Review of the Manhattan Restaurant at Disneys Hotel New York: The Art of Marvel

This review is also available as a podcast:

The Manhattan Restaurant is one of Disneyland Paris’s newest dining locations. Situated in Disneys Hotel New York: The Art of Marvel. The elegant previews we’ve seen of the restaurants interior architecture intrigued me. Since the Disneyland Hotel is currently undergoing extensive refurbishment, Disneyland Paris desperately needed an elevated dining experience outside of the parks.

The restaurant opened along the re-design of the Hotel New York on June 21st, 2001. What’s neat is that the restaurant was already called Manhattan Restaurant before the major refurbishment of the Hotel New York. Making the name, one of several nods to the original Michael Graves designed hotel.

The Most Elegant Disneyland Paris Hotel Restaurant (Right Now)

Manhattan Restaurant is an upscale, italian, table service restaurant. You can order dishes à la carte, as a three course menu (starts at €49 per person), or with a plus or extra plus meal plan. 

About the Food

The food selection, within the spectrum of Italian food, was great. That is a major requisite for dining here though, if you don’t enjoy Italian food, move along. That being said there’s something here for all italian food lovers. Wether it’s from land or sea, pasta or risotto. The one thing that is noticeably absent is any mention of pizza. If your in a pizza mood I would suggest heading over to the buffet style Downtown Restaurant. 

There is a kids menu at the Manhattan restaurant for children aged 3 to 11. However, the atmosphere is so elevated and quiet, I think kids in that age range would feel more comfortable in the Downtown Restaurant. For adults, teenagers or mature children aged 12+, the Downtown Restaurant makes for a great quiet evening.

Vegans and vegetarians can also rejoice. There are 5 vegan options, all are clearly marked as such on the menu with a green pictogram. Vegetarian dishes are available as well but they are a bit tougher to find since they are not clearly indicated. You really have to read through the descriptions. 

What to Order and What to Avoid

As soon as you order your server will bring you a fresh loaf of bread and olive oil (as a dip). This little amuse-bouche is fabulous and sets the tone for the dinner. The bread was warm and the olive oil divine. 

I was feeling very fishy that evening and ended up ordering a bunch of seafood. As a starter I got the seafood salad. Which is composed of rocket, crunchy vegetables and lemon vinaigrette. It wasn’t my favorite, the seafood had been cooked but was served cold. The salad was also lacking flavor and felt dry despite the lemon vinaigrette. It tasted very bland, salt and pepper did improve its prospects slightly. There were a bunch of calamari rings and shellfish mixed in to the salad, I appreciated the sheer quantity. Two unpeeled shrimp were placed on top. The shrimps still has their heads, eyes and everything on them which I’m personally just not a massive fan of.

By the way the salt and pepper shakers look like miniature versions of iconic new york city buildings (Empire State Building and Chrysler Building). It’s a cute detail and that looks better than it works since mine did not want to spout out any salt. A friendly server quickly replaced them with a functional pair. Overall, I cant recommend the Seafood Salad, wouldn’t order it again. I think Disney should consider spicing the seafood, and then serving it grilled/hot on a skewer on top of the salad. In addition a flavorful salad sauce wouldn’t hurt. 

My husband ordered the minestrone soup which tasted great. It was a simple creamy soup, with peas, pieces of potato and carrots in it. Overall it reminded me of German potato soup. If you would have served it to me as such I would have believed you. Soups aren’t really my thing in general, however, Florian (my husband) enjoys soups so if they’re your thing it’s a great option. 

Florian also ordered the vegetarian potato gnocchi with tomato sauce and mozzarella di bufala. The dish was oven baked and arrived super hot at the table. I tried a bite and it was delicious. Fabulous vegetarian option with creamy tomato sauce and the roasted cheese on top.

Deserts, cheeses as well as a large wine selection are also available. We didn’t get any because we were so full from the starter and the main course.

Specialty Drinks

The Manhattan Restaurant also offered the 30th anniversary mocktail. We tried it the evening before at Downtown Restaurant (€12). All I’ll say here is that it was fine and we didn’t feel the need to order it again at the Manhattan Restaurant. By the way a 30th anniversary cocktail is also available with alcohol (€16) and theres also a 30th anniversary wine (available in both red and white). Which they serve in a glass for €9 and the whole bottle for €38. 

How Much?

The Manhattan Restaurant is an elevated dining experience. Expect to pay about €20 per starter and €30–40 for entrees. The 3 course Greenwich Village menu is also available, €49 per person not including drinks. 

It’s a bit too pricey to have dinner there every evening for most budget conscious folks. Definitely something more suited for special occasions or those craving an elevated dining experience. 

One thing I would like to add is that I thought the portion sizes were great. This is not nouvelle cuisine, where when you order pasta you get exactly one noodle and a drop of sauce… you get a decent portion. That’s one aspect I really appreciated. 

Elevated Atmosphere and Subtle Abstract Theming

The Manhattan Restaurant integrates itself effortlessly into the updated Hotel New York design language. With its woodsy warm golden/beige tone palette it manages to hold its own ground while acting as an extension of the rest of the hotel. It all feels elevated from the massive chandelier to the elegant plates the dishes are served on.

The seats are comfortable and rotate 180 degrees on an axis, which was something that brought me child like joy. It also lets you experience a larger portion of the restaurants ambience without having to stand up or turn your head in an uncomfortable manner. 

The decorative centerpiece of the restaurant is the gorgeous chandelier. The Lasvit constructed lighting fixture is presented in the form of an inverted-pyramid shape. According Sylvie Massara, Art Director at Walt Disney Imagineering Paris the chandeliers shape, material and color evoke the realm of Asgard, all the while alluding to Manhattan skyscrapers.

Each component was glass-blown traditionally in Bohemian crystal glass. Imagineers played with the champagne, amber and light crystal colors. In addition, each component is silver-plated from the inside with pure silver. Some elements are twisted or shaped as trapezes of various sizes in order to epitomize inverted New York skyscrapers. There are more than 225 glass pieces in this four-meter-tall chandelier that took a year to create.

One of the challenges Imagineers encountered along the way was how to integrate the out-of-the-norm chandelier into the existing structure. First, the ceiling it hangs from had to be reinforced. To support that weight, Imagineers integrated a metallic structure in the concrete slab covered by a metallic board. Also, the ceiling has integrated technical tubing, and Imagineers had to reroute the air conditioning system to accommodate it.

Other diners were well behaved. Some even got dressed up for the occasion, others were just in their park attire. Either way is fine, theres no dress code.

The service was great and attentive. When our server was not around we could ask any of the friendly staff for something like the lovely salt and pepper shakers.

Another fun detail is that the invoice is also presented in a marvel branded folder. Which appears to be a simple black faux leather folder at first glance. Once opened it features a highly detailed black and white illustration of various super heroes like Captain America, Thor and Iron Man.

Our Takeaways

I would most definitely dine there again. This isn’t a restaurant I’d frequent on every visit, however, when you get in that fancy mood its a great option. Overall I give the experience a satisfaction rating of 86% out of a 100%. If it’s within your budget and you’re craving great on property Italian food… the Manhattan Restaurant is worth a visit. 

Follow AirMagique on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, Spotify (Podcast) and YouTube to get your daily dose of Disneyland Paris.