Over the past six years, Disney’s Hollywood Studios has gone through an extensive transformation. With the addition of two new themed lands in the park come new rides and, perhaps most importantly, new restaurants! And, we think that it’s about time we bring you a Roundup Rodeo BBQ review!

Located in Toy Story Land, Roundup Rodeo BBQ is Hollywood Studios’ newest restaurant. It opened in March 2023, but in December 2023 the restaurant scaled its menu back to include fewer options (R.I.P. to the fried pickles). We just tested out the updated menu and are ready to report if this rootin’ tootin’ restaurant is really worth your time at Hollywood Studios.

About Roundup Rodeo BBQ

• Roundup Rodeo BBQ serves: (you guessed it) Barbeque
• Meals Offered: Lunch and Dinner (the same menu is served during both dining periods)
• Price: $45 per adult, $25 per child (ages 3-9), plus tax and gratuity
• Type of Meal: Family Style
• Disney Dining Plan is offered here. Costs 1 table service credit per person.

Theming

Roundup Rodeo BBQ is the only Toy Story-themed restaurant in Walt Disney World and it’s certainly more than just your average table service restaurant!

Set in Andy’s backyard, guests are shrunk down to toys as they walk through the doors to the restaurant. And, in the usual Disney style, the theme is immaculate. Andy has created his very own backyard rodeo using cut-outs and decorated cardboard, rulers, paint, and really anything he could find! Even the most stubborn adults will feel like a kid again when they step through the doors. And, for some extra fun, kids can even ride a toy wooden stick horse through the entrance!

Friends from all four Toy Story installments can be found around this restaurant, but this is NOT a character dining meal. None of the characters from the movie will walk around to greet you at your table for photographs or sign autographs. Instead, around the restaurant guests will find life-size versions of everyone’s favorite toys such as Sheriff Woody, Buzz Lightyear, Bo Peep, Zurg, Rex, Bullseye, Aliens, and more!

Food is even served using plates that look like paper plates — just like a backyard BBQ!

Menu

This is a family-style restaurant, meaning that the menu is already chosen for you. Servers will bring out the offerings as the meal progresses, and guests are able to request more of something if they’d like. Soft drinks are included in the price. Though, specialty alcoholic and non-alcoholic beverages are available at an added cost. The menu is as follows:

Bread Service

• Prospector’s Homemade Cheddar Biscuits served with Sweet Pepper Jelly

Salads

• Rootin’ Tootin’ Tomato Salad
• Wheezy’s Watermelon Salad

Main Entrees

BBQ Platter:

• Evil Dr. Smoked Ribs
• Buttercup’s Beef Brisket
• There’s a Sausage in my Boot
• BBQ Chicken -with Style!
• Cedar Plank Saloon Salmon upon request*

Plant-Based Platter:

• Combat Carloflower
• Scrumptious Plant Based Bratwurst
• Rip Roarin Impossible Rip Chop

Sides

• The Claw! Veggie Slaw (Plant-based)
• Slinky Doooooooooog Mac & Cheese
• Cowpoke Corn on the Cob
• Buckin’ Baked Beans (Plant-based)
• Potato Barrels

Desserts

Choice of One per Person:

• Bo’s Lemon and Blueberry Cheesecake
• Billy’s Chocolate Silk Pie
• Goat’s Apple Pie
• Gruff’s Peach-Strawberry Pie
• Cupcake a la Forky

Entertainment

Even though this isn’t character dining, there is no shortage of entertainment. Starting at the check-in process, guests are immersed in the experience. Before even stepping into the restaurant, you’re treated as honorary toys. You’ll be greeted by the host who calls out your name and then your party as “Toy set of three!” (or however many are in your party).

Inside the restaurant, there are clips of audio that play throughout your dining experience. This includes the infamous “ANDY’S COMING!” When this happens, everyone in the restaurant, including Cast Members, freeze in place as audio plays of Andy’s footsteps around the room while he’s having conversations with his mom. Once Andy is gone, all the toys (including you!) can get back to eating. This is a fun way for kids and adults alike to once again be immersed in the story.

Other audio clips play throughout dinner include “PartySaurus-Rex, which is themed after the short on Disney+. And, you’ll also hear Sarge talking to the toys about a yard sale, just like they do in Toy Story 2.

Unfortunately, shortly after opening day, they did get rid of the larger-than-life pencils they used to sign checks at the end of the meal.

Overall Review

Check-In Process

The check-in process here is seamless. Disney recommends that you check in 15 minutes early for any dining reservations, so we checked in at 5:15PM for our 5:35PM reservation. Even though advanced dining reservations are easier to come by now compared to when the restaurant first opened, this is a highly sought-after restaurant. With this in mind, we expected to have to wait as many other guests were waiting around us. But, we got called in right at our reservation time!

The Service

The service was very attentive, and our Cast Member was so friendly! He really engaged in the story and thoroughly explained anything that would go on during our dining experience. But, he certainly didn’t waste any time getting food to our table. The bread service and salads were almost immediately brought out. And, by the time we got the starters on our plates, they were already bringing out the main entree platter and side dishes. This left eight food options, plus our own plates, on our fairly small table giving us little room to work with.

This all felt a little fast for our preferences. However, this can come in handy if you’re traveling with hungry adults or little bellies who like to eat right away.

The Food

Starters

Now, those cheddar biscuits? They are incredible! Crunchy on the outside but soft and fluffy on the inside, accompanied by a sweet pepper jelly that compliments it very well. Don’t like the jelly? No worries! These biscuits are so good that you’ll tear through them with or without the pepper jelly. And, as for the salads, they were all refreshing and a light way to start what overall would be a heavy meal.

Main Entree

The entree platter offered a sizable portion of food. But, keep in mind they will portion the platters out for the number of people at your table.

Out of all four meats, the brisket was the clear winner in our opinion. It was tender and flavorful. The ribs had a good flavor and a solid amount of meat on them but were slightly dry. And, the sausage is your average pork sausage — nothing special. The chicken was also your average BBQ chicken. While it was good overall, it was a little too charred for our liking.

We also requested cedar-planked salmon, and that turned out to be the star of the meal! The salmon had great flavor, sticking well to the BBQ theme for guests who may not want to indulge in such heavy meat options.

Three vinegar-based BBQ sauce options can be found on every table. This includes Classic, Sweet, and Spicy. We liked them all, but highly preferred the sweet sauce over the classic and spicy.

Sides

The side options were all very good as well. The slaw was your average coleslaw, which most people either love or hate. The street corn on the cob was fresh and flavorful. And, while we thought that standard buttered corn on the cob may have fit the theme better overall, this was still our favorite side option. Slinky Dog Mac and Cheese stood out with its goldfish crumb topping and fun noodle shape, offering a perfect balance of cheese without being overpowering. However, the potato barrels were the biggest letdown of the meal for us. They were just your standard tater tots that would come with any quick service meal around Walt Disney World property.

Dessert

For dessert, we opted for Billy’s Chocolate Silk Pie, Goat’s Apple Pie, and Cupcake Ala Forky. Served in mini mason jars to fit the theme, of course! These were smaller portions than the previous courses, but that didn’t result in a lack of quality. Each sweet treat was well received and welcomed by us. These all offered a cool-down component to an otherwise hot and heavy meal, for lack of better terms. The cupcake was picked by our toddler but ended up being all three of our favorite desserts!

Is Roundup Rodeo BBQ Worth It?

Overall, Roundup Rodeo BBQ is a fun restaurant that guests of all ages will love. Is this the best barbecue you’ll ever have? Probably not. But, by no means is it bad barbecue. Offerings here are comparable to any average barbeque joint around most cities, with a fun Toy Story-inspired twist. This restaurant is a pretty good value compared to other table service restaurants in Disney World, as many charge an average of $30 for an a la carte entree, not including drinks or desserts. But, for $45, guests get unlimited drinks, appetizers, and dessert at Roundup Rodeo BBQ.

If you have people in your family who love Toy Story, this is a must-do restaurant. But, if you’re picky about your barbecue and are going strictly for the food, we might recommend skipping this restaurant. Instead, head over to The Polite Pig at Disney Springs!

All in all, we would return to Roundup Rodeo BBQ in the future and recommend it to anyone interested in experiencing this restaurant. But, we won’t necessarily be rushing back every time we scan into Disney’s Hollywood Studios.

Comments

Have you been to Roundup Rodeo BBQ yet? Tell us your thoughts and if you think it’s worth getting a dining reservation here in the comments!