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Review: Dinner at Liberty Tree Tavern in Disney World’s Magic Kingdom


Disney4me
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We are back for another visit to Magic Kingdom’s Liberty Tree Tavern — and this time, it’s for dinner.

What’s the difference between lunch and dinner? Well, it’s major, actually. Lunch at Liberty Tree Tavern is an a la carte offering — you order what you want off the menu. I’ll often go for their Angus Chuck Cheeseburger. And the Ooey Gooey Toffee Cake is one of the best desserts on property. (Here’s the recipe.)

But dinner is a completely different deal — and still quite good. You’re treated to a family style feast consisting of roasted meats and all the trimmings.

I haven’t covered dinner at LTT here on the blog for a long time…for two reasons: 1.) It’s always the same. The food rarely changes, and everyone gets the same thing, so our previous reviews are still totally valid when it comes to the food. 2.) For some reason, every time I’ve been there for dinner in the past year, something has happened to keep me from getting the photos I need to blog the post. Either a member of my party gets sick or one of the kids has a meltdown…or we’re with a huge group and the food is decimated before I can take a picture.

So, I made it a focus on my last trip to get over there and make it happen! Here we go!

Atmosphere

Liberty Tree Tavern is a Magic Kingdom icon. It’s been there since the Park opened, and there are many Disney fans who count a meal here among their earliest Disney memories. It’s located on Liberty Square, near the Hall of Presidents and other exhibits celebrating Colonial American History.

Liberty Tree Tavern Entrance

Liberty Tree Tavern Entrance

Liberty Tree Tavern offers seating in six different rooms, each themed to a notable historical figure. They include Benjamin Franklin, Thomas Jefferson, John Paul Jones, Paul Revere, Betsy Ross, and George Washington. You can see a more in-depth atmosphere review here.

John Paul Jones

A door in the John Paul Jones Room

Decor

Model Ship and John Paul Jones Portrait

If your kiddos are studying American history, it’s fun to take a look around each of the rooms to see some of the more well-known stories come to life. Ben Franklin’s kite and George Washington’s wooden teeth appear in their respective rooms.

Kite in Ben Franklin Room

Kite in Ben Franklin Room

And if there are any invasions or revolutions that require your help, you’re all set. Grab your cloak and three corner hat, and you’re off!

Coats and Hat Hanging at the Ready

Coats and Hat Hanging at the Ready

Seating throughout the vast network of rooms is made up of booths and tables. Primarily you’ll find ladder back chairs that are fairly comfortable surrounding rectangular and round tables.

Seating

Seating

Seating

Seating

If you prefer some natural light, be sure to request a seat in one of the outer facing dining rooms. But don’t plan on parade- or people-watching. The glass is bubbled and wavy, so you’ll just see blobs of color.

Seating and View

Seating and View

Eats

As I mentioned before, if you dine at Liberty Tree Tavern for dinner, you’ll be partaking in a prix fixe, family style meal. That means that each person in your party will pay a set price — one price for adults, and a lower price for children. (Children under 3 are free.)

Your meal includes everything listed below, including a standard beverage and dessert. The format is all-you-care-to-enjoy, so there’s no reason to ever leave a Liberty Tree Tavern dinner table hungry.

Liberty Tree Tavern -- Click to Enlarge

Liberty Tree Tavern Menu — Click to Enlarge

We began with a Bread Basket, which contained an assortment Breads, served with soft, whipped Butter.

Bread and Butter

Bread and Butter

When this comes to your table, be sure to dig down for the coveted Cornbread! Remember, if someone gets handsy and grabs all the CB, you can always ask for more.

Cornbread

Cornbread

Next, our server brought us a nice big Declaration Salad to share. While it’s nothing intriguing, it is a fresh, crisp way to get your veggies, and offers a nice balance with all of the hearty comfort food you’re about to indulge in.

Liberty Tree Tavern Salad

Declaration Salad

And speaking of…here’s the full table of entrees and sides. The only real change here from my last review is that the restaurant has switched to some modern, wavy bowls and plates; and the corn is more of a Southwestern style.

The Full Spread!

The Full Spread!

Let’s take the dishes one by one. Keep in mind that we were a party of two; if your party is larger, you’ll receive a main course platter and side dishes that are larger than what we had.

A platter of various Roasted Meats and Stuffing anchor the meal. You receive cuts of carved Turkey Breast, Roasted Pork, and Flank Steak. The Flank Steak is usually our favorite, but the turkey is quite good as well. Note that the food here can be VERY salty, so if you’re sensitive to that, be prepared.

Meats -- Roast Beef, Pork, and Turkey

Patriot’s Platter — Roast Beef, Pork, Turkey, and Stuffing

The Stuffing is reminiscent of the Thanksgiving table staple, with onion, celery, and herbs.

Turkey -- Up Close

Turkey, Pork, and Stuffing — Up Close

Gravy seems scratch-made to me, and is served on the side, so you can enjoy as much or as little as you like.

Gravy

Gravy

But what about the Cranberry Sauce, you ask? It’s not on the menu, but rest assured, you can get it! Just ask your server for a side. While they don’t serve it automatically (a DFB staffer was told on a previous visit that it often goes unconsumed and is wasted), it’s always available for guests who just can’t fathom enjoying this meal without it. (This is actually one of my favorite Tips from the DFB Guide. Check out this post for others!)

Cranberry Sauce

Cranberry Sauce

The Mashed Potatoes are creamy and homestyle, with potato skins adding a nice texture.

Mashed Potatoes

Mashed Potatoes

And the Macaroni and Cheese is often a favorite at the table. While it certainly pushes the envelope of authenticity, it’s usually a crowd pleaser — especially if there are kids dining with you. There’s nothing gourmet about this version; it’s basically Stouffer’s brand (Stouffer’s used to “sponsor” Liberty Tree Tavern). And sometimes, that’s exactly what you want.

Macaroni and Cheese

Macaroni and Cheese

Our meal also comes with a couple of Seasonal Vegetables, and these tend to change from time to time. On the day we dined here, we were served Green Beans as our first vegetable. Keep in mind that these are sauteed to a bright green, crisp consistency with garlic, rather than being cooked for a long time with seasonings. I prefer this method, so I appreciated this veggie choice.

Green Beans

Seasonal Vegetable — Sauteed Green Beans

We were also served Corn, which was roasted and mixed with peppers and onions. Very good.

Stuffing

Seasonal Vegetable — Corn

After that huge meal, we still had dessert to look forward to. Because Liberty Tree Tavern is NOW sponsored by Ocean Spray, the dessert here features Craisins. Johnny Appleseed’s Cake is a White Cake filled with Apples and the dried Cranberries. Topped with Ice Cream and a sweet Cranberry glaze kind of thing, it doesn’t totally measure up to Liberty Tree’s previous legendary dessert, the Apple Cobbler.

Johnny Appleseed's Cake

Johnny Appleseed’s Cake

With that, dinner was a wrap, and we were ready to hit the Park for more fun.

Overall

One thing I didn’t mention during the review was the service here. On my past three dinner visits, which all have taken place during the last six months, the service has been…just bad.

I know, I know — I’ve been complaining a lot about service lately, but we watched three groups of people sit next to us, eat, and leave, before we were done signing our check. Our drink glasses were never full. When we needed more of certain dishes we had to wait an average of 15-20 minutes to get replacements (which is appalling considering Disney servers often seem to have a goal of turning tables over at least once per hour in moderately-priced restaurants like this one) while all of our other food got cold. Maybe it’s just us? Who knows, but service has been consistently bad here for all of my recent visits for dinner (not for lunch, mind you, just dinner). Strange.

The food, though standard, is decent, and this is always a fun restaurant to visit on holidays, or when you’re with big groups of family and friends. As usual, though, I do recommend going for lunch rather than dinner when you can. I just think it’s a better meal overall.

Now I wanna hear from you guys! Is Liberty Tree Tavern one of your favorites, too? Leave a comment and let me know whether you prefer lunch or dinner in this historic Disney spot!

Disney Food Blog Fans, be sure to check out our DFB Disney World Dining Guide e-Books! Find great deals at DFBStore.com!Also, come on over and:




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