Steph C.
Yelp
Ballast Point was an early San Diego brewery that sold for a billion dollars in 2015 and is now worth a fraction of that value less than a decade later. It's no longer a cool independent brewery, but you can get the beer at a typical grocery store, and apparently also in Downtown Disney, where Ballast Point has a brewery and restaurant. This is, in my opinion, not a bad result. The beer is good, and I'm always happy to visit a brewery with a kids' menu.
We went for lunch on our way out of Disneyland last month. I kind of hate Downtown Disney--they make you park really far, then go through security, then pay $15 for parking no matter how much you spend at the shops and restaurants--but had an otherwise pleasant experience at Ballast Point. We put our name down while we did some souvenir shopping at World of Disney, and it wasn't long before a table opened up on the second floor. The staff was friendly, and they accommodated our giant stroller so that we didn't have to wake our sleeping baby.
The space was vibrant and comfortable, and service was great, attentive and prompt. My husband and I enjoyed an Aloha Sculpin IPA and a Grunion American Pale Ale, both beers you can get at a grocery store, but refreshing and tasty and nice to get on tap.
There was a decent menu of California brewery food: nachos and pretzels, salads and sandwiches, and entrées like tacos and fish and chips. I had a poke bowl, which was pretty good, with marinated ahi, sushi rice, edamame, carrot, cucumber, avocado, wakame salad, sriracha aioli, unagi sauce, and nori rice strips. The kids menu was good for both my picky one and my carnivore. They got mac n' cheese and crispy chicken fingers with fries, milk, and crispy marshmallow rice treats.
I have no particular desire to go to Downtown Disney again, but if we have to, we'll at least get lunch at Ballast Point. It's a pleasant sit-down spot with solid food and drink, not the easiest thing to come by in the kingdom of the mouse.