REVIEW: This Rowdy Disney World Hotel Restaurant Continues To Prove It’s Not Safe For Introverts

There are SO many options for dining at Disney World! There are options for quiet and relaxing meals, or you can decide to dine at a restaurant that serves up delicious food with a side of attitude and antics.

Here at AllEars, we know all the ins and outs of Disney World restaurants — including where you should definitely eat, and where you should skip. We recently stopped by Whispering Canyon Cafe at Disney’s Wilderness Lodge and are bringing you our FULL review!

Background

Whispering Canyon Cafe is located in the lobby of Disney’s Wilderness Lodge. You can see into the restaurant from the lobby, and you can also watch the lobby from inside the restaurant. You will be transported to an Old Western log-cabin lodge when you step inside Whispering Canyon Cafe. You will find lots of Western charm inside, although you might find that the servers have a bit of an attitude.

Here’s what you need to know about dining at this restaurant.

Atmosphere

Whispering Canyon Cafe has a very unique atmosphere. It won’t be your traditional “Is there anything else I can get for you?” and “How does everything taste?” Nope, Whispering Canyon Cafe is known for its sassy servers who add some attitude and entertainment to your meal. They have a reputation for sassing customers, so you’d better be ready! They will poke fun at you and the rest of your table, and you never know what to expect next.

If you want ketchup, be prepared for A LOT of ketchup and all eyes on you in order to get that ketchup. If you are asking for a lot of refills, you may find yourself with a brand-new glass, so your server doesn’t have to keep refilling it. Keep in mind that the servers are all playing characters, and it is all a part of the experience at this restaurant! This restaurant may not be for everyone, though, so keep that in mind when you are making reservations.

But enough about that, what are we eating?!

Food & Drinks

You know we had to go big here, so we opted for a Strawberry Milkshake to get things rolling! This shake is served in a pint-sized glass, and you’ll have your choice of strawberry, vanilla, and chocolate flavors to choose from for $10.50.

This shake had great strawberry flavor that tasted just like they’d blended up fresh strawberries into it, as opposed to a runny syrup being added. We loved how light it was to drink, but thick enough to need to sip through a thicker straw, and it comes topped with whipped cream if you prefer! Here’s a pro tip for you, though: if you’ve ordered the milkshakes, they’re refillable! So go wild, swapping out your flavor for another each time you ask for a refill at your table. You might find that you’re able to try them all in one meal!

Just after we’d finalized our selections, the bread service arrived at our table — but this isn’t your mama’s bread service (er, well…maybe it is). Sweet cornbread is served here in precut squares with a side of honey butter spread, sweet barbecue sauce, and cole slaw.

Now, just like your meals will be served in a cast-iron dish, the bread is too! It’s served warm with a sweet aftertaste of the cornbread, but soft enough to feel like a cake. The honey butter was easy to spread across the cornbread squares and melted into the porous holes within the square.

The barbecue sauce was a tad on the tangy side, and we ended up holding ours over to the side to accompany our skillet for later.

There wasn’t anything super interesting about the cole slaw, except that it gave a nice break in the sweet flavors for the cornbread and would have also served as a fine addition to the skillet that was on its way over.

For our starter, we got the ‘Burnt Ends’ Nachos for $14. These nachos are topped with beef brisket, barbecue pulled pork, cheese sauce, maple chipotle barbecue, and fresh salsa.

Honestly, these nachos are an entire entree of their own! They’re completely covered in toppings and have such heaping portions you could probably feed two people comfortably. If you’re feeling adventurous or just really up for a challenge, you could totally take this one on yourself, but don’t be surprised if you’re asking for a box to take your leftovers home with you when you have to throw in the towel.

The beef brisket and barbecued pulled pork were so juicy and tender on their own (with great flavor already), but that was exponentially intensified when the cheese sauce, salsa, and maple chipotle barbecue were added to your bite. It was the perfect blend of savory, juicy, and a little bit of sweet added to each bite. We also didn’t feel like we were missing out on anything as we pulled out another nacho chip to dig in.

For our main meal, we grabbed the Traditional All-You-Care-To-Enjoy Signature Skillet for $43. The price is per person, but with the skillets, you can get as much of the different items as you want. The Traditional skillet features oak-smoked beef brisket, pork ribs, slow-smoked pulled pork, citrus-herb chicken, western-style sausage, smashed potatoes, baked beans, buttered corn on the cob, and sautéed green beans.

Ok — this skillet is a beast, and that’s no exaggeration! Seriously, this thing is huge and the same size brought out to your table, whether you’re one person or multiple eating out of it. As mentioned in the name, it’s all-you-care-to-eat, so feel free to dig in for even your heartiest portions of those creamy, butter-mashed potatoes, sink your teeth into some barbecue slathered seasoned ribs, and scoop up a spoon or two of the savory yet sweet baked beans waiting to greet you in the center.

The green beans are well-cooked and snap with each bite; the western-style sausage might be hiding on you underneath the buttered corn on the cob, but trust us, it’s so chewy once you’re able to take a bite.

But our favorite meats were a toss up between the savory pulled pork that’s excellent if you dip a bit of that barbecue sauce on it, the smoked beef brisket that was chewy enough without being overbearing and cooked to perfection, and the chicken that you can taste the slightest twinge of citrus and herb seasoning to the outside before tearing of bites that pull away with ease.

Ultimately, this skillet proved too much of a challenge to tackle this time, and our server told us that as long as we hadn’t re-ordered anything from the skillet options, we were allowed to take the rest of it home with us.

This was an unexpected surprise because usually we reorder things almost right off the bat, but seeing as how we’d already had a milkshake and a heap of covered nachos, we knew we needed to save room for dessert.

Bringing up the rear of this meal, we just couldn’t skimp out on one last somethin’ sweet. We opted to grab the Whispering Canyon Pioneer Chocolate Cake for $9. This dessert is made of Chocolate Mousse, Raspberry Sauce, Milk Chocolate Twig, and Candied Orange.

Boy, did this one live up to the hype! We even got it served to us a la mode with vanilla bean ice cream.

It was delicious! The cake had multiple layers to it that were chocolatey, like a devil’s chocolate cake taste against the rich chocolate mousse, which was thinner than a traditional frosting. The raspberry sauce we could taste intermittently throughout our scoops was the right amount of tart we needed every few bites to keep the flavor interesting.

But when we got to the milk chocolate twig and candied orange on top, we were instantly reminded of those chocolate oranges you typically only see out for sale at your local grocery store near the holidays.

Magic or Tragic?

This Disney World restaurant is a must-visit if…

• Value to you is defined in quality, price, and experience as a whole. If you’re looking for one of the best places to eat that will fill your belly, leave you more than satisfied, AND not break the bank, give this one a try.
• You’re tired of the same old theme park food. Sure, you can have nachos in the parks, but their measly toppings are no match compared to the ones you’ll find here (nor will you get the same portion size for a similar price).
• You’re spending a day away from the parks and looking for a great place to eat. This restaurant serves Breakfast and Dinner, and it’s some of the best you’ll have in all of Disney World. If you’re spending a day away from the parks, sightseeing your way around the various hotels, and don’t mind the trek over, it’s worth your while!

You should skip this Disney World spot if…

• Buffet or family-style servings just aren’t what you’re looking for. While the menu here does serve individual entrees, their best deals will come from the all-you-care-to-enjoy skillets that are replenished at your request by your table. If that’s not a dining style that fits your wants and needs, you won’t find the value in this meal.
• You’re not willing to leave the parks for your meals. If your vacation is packed full and you don’t want to or have time to leave the parks for a meal that will invite you to stick around for a while, you’ll do better by dining elsewhere.
• You’re not a fan of the dry humor and rowdiness of the restaurant. Here, the Cast Members are instructed to be a bit more crass when they joke around with you at the table. If you’re easily embarrassed or consider yourself an introvert, this is certainly not an environment you’ll easily adapt to.

Overall, we thoroughly enjoyed our meal and the company here. It was a different change of pace both in atmosphere and food from what we’re used to eating inside Disney World’s parks, and that stands to reason why this restaurant seems to be so popular with new and returning crowds.

In the meantime, we’ll be on the lookout for more restaurant updates from Disney World and beyond. Make sure you stay tuned to AllEars for the latest Disney news and more!

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Have you eaten at this Disney World restaurant before? Tell us in the comments.

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