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I can’t believe one of the worst restaurants at Disneyland has now become one of the best

Pabio November 19, 2024

While most people focus on best rides at disneyland During my visits to the park, my obsession has long been food. I’m always looking for the best food at Disneylandbut having gone to the park regularly, I almost always know where to go. That’s why I was so surprised on my last visit when a place I would have ranked at the bottom of the scale now found itself near the top.

Several months ago, the Hungry Bear restaurant in Disneyland’s Critter Country closed its doors, and it recently reopened as Hungry Bear BBQ Jamboree. I finally had the chance to eat there while I was nearby checking out Tiana’s Bayou Adventure which has just opened in the park and was delighted to enjoy some good food there.

Cold brew black coffee — (Image credit: Disney Parks)

Few quick-service restaurants at theme parks really impress me

To begin, I have to say that part of my lack of love for old Hungry Bear comes from the fact that it’s rare for theme park fast food restaurants to impress me. When I’m at a theme park, I either take food that I can eat while walking, like a Chimichanga Breakfast Frontierland or a cup of Dole Whip, or I would like to sit at a table where a server takes my order and I can have a relaxing meal. Quick service restaurants are too slow in the first case and too fast in the other.

I also find the quick service menus to be largely uninspired. There are some truly creative and amazing foods at Disneyland or other theme parks, but they are usually found in upscale meals or creative snacks and desserts. At fast food places, you tend to find fairly traditional sandwiches, burgers and the like. I can eat this food anywhere. If I’m going to pay theme park prices for food, it better be special in terms of creativity, if not taste.

When I go to quick service locations, I treat them like takeout locations. Mobile ordering was invented so I could walk into Docking Bay 7 and grab a Cold Brew Black Caf without having to wait in line.

Disneyland Creature Land with Splash Mountain

(Image credit: Disneyland Resort)

Hungry Bear restaurant didn’t do anything special

I couldn’t tell you exactly when the last time I ate at Hungry Bear Restaurant was, but I can tell you that I found the experience disappointing. The menu could have been from any chain restaurant, with sandwiches, burgers and steaks, not a steak house. These are things I can get pretty much anywhere else in Disneyland and with equal or better quality.

On top of that, Hungry Bear’s location, near the dead end of Critter Country, meant that unless I was going to ride horses, Splash Mountain (now Tiana’s Bayou Adventure)there was no reason to bother going that route. The food itself certainly wasn’t appealing enough.

I had definitely heard good things about the Hungry Bear BBQ Jamboree, but I wasn’t really prepared for things to go so well.

Hungry Bear Barbecue Jamboree brisket sandwich, strawberry shortcake lemonade and banana pudding.

(Image credit: Dirk Libbey)

The Hungry Bear BBQ Jamboree is different and delicious

Hungry Bear BBQ Jamboree is reminiscent of the restaurant’s former neighbor, Country Bear Jamboree. There is music from both versions of the show, both from the original Country Bear Jamboree and Disney songs via a country music version that can be found at the Magic Kingdom today. Props and other artistic decorations can be found around the building, but as any restaurant should be, the star is the food.

It’s amazing what a complete overhaul of an entire menu can do for a restaurant. Instead of just sandwiches and burgers, the menu became full barbecue, with the main course being a smoked barbecue combo platter featuring a choice of pulled pork, brisket, pork ribs or sausage. Pulled pork or brisket sandwiches are also available.

Since I wasn’t sure I could eat an entire platter of barbecue, I had the brisket sandwich, with beer-battered fries, strawberry shortcake, and the brand new banana pudding. Needless to say, I thought everything was going pretty well.

I’m not saying Hungry Bear is better than your favorite local barbecue restaurant, but it’s a cut above what came before. The brisket was tender, the barbecue sauce was tangy and not too sweet (something that tends to happen with theme park food across the board), and I devoured the sandwich.

The Strawberry Shortcake Lemonade, one of the venue’s signature drinks, was fun. Not entirely different from my Galaxy’s Edge Black Caf, it’s topped with a layer of sweet cream that has shortcake crumbs and strawberry dust, adding a bit of complexity and texture to a classic strawberry lemonade .

I’m not the first to sing the praises of banana pudding, but I won’t be the last either. It features layers of crushed waffle cookies, dulce de leche, and bananas, each separated by whipped cream and topped with crunchy caramel chips. This will be a dessert I order regularly on mobile in the future.

Barbecue is just something that’s been missing at Disneyland since Big Thunder Ranch closed place at Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge (it seems that Hungry Bear’s coleslaw is the same recipe as Big Thunder’s). It’s nice to see him again and see him so good.

Banner reading

(Image credit: Dirk Libbey)

I’m still not convinced by the fast service, but Hungry Bear BBQ is worth it

Hungry Bear Barbecue Jamboree didn’t completely change my opinion on fast service at theme parks. If I have to sit at a table and eat a full meal at a theme park, I would still like to do it in a more relaxed atmosphere. Running around a theme park can be stressful, so taking these periods of time to relax is essential, and fast service isn’t often offered.

However, if I visit a Disneyland quick service location for anything other than a quick snack, it will likely be Hungry Bear in the future. It has delicious food and is probably the best quick service menu in Disneyland right now.

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I can’t believe one of the worst restaurants at Disneyland has now become one of the best

Few quick-service restaurants at theme parks really impress me

Pabio

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I can’t believe one of the worst restaurants at Disneyland has now become one of the best

Few quick-service restaurants at theme parks really impress me

Pabio

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