We were very excited in 2012 to bring you some of the earliest pictures of Gaston’s Tavern in Walt Disney World’s New Fantasyland!
This rustic spot, known for hearty snacks that could easily double as a meal, is one of the newest spots to score eats in all of the resort. And with its incredible themeing, you feel like you’ve stepped out of reality and right into Gaston’s cozy mancave featured in Beauty and the Beast!
Gaston's Tavern -- Magic Kingdom's New Fantasyland
And while we’ve talked about some of great menu items here — like the brand new Pork Shank (now in Disneyland, too!) and the Gaston’s Tavern Cinnamon Rolls, there’s one star player that merits a bit more detail — LeFou’s Brew!
Atmosphere
If you’ve had the chance to read our reviews of New Fantasyland, or visit the area yourself, then you already know about the incredible job Imagineers did here. (If you’d like to see more, check out our reviews of lunch and dinner at Be Our Guest Restaurant, as well as some of the fun options at Big Top Treats!)
And Gaston’s Tavern is just one more foray into fantasy… . The tavern is depicted in the film when Gaston is whining to LeFou about how Belle has rejected him.
Gaston's Tavern Main Dining Room
Many of the features in the movie have leapt to life here, thanks to the tireless work of Imagineers. From the ample antler decorating to the very “animated” fireplace to Gaston’s very own fur-and-leather-bedecked chair — you’ll feel like you’ve wandered right into the film! (FYI — the guy below is not me. He’s just some fellow who agreed to “model” the size of the chair for the photograph!)
Random Pork Shank Guy in Gaston's Chair
Eats
There are, however, no serving wenches here. 😉 Nope! This is a counter service spot, so head to the casks on the counter to place your order!
Gaston's Tavern Ordering Area
You’ll find hearty snacks but no real meals per se. The portions are substantial, however. So you could easily cobble together a pretty big meal from the list.
Gaston's Tavern Menu -- Click to Enlarge
We’ve already shown you the massive new Pork Shank…
Pork Shank
And the Warm Cinnamon Roll has been a welcome sweet treat for those who are heading to the back of the park.
Gaston's Tavern Cinnamon Roll -- with extra icing
But today, it’s time to focus on Gaston’s featured beverage: LeFou’s Brew.
LeFou’s Brew
One of the first questions that Disney fans posed when Gaston’s Tavern was announced was, “How do you have a tavern in a park that sells no beer?” Because at the time, Disney World was still a dry park. (In an historic move, they’ve since started selling beer and wine at Be Our Guest Restaurant, but only at dinner.)
Gaston's Tavern LeFou's Brew Souvenir Mug
Disney chefs set out to create an ale-like drink with no alcohol, and the answer came in repurposing a drink that was recently unveiled in Disney California Adventure’s new Cars Land. There, the beverage is known as Red’s Apple Freeze at the Cozy Cone Motel.
Basically, it’s no-sugar-added frozen apple juice flavored slightly with marshmallow, topped by a creamy, passion-fruit froth that stands in for the brew’s “head.”
I opted for the Brew in a regular cup, instead of the souvenir stein (which you can see above) so you could see what it looks like. It really does look a lot like ale at first glance, eh?
LeFou's Brew from Gaston's Tavern in Magic Kingdom's New Fantasyland
It’s really difficult to review this beverage! Reactions from guests have been mixed– you either love it or you hate it — and, frankly, I have a very neutral stance toward LeFou’s Brew.
I like the slushy frozen apple juice just fine, even though the marshmallow flavor makes it slightly too sweet for me. And while you guys know how I feel about the “foam trend” (hate it), at least the passion fruit-mango version here seems like it serves more of a purpose in that it makes the drink look more brew-like.
LeFou's Brew -- Up Close
Personally, while I wouldn’t make a bee-line for Gaston’s to grab this drink on every visit, I think it’s an interesting and fun addition to the New Fantasyland culinary offerings…and the kiddos LOVE it.
Overall
While we wish that Gaston’s Tavern were more than just a snack stop, it’s worth a trip here to sample the unique items that you can’t get anywhere else in Disney World and to see part of a beloved film so faithfully brought to life.
Sure, we’re still hoping that some heartier options will show up, or maybe some frites. Wouldn’t that be fantastic? But until then, we’ll continue to stop by here for a cinnamon roll — or LeFou’s Brew when the temperatures climb — and take in the awesome surroundings.
What do you think of LeFou’s Brew? Love it or hate it? Let us know in the comments below!
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I’m a cast member (all the way in adventureland, mind you) and because of LeFou’s brew I get asked where to buy beer, and then when I say that Be Our Guest is the only place to purchase alcohol in Magic Kingdom (and explain that it’s only wine), guests always say that they just saw someone with beer.
It really does trick most people!
I got some LeFou’s brew in March and even though it was nice after a while it got sickly. I got it in the souvineer Belle goblet lol. Gastons Tavern is amazing! The whole theming is fantastic! I hope They start adding more food items. I’m so glad there is a place in MK where you can get cinnamon rolls from, now that the MSB is changing.
I really enjoyed the drink and although I’m not keen on the parks-wide ‘foam on top of everything’ option either, I think I’d prefer Le Fou’s Brew it if they dumped the passion fruit / mango (and I dearly love mango too) and instead made the foamy topping more marshamallow-y so you could sip the slightly sharper apple through it.
I really liked it when I tried it in February…But it’s so sweet it’s just would be a once in a while for me
At first taste I liked it, but the flavor of the marshmallow soon got to me and I only finished a quarter of the drink. I got mine without the foam since I am allergic to mango. Maybe the foam would have cut the sweetness?
Semi-related question… Are we to assume the cinnamon rolls from MSB aren’t returning and that’s why there’s a cinnamon roll offering here at Gaston’s?
Not a fan of Le Fou’s Brew. I wish they would come up with another verson. Frozen apple juice still would be good but and would still look like beer/Ale but different toppings and I am a marshmellow lover but the passion fruit and marshmellow do not blend well with the Apple juice. Not sure what would but maybe just overhaul it all together.
Too bad the Butter beer is taken that is really good.
Maybe a good Root beer with a frothy foamy topping ??? 🙂 Now that would be good.
Can I just say that I secretly love Gaston? I’m glad that he has his own tavern now! The interior looks specTACular!
We love it, I think its so refreshing on a hot day! In the big group I was with everyone liked it!
I think they gave it a good try at replicating ale. It seems to be too sweet for most adults, but great for the kids and those with a real sweet tooth. Maybe they could bend the MK tradition a wee bit and serve an alcohol free beer.
I liked the drink but did not love it. Liked the fact it was new and different but I agree with everyone on here we need to come up with something different that is more refreshing not so sweet and tangy. May I suggest sparkling apple cider or grape juice. I think taking a Fruit juice and making it sparkle or give it an alcohol look is fun for all of us. So many fruit flavors I can think of that Disney could come up with but my number one would be a Dole Whip flavored beverage. I also think you should be able to sample these flavors like at Epcot’s Club Cool. That way you could decide which one you prefer before you drop $10 cause who doesn’t want an awesome themed cup from Disney!
I enjoyed it and look forward to trying it again this Fall. We’ll see how it holds up a second time.
this will consume another of my precious snack credits .. the kids will not pass on this one…
I order the LeFou Brew without marshmallow and I love it. It tastes completely like apple, with a touch of mango when you get a taste of the foam. If the marshmallow is what you don’t like about it, you should order it without and see how you like it then..it might change your opinion 🙂
I don’t hate LeFou’s brew. It’s a tasty apple juice slushee. What bothers me is it’s an obvious attempt to come with something similar to the idea of butter beer, and it is a far inferior product. It’s a really sad example of how Disney is trying to play catchup to Universal and failing miserably.
So basically the same as butterbeer in Universal?
I too think the Brew is too sweet. So I was very happy to see last December that they were also selling Hot Chocolate in the souvenir stein. I’m assuming that they only do this when the weather is cold though.
I haven’t had a chance to try this yet and with all of the ‘overly sweet’ comments, it may be awhile before I do.
I tried the LeFou’s Brew last month, and I didn’t like it at all. I love apples and marshmallow on their own, but together, I think the combination was honestly sickening. To me it was a failed attempt at making a sweet and sour combo. My friends and I split one cup three ways, and I could only have a couple of sips before I felt nauseated. I’ll stick to Dole Whips in the future.
I loved LeFou’s Brew…but I have a high tolerance for sweet things. I found it tasted even better when I mixed the foam into the frozen juice. I also got it in a Belle mug…kid at heart! 🙂
I loved it! Turned my brother on to it the last time we were all there together. My only problem is that I have some sinus issues & tend to get brain freeze very easily – especially when I take big swigs of the stuff because it’s so tasty! But I suffer that with any frozen drink…
My husband and I tried LeFou’s Brew on our trip in November, and we both loved it. I’m a big passionfruit fan, and loved the foam almost better than the drink itself. I, too, mix it into the drink and think it all blends together very well. I do hope that, by the time we get back in 2014, they still have it and haven’t changed the formula. I see someone also commented about it trying to be “butter beer”, and I had commented on that myself, but given that we weren’t at Universal that day and get tired of carbonated drinks or water all the time, it was refreshing to us on the hot day we were visiting. We’ll definitely try it again when we go back.
I tried the brew last October and just LOVED it! It was the perfect afternoon treat. I shared it with my mom so it was the perfect amount. Love Gaston’s when it’s empty too, you can just hang around, drink some LeFou’s and take silly photos in Gaston’s chair. Very cute!!
Also, the cast member told me it’s best to drink with a straw so you can taste the different flavors by themselves too.
Disney Keeping up with universal, the last I looked most of the Disney Parks were above Universal in attendance and no one was even close to the magic kingdom by several million.
I loved this drink, and so did all my friends! One friend made a comment that it tasted like a candle smells, and no matter how weird the comment we all agreed!
I really liked it. With a chocolate croissant, it was amazing! I also loved how the music from the movie and the musical were piped in the tavern constantly. It was such a fun, immersive experience.
We had LeFou’s Brew during our May visit and absolutely loved it! Just the right combination of refreshing, frosty apple drink and fruity foam. We didn’t find it too sweet at all. I’m on the web looking for a recipe so that we can make this at home in the blender.
We loved it! First sip was sour and sweet and then when it’s all mixed it was very yummy and a good place to cool off. We loved the theming and suggest it to those who love Beauty in the Beast. Plus it wasn’t packed at all since it kind of further away. I like that they only have a few snack items and not a full lunch to me its a good place to stop and not have the long lines of people waiting for a full meal
Can’t do MK without having one of these! There’s no such thing as too sweet. Temperatures don’t matter either… My last visit was January 29th, 2014. It was 43 degrees and raining. Didn’t stop me from enjoying my LeFou’s Brew. (I did get a lot of funny looks from the shivering locals though)
I tried LeFou’s brew for the first time back in October when my uncle couldn’t finish it because of how sweet it is! I’m 16 and have a massive sweet tooth so obviously he handed it off to me and I absolutely loved the drink. When I went back to Disney a week ago with my dad, I went and got some while waiting for our reservation at Be Our Guest and I cannot stand the passion fruit foam on top. It’s a weird consistency when mixed in with the drink but seems too foamy to be eaten on its own. But I loved the drink itself and would love to find a way to recreate it on my own.
my family loves le fou’s brew. We’ve had it with the foam and without – you can ask them to leave it off. We prefer it without mainly because the wee ones didn’t like it but I’d drink it either way. It’s something we usually share between us though so it’s just the right amount of sweet treat. Not sure if I could consume a whole one by myself. All in all we think it’s a winner.
Just tried it today and I really liked it. I already want another. My three sons were excited to be a little bit grown-up too.
LeFou’s brew was the best tasting beverage on a hot day. Packed with an original flavor, it is hands down the best themed drink in all the different parks in Orlando.