Disneyland Park’s New Barbecue Restaurant Is Major Upgrade to Previous Offering

Disneyland recently underwent some major changes with the debut of Bayou Country, introducing Tiana's Bayou Adventure, two new Princess and the Frog shops, and a reimagined version of Hungry Bear Restaurant into “Hungry Bear Barbecue Jamboree.”

The restaurant was rethemed based on the fan-favorite Country Bears and got a brand new menu with some really interesting new options. We had the opportunity to try some of these on our recent trip and were quite impressed by the food.

Keep reading for our review of Hungry Bear Barbecue Jamboree at Disneyland and the standout items we tried! You can also read about our experience on Tiana's Bayou Adventure and why it's better at Disneyland than at Disney World here.

Hungry Bear Barbecue Jamboree Review

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The new Hungry Bear Barbecue Jamboree brings well-prepared meat offerings back to Disneyland Park. We were really impressed by the menu and the great value you get out of these offerings. I hope that the quality here remains over the coming months and years.

When the restaurant retheme was first announced, we had hoped the offerings would be somewhat reminiscent of the beloved Big Thunder Ranch Barbecue that closed in 2016 to make way for Galaxy's Edge. While the theming of the space isn't much different than before (apart from some minor decorative changes and a new Country Bears soundtrack), the menu got a serious upgrade with some really great and filling food options. It does deliver on the Big Thunder Ranch expectations.

Compared to the previous iteration of Hungry Bear Restaurant this is a big elevation of offerings. The meat was clearly high quality and the menu was well thought out. Really there is only one thing missing from the previous menu which is the Fried Green Tomato Sandwich which could frankly show up on this menu in the future as a limited time offering. We also used to like the bigger funnel cakes at Hungry Bear but the funnel fries fill that hole fine. This version of the restaurant still has a burger and chicken tenders though we opted not to order those this time. The chicken tenders plate comes with both coleslaw and the fries so we may have to try those next time.

We'll have to check in the future to see if those are a better version of the foods than what is offered at other locations at the resort.

The new menu introduced barbecue dishes with entrees like a Smoked Barbecue Combo Platter with smoked meats and sides, a Barbecue Pulled Pork Sandwich, Smoked Beef Brisket Sandwich, etc.

There are a few sides offered including Baked Beans, House Slaw, and Beer-Battered Fries, as well as new drinks including a Sparkling Strawberry-Pickle Lemonade​ that we tried. The Corn Ribs are also popular.

Before launching into our review of the entrees, the first thing that was a real standout was the Beer-Battered Fries! These are better than any other we've had inside Disneyland Park and similar to the ones at our favorite secret restaurant at the resort. These come as a substantial serving and are perfectly seasoned and crispy on the outside while remaining thick on the inside. I could not stop eating these!

We also really enjoyed both of the sandwiches! The Barbecue Pulled Pork Sandwich (tangy BBQ sauce, house slaw, bread and butter, and pickles served with beer-battered fries) is very flavorful and the sandwich as a whole was simple but delicious and filling.

The sandwiches were some of our favorite offerings at the restaurant. They were very good for the price. We have our Magic Key Annual Pass discount which make these high quality BBQ sandwiches even better for the price.

The Smoked Beef Brisket Sandwich pictured below is served with tangy BBQ sauce, pickled red onions, and pickled jalapeños served with beer-battered fries (we got it with coleslaw).

We like the fact that you can choose between coleslaw and fries. The coleslaw is very good and not soggy—it is clearly not just sitting in a huge vat of mayonnaise.

The sandwiches definitely feel like a better deal than the plate does from a filling perspective, though the plate is quite good with the two different types of meats. I would have liked more meat on the plate.

We really liked the ribs on the plate—the pork fell right off the bone! The Smoked Barbecue Combo Platter contains a selection of house-smoked meats, served with baked beans, house slaw, white bread, and pickles with a choice of two of the following: Pork Spareribs, Pulled Pork, Sausage Link, or Beef Brisket.

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An unexpected star of the show was the Sparkling Strawberry-Pickle Lemonade (Simply Lemonade, Minute Maid Strawberry Smoothie, flavors of lime, Sprite, pickle juice and a pickle spear).

We were intrigued by this so felt obliged to try it, and it was surprisingly great! The carbonation and pickle flavor cuts down the sweetness of the drink, and it doesn't taste overly sweet or artificial. It goes really well with the food and the pickle flavor gets a bit stronger the more you drink. We would definitely get this again.

We also really liked the Corn Ribs! The plant-based Corn Ribs Plate comes with chile-lime aioli, parmesan, crispy onions, cilantro, and scallions with house slaw and beer-battered fries.

If you order in person, you can actually opt for meat instead of fries to make this into a bigger meal. This isn't available on mobile order yet but you can pay extra to have it upgraded when ordering at the restaurant.

The Loaded Fries (topped with smoked pulled pork, queso sauce, pickled red onions, and pickled jalapeños, cilantro, and scallions) are a very good as a way to try some of the meat without a full entree.

The fries are already great by themselves and the toppings add some interesting flavors! This is a great choice if you're craving something comforting as an easy-to-order mid-day snack but don't want to go for a full meal.

We also tried the Funnel Cake Fries (dusted with powdered sugar). Gavin thought that there was nothing too special about these and they were very sweet, and he would opt for a churro instead. I personally really liked these and thought they were nice and warm and had a great crunch, but a whole bag of them might be too much after an already filling meal. For an additional charge, you can add Banana Caramel Dipping Sauce.

Overall, this new menu is really impressive, and the restaurant remains on our list of the best places to get a cheap and satisfying meal at Disneyland.

On rare occasions, we receive invitations from Disney to try the latest offerings. As part of the Tiana's Bayou Adventure media event, we received a dining voucher to try the food at this new restaurant. We are in the parks every week on our own ensuring that you have the latest news and views. All opinions are always our own and we are unafraid to be critical of items we don't like.

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