Disneyland might not be the first place you’d expect to pop a thought-provoking Merlot, but Patrick Kirchen is on a mission to change that. As the new wine director of Napa Rose, the park’s 25-year-old fan-favorite restaurant that closed for a refresh in April 2025, Kirchen has been an integral part of the reopening team,
Before, the restaurant’s wine offerings were plentiful, and mostly attracted locals who could count on lounging at the bar with a regional wine. Nearly a year later, the corner spot it occupies at the Grand Californian Hotel & Spa is buzzing with life again. It now seeks to dazzle visiting park goers with a premium dining experience in stark contrast with the park’s beloved but decidedly less ambitious fare, aka mac-and-cheese cones and Dole Whip. Kirchen’s role also extended into decor and the kitchen’s menu. But the star of the reopening is a cellar stocked with 1,500 labels and a staff able to highlight every single bottle in their library.
Everything at Napa Rose is inspired by California wine. Here’s what to know.
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It’s no secret that the pre-closure Napa Rose decor was… wilting. The new look is polished but homey, done up in a Craftsman style with plenty of sleek, dark wood and rich tones of brown and gold. The traditional Disney whimsy you’ll find at other park restaurants—think Mickey Mouse and friends—are conspicuously missing from the redesign. Instead, the decor seeks to tell the story of California’s wine history. Impressions of leaves from the nearby park dining and wine-tasting area Golden Vine Winery hang above plush booths in a new lounge area. Gold murals encircle the main dining room, telling the history of Napa’s great grapes, from Zinfandel to Cabernet Sauvignon. Above each table, a showy chandelier mimics grapes on the vine, and below, abstract imagery inspired by California topography is woven into the carpet. Of course, you can’t miss the 3,800 wine bottles displayed in floor-to-ceiling climate-controlled cabinets that break up the once wide-open space into separate, cozy rooms.
Upon closing for renovation, Kirchen ambitiously enrolled 56 staff members (spanning bartenders, waitstaff, and even line cooks) into a 10-week, introductory-level sommelier certification course. Everyone passed. All are equipped to suggest pairings for every item on the menu, which ranges from rich meats to seasonal pastas. The training program has proved so successful that Disney is now considering an expansion into Court of Master sommelier training at other premium Disneyland restaurants, including Club 33 and Carthay Circle.
Though Napa Rose already has a steady stream of wine-loving regulars, two new patios overlooking California Adventure theme park seek to lure in less wine-focused park visitors.
“It’s really important for us to listen and not make it this intimidating thing,” Kirchen says, adding that he sees himself as a guide facilitating guests’ individual wine journeys. To that end, he might ask diners about their favorite movies, pop culture knowledge, and most memorable meals—all things, he says, that might shed light on a person’s preferences. To that end, staff might ask which supermarket wine you like and offer an elevated version of it. (They won’t judge you for drinking Carlo Rossi jugs, don’t ask me how I know.)
Kirchen doesn’t just want to pair your meal with a tasty beverage, he wants you to know more about who made that beverage. Drawing from his own frequent trips to the state’s wine regions and visits from producers to Disneyland, he’s created a database for staff that catalogues these stories.
“How do they farm? Are they organic? Are they biodynamic?” Kirchen explains that everything from rainfall to family history can influence how a guest chooses their wine. And he understands how working with a Disneyland restaurant can be financially life-altering for his vendors. “We’re very lucky to have the opportunity to support these winemakers we want to support,” he says.
The updated offerings don’t stop at wine. At the bar, the cocktail program repurposes discards from the kitchen, including vodka-infused strawberries pulverized into a powder. The popular chef’s table experience remains, but is now bookable online, giving guests more chances to snag one of these coveted seats. In terms of food, Napa Rose’s kitchen is dishing out far more than the standard theme park pretzel. The restaurant’s cult-favorite Smiling Tiger Salad is reincarnated as the Laughing Tiger, a spicy beef dish with coconut dressing, and is available only on the lounge menu as a small bite, rather than a large salad. On the main dining menu, the Wagyu steak is a new favorite, served with grape mustardo, and a sautéed seasonal fish topped with airy lemon foam.
Though it’s certainly more expensive than the average theme park meal, Kirchen thinks guests are ready for it. “There are all these layers of elevated experiences,” Kirchen says. “It’s the top tier of accessible dining experiences at the resort.”