doesn't completely break the bank can be a challenge. During our recent stay at the Westin Anaheim Resort, we decided to put their dining to the test β visiting the Club Lounge for every single service hour and sitting down for both breakfast and dinner at the Tangerine Room.
We were genuinely surprised by the quality and pricing for a four-star hotel so close to the parks. Here is our honest take on the menus, the Amex loophole we used, and what you should actually order.
The Westin Club Lounge: Hour by Hour
We practically had the whole place to ourselves β it felt like we were in a K-drama. Here is how the food breaks down throughout the day.
Breakfast: Very basic offerings β bagels, oatmeal, scrambled eggs. Convenient, but if you had to pay $35 for lounge access out of pocket, it's not quite worth it for breakfast alone.
Mid-Day Snacks: The standout here is the Starbucks coffee machine, which is genuinely better than the machines at some five-star properties like the JW Marriott. They also have an addictive, perfectly balanced caramel popcorn.
Evening Cocktails (4:00 PM): This is where the lounge earns its keep. Wine, champagne, fresh fruit, macaroni, and a mini chicken ballottine with chimichurri and ponzu sauce that was absolutely delicious.
Dessert & Fireworks: Later in the evening they brought out Hershey's S'mores and chocolate popcorn. The best part β you can sit in the lounge and watch the Disneyland fireworks right from the window.
The fireworks view deserves its own mention. We did not know this was going to be possible when we checked in, and stumbling into it was one of the genuine highlights of the stay. The lounge faces the direction of the park, and you can hear the music faintly while the fireworks light up the sky through the window. It turned what would have been a normal evening snack into something we ended up staying for intentionally. If you are staying at the Westin with Club Lounge access, do not leave the lounge before the fireworks start.
Tangerine Room Breakfast: The Amex FHR Loophole
Instead of relying on the basic lounge breakfast, we used our Amex Fine Hotels & Resorts (FHR) benefits to get the full buffet downstairs at the Tangerine Room included in our stay.
The Hits: The thick-cut bacon and incredibly juicy sausage are some of the best we've had at a hotel breakfast buffet.
The Miss: The standard scrambled eggs were watery with a weird texture. Skip them and go for the chorizo eggs instead.
The buffet setup itself was well laid out, and the variety was solid for a hotel property. Beyond the main protein station, there were pastries, fresh fruit, yogurt, a waffle station, and a full juice and coffee bar. It is not a destination breakfast, but with Amex FHR covering the cost, it felt like a genuinely great deal. The total cost for two people at that buffet would have easily been $70 to $80 out of pocket.
The chorizo eggs were the sleeper hit. They were seasoned properly, not too greasy, with the right amount of spice. If you see someone piling a massive portion of those onto their plate, that was us, and we have no regrets.
Tangerine Room Dinner: Quality on a Budget
We expected dinner next to Disney to be heavily up-charged, but we were pleasantly surprised. We had the whole restaurant to ourselves and the service was incredibly friendly.
The Drinks: We ordered the "Violet Lady" and the "Violet Gentleman." The Gentleman is strong and spirit-forward; the Violet Lady is sweet, floral, and very pretty.
The Ribeye ($52): Surprisingly reasonable for a hotel steakhouse near the parks. It's a "wet," sauce-heavy preparation with trumpet mushrooms and onions β different from a traditional dry-aged steak, but the garlic and char flavors were fantastic.
The Prawns: Served with avocado and a great garlicky char. The kitchen was even generous enough to add an extra prawn to our plate.
The overall experience at dinner felt more upscale than the price point suggested. Having the restaurant essentially to ourselves on a Wednesday night meant the service was attentive in a way that feels rare. Our server was genuinely knowledgeable about the menu, made honest recommendations, and did not rush us. For a hotel restaurant that could easily coast on captive Disney-adjacent traffic, the kitchen was clearly putting in real effort.
The Ribeye was the highlight. At $52 for a hotel steak in that location, that price feels almost like a mistake. The preparation is saucy and rich rather than the dry-aged, simply seasoned style you'd find at a dedicated steakhouse, but the flavor was excellent and the portion was generous. If you are coming for dinner, order the Ribeye.
Final Verdict
The Club Lounge is worth taking advantage of for evening snacks and the fireworks view β don't stress about catching every service hour, but do show up for cocktail hour. The Tangerine Room is a hidden gem for a reasonably priced, high-quality dinner near the parks, especially if you can leverage Amex FHR benefits for breakfast.
Tips
- Show up for cocktail hour at 4:00 PM. That is the highest-value period of the Club Lounge day. The chicken ballottine and the cocktail selections alone make it worth it, and if you time it right you will be there when the fireworks begin.
- Skip the lounge breakfast if you have Amex FHR. The Tangerine Room buffet is a significant upgrade and the FHR benefit makes it free. Do not spend your morning on bagels and oatmeal upstairs if you do not have to.
- Order the Ribeye at dinner. At $52 it is the best value on the menu and the kitchen executes it well. The prawns are also excellent if you want a lighter option.
- The Starbucks machine in the lounge is legitimately good. We used it every morning even when we were going downstairs for the full buffet breakfast, just for a proper espresso drink before the day started.
- Avoid the parks' food. If you are doing Disneyland during the day and staying at the Westin, saving your appetite for Club Lounge cocktail hour and the Tangerine Room dinner is a much better use of your money and your stomach than most of what you will find inside the parks.
For the full hotel experience, read our Westin Anaheim full review. Choosing between the Westin and the JW Marriott? See our head-to-head comparison.
