Disney Dining Reviews - Animal Kingdom

Flame Tree BBQ

Review by Lauren Wallis

When I found out that the annual State Competition for High School students was in Orlando, I immediately planned for a day’s outing along with 14 students and 2 parent chaperones to Animal Kingdom. For days I counted down on my facebook status the hours and minutes until I was able to enjoy the delicious food at the Flame Tree Barbeque. I had bought the entire group meal vouchers and they work just like the Disney Dining Plan…the great news is that Flame Tree counts as a counter service meal and in my humble opinion, is the greatest value in all of Disney World for counter service. There was also a documentary on the Flame Tree and how the barbeque spices and rubs are exclusive to the restaurant. I was excited about them three months before ordering!

I ordered the 1/2 Slab of St. Louis Ribs (served with baked beans and coleslaw $10.49) . My dining companion also ordered the ribs. Now, while I typically like Baby Back Ribs, these are the only exception. The ribs are not nearly as tender as baby backs, but what they lack in tenderness they make up in flavor. My only complaints were that they are a little dry for my taste and I did not want to ruin their delicious goodness by drowning them in bbq sauce.

I also wish there was an option for a whole rack of ribs because I know that if it were my husband dining with me, he would have still been quite hungry. The beans and coleslaw were tasty, but not the stars of the show. The coleslaw was nice and sweet, though and I appreciate a nice sweet slaw. I also ordered some onion rings (at $3.99) because I like some potato with my ribs. The French fries are the same price as the rings and we couldn’t finish them because there were tons of rings!

After using about a case of napkins, I turned to the delicious Key Lime Parfait ($3.59). I really like Key Lime Pie and this did not let me down. It was very sweet, but the cool whip/dairy topping and graham cracker crust pulled the sweetness down. It was just a very good dessert. The best way to describe it is pie in a glass.

There are some downsides to the Flame Tree Barbeque, though. There is no inside seating and on a typical Florida day it can be downright brutal trying to enjoy hot ribs out in 98 degrees.

The seating areas are also not always as clean as they can be and it feels like you are in an outside cafeteria instead of at Disney. The worst part is the ducks and birds. Even though there are numerous signs asking patrons not to feed the wildlife, many do. During my meal a duck walked up to me and pecked me in the leg. While it was kind of funny to be harassed by a duck, it was also really annoying and pretty gross. The animals have become VERY BOLD and will peck you, bite you, or even land on your table while eating. I can’t imagine putting my child in that situation. I would urge you to please follow the signs Disney has posted and I hope that Disney figures this problem out! I would return in a heartbeat, however, because the food is so unbelievably tasty and is a GREAT counter service option.

Rating 3 ½ out of 5 ( ½ point deduction due to duck attack)- (and it wasn't Donald Duck either!)

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