Alex Coleman
Mouseketeer
- Joined
- Nov 4, 2017
Introduction
Flame Tree Barbecue is a large quick service restaurant in the Discovery Island area of Disney’s Animal Kingdom. Given its central location and large seating area, it is very difficult to miss Flame Tree. You also usually see it because there is regularly a horde of people waiting in line to eat barbecue. I am not sure if this restaurant is more popular because of its location or because of its excellent food.
Sarah and I first ate here during our June 2017 trip and then went back during our July and November trips. I would come back time and time again just to eat more barbecue, but Sarah has other (only somewhat valid) desires to eat different kinds of food while we are on our Disney vacations.
Quick service locations inside the parks (I am looking at you, Magic Kingdom) can be so hit-or-miss. Some are great, most are decent, a few are terrible. That means that Sarah and I tend to return to the same locations repeatedly on our trips. We try our best to balance out the cherished favorites with the new in order to share as much as possible with you: our fabulous readers!
I will not bury the lede here. I believe that Flame Tree Barbecue is the second best quick service dining location at Animal Kingdom. I would also declare that it is one of my favorite at Walt Disney World. Notice the subtle difference there. I think that the combination of quality and quantity makes it second best quick service location at Animal Kingdom, objectively (or at least as objectively as my quasi-food critic opinion can be). My heavily biased opinion (as an avid carnivore) is that it is one of my favorites.
Now that we have cleared all that up, let’s get to the review!
Atmosphere
As I stated above, Flame Tree Barbecue is located on some prime real estate at Disney’s Animal Kingdom. The restaurant is located on Discovery Island and on the walkway to DinoLand, USA, Asia, and ultimately Africa and Pandora if you want to circle the entire park (which you DEFINITELY should do). This means that there is consistently a crowd queued up to tuck into some barbecue.
Like the rest of Discovery Island, the theming at Flame tree is… colorful. There are colorful animals carved into every aspect of the walls and canopies. Speaking of walls, there aren’t really any! Flame Tree is an open-air restaurant which can be lovely on a beautiful day. We have experienced several of these days. However, we have also experienced Central Florida being, well, Central Florida. We have taken shelter under the canopies during both blazing hot July days and a hail storm on the exact same July day.
Hot tip: send at least one of your party to explore the seating areas before you set your things down! During our July trip, we just set our things down under the first awning we found. During our November trip, we wandered down and found the most peaceful and picturesque patio. I think most people give up on carrying heavy trays of food so they never make it all the way down to this back patio. This changed our experience massively. It was quiet and we munched on our meat platter uninterrupted.
The downside of the popularity of this restaurant is that it can be incredibly loud and busy. I would not place it on the same level as Pizzafari (a lack of walls helps that), but it can be a very interesting experience.
Sarah and I regularly use the phrase: “There is just a lot going on there” to describe various things: restaurants, cars, and people. This restaurant feels like a, “There is just a lot going on there” kind of place. This is a very sensual (not in that way, you sicko) experience. There are sights, smells, tastes, sounds, and feels. Then you throw the birds on top of that.
Watch out, those Floridian pigeons (they aren’t pigeons, but they act like them) will get you! We once watched a bird take an entire piece of chicken off someone’s plate. Anyone who has ever been to WDW can vouch for the validity of that sentiment. Fight for your right to eat!
Food
The Walt Disney World website categorizes Flame Tree Barbecue as American Cuisine, which is slightly reductive of American food. Basically, it is barbecue. The three times Sarah and I ate here we arrived for lunch. Flame Tree is open for lunch and dinner. Fortunately, these menus are the same so it is easy to smash them together into one review.
The entree menu includes several iterations of meat mountains. There are ribs, chicken, pulled pork, and salad (don’t get salad because, gross) all presented in different levels of dedication to the cause of consuming as much meat as possible. There are also several different side options to distract you from carnivorous gluttony. Most of the entrees come with baked beans and coleslaw. They also serve French Fries with Pulled Pork and Cheese as a side dish (don’t go there, they sound a lot better than they are).
Sarah and I both take a different path toward Nirvana at Flame Tree Barbecue. I am a huge fan of the Ribs, Chicken, and Pulled Pork Sampler partially because I want to get as much as possible out of the Disney Dining Plan and partially because I want to diversify as much as possible. Sarah usually is boring and goes with the ½ Chicken.
I have to admit, I love all of these meats as much as anything. The three times we have eaten here, I have enjoyed the chicken the most. The ribs were really good theme park food. The fact that I can eat ribs at a theme park at a quick service restaurant is remarkable in itself.
However, I found the pulled pork incredibly dry every time I have eaten it and I think that may be a bridge too far for theme park counter service. Pulled pork is so fragile, if it gets overcooked even slightly it gets so dry.
I would also note that Sarah and I both really loved the baked beans and the spicy barbecue sauce. I usually like a sweeter barbecue sauce and baked beans, but both of these had a nice kick of spice. We also have ordered the Mandarin Orange Lemonade every single time and it is in my top-5 Disney beverages category.
If you want to drink alcohol, there is also a small selection of adult beverages. You can have a Bud Light or Sutter Home wine, or you can get a little more adventurous. There is a Safari Amber beer and you can add Skyy Mandarin Orange Vodka to your lemonade and sink into sweet-alcohol bliss. The vodka lemonade seems incredibly popular, based on my experience of seeing people order around me.
Cost
According to the Disney World website, Flame Tree Barbecue is classified with “$” which means adults should expect to pay roughly under $14.99, per adult. If you are paying out-of-pocket, you can plan on paying roughly $5 per side and $14 per entree. Depending on what you order, this could be a fairly expensive Disney quick service dining experience. Hot tip: if you want to save money, skip the Ribs, Chicken, and Pulled Pork Sampler. Go with the Ribs and Chicken Combo! I am not sure I would spend the extra money out-of-pocket to get dry pulled pork.
The fact that this meal is pricier is great for Disney Dining Plan guests, but not great for those paying with cash or card. However, I cannot understate the value for money in terms of food quantity. Sarah and I have split this meal as a lunch and there was plenty to fill us until we get our customary Glazed Almonds in the afternoon.
For the Disney Dining Plan users, this restaurant requires one quick service credit per person. Like I said above, this can be one of the better values on the Disney Dining Plan. For the Tables in Wonderland users, this restaurant has a 20% discount for breakfast and lunch.
Who Should Eat Here?
Flame Tree Barbecue will have its faithful followers and its detractors. I think there are some specific populations that will choose to eat at this restaurant. The first group that will be attracted to the Flame Tree menu are my fellow carnivores. The menu is incredibly simple: meat, meat, and more meat (I guess there is salad too, if that’s what you’re into). So I feel like I can confidently say that this may not be a restaurant for vegetarians or vegans. Now that I think of it, having a barbecue restaurant in an animal-themed park seems a touch ironic.
The second group that will be drawn to this eatery will be people looking to maximize value on the Disney Dining Plan. Given that the Ribs, Chicken, and Pulled Pork Sampler costs $18.99, it is a very easy way to get that bang for your buck on the DDP. I cannot be the only person who wants to maximize these credits and Flame Tree is a great way to do this.
I also think that Flame Tree will appeal to the hungry. As I said before, the portion sizes are significant. Sarah and I are not huge eaters, but we can certainly put down food if asked. The first two times we ate here, we got our own entrees and that was a mistake. We ended up asking them to wrap up our ribs in foil so we could drag them around for the rest of the day. We ended up having a lovely snack while we sat on the back patio at Disney’s Animal Kingdom Lodge and watched giraffes wander across the savannah! The third time, we wizened up and split a sampler. When going to Flame Tree, you may be able to split!
Have you eaten at Flame Tree Barbecue? What what your experience? Share your thoughts in the comments section! For other reviews including resorts and other restaurants, check out our Reviews page!
I usually defer to my wife's better judgment when it comes to quick service selections. You may also find that you walk by while you are there and crave bbq and end up eating at flame tree!
