Let’s be honest — it can be a little overwhelming to choose where you want to eat in Disney World.
There are dozens upon dozens of restaurants in the parks, resorts, and Disney Springs, and each one has its own unique menu and offerings (ya know, except for the fact that there are TWO Rainforest Cafes in Disney World). Roundup Rodeo BBQ is one of Disney World’s newer dining additions, and it came into the game SWINGIN’. But how does it REALLY stack up against the other restaurants in Hollywood Studios? Let’s take a look.
Atmosphere
One of the big winning factors for Roundup Rodeo BBQ is the atmosphere, but we’ll admit — there are some other restaurants in Hollywood Studios with cool themes as well! Dining at 50s Prime Time Cafe is like taking a step back in time and heading into Oga’s Cantina really makes you feel like you’re a scoundrel in a Star Wars movie. And don’t even get us started on the super fun drive-in movie theme of Sci-Fi Dine-In Theater Restaurant!
If you love Toy Story, Woody’s Lunch Box in Toy Story Land is also a great option. It’s themed to look like Andy’s lunchbox was busted open, and there are chairs made out of Babybel cheese and pencils holding the lid open. So creative!
But honestly, the theme inside Roundup Rodeo BBQ is done SO well. You can really tell that the Imagineers put some deep thought into how a child would design a restaurant, and literally everything looks like it was crafted by little hands. From the character play sets to the crayon drawings to the thumbtacks and pencils holding everything on the walls…it’s impressive.
And not just that…the restaurant also has some fun hidden details. There are 14 hidden Mickeys, 2 hidden Oswalds, and 2 hidden tacos spread throughout. During your meal, various characters will come over the restaurant’s sound system to make announcements, and when they announce that Andy is coming, all the toys (your servers) freeze in place. How cool is that?!
Disney Imagineering really flexed with this restaurant theme, and we left our meal feeling wowed.
Food
But what about the food? Hollywood Studios isn’t exactly known for being the park with amazing food, but there are still some delicious table service meals at places like 50s Prime Time and Hollywood Brown Derby. Both of those restaurants have been some of our favorites in the past.
On the other hand, it’s pretty easy for Roundup Rodeo to surpass spots like Sci-Fi Dine-In, Mama Melrose’s Ristorante Italiano, and Hollywood & Vine — all restaurants that have fairly basic food options that don’t stand out.
At Roundup Rodeo BBQ, you get to eat family-style, and the cuisine is barbecue. You’ll get a platter of meats as well as your choice of four sides (out of eight), plus your choice of dessert. There are some really delicious sides and meats among the choices, so you can end up with a stellar table depending on what you choose.
So for the food category, it’s a great spot if you have some varying palettes in your party, and it really just depends on what you’re craving. That’ll affect your restaurant choice since our top three picks all have very different menus.
Value
Finally, we have to talk value! And that means, we’ve got to mention the price. Roundup Rodeo BBQ is $45 per adult and $25 per child, so it’s certainly not cheap.
If you want budget-friendly, you can grab some pretty good grub at a few of the quick service restaurants — ABC Commissary, Woody’s Lunch Box, and Fairfax Fare (with their menu of waffle bowls) come to mind as good options. At each of those places, you’ll get decent meals for less than $15 per person.
Among the table service restaurants, it’s one of the pricier options, BUT it’s only one of two all-you-care-to-eat restaurants in the park. The other choice is Hollywood & Vine, which is a buffet and a character meal where you’ll pay $59 per adult for lunch and dinner. So when you compare it against that restaurant alone, Roundup Rodeo BBQ definitely has better food (in our experience), and the price is $14 cheaper per person.
However, Roundup Rodeo doesn’t have characters in the restaurant (except for the cardboard ones), so you’re paying a heftier price for a non-character meal. On top of that, it’s a multi-course meal, so you’ll want to account for the fact that it’ll take a good chunk of time out of your day. You’ll likely be here for more than an hour, and maybe close to two hours.
If you’re okay with the longer meal and the price point, you can get some serious value out of this meal. Your server will refill your sides and meats throughout, and we were able to order more sides and desserts (besides the ones we initially picked) after our first round. You can try a LOT of food. You won’t leave here hungry!
So all in all, Roundup Rodeo BBQ ranks definitely in the top Hollywood Studios restaurants! It might even be the #1 option if you’re a Toy Story fan, love family-style meals, or just want some good barbecue. We had a blast during our visit!
Click Here for Our Review of Roundup Rodeo BBQ in Disney World!
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