Disneyland’s First-ever Bar Will Bring Morning Cocktails — and a Familiar Character — to the California Theme Park
You may want to bypass Los Angeles and San Francisco in favor of Anaheim on your next West Coast getaway, because the best bar in California is coming to Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge. Oga’s Cantina, the local watering hole set to open within Star Wars-themed lands at Disneyland this summer and Walt Disney World this fall, is your first chance to channel Han Solo while tossing back a few space libations.
This isn’t Mos Eisley on Tatooine or Maz Kanata’s tavern but an entirely new otherworldly cantina carved from stone, with creatures and curious containers teetering above its potion-like bottles and tanks and pumps strung overhead. When Oga’s opens, it’ll also mark the first time alcoholic beverages will be available for purchase to guests visiting Disneyland Park. (Because of this, guests at Disneyland must savor their drinks within the Cantina walls and cannot take their beverages outside.)
Guests won’t actually meet the proprietor of the inn favored by scoundrels passing through town, but it’s likely to be the toughest door in the galaxy with or without her presence; even with a wrap-around bar and nooks of benched seating and uplit tables, its footprint is significantly smaller than expected given the overwhelming demand.
Like any outer galaxy bar worth its weight in, say, doonium, Oga’s Cantina will play the greatest pop music from throughout the universe, complete with an unexpected remix of the original Cantina Band song from A New Hope. Here, DJ R-3X — the audio-animatronic droid who piloted the original Star Tours attraction — pivots to a new career, weaving commentary within an hour-long show of uptempo Jawa new-age tunes. (Travel + Leisure was given an early listen, and rest assured, they’re bops.)
And then there’s the booze. Drinks like The Outer Rim, an exotic margarita with a black salt rim and a passion fruit rum punch Yub Nub bring fruity flavors to Disneyland and Disney’s Hollywood Studios, while the Jedi Mind Trick, a grapefruit tipple that starts sweet but soon turns savory and botanical, reminds us of the curious drinks at Abracadabar at Disney’s BoardWalk. (Oga’s will only be serving drinks off its space-age menu, and will not have offer a full bar.)
The two most eye-popping beverages will be the Fuzzy Tauntaun, a creamy lemon cocktail topped with about an inch of foam and the Bespin Fizz, a shimmering, bubbling twist on a Cosmopolitan with yuzu and rum. Drinks using this glassware and dry ice mechanism are already being sold at Lamplight Lounge at Disney’s California Adventure.
Oga’s will sell draft beers exclusive to Galaxy’s Edge — a Bad Motivator IPA and White Wampa Ale — pulled from specialized tap handles and themed wines, like Toniray from the planet Alderaan and an Imperial Red full-bodied cabernet.
This is more of a bar than eatery, but a salty, flavorful twist on pub mix with an assortment of prawn chips, seaweed crackers and wasabi peas will be offered, along with two food items. Oga’s Obsession, a petri dish filled with “popping pearls” seen in beverages and dishes throughout Disney Parks, is topped with a flavorful dehydrated berry mix and pop rocks for a kid-friendly treat, along with a not-yet-announced Rodian Ration.
Because Star Wars land will be in high demand, it’s likely there will be extended hours — something Oga’s array of morning beverages and non-alcoholic concoctions are ideal for. A spiced Black Spire cold brew coffee ensures caffeinated mornings even this far out in space, the Bloody Rancors spicy lemon-pepper tomato base plays well with an edible bone garnish for a strong start to the day. You can get Blue Milk here as well, but it’s different; unlike the frozen product served at the Black Spire Outpost’s Milk Stand, it will come chilled and topped with a crispy marshmallow treat boasting a fondant Bantha horn. Juice drinks, like the fruit punch-based Cliff Dweller, will also be available, guarantee that no matter what beverage you’re in search of, you’ll settle on something that’s out of this world.