Well, we knew things would be changing at Animal Kingdom in short order, but I don’t know if we quite expected this…

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Animal Kingdom
Disney World Restaurants

As the park revs up for the much-anticipated (and delayed) reopening of Flame Tree Barbecue in early July, the kiosks that have been serving as temporary locations for Flame Tree items are starting to change again, too.

That includes Beastly Kiosk, which you’ll find in Discovery Island just outside of the entrance to Asia. [Editor’s note: Since the posting of this article, the Beastly Kiosk has been renamed, and is now Eight Spoon Cafe.] This small snack stand has been serving up three Flame Tree entrees, which was a definite departure from its typical menu of Mickey and Jalapeño Cheese-stuffed Pretzels (along with the occasional appearance of Corn Dogs on peak crowd days).

Well, the pretzels have indeed returned (woot!), along with two brand new items. Beastly Kiosk is now serving Baked Pasta Marinara with Mozzarella and — wait for it — BAKED LOBSTER MAC AND CHEESE!

Beastly Kiosk

What?!??!

New Beastly Kiosk menu

Why delay? Let’s dive right into that Lobster Mac, shall we?

Lobster Macaroni and Cheese

Let’s talk portion first: if you’ve visited any booths at Epcot during the Food and Wine Festival or Flower and Garden Festival, you’ll be familiar with this size dish. They’re definitely on the smaller size and not full-sized entrees, which is why you’ll see them listed as a snack credit (!!!!!!!! LOBSTER MAC IS A SNACK CREDIT!!!!!!!) on the Disney Dining Plan. If you’re not familiar with the size, hopefully that picture of my fork near the dish will give you some perspective.

With a dish this rich, the

size actually worked out pretty well (though I should note I ate every. single. last. bite.). I was for sure pumped about the lobster, but we gotta check out that cheese, too!

CHEESE!

There was a very good balance of lobster and cheese flavor — the entire dish was delicate and creamy. There weren’t any big chunks of lobster, but there were definitely nice pieces throughout.

Lobster Macaroni and Cheese

As far as snacks go, it’s an awesome, filling choice.

The Baked Pasta Marinara with Mozzarella shares two things in common with the Lobster Mac.

Baked Pasta Marinara with Mozzarella

First, the cheese is a major part of the story with this one, too.

Baked Pasta Marinara with Mozzarella

Second, it uses the same style of pasta — that nice, “hand-rolled” kind.

Macaroni

This one definitely had good flavor, and was also creamy and cheesy. It’s similarly filling as well. It’s just not quite the showstopper that the Lobster Mac and Cheese is.

So that’s one I didn’t see coming… the Beastly Kiosk as an Animal Kingdom dining destination ;). But there you have it! I’m not sure that these dishes necessarily make for great mid-day-during-a-super-hot-humid-Orlando-summer snacks…but I really don’t know how to NOT eat Lobster Mac and Cheese when it’s a snack credit on the dining plan.

By the way, since Flame Tree Barbecue is not yet reopened (look for it around July 1st, per latest reports), you may want to know that some of the entrees that Beastly Kiosk was serving on behalf of Flame Tree — the Rib and Chicken Combo, and the Jumbo Turkey Leg — can still be found at the Gardens Kiosk.

We can’t wait to see what’s next!

Has the Beastly Kiosk suddenly become “Must-Do Dining” for you with these new dishes? Please let us know with a comment!