Baymax and Hiro will be making their debut at the land inspired by their movie “Big Hero 6” on August 31, when San Fransokyo Square opens to the public. The land, a fantasy hybrid of San Francisco and Tokyo, was heavily based on San Francisco’s Japantown in the movie. Now, it’s taking over Pacific Wharf, an under-loved area of Disney California Adventure that is mostly a food court. San Fransokyo Square will feature the towering San Fransokyo Gate Bridge, koi fish turbines powering the city, a dedicated meet-and-greet area for Baymax and Hiro, and the land’s first-ever store, selling San Fransokyo merch like shirts for humans and “hairy babies,” as Baymax calls pets. (There will eventually be merch for San Fransokyo’s sports teams, like the Narasaki Emperors and the Golden State Samurai.)

But more than anything, the area will still focus on food — and what we tasted at the preview event was a huge step up from Pacific Wharf’s current offerings. 

Two of the restaurants will stay open but with modified menus. Cocina Cucamonga will still offer Mexican-inspired fare — including the excellent quesabirria tacos which aren’t going anywhere, don’t worry. But starting July 26, the restaurant will offer a Japanese-influenced elote: San Fransokyo-style street corn with togarashi mayonnaise, queso fresco, furikake and bonito flakes with wheat chicharrones. It was one of my top items at the event. The smoky flavor of the corn was a beautiful complement to the salty, umami toppings.

Starting July 19, Lucky Fortune Cookery will debut an improved menu, offering what was easily the fan favorite of the preview: a karaage-inspired crispy chicken sandwich with slaw and togarashi mayonnaise on a potato bun, served with garlic chips. Don’t sleep on this chicken sandwich. I can’t think of another place anywhere in the Disneyland Resort that does a better one. The menu will continue to be a hybrid of Japanese, Chinese, Vietnamese and Korean flavors, but will add one more: Mexican. A new item debuting is the beef birria ramen with consomé, served with housemade birria, a soft-boiled egg, Monterey Jack cheese, cilantro, roasted corn, onions and radish. “I love the fusion of the two different worlds,” said chef Jeremiah Balogh, culinary director for DCA as well as the resort’s candy production, banquets and festivals. “You’ve seen [birria] escalate in popularity. We think our guests are really going to be excited about this.” 

Lucky Fortune will also be offering the Baymax macaron, which is adorable and delicious, with its vanilla macaron shell and vanilla and chocolate-hazelnut filling.

Three of the restaurants in San Fransokyo will be totally new, and will be opening closer to August 31. At Aunt Cass Cafe, where “hairy baby” Mochi the cat is already visible outside the building, there will be soups in Boudin bread bowls — the bakery isn’t going anywhere — as well as a not-too-sweet Japanese-style fluffy cheesecake. My favorite of the day was an Aunt Cass selection: a plant-based soba noodle salad with tofu, cabbage, edamame, carrots, roasted corn, scallions and cilantro, topped with crispy shallots and sesame ginger dressing. The chilled salad was refreshing and will be perfect as a healthier food option on a hot day. 

Rita’s Turbine Blenders will still serve margaritas, but with some additions to the menu. And the new Port of San Fransokyo Cerveceria will be serving 14 draft beers and seltzers, with the addition of a salty snack: a chip mix with wheat chicharrones and garlic pinwheels. 

“I’ve heard over and over again: We have this garlic chip that we offer at Lucky’s. How come we don’t have this on a menu somewhere?” Balogh said. The fan favorite was previously only available as a garnish but can now be purchased by the bag. 

The Ghirardelli Soda Fountain and Ice Cream Shop is also undergoing a makeover. The enormous moving mural behind the counter that once depicted San Francisco now shows San Fransokyo. The facade of the building is also getting Japanese-inspired lanterns and more San Fransokyo touches.  “They’ve been [in San Francisco] for a long time, over 100 years,” said Walt Disney Imagineer Michael Dobrzycki. “So that put me with this awkward task of saying, ‘Hey, we are here to celebrate your history. How about we pretend that history happened somewhere else?’”

“We are, of course, in the footprint of what would be San Francisco, but San Fransokyo is this alternate and parallel reality,” he added. “So it makes sense that if there’s a Ghirardelli in our San Francisco, there’s a Ghirardelli in our San Fransokyo as well.”

The land will be fully open on August 31, but guests will be able to eat at different restaurants as they open. If you truly can’t wait to see Baymax, you can spot the robot flying above Sleeping Beauty Castle in the Wondrous Journeys