Nestled beneath the shade of towering trees at Disney’s newest theme park – Animal Kingdom – is Flame Tree Barbecue, a Disney fan favorite when it comes to quick service meals in the parks.

You can find FTBBQ on Discovery Island (think: the Main Street USA of Animal Kingdom) and on the way to Dinoland USA. The entire eatery is colorful with a wild, animal theme. It’s a sensory overload, if you ask me. Seating is all outdoors, with some tables under cover.

Now, let’s take a peek at what’s on the menu…

First, you need to order your grub. There are several different lines for guests to queue. You’ll give your order to a cast member and then proceed to the counter, where you’ll pick up your prepared order.

Tip: The line is pretty cramped so if you have a big party – designate one, maybe two people, to order for everyone and bring it to the rest of the clan. Then, everyone else can go scope out some seats in the VERY large, labyrinthine seating area. Also, this dining hot spot will get busy fast so you may want to try dining here at off-hours – either earlier or later than a normal lunch and dinner time.

The Cast Members on the line have pulling orders together down to an exact science. They’re whizzing back and forth with pulled pork sandwiches or kid’s platters and it’s almost a choreographed dance number.

Flame Tree Barbecue’s menu is pretty simple, but not your standard chicken fingers and burgers, like other quick service options you may be used to finding in a theme park. Here, you’ll find St. Louis Style ribs, fruit plates and barbecue sandwiches.

On our visit, I ordered the turkey sandwich, which was piled high on a whole grain bread, served with lettuce, tomato, mayo and a pickle. It was probably one of the healthier options on the menu and filled me right up!

Brett ordered the pulled pork sandwich, which comes on a fluffy roll and is served with cole slaw and baked beans. Now, he spent most of his time trying to find the condiment and silverware so his food was cold by the time he got to the table. So, make it a point to find the condiment/napkins/silverware in advance so you can avoid having your meal be cold.

Overall, this barbecue isn’t going to win any sort of awards but it’s much better than some fast-food I’ve had in theme parks plus it gives you a bit of variety. That’s why I like the food options at Animal Kingdom Park, like the Yak and Yeti or FTBBQ, they’re just a bit outside of the norm. However, since the dining is outdoors, sitting for a meal here during the steamy, humid central Florida summers must be a chore! I can’t imagine how heavy the air must be and trying to down a 1/2 slab of barbecue ribs!

What do you think about the offerings at Flame Tree Barbecue? Any stories or suggestions?