We have a love/hate relationship with barbecue at Disney. We’ve had good barbecue at Boma in Animal Kingdom Lodge. We’ve had okay barbecue at Regal Eagle Smokehouse in Epcot. We’d rather not talk about the disappointment at Flame Tree Barbecue at Animal Kingdom. Let’s see where Mickey’s Smokestack Barbecue lands in this spectrum!
Mickey’s Smokestack Barbecue is one of several counter service options at Mickey and Friends Festival of Foods on the Disney Wish. It’s located on deck 11 forward and as soon as you walk through the sliding glass doors from the elevator, it’s just a couple steps forward before you’re in line for some brisket, pulled pork, and smoked sausage.
What do they have?
The offerings here are better than we expected! Brisket, Ribs, Chicken, Pulled Pork, and Kielbasa Sausage! All that’s missing is someone tending to the smoker while having a few beers and telling dad jokes. Side items is where Mickey’s falters. Macaroni and Cheese, Collard Greens, Sweet Potato Fries, and Jalapeno Corn Bread. No baked beans? Coleslaw? Potato Salad?
But wait: what’s this? They DO have coleslaw but it’s not listed on the menu.
So how were the meats? The kielbasa is our favorite of the three we tried. Both the brisket and pulled pork are okay on their own, but they really rely on sauce to give it that extra flavor boost. The coleslaw was decent, as was the macaroni and cheese. As far as the jalapeno corn bread? We’re not a fan. They tried though, it just wasn’t our thing.
Speaking of sauces…
It looks like a large assortment, but it’s several bottles of four sauces. In no particular order, they are:
- Regular barbecue sauce
- Kansas City barbecue sauce
- South Carolina barbecue sauce
- Mississippi Honey barbecue sauce
Of the four sauces, we leaned more towards the Mississippi Honey for it’s sweetness, and the Kansas City for it’s zest. The South Carolina sauce, true to it’s name, is mustard based. I think for most people it’s going to be either you love it or hate it.
Let’s compare to last year’s cruise!
Well. It appears to look just like this year’s plate. Speaking of plates, they changed them from last year! (scroll back up to compare!) Okay, so it appears nothing has changed from last year besides the plate. However, last year, we completely neglected the sauce station, which may have helped then.
How does it rank?
I was afraid you’d ask that. Thinking about our previous barbecue experiences at Disney World, we’re going to rank this well above Flame Tree Barbecue, but slightly below Regal Eagle Smokehouse. Regal Eagle offers a better variety of side items more akin to a backyard barbecue. Quality and satisfaction levels for the meats were on-par with Regal Eagle as well.
Is Mickey’s Smokestack a must?
That’s going to depend on how you feel about barbecue. We did find that Mickey’s Smokestack had some of the shortest lines at Festival of Foods. That’s not to say it’s bad, per se, but when it’s competing against tacos on one side, and burgers and chicken nuggets on the other side, we can see how Mickey’s Smokestack might get passed over.
If you’re in the mood for some brisket, ribs, smoke sausage, or pulled pork, definitely give Mickey’s Smokestack Barbecue a try and by all means, don’t forget to pick up some sauce for it! It won’t knock your socks off, but you won’t leave disappointed either.
Disney Rover 