You all know we love a fun food hack, and we recently tried one at Flame Tree Barbecue in Disney’s Animal Kingdom that is WILD!

Flame Tree Barbecue is a fast food spot in Animal Kingdom, just past and to the right of the Tree of Life. You can nosh on barbecue classics on a lush outdoor patio overlooking Discovery River. On our most recent visit, we created an entree mashup from two different dishes, and LOVED the result!

You’ve just finished flying on a banshee, or maybe you’ve just escaped the Yeti, and now it’s time to chow down on some barbecue! if you have a ravenous appetite, look no further. Flame Tree has long been a DFB and guest favorite for good reason — the food is freshly prepared, good quality, and MASSIVE portions. 

Atmosphere

This eatery received a makeover a few years ago, but the building is still adorned with bright colors and intricate animal carvings! The seating here is copious but spread out. Wander around to find your preferred seating location!

Most of the seating is, thankfully, covered.  We say thankfully cause how many times does a freak rainstorm seem to pop up right as you sit to eat?!

Some seating is exposed to the elements and often easier to score, especially if you’re not set on having a waterfront view.

Speaking of which, the majority of the seating surrounds the river. It has QUITE the epic view!

Seriously. Awesome views for DAYS!

We’ll note here a common occurrence we often see at this location though. Due to its proximity to the water, birds are quite fond of frequenting this location. As you can imagine, many of them over the years have gotten quite a taste for human food. You’ll notice signs around asking you please don’t feed them. But don’t be surprised if a rather forward feathered friend hops up to say hi mid-meal! 

As you approach Flame Tree, you’ll notice the standard “pick a line, walk up, and order” type setup seen at most quick-service restaurants around Disney World.

Normally, you’d order your food then step past the ordering podium to retrieve your food when ready. If you’ve eaten at a fast-food spot like this one before, you know at peak times this can get HECTIC with multiple parties at each window waiting to get their orders. 

Flame Tree is utilizing the Mobile Order system. With this, you order your food on the My Disney Experience app, indicate what time you would like to pick it up, and let them know once you have arrived. You’ll pre-order and pre-pay for your meal and customize everything as you see fit. Easy peasy! We used this on our visit, and think it’s a big time-saver!

It is worth noting that since Mobile Order is the preferred way to order now, you will be directed by a Cast Member to place your order this way. In rare cases where you need to speak directly with a Cast Member to order, they’ll allow you to approach a specified podium to order your meal. Otherwise, open the app and start ordering!

When ready, you’ll get a notification letting you know which numbered station to go to in order to pick up your food.

We ordered, we grabbed, and now we’re ready to eat! Let’s chow down!

Check out more information on Mobile Ordering here!

Eats

The grub at Flame Tree is all about that BBQ! We’re talking ribs, smoked chicken, pulled pork, and more. All cooked in-house each day. The fare is actually pretty healthy — lots of meats and hearty veggie-filled sides like beans and coleslaw. Non-meat eaters might have a tough time making a proper meal here unless they’re not that picky. The Hot Link Smokehouse Sandwich IS plant-based though!

We ordered up (one of our favorites) the Baked Macaroni and Cheese with Pulled Pork for $11.99, AND the Smoked Pulled Pork Sandwich for $10.99. To wash it all down we grabbed a Mandarin Orange Vodka Lemonade for $11. Of course, we ordered some sides of barbecue sauce as well (self-serve pumps used to be located around the seating areas but those aren’t being offered since the parks reopened!).

We found a spot with a great view to enjoy our goodies!

The Mandarin Orange Vodka Lemonade is made with Skyy mandarin orange vodka and Minute Made lemonade. It was simple but delicious! We found it to be very refreshing with lots of orange and citrus flavor, which is a great complement to the smoky barbecue. It’s definitely a jazzed-up version of the same ol’ lemonade you’ll find a zillion places in Disney World, but it works. The mandarin flavor is a unique one and a nice touch. It was $11, and we would definitely order again.

The Baked Macaroni and Cheese is piled high with pulled pork, cole slaw, a (very large) onion ring, and BBQ sauce.

This mac and cheese is so, so good! There’s a reason we order is so much. We love the mix of the creamy coleslaw with the super cheesy macaroni. No dry pasta here! There was a drizzle of barbecue sauce but, let’s be real, this thing is covered in a mound of smoky pulled pork… so we added a bit more.

The pulled pork had a great flavor, and the onion ring gave a nice crunch (who else votes that onion rings need to become a standard topping?). Trust us, you’ll be SO sad you only get one onion ring with this. If it was a pile of onion rings topped with the other goodies, we’d be happy campers! We think it’s a nice portion for the price of $11.99

The Smoked Pulled Pork sandwich included more of that pulled pork and coleslaw on a soft bun. You have the option of signature baked beans, French fries, orange slices, or onion rings as your side. We went with the ol’ faithful — french fries (TBH should have gone with more onion rings!).

The sandwich was a little underwhelming after the mac and cheese. The fillings were flavorful (it’s basically the same thing sans mac!), but the bread was a bit dry. Out of the two, the mac and cheese was definitely the star. For a buck more, it’s well worth the price.

But THEN! We were struck with inspiration and decided to COMBINE THE TWO TOGETHER. First, we removed the top bun and added the mac and cheese on top of the pulled pork and coleslaw.

THEN we added the onion ring on top of the mac and cheese, and drizzled on some more barbecue sauce.

AND THEN we added the top bun back on, and voila!

Yep, it’s basically the baked mac and cheese entree…on bread. And that’s OK! You’re in Disney World. Live a little! 😉 Carbs on carbs? You know we wouldn’t turn that down!

Look at how stacked and jacked this thing is. It’s monstrous! Easily shareable for two people.

We slathered on some more barbecue sauce on the cut side, because why not (their sauce is real good!)?

Make sure you grab plenty of napkins when you chow down on this one because it is messy! But oh so worth it.

A cheesy/smoky/porky/tangy ultimate hack! Best of both worlds. Nice!

Nosh or Not?

Add Flame Tree Barbecue to your Animal Kingdom itinerary if:

• You are a BBQ lover or craving comfort food.
• You want a big meal and a relaxing spot to unwind.
• You’re looking for VALUE. This place crams a whole lot of food on each plate. Pretty much every entree is easily splittable.

Choose a different option at Animal Kingdom if:

• You aren’t that into BBQ (it’s kinda the name of the game here!).
• You’re looking for a lighter meal for your day in the park. Rich smoked meats and barbecue sauce make us want to curl up for a nap!
• You don’t want to fight the birds for your meal. It’s not guaranteed you’ll be assaulted by birds, but it’s sure a possibility! 😉

Overall

Flame Tree Barbecue remains a GREAT fast food option in Animal Kingdom! The portions are large and the outdoor dining area is beautiful and relaxing. You will NOT leave here hungry (especially if you order TWO entrees like we did!). We loved our Smoked Pulled Pork Mac and Cheese sandwich hack, but if you had to choose one or the other we’d recommend the mac and cheese. It had the best of everything and honestly, it’s what we gravitate towards every time we come here for good reason. If you’re looking for a solid choice for lunch on your Animal Kingdom day, you likely won’t be disappointed here. Keep checking DFB for more park snack hacks!

Check out our other reviews of Flame Tree Barbecue here!

Will you be attempting this barbecue mashup? Let us know in the comments!