 By: Bill and Donna |
 Animal Kingdom opened in 1998 and even though its Disney's largest park; the one thing it lacked was an abundance of restaurants as in the other three parks. The only table service eatery was the Landry owned Rainforest Cafe, but this was outside the main gate, not "In the Park" All the other places to dine were counter-service and kiosks scattered about. With the opening of the new "Yak and Yeti" in Asia, the table service part was solved.
Although we enjoy the counter service restaurants in all of Disney, they are basically all the same, with menus that are very similar. A few exceptions prevail, but one of our favorite places to nosh is the Flame Tree Barbecue on Discovery Island. The Flame Tree differs in our opinion because of the "Comfort food" it offers. The fare really sticks to your ribs (No pun intended) and will keep the hunger pangs away for quite a while. It is hearty and delicious. We both love BBQ ribs and as many times as we have dined here, they never disappointed. For $8.99, you get a ˝ slab of St. Louis Ribs served with baked beans and a fresh corn muffin. For a buck less you can have a smoked ˝ chicken also with beans and muffin. Rounding out the hot offerings is your choice of a Beef or pork sandwich with baked beans for $7.29. The portions are more than enough to satisfy a big appetite and the special BBQ rub is spiced just right. The chicken is very tender, the sandwiches fresh tasting with a good amount of meat. For the cold offerings, there is a nice smoked turkey breast sandwich with slaw (Which is very tasty, by the way) on a fresh multi-grain bun. A fresh salad with Barbecue Chicken can be had in a toasted garlic shell with balsamic vinegar and tomatoes for $ 7.19 or without the chicken for $5.19. For the health crowd, a Fresh fruit plate with honey yogurt is $6.99. The salad is a cool treat when it gets a little warm here in Florida! If you are still hungry, sides include French Fries, Onion rings, cold slaw, and corn muffin. For dessert, Key Lime pie (Our Favorite), Chocolate cake or Minute Maid Frozen Lemonade. Beverages include Diet and regular Coke, Sprite, Ice tea and Lemonade, Animal topper sports bottles, water, cocoa, tea, and coffee. Beer and wine is also on the menu. Flame Tree also offers a menu for the 3 year to 9-year-old group. Baked chicken wings and Hot dog with the choice of two sides…Applesauce, fruit punch gelatin, carrot sticks, or grapes. Drinks include choice of bottled water, apple juice or 1% milk.
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The other nice feature of the Flame Tree BBQ we like is that you have nice picnic-style tables to eat at, all under shade trees and pavilions around the side of the restaurant. It is much quieter than the Tusker House or Pizzafari, which can become very loud during peak hours. Of course, the downturn on this is if it rains, and in the summer months, it can get pretty warm down here, you might opt for the noise with air-conditioning. So for a counter service restaurant with some down-home cooking that will really fill you up, try our favorite in the Animal Kingdom.