Big Thunder Ranch BBQ Questions

[Colfireman]

What time do they open for dinner and what time is the last seating? has anyone just gone in there for dessert? What were your thoughts on the food quality? Did you make a reservation or just walk up? We are going in two weeks

 

[rowan1813]

Sorry I can't help with most of the questions but I (and DM and DF) thought the food was great, especially the ribs. It takes a lot to impress DM about ribs and she just ate them up like crazy. Chicken was good and the sausages were decent. Sides weren't too bad either. Cookie bake was the best thing however!!!! Word of advice, have more than 2 people eat it especially if you are a little bit full. We made a reservation for 6pm and it looked like it was pretty full so I would recommend making a reservation. We had a great time with the food and listening to the fiddler (didn't get his name). He was a great singer and an AMAZING whistler. I can't imagine how he does it but he is wonderful.

HTH!

 

[DisneytheKid]

Cool, good to know. I was wondering a lot of the same questions the op posted. Thanks for sharing rowan1813

Sorry I can't help with most of the questions but I (and DM and DF) thought the food was great, especially the ribs. It takes a lot to impress DM about ribs and she just ate them up like crazy. Chicken was good and the sausages were decent. Sides weren't too bad either. Cookie bake was the best thing however!!!! Word of advice, have more than 2 people eat it especially if you are a little bit full. We made a reservation for 6pm and it looked like it was pretty full so I would recommend making a reservation. We had a great time with the food and listening to the fiddler (didn't get his name). He was a great singer and an AMAZING whistler. I can't imagine how he does it but he is wonderful.

HTH!

 

[coaches24]

What time do they open for dinner and what time is the last seating? has anyone just gone in there for dessert? What were your thoughts on the food quality? Did you make a reservation or just walk up? We are going in two weeks

I have been twice (including 2 weeks ago) and have not had a reservation either time. First time was a Sat in Jan and we waited 15 or so minutes for a table around 5:30 or 6 if I remember correctly. 2 weeks ago was a mid week visit and we went at 5:00 and waited less than 10 minutes for a table (they had quite a few empty tables but I don't think they had enough staff to work them all at that time).

It is easily my favorite place to eat. But you have to be very hungry to make it worth it IMO. The food quality is terrific IMO. The ribs fall off the bone, the chicken is juicy and all the sides are quality (I'm not a fan of some of them but that's just me bein picky, DW loves all of it). Sausages are good too. The BBQ sauce is good but not my favorite. But again don't go there unless your starving.

 

[pixiewings71]

mmmmmm LOVE the food at the BBQ!!!!! We go for lunch so I can't help with dinner times but the ribs are so good (and I don't normally like ribs all that much) and the chicken is delish!!! When we go it's just DBF and myself (the girls would rather eat at the Golden Horseshoe) and we will eat 2 bowls of beans, 3 of coleslaw, 2 of the meat and at least 1 of the bread, if not 2. lol And we aren't usually big eaters like that. lol We never have had room for dessert, but I am considering taking DD when we are there for her birthday to see if we can get just the cookie bake. I think that would be tons of fun to share!!

 

[Astylla]

We have a dinner reservation there for this Friday and all this talk is making my mouth water..oohh..NOM NOM. I was beginning to rethink my reservation but after reading everything I am glad I kept it

 

[DisneyMomma81]

I'm plannin' on dining there in October *probably lunch* DS will love it!

 

[blackjackdelta]

Last Aug we had a 1830 reservation and it was packed. The wait time was about 45 mins, at least that is what the CM was telling everyone and the tables were full. The whole family loves this.

Jack

 

[DisneyJamieCA]

We did lunch two weeks ago and it was walk up. The food is amazing - hands down my favorite in the park! Just make sure to go hungry and honestly, plan it as your only "big" meal. We didn't try dessert, but now I want to go back and do that!

 

[Lissame]

I'm sure you could just go for dessert if you wanted, I can't come up with a reason why not. Dessert isn't included in the meal price.

The cookie skillet...yum. My daughter isn't a huge fan of chocolate, so she got apple crisp and loved it too.

 

[pixiewings71]

We have a dinner reservation there for this Friday and all this talk is making my mouth water..oohh..NOM NOM. I was beginning to rethink my reservation but after reading everything I am glad I kept it

You'll have to tell us how you liked it. Some people don't, but it seems those of us who do absolutely love it. LOL

 

[Colfireman]

We have a dinner reservation there for this Friday and all this talk is making my mouth water..oohh..NOM NOM. I was beginning to rethink my reservation but after reading everything I am glad I kept it

Can you check to see if we can order dessert only please?

 

[Colfireman]

I just got off the phone with Disney Dining and the Castmember stated that I would not be able to order just dessert.

Oh well I guess we will just have to have dinner there as well.

 

[hootey]

It is, what I would call "California Bar-B-Que". Very bland, grilled meats, with a bland sauce. We have eaten there twice and recieved the same style food both times. The ribs are the best part, both times the ribs(the few you get) were hot and tasted great. The rest of it was a joke. The chicken was not cooked completely both times(still bloody in the middle), the sausages were cold, the beans were ok, and the cole slaw both times had a sour taste like sour krout(it did not get consumed either time). The service was horrible both times we were there, took forever to get our food. Forget about refills on drinks or if you would like more ribs. It is not worth the hundred bucks they charge for a family of four. We will not eat there again...

 

[pixiewings71]

I just got off the phone with Disney Dining and the Castmember stated that I would not be able to order just dessert.

Oh well I guess we will just have to have dinner there as well.

lol

It is, what I would call "California Bar-B-Que". Very bland, grilled meats, with a bland sauce. We have eaten there twice and recieved the same style food both times. The ribs are the best part, both times the ribs(the few you get) were hot and tasted great. The rest of it was a joke. The chicken was not cooked completely both times(still bloody in the middle), the sausages were cold, the beans were ok, and the cole slaw both times had a sour taste like sour krout(it did not get consumed either time). The service was horrible both times we were there, took forever to get our food. Forget about refills on drinks or if you would like more ribs. It is not worth the hundred bucks they charge for a family of four. We will not eat there again...

wow....I've eaten there multiple times and never experienced this. Our chicken has always been cooked completely, I don't eat many recipes of beans but these are OK. The coleslaw is the best I've ever had, in fact I have the recipe and make it for our own BBQs regularly, always have rave reviews on how amazing it tastes. It does take a while to get your food, but it arrives hot where it's supposed to be and cold where it's supposed to be, drink refills.....LOL I had so many Arnold Palmers I had to use the bathroom 3 times while we were still there. LOL We've eaten there probably 6 times since it opened, maybe 7 or 8, I honestly haven't kept count.

Edited to add, we don't find it bland at all, we find the sauce flavorful and we usually ask for some on the side so we can dip our meat just a little bit more. I'm not sure what you mean by "California Bar-B-Que" but some of the best BBQ I've had has been in CA and yes, I've been to TX. lol

 

[GeneralTso]

We really like it there. The food is good and the entertainment is sweet, too. It's all in Disney style, great for kids.

You can have all the ribs or chicken you want. Anything for that matter. We've never encountered a problem but that's not to say it could never happen. Just lucky I guess. We don't eat there every time we go, but it's always fun when we do.

 

[cpster]

I just got off the phone with Disney Dining and the Castmember stated that I would not be able to order just dessert.

Oh well I guess we will just have to have dinner there as well.

I thought I read on here that AP folks could just do dessert there. Can anyone confirm?

 

[cyclenut]

We have eaten there a few times, with the most recent being on Easter Sunday.

The BBQ is good but not excellent. They will bring as much as you want, so the poster who complained about the quantity may not have understood you can ask for just ribs if you want for your refill. We did.

BBQ is a funny thing in that people sometimes have a very specific preference. Some prefer sweet sauces and some insist on a slow smokey flavor of the meat without sauce. I would say these ribs and chicken won't win a contest but are far better than what you get in most places that serve ribs as part of a complete menu and better than some BBQ only places I've been to. But that is my opinion only. Those picket about their Q wont be impressed, but most are not that picky and will really enjoy the food.

Since the food is served outside and to so many people, it is not piping hot right off the grill but it is hot.

Reservations for popular dinner times is recommended, especially since you don't really want to spend time in the park waiting for your table to be ready unless you have to. I don't think it is as big of a problem for lunch, but we have done reservations.

 

[mouseymommy]

We were there on Monday afternoon for lunch. We were celebrating my DS5 birthday. We had such a great time. We like the entertainment, and the food is pretty darn good! My Mom had never been there before and she had so much fun. We tried the cookie thing for the first time and it was very good! It was really big too. Enough for the 5 of us, with a bit left over. Hope you have fun!

 

[Colfireman]

Made the reservation via phone and got 5:00pm on June 30th. First time eating at the ranch so I hope to give a review when i get home. Now to try and save room for dessert.