Disney has revealed the full menu for Hungry Bear Barbecue Jamboree the reimagined restaurant inspired by Country Bear Jamboree! Here’s a complete list of every entree, side, kids’ meal, dessert and drink, as well as photos of every dish. Plus, our commentary about why this will definitely be better than the old menu, and a prediction for where Hungry Bear BBQ ranks among Disneyland fast food options.
Let’s start with basic background. Hungry Bear Restaurant closed last month as part of the temporary closure of Critter Country that’s occurring due to the transformation of Splash Mountain into Tiana’s Bayou Adventure. This whole corner of the park is a mess of construction, and there’s also walls around nearby Haunted Mansion and a large swath of New Orleans Square extending to Tiana’s Palace Restaurant.
Disneyland just announced that Tiana’s Bayou Adventure will open on November 15, 2024 as part of a newly-reimagined Bayou Country. However, they also left the door open for the rest of the area to reopen earlier, which we strongly suspect will happen. If we had to bet, we’d guess that everything else in Bayou Country will reopen before mid-October for Fall Break at the latest, and perhaps by mid-to-late September.
To be clear, an official reopening date for Hungry Bear Barbecue Jamboree has not yet been announced. However, the release of menus in August bodes well for a date that’s long before November. The normal cadence for this type of thing is menus about one month (or less!) in advance.
For reference, Disneyland just released Halloween menus last week, a little over two weeks before the start of that season. Notably, those menus did not include Hungry Bear Barbecue Jamboree, which is not surprising since the restaurant is brand-new. Nevertheless, that illustrates the normal timeframe for menu releases versus start dates.
Accordingly, we strongly suspect that Hungry Bear Barbecue Jamboree will open in September. Even early October feels like it’s pushing it. With the Halloween season starting earlier than ever, Disneyland has probably pulled forward some demand–resulting in worse September crowds than normal. That, in turn, means more need for dining capacity.
Of course, all of this is speculation–the only thing we know officially is that Hungry Bear Barbecue Jamboree will open no later than mid-November for the start of the Christmas season. The early release of the menus might not mean anything at all.
The Country Bears are taking over Hungry Bear Restaurant and putting their own twist on it with the Hungry Bear Barbecue Jamboree. After touring from coast to coast performing their tunes, Henry, Wendell, Big Al, and the rest of the gang have put together some of the favorite regional barbecue dishes they discovered along the way, just for you. (Hungry Bear Barbecue Jamboree will not be a character dining location.)
You’ll want to try these bites, including the mouthwatering Smoked Barbecue Combo Platter with a selection of house-smoked meats, which will also be available on mobile order. For those music fans out there, you can feast upon these finger-lickin’ dishes as you enjoy some of the Country Bears’ greatest hits!
Here’s a first look at the menu for Hungry Bear Barbecue Jamboree…
Entrées at Hungry Bear Barbecue Jamboree
- Smoked Barbecue Combo Platter: A selection of house-smoked meats, served with baked beans, house slaw, white bread, and pickles with a choice of two of the following: Pork Spareribs, Pulled Pork, Sausage Link, or Beef Brisket (New)
- Barbecue Pulled Pork Sandwich: Tangy BBQ sauce, house slaw, bread and butter, and pickles served with beer-battered fries (New)
- Smoked Beef Brisket Sandwich with tangy BBQ sauce, pickled red onions, and pickled jalapeños served with beer-battered fries (New)
- Smoked Angus Beef Burger and Pulled Pork with American cheese, golden aïoli, pickled red onions, bread and butter pickles, and crispy onions served with beer-battered fries (New)
- Corn Ribs Plate: Chile-lime aioli, parmesan, crispy onions, cilantro, and scallions with house slaw and beer-battered fries (Plant-based) (New)
- Loaded Fries topped with smoked pulled pork, queso sauce, pickled red onions, and pickled jalapeños, cilantro, and scallions (New)
- Classic Cheeseburger served with beer-battered fries
- Chicken Tenders Plate served with house slaw and beer-battered fries
Sides at Hungry Bear Barbecue Jamboree
- Beer-battered Fries (New)
- Baked Beans (New)
- House Slaw (New)
Kids’ Meals at Hungry Bear Barbecue Jamboree
All kids’ meals are served with Cuties Mandarin Orange and Applesauce and a choice of small DASANI Water or small Low-fat milk.
- Pork Spareribs (New)
- Toasted Cheese Sandwich (Disney Check Meal) (New)
- Hamburger (Disney Check Meal)
- Chicken Tenders
Desserts at Hungry Bear Barbecue Jamboree
- Banana Pudding: Bananas, whipped cream, crushed wafer cookies, dulce de leche, and toffee (New)
- Funnel Cake Fries dusted with powdered sugar. For an additional charge, add some extra sweetness to your funnel cake fries with Banana Caramel Dipping Sauce! (New)
Drinks at Hungry Bear Barbecue Jamboree
- Sparkling Strawberry-Pickle Lemonade: Simply Lemonade, Minute Maid Strawberry Smoothie, flavors of lime, Sprite, pickle juice and a pickle spear (Non-alcoholic) (New)
- Strawberry Shortcake Lemonade: Simply Lemonade, Minute Maid Strawberry Smoothie, sweet cream topping, shortbread crumbles, and strawberry dust (Non-alcoholic) (New)
- Lemonade-Iced Tea: Simply Lemonade and Gold Peak Unsweetened Iced Tea garnished with a lemon wheel (Non-alcoholic) (New)
Souvenirs at Hungry Bear Barbecue Jamboree
- Hungry Bear Mason Jar with choice of beverage at time of purchase (Additional charge for specialty lemonades)
This is probably the biggest “miss” of the Hungry Bear Barbecue Jamboree menu for me. Even back before it was a Country Bear restaurant, Hungry Bear sold novelty CBJ moonshine jugs. I figured they’d have a few items like that for the reopening. (Silver lining–it saves me some money buying stuff I do not need!)
The new menu at Hungry Bear Barbecue Jamboree will be better than what it replaced at Hungry Bear Restaurant. There’s literally no doubt about that whatsoever, and I’m 100% confident in that assertion without taste-testing a single dish.
Admittedly, this is in part because it can’t get much worse. Aside from the occasional worthwhile seasonal funnel cake, Hungry Bear has served a basic and limited menu for years. It’s basically one step above Galactic Grill at this point–making it the second-worst restaurant at Disneyland.
It’s also in part because Disneyland has been going all-out with new menus around the parks. Almost every single restaurant that’s been reimagined or refreshed at Disneyland in the last several years has been a marked improvement, and the menus have largely held up over time. Tiana’s Palace, in particular, is a big upgrade over French Market’s last menu. While I don’t expect that caliber from a BBQ joint, a few worthwhile items would be a huge win, especially given the stellar setting.
In looking at the menu for Hungry Bear Barbecue Jamboree, I’m really optimistic. It’s possible that the stock photos are, ahem, aspirational and the real dishes won’t look anything like that. The portions of meat will be smaller, fattier, dryer, etceteria-er. I’m cautiously optimistic that won’t be the case.
Barbecue is something Disney does pretty well in counter service settings–Regal Eagle Smokehouse is probably an illustrative example. Although it’s not the pinnacle of BBQ, it’s really good for what it is, and miles above the old Hungry Bear menu. This new menu looks comparable to that, with a few unique twists for Disneyland.
In particular, the Corn Ribs, Smoked Barbecue Combo Platter, and Smoked Beef Brisket Sandwich all look fantastic. While I doubt Hungry Bear Barbecue Jamboree can dethrone Tiana’s Palace as the #1 counter service restaurant at Disneyland, I think top 5 is all but guaranteed. Going from second-worst to maybe second-best is a huge turnaround! Now restore Flo’s V8 Cafe to its former glory, Disneyland!
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YOUR THOUGHTS
Thoughts on the menu at Hungry Bear Barbecue Jamboree? Excited for any of the entrees or better fries? What do you think about Disneyland getting a Country Bear Jamboree-themed restaurant? Are you excited for Hungry Bear Barbecue Jamboree? Thoughts on the likelihood of Hungry Bear Barbecue Jamboree coming to Walt Disney World? Do you agree or disagree with our assessment? Any questions we can help you answer? Hearing your feedback–even when you disagree with us–is both interesting to us and helpful to other readers, so please share your thoughts below in the comments!
