Over in the former Critter Country at Disneyland, the Hungry Bear Barbecue Jamboree restaurant is now open with its new menu amid a heavier Country Bears theme.
The venue was formerly known as the Hungry Bear Restaurant. With most of Critter Country and New Orleans Square under refurbishment ahead of the November 15 debut for Tiana’s Bayou Adventure, the Hungry Bear Restaurant underwent a transformation as well. Now part of Bayou Country, the restaurant features nods to the various renditions of the Country Bear Jamboree.
Check out our full restaurant tour.
Hungry Bear Barbecue Jamboree Review
The new menu offers a selection of classic barbecue dishes, a plant-based option, dessert, and more. We tried every item.
Smoked Barbecue Combo Platter – $21.49
A selection of House-smoked Meats, with Baked Beans, Coleslaw, White Bread and Pickled Vegetables. Select 2: Pork Spareribs, Pulled Pork, Sausage Link, or Beef Brisket
Since pulled pork and brisket are available on several other menu items, we opted for sausage and ribs. You can pay extra for a third meat serving if you desire. The ribs were a pleasant surprise; they looked dry but were very juicy.
The sausage comes in thick slices and is well-flavored, making it the only appropriately seasoned meat we tried today. The beans were in a thick, rich barbecue and were very good.
Perhaps the most perplexing thing today was the side of plain, untoasted white bread. With this kind of platter, we’d expect to see something like a Texas toast.
The recurring theme here is that things are very under-seasoned unless you put one of the three barbecue sauces on them. As for thoughts on the sauces, they’re all good; the regular sauce is a sweet barbecue, the spicy one packs just enough heat, and the gold, of course, is mustard-heavy.
Rating out of 7: 3
Barbecue Pulled Pork Sandwich – $15.99
Tangy BBQ Sauce, Coleslaw and B & B Pickles, with Beer-battered Fries
The pork was cooked right—it’s juicy and tender, but there’s no flavor to it. Many of the meats say they are covered in barbecue sauce, and they certainly look like they are, but the sauce is watery and bland. The buttery buns help a lot here, and they look griddled.
The fries that come standard with each sandwich have a perfectly crunchy exterior and soft interior. They were served hot and fresh and were absolutely delicious.
Rating out of 7: 4
Loaded Fries – $14.99
Smoked Pulled Pork, Queso Sauce, Pickled Red Onions, Pickled Jalapeños, Cilantro and Scallions
The fries are the highlight of the restaurant, loaded or not. The pork was still underseasoned but somehow tastier than the pork on the sandwiches. These are delicious, though we think we may prefer the fries plain.
Rating out of 7: 6
Smoked Angus Beef Burger with Pulled Pork – $18.49
American Cheese, Golden Aïoli, Pickled Red Onions, B & B Pickles and Crispy Onions, with Beer-battered Fries
The patty itself is one of the better ones around the park, but still very much a theme park burger. It and the pork lacked flavor. The coleslaw seemed to be simply chopped veggies and vinegar.
Rating out of 7: 4
Smoked Beef Brisket Sandwich – $16.99
Tangy BBQ Sauce, Pickled Red Onions and Pickled Jalapeños, with Beer-battered Fries
The brisket, again, is dry and flavorless. Once you add your sauce of choice, the bun and jalapeños go a long way. It’s a huge serving.
Rating out of 7: 4
Corn Ribs Plate – $14.99
Chile-Lime Aïoli, Parmesan, Crispy Onions, Cilantro, and Scallions, with Coleslaw and Beer-battered Fries
The price is a little steep for what is essentially deconstructed corn on the cob (even though the cob is still present, just split into four). The cheese and aïoli are perfect on top of this, creating a complex and spicy combination. The corn was cooked just right.
It does come with the fries, which are a delight with every dish they accompany. Flavor-wise, it’s definitely as good as a corn dish could be and it’s a solid plant-based option. The value for the price isn’t great compared to the other options.
Rating out of 7: 6
Banana Pudding – $7.29
Bananas, Whipped Cream, Crushed Wafer Cookies, Dulce de Leche and Toffee
This is instantly one of the best desserts in the entirety of the Disneyland Resort. Disney has been on a roll when it comes to barbecue restaurants and this classic staple is no different, even surpassing the great option at the Regal Eagle Smokehouse in EPCOT. What elevates this version is the salted caramel, which is perfectly balanced with the overall sweetness of the dish. Cast Members warned us that this is only available in limited quantities each day, so we recommend stopping by Hungry Bear Barbecue Jamboree for lunch rather than a late dinner.
Rating out of 7: 7
Funnel Cake Fries – $7.49
Dusted with Powdered Sugar
These were perfectly baked with a light, crisp exterior, and a soft interior perfectly complimented by the sugar. For $1.50 more, the banana caramel sauce is a wonderful accompaniment, but these stand on their own.
Rating out of 7: 7
Sparkling Strawberry-Pickle Lemonade – $7.49
Simply Lemonade®, Minute Maid® Strawberry Smoothie, flavors of Lime, Sprite®, Pickle Juice and a Pickle Spear
This is really interesting, because it has the sweetness and the artificial strawberry flavor of the smoothie, but the viscosity of a lighter drink. The sweetness up against the tart works really well where you get that sweetness up front and the pickle juice on the back end. Neither one overpowers the other; they just seem to come in in waves. It’s light, refreshing, and unique.
Rating out of 7: 7
Lemonade-Iced Tea – $6.49
Simply Lemonade®, Gold Peak® Unsweetened Iced Tea and a Lemon Wheel
If you’re a fan of lemonade iced tea (colloquially known as an Arnold Palmer), this is exactly that. It’s what’s on the label, nothing more or less. We’re not big fans in general and will stick with the Strawberry-Pickle Lemonade.
Rating out of 7: 3
Strawberry Shortbread Lemonade – $7.49
Simply Lemonade, Minute Maid Strawberry Smoothie, Sweet Cream Topping, Shortbread Crumbles & Strawberry Dust
This is fun and tasty. The sips with the creamy topping are the best, especially with the crumbs. It really emulates strawberry shortcake if you get all the toppings included. However, the drink by itself is just your typical sticky premixed beverage. It’s worth getting once to try, but we couldn’t finish it once the toppings were gone.
Rating out of 7: 6
Overall
We’ll come back for the fries, a cold drink, and dessert. Those are definitely the highlights here. The entrées are better than the standard entrées were previously, but Hungry Bear still continues to fall below a number of excellent counter service restaurants at Disneyland park. There are a lot of other Disney parks in the world where this would be one of the top five counter service, but the competition here is very strong.
The previous iteration of Hungry Bear always had excellent seasonal items, so we hope that tradition will return here, as there’s a solid foundation for the future. But for now, we will be treating this as a really great snack spot to enjoy tasty treats and references to our beloved Country Bears. (We do have to complain that the music loop includes almost no Country Bears music, and the only ones featured are from the new show at Magic Kingdom.)
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