In March of 2020 the Disneyland Resort closed down, and the vast majority of it remained that way for over a year. Today, July 2, the iconic Disneyland Hotel finally reopens, the last major location inside the resort to do so. Now, both theme parks, all three hotels, and nearly all the shopping and dining locations of Downtown Disney are available to guests in at least some capacity. However, it turns out that not every Disneyland location survived, as two popular restaurants inside of the hotels, The PCH Grill at Paradise Pier, and the iconic Steakhouse 55 at the Disneyland Hotel, will not be reopening, ever.
Disney has confirmed (via the OC Register) that it is "exploring options" when it comes to these two restaurant locations. While not being outright stated, what seems clear is that both locations will remain closed and will ultimately be replaced with something else. More than likely new dining options, though technically they could be replaced with anything.
This is certainly upsetting news for fans of either locations. It's a fairly surprising announcement considering that Disneyland Resort has no specific plan for these locations. If there was a plan for a replacement that would be one thing. Under the circumstances you might expect the restaurants to reopen, even if only temporarily. The space will certainly make more money open than it will closed.
Steakhouse 55 especially had a lot of fans as being one of the most upscale locations anywhere in the resort, probably second only to Napa Rose and the Grand Californian Hotel & Spa. While the restaurant was only around for about 15 years, it's name, a reference to the year that Disneyland first opened, meant that the steakhouse had a lot of Disney history built into its décor, which made it a popular spot for the biggest fans.
It's also a popular spot for those that are simply willing to spend money on a high end meal, which is the other reason the closure of Steakhouse 55 is something of a surprise. While there are a few other options for true fine dining in the resort, like Napa Rose or Carthay Circle inside Disney California Adventure, Steakhouse 55 was the only true steakhouse in the resort, so if you're looking for that particular sort of meal, there are simply no other options right now.
What makes these closures even more interesting is a report from Mouse Planet that an unnamed source claims that the PCH Grill location at Paradise Pier is going to be turned over to an "operating participant," meaning that a 3rd party will be taking over the space and whatever ends up there will not actually be run by Disney. It's certainly possible that could be the plan for both spaces, and Disney is looking at simply making money by leasing the location and not dealing with the expense of running it.
It's always sad when a popular spot in a theme park closes, whether that's an attraction, a restaurant, or anything else. Still, there's an excitement that comes with the decision. something new will come along, and maybe, just maybe, that new thing will be even better than whatever was there before. We'll have to
