Restaurant Review: Flame Tree Barbecue
For years now, every new Walt Disney World BBQ joint faces the same assessment. Is this place as good as the gold standard at the parks?
Yes, that measuring stick is undeniably Flame Tree Barbecue. But does the food live up to the hype? Here’s my review.
About Flame Tree Barbecue
I’m not exaggerating about the popularity of Flame Tree Barbecue. Disney fans have watched the same scenario unfold multiple times recently.
When Regal Eagle Smokehouse: Craft Drafts & Barbecue opened, Disney fans compared it to Flame Tree BBQ.
Similarly, when The Polite Pig opened, the same thing happened, which is bizarre. After all, we already had a Ravenous Pig in Orlando.
The same owners debuted a similar menu at Disney Springs, but people still wanted to know whether it was as good as Flame Tree.
Critics would agree that Regal Eagle isn’t on a par with the other two, although I happen to feel strongly to the contrary on that.
The debate between Flame Tree and The Polite Pig will remain heated indefinitely.
In fact, TripAdvisor is ready to call it a draw. Out of 416 “Quick Bites” in Orlando, these restaurants rank 32nd and 37th, respectively.
To put that into perspective, The Ravenous Pig ranks in the top 10 overall among nearly 200 restaurants in Winter Park.
So, the fact that Flame Tree holds its own is remarkable.
As far as finding the place, you’ll have little problem if you’re familiar with Disney’s Animal Kingdom.
You’ll enter the park and head to the Tree of Life, which you’re prone to do anyway. The restaurant sits close to the entrance to DinoLand, U.S.A.
Flame Tree Barbecue can fall victim to hiding in plain sight. So, my pro tip is to look for the birds.
Seriously, this restaurant gets overrun with birds. They love the copious amounts of free BBQ!
Eating at Flame Tree Barbecue
Yes, you’ll feel like Tippi Hedren when you eat at Flame Tree. There’s just no getting around it.
Disney has known about the problem for years and never done anything. Honestly, I’m not sure they could even if they committed to it.
Like the gators in Bay Lake, the birds flock to Flame Tree because it’s an outdoor restaurant that serves healthy portions.
So, leftovers are inevitable for many diners. Since they’re feeling at one with nature at Animal Kingdom, they think it’s harmless to feed the birds.
This decision creates a perpetual cycle of hungry birds flying to the seating area. I’ve chosen to find it cute, although my brother says he won’t eat here because of it.
Other than that, you’ll find the setting idyllic, especially if you’re at one with nature.
The Discovery Island themed land exemplifies Disney’s beauty as well as its conservation message at Animal Kingdom.
The seating includes several covered areas, including a main section. However, some seats remain in the sunlight, which isn’t great on hot or rainy days.
Fortunately, the crowds dwindle on rainy days anyway. So, you shouldn’t have a problem then.
On hot, summer days, you should probably plan to eat elsewhere at Animal Kingdom. Remember that you can still grab your food here and take it elsewhere!
About the Entrees and Sides
I’m a BBQ fanatic, as it’s one of the few foods I truly enjoy. Somehow, I’ve developed a love/hate relationship with Disney, which offers St. Louis Ribs for the most part.
For whatever reason, I find that these ribs eat differently than Memphis or Carolina style, and I like them the least.
Still, I dutifully order St. Louis Ribs whenever I visit Flame Tree BBQ. Its rich flavors work for me.
I’m in the rare camp that prefers Regal Eagle, though. We exist, I swear! Still, the ribs at Flame Tree are my second-favorite part of the meal.
No, I’m not about the Signature Baked Beans or Cole Slaw. Instead, the other four members of my party divvied up my sides while I saved room for dessert.
I also ate some delicious cornbread.
As for my wife, I’ve mentioned before that she’s a vegetarian. So, in a vacuum, she’d never pick Flame Tree BBQ.
Still, Disney has added a plant-based dish here, the Hotlink Smokehouse Sandwich.
In the days before she turned vegetarian, this Midwestern lady loved a good brat. So, the tubed meat hot dog knockoff put a smile on her face.
She wouldn’t rank it as one of the top five plant-based dishes at Disney or anything, but that’s become a tough list to crack.
For a Quick Service restaurant where you can Mobile Order a meal conveniently, this faux hot dog is quite good.
About the Dessert
We loved our desserts, although one of them is leaving soon. The table ordered the 50th Anniversary Celebration Cupcake…and more than one at that.
We devoured every crumb of that thing even though we were all full from the meal.
The Sunrise Cupcake looks shiny and includes an image from The Lion King on part of it. So, I was inclined to like it.
Alas, the custard inside the cupcake makes the whole thing too gooey and not that fun to eat. I kinda wanted to brush my teeth immediately afterward.
Since that cupcake is likely to be around for a while, you should try it and decide for yourself whether the sprinkles look like crawling bugs.
Yeah, I didn’t like this one at all. That anniversary cupcake, tho…
Final Thoughts
I honestly don’t think any Animal Kingdom restaurant embodies the park’s core concept better than Flame Tree Barbecue.
The serene setting provides breathtaking views that are both serene and engrossing. It’s an A+ spot for people-watching.
As for the food, the voters at TripAdvisor have gotten this place right. It’s legitimately one of the best Quick Service restaurants at any Disney theme park.
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Photo: WDW Shutterbug