At EPCOT, you will find so many food choices, you could have your head spinning.

With each country in the World Showcase offering food, multiple restaurants at the front of the park, and if there is a festival like Food and Wine happening, there are a lot of choices on where to grab your meal from. With so many options, there is one restaurant that could get overlooked. We’re here today to take you along with us to one restaurant that will fill your stomach and having you feel patriotic at the same time.

Regal Eagle Smokehouse can be found in the America Pavillion. It lies to the left of the American Adventure and is hard to miss with the signs, tables, and the smell of smoked meat filling the air. Regal Eagle is a quick-service restaurant but it is far from your typical “theme-park food.”

Now before we get started, we want to acknowledge something that we’re sure makes Sam Eagle proud: This place is a HUGE improvement over what was here before! The quick-service restaurant in the American Adventure Pavilion used to be Liberty Inn. And it was, well, just not that great. I mean, this is EPCOT, and there are SO many great quick-service choices (we ranked them all here), and Liberty Inn just was not something we would recommend. It served mostly uninspired food like burgers and fries.

But Regal Eagle Smokehouse, well, that’s a different story! This location has gone from pretty awful to pretty awesome! Come along on our most recent visit!

Atmosphere

You can immediately feel patriotism with the sign featuring Sam Eagle from the Muppets. All around you’ll find American Flags, old lanterns, and barrels to transport you back in American history.

Outside you’ll find a large smoker also known as the Barbecue Pit. While this smoker is not used to smoke the actual meat you’ll find in the restaurant, it already has you daydreaming about those smokey flavors you’ll soon taste.

Outdoor seating is available at multiple picnic-style tables that have large umbrellas to help provide shade.

Outside of the restaurant, you’ll find a bar that serves cocktails, frozen drinks, and beer. You can order one of these drinks here and take it inside with you.

Now, it’s time to head inside. You’ll find red and white drapes above the entrance of the large white glass doors.

The theming of this restaurant is one of our favorites. The walls are filled with decor to look at all throughout. Just check out this amazing Regal Eagle Smokehouse sign inside above multiple cast iron pans and utensils.

The walls are covered in photos of plants, herb bundles, and of course, red, white, and blue bunting.

You will also see nods to the Muppets throughout as well like this Sam’s Centennial Cook-off sign. “A competition fit for patriots and pit masters” it reads.

Of course, it wouldn’t be a tribute to Sam Eagle without a spin on his classic “A Salute to All Nations but Mostly America” line from Muppet Vision 3D over in Hollywood Studios. Here it reads “A Salute to ALL Cook-Offs but Mostly Barbecue”.

Inside seating is plenty, with multiple-size tables with benches. Although, it is needed as this restaurant is often crowded.

This location does offer Mobile Ordering and we recommend doing so, especially around peak meal times. It can get busy in here. However, if you would like to order in person, you can do that as well.

After you order, you’ll see a few signs letting you know that because of their smoking process, even fully cooked meats appear pink in color. This is to give you a heads-up that it is normal for your meat to look like this and to not be alarmed.

Here they have soda machines out for guests to fill their cups with. One of our favorite things about this location is that you can get ice and water in your own bottle here.

There are plenty of paper napkin stands so be sure to grab a stack of them — you’ll thank us later.

For silverware, they have plastic knives, forks, and spoons available throughout the dining room.

There are Coke products available as well as an iced tea station.

You can’t forget about those sauces. There is Ketchup, Dry Rub, Brisket Sauce, Vinegar Base Sauce, and Honey Mustard Sauce.

There are trash stations in several locations inside. Be sure to put those plates where they belong and the trays back.

Menu

First, Entress includes Memphis Dry-rub Pork Ribs, BBQ Burger, Kansas City Smoked Half-Chicken, and more.

They also offer a plant-based BBQ Jackfruit Burger. Sides include items like Baked Beans with Burnt ends, Creamy Coleslaw, and House-made pickles.

Kids’ Meals include Cheeseburgers and Macaroni & Cheese.

They do have a few dessert options and non-alcoholic beverages.

As well as some beer and one specialty cocktail. If you are looking for more alcoholic drinks, check out the Regal Eagle Bar outside of the restaurant.

Food

The sandwich is loaded with large pieces of brisket that are tender and packed with flavor. However, we did not like the garlic bread as we felt like the bread overpowered the brisket. It also gave little structure to the sandwich so we could the brisket falling out. We would love to see the brisket on a roll instead. If you’re wanting to try the brisket, you can always deconstruct this sandwich and eat it with a fork.

The sandwich came with a side option and we chose the Macaroni & Cheese. This mac and cheese is more of a baked style mac and cheese. It is topped with bread crumbs which adds a lot of texture to the dish. It is not overly cheesy or creamy, which we actually liked.

Although, it does lack a little flavor. It is good mac & cheese, but we don’t think it’s the best on the property. It is a solid side choice here at Regal Eagle though. If you like the baked style, you’ll want to try this.

OK, so our reporter who tried this dish is actually from North Carolina so she can judge how this actually stacks up. We thought the pork was very juicy and flavorful. You can tell it is smoked and that flavor carries throughout the pork. Our reporter found this to be a close option for tried and true North Carolina BBQ. Especially if you add the vinegar sauce to it.

The meal came with a side and we chose the Baked Beans with Burnt Ends. These are traditional baked beans with pieces of burnt ends throughout. It’s a good portion of beans for a side dish which we appreciated.

The beans had a smoky flavor as well. If you like traditional baked beans, we think you’ll love these. Adding the burnt ends to them really takes it up a notch and adds some nice chewy texture to the dish.

Overall

We think this is a solid quick-service option in EPCOT. While there are a lot of choices for food in EPCOT, this is a good option for those looking for a heavy, American meal. We feel like it is well-priced for a quick service location. It also offers a lot of seating, which is good because this restaurant gets busy.

The food is better than your average theme-park, quick service. However, it’s also not the best food we’ve had on the property. We do think it’s a good option that could please many members in your party. While you might not find the healthiest of menu options here, you will find some good comfort food.

Nosh or Not?

You should plan a meal here if…

• You are craving American food that is more than burgers and fries. This takes American food up a notch by bringing delicious comfort food that goes above typical quick-service food options.
• You have picky eaters in your group. You will find pork, chicken, beef, and a plant-based option here. It also is mild in flavor so it can be liked by most.
• You are looking for a heavy meal. You will not leave here hungry. Between the large portions and the heavy food options, you will stay full for a while.

You should probably skip if…

• You are wanting a sit-down, quiet meal. As we mentioned, this restaurant gets busy during peak meal times and since it’s one large open room, it can get loud.
• You are looking for more adventurous food options. At EPCOT, you have so many different cuisines to choose from. If there is a festival happening, there’s even more! If you are looking for something more adventurous, this isn’t the place for you.
• You are in the front of EPCOT. Regal Eagle is located in the America Pavillion, which is in the middle of the back of the World Showcase. This could be a long walk. If you are towards the front of the park or even at the front of the World Showcase, you might want to head to Connections Eatery or Sunshine Seasons instead.

We’ve eaten at EVERY EPCOT restaurant — these are the best!

Have you been to Regal Eagle Smokehouse before at EPCOT? Let us know in the comments below.