There are many things that have a cult-like following in the Disney parks. The newest styles of Minnie ears sell out in minutes, and the lines to get your hands on the newest release of the Annual Passholder-exclusive popcorn bucket can last for hours. (Some of the must-have things, I will admit, only make sense to the people who must have them.) The most prized of all the Disney foods, though, is Dole Whip. This vegan, pineapple soft serve treat is only available at a handful of places in all of Walt Disney World (at a stand in Magic Kingdom, one in Animal Kingdom and a scant few others). At the Disneyland Resort, it’s even harder to come by: at one place in Disneyland itself, and at the coffee shop at the Disneyland Hotel, where you can order it with a splash of rum – which, if you have the opportunity to do so, you should.
That’s why what’s happening at Tropical Hideaway is such a big deal (that is, for people for whom Disney is a big deal). It’s the first time Dole Whip is being offered in any iteration other than pineapple, or as a float over pineapple juice. Not only is this new Disneyland restaurant serving the treat in new flavors and with new toppings, but it’s serving Dole Whip with a secret ingredient: candied bacon. But we’ll get to that in a minute.
Thematically, Tropical Hideaway is pitch perfect. It ties together the two attractions on either side of it in Adventureland, the Enchanted Tiki Room and the Jungle Cruise. The restaurant is Hawaiian-themed in its decor and its food, and is decorated with some of the talking birds from the Tiki Room, making the same kind of jokes as in the show. “They said it was going to be foul weather,” Rosita quipped, “but I haven’t seen a chicken or a duck anywhere.” The dining area is positioned such that people who are sitting and eating can watch the boats from the Jungle Cruise float by as they arrive back to civilization (hungry, one would presume).
I went to the restaurant, which opened just over a month ago, intending to try everything on the menu. I didn’t fully succeed in my mission, but I did try all the new Dole Whips, many of the savory foods and the one hot dessert on the menu. While I was willing to try the bacon – which I found out about, like most things, from Instagram – I was extremely dubious about it. Bacon is delicious many places. Ice cream, in my mind, was not one of them. It turned out to be the best thing I ate all day.
In addition to the original pineapple flavor, there are two new Dole Whip options: orange-pineapple and raspberry-pineapple. I started my day, as is my tradition at Disneyland, with a Dole Whip for breakfast – but this time, with a Loaded Whip, which is an orange and pineapple swirl topped with mango, pineapple, orange slices, coconut, chocolate cookies and candied hibiscus. It almost – and I say this fully understanding that nutritional choices at Disney are made under the influence of pixie dust – reminded me of a breakfast smoothie bowl. The crystallized hibiscus, a tart counterpoint to the sweetness of the fruit, was especially good. (And when I ordered it, the server handed the bowl to me and then immediately rang the gong overhead, in celebration of another Loaded Whip ordered.) I also tried the raspberry-pineapple swirl. Both new flavors were more like sherbet than like the sharp, refreshing taste of the original.
Later, I returned for lunch. There are three kinds of bao on the menu – Lime Chicken, Spiced Vegetable and Bulgogi Beef – which are most of the savory offerings. They were surprisingly exotic in their choices, and tasted authentic. The Korean beef, especially, really tasted like bulgogi. The hot dessert, a deep-fried pineapple and cream cheese variation on an egg roll, with pineapple dipping sauce, was also quite good. And then, it was time for the bacon.
In fairness, the only thing “secret” about the secret menu is that you have to know to ask for it. While the bacon-covered Dole Whip sat on my table, several people came over to ask how to get it. As I mentioned, I was not thrilled about the idea. But one bite turned into another, and another. The smoky, sweet bacon pieces were an excellent complement to the bite of the pineapple. It’s like Hawaiian pizza. It shouldn’t make sense, but it does.
When I went back to the original Dole Whip float I had ordered, sure that I wouldn’t eat much of the bacon-laden one, it tasted a little flat, like something was missing. Apparently bacon was the thing I never knew I needed after a journey through the Temple of the Forbidden Eye on the Indiana Jones Adventure. It was a surprise, but a delicious one.
