Flame Tree Barbecue

Flame Tree Barbecue: dining at Disney's Animal Kingdom Theme Park — location and planning data on MouseHub.

Visitor sentiment

4.2· 1,897 Google ratings

Diners say this barbecue restaurant serves up delicious pulled pork, ribs, and chicken, with many raving about the sampler platter. They also highlight the generous portions, reasonable prices, and the beautiful outdoor seating area near the river. Some reviews mention the ribs can be dry.

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The MouseHub take

Flame Tree Barbecue has been smoking meat on Discovery Island since April 22, 1998. You order at a counter near the main walkway, then carry the tray down through terraced garden paths to find a table. The pavilions at the bottom are the reason to come: carved wood, a "circle of life" motif worked through the murals and carvings, and open sides facing the water toward Expedition Everest. All of it sits outdoors under a roof, so the Florida heat comes with the meal.

Barbecue plates run $11.99 to $18.99 and each one arrives with signature baked beans and coleslaw, so two people can eat off the $18.99 sampler. That math is what keeps families coming back. The kitchen also closes early, 7:00 PM most nights and 8:00 PM on Saturday, which makes this a better lunch than a dinner. The guests who leave unhappy are the ones who walked down at noon in August, hunted for a seat with a full tray, and spent the meal keeping birds off the table.

At a glance

Best for
Families splitting one large barbecue plate who want shaded outdoor seating with a view across the water.
Skip if
You need air conditioning to get through the middle of a Florida afternoon.
Worth ordering
Ribs, Chicken, and Pulled Pork Sampler, Baked Macaroni & Cheese with Pulled Pork, French Fries with Pulled Pork and Cheese, 1/2 Chicken
Reservations
Nothing to reserve. My Disney Experience offers no Reserve Dining and no Join Walk-Up List here, only Mobile Order.
Value
Entrees run $11.99 to $18.99 with beans and slaw included, and reviewers treat the sampler as two meals rather than one.

The good

  • One plate feeds two people
    The $18.99 sampler carries St. Louis ribs, smoked chicken, and pulled pork plus both sides. Families split it and skip a second meal.
  • The pavilions are the reason to come
    Carved wood roofs, animal murals, and a "circle of life" motif run through the seating area. The lower pavilions open onto the water with Expedition Everest across it.
  • Mobile Order gets you past the counter
    The order line builds through lunch. Ordering in My Disney Experience puts you in a pickup window instead of the queue.
  • Allergy diners get the full menu
    The menu carries seven allergen-specific lists covering gluten and wheat, egg, fish and shellfish, milk, peanut and tree nut, sesame, and soy, priced the same as the standard versions. The $12.49 pulled pork sandwich costs $12.49 on gluten-friendly bread.
  • Character boats pass the lower tables
    Flotillas run the water through the day, and the waterside pavilions look straight at them. Diners who walk down far enough get the show with lunch.
  • There is draft beer at the counter
    Safari Amber runs $12.50 for a 20-ounce draft, alongside Bud Light and a blood orange wine spritz. Few quick service windows in this park pour a real beer.

The bad

  • Birds work the tables
    Egrets and ducks patrol the seating for scraps and go after an unguarded tray. Guests report losing fries to them mid-meal.
  • The chicken comes out dry
    Diners keep flagging the smoked chicken as the weak half of the combo plates. It needs sauce to carry.
  • The coleslaw draws steady complaints
    Reviewers call it bland, and it lands on every barbecue plate alongside the beans. Plenty of it goes back on the tray untouched.
  • Nothing here is air conditioned
    The pavilions have roofs and fans and no walls. In July and August the fans lose, and guests who need to cool down go elsewhere.
  • Finding a table is its own trip
    The seating spreads across winding terraced paths, and at peak lunch you walk the whole thing carrying a full tray before anything opens up.

Veteran tips

  • Walk past the first pavilions
    The tables closest to the ordering windows fill first and have the least to look at. Keep going down toward the water for space and the Everest view.
  • Order before the noon rush
    The counter backs up in the middle of the day. Place a Mobile Order early and pick a window before the crowd arrives.
  • Never leave the tray unattended
    Someone stays with the food while the rest of the party gets napkins or drinks. The birds move in within seconds.
  • Order fries if the sides miss
    Every barbecue plate ships with baked beans and coleslaw. French fries are a separate $5.49 side, or $8.99 topped with pulled pork and cheddar sauce.
  • Split the sampler, buy one side
    Two adults sharing the $18.99 platter and adding a $6.99 order of truffle fries eat for less than two entrees. Couples do this and still leave food.
  • Two hands on the tray, going down
    The paths to the lower pavilions are stepped and uneven. Send one adult ahead to claim a table rather than balancing a tray and a stroller at once.
  • Plan this as lunch, not dinner
    Service ends at 7:00 PM Sunday through Friday and 8:00 PM on Saturday, so it is closed before the park empties on most nights.

MouseHub editorial, written from visitor reports and official Disney sources. Last reviewed .

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