Flame Tree Barbecue is a counter-service restaurant in Disney’s Animal Kingdom. The restaurant resides in Discovery Island and has a vast seating area. Flame Tree Barbecue is one of the most popular places to eat in Animal Kingdom. The restaurant serves barbecue food and takes part in the Disney Dining Plan. Flame Tree doesn’t currently accept an AP discount but has in the past and it is not a part of Tables in Wonderland. In this post, we’ll review Flame Tree Barbecue’s atmosphere, food and value!

Barbecue and a beautiful setting don’t always go hand in hand. When I think of barbecue restaurants my mind typically pictures a crowded counter and outdoor seating with barbecue sauce dripping from the corner of everyone’s mouth. I guess that’s beautiful in its own little way but not exactly picturesque. While there are parts of Flame Tree Barbecue that certainly fit that stereotype, most of the restaurant transcends and fits the overall beauty Animal Kingdom possesses.

Like most counter-service restaurants, Flame Tree Barbecue has a counter where people order their food and then go sit down. Possibly the biggest downside of the restaurant is standing in line to order during the heat of the day. Lines can get quite long and Animal Kingdom isn’t a place to go cool down during a hot day. There is some shade but Flame Tree Barbecue isn’t the most pleasant place to wait and order food. Go with mobile order if that’s an option for you. Fortunately, the experience gets much better after the ordering. To limit your wait time try to plan your meal at Flame Tree Barbecue for an off-hour. Instead of lunch at noon or 1, go at 11 or 2. This will make for a more enjoyable experience for you and your group.

That’s the bad of the Flame Tree Barbecue experience. The good is nearly everything else. We’ll start with the seating area which is all outdoors but is shaded by beautifully carved wood pavilions. These pavilions also tell the story of the food chain, each one showcasing different predators that eat other predators. It may sound vicious but I find the pavilions all very tongue in cheek as I take a bite of barbecue food. There is a ton of foliage around the seating areas, a few water features and generally some birds roaming around.

On first look, the seating area appears to be a bit cramped but instead, after ordering, hang a right and just keep following the steps down the path. This will eventually lead you to waterside pavilions that look out towards Expedition Everest. This is one of the better lunchtime views you can have. Even if the food was bad (it isn’t) I think this area is worth spending 15-30 minutes of your day, having a cool drink and sitting by the water. It is usually easy to find a seat down here because people don’t follow the path all the way down. I highly recommend it.

On to the food! I don’t generally have high hopes for barbecue food at theme park restaurants, especially counter-service ones. Bland barbecue sauce and dry meat is your typical fare at these places. Flame Tree Barbecue consistently rises above that and offers quality options in comparison.

I should caution, I’m far from a barbecue snob.  Having not spent much time in the mid west, I’m sure this pales in comparison to barbecue in those areas. Outside of the areas where barbecue is like a religion, I think a meal at Flame Tree compares favorably.

There are a decent amount of choices here (menu link) and I’ve tried several. We’ve had all of the Ribs, Chicken and Pulled Pork. I really like the rub on the ribs and chicken, as it blends really well with the barbecue sauce. Both of those meats were juicy and prepared really well. I didn’t think quite as highly of the pulled pork, as I thought it had a little too much fat. With that being said, Melissa regularly gets the Pulled Pork Sandwich here and we both really like it. When served by itself, I didn’t find it quite as enjoyable. They don’t skimp on the serving size here as the dish also comes with coleslaw, baked beans and corn bread. The coleslaw was good but nothing spectacular. A nice option on a hot day.  I prefer the baked beans to the Coleslaw but they aren’t as refreshing.

The Ribs and Chicken Combo is good and what I recommend if you’re looking for a large meal, it’s probably shareable! I think this gives you the best two items on the menu and is fairly affordable at $15.49. The Pulled Pork Sandwich is $10.99 and is also a good option, as I mentioned above.

If you’re looking for something hearty but cheaper than the Ribs & Chicken Combo then the Baked Macaroni & Cheese with Pulled Pork is an excellent value play. Mac & Cheese in a theme park is usually hit and miss but this one is a hit, being gooey and not tasting like it’s been sat under a heater for a few hours. The Pulled Pork, barbecue sauce, onion rings and slaw all make for a great combo of flavors. This is one of the best counter-service options in any park, considering the price.

We had the Onion Rings here last time and I thought they were well prepared. They were crispy and fresh, with a good seasoning to them. One last recommendation I would make is the Mandarin Orange Lemonade. As opposed to most lemonades around Disney World that are just from the Fountain, this is made fresh and is one of my favorite drinks. The orange flavor and lemonade balance each other really well to make something sweet and just a little tart.

Overall, when you combine Flame Tree Barbecue’s atmosphere with the quality food I think the restaurant earns its reputation. Sure, the food is a little overpriced (like nearly every theme park restaurant) and the food may not be quite as good as it was when the restaurant first opened (I can’t speak to this as I’m a relative newbie), Flame Tree Barbecue far exceeds expectations as a theme park BBQ restaurant. Animal Kingdom doesn’t lack for good counter-service options but Flame Tree is still my favorite place to eat there.

Overall Rating – 9.5/10

Have you eaten at Flame Tree Barbecue? Let us know your thoughts or any questions you might have in the comments below. Planning a trip to Walt Disney World? Check out our Disney World Trip Planning Guide to help you out. If you enjoy what you are reading here on Wandering in Disney please share this post with your friends, as well as like our social media pages. You can also subscribe to the blog via WordPress or email. All of those links are on the right side of this page. Thank you for reading, we really appreciate it!