Alex Coleman
Mouseketeer
- Joined
- Nov 4, 2017
Introduction
Whispering Canyon Cafe is a large restaurant in the lobby of the main building of Disney’s Wilderness Lodge. As is the case with most resort restaurants, Whispering Canyon can be very much so overlooked. The problem is that most people who are not staying at Wilderness Lodge would not intentionally seek out the resort. The Walt Disney World transportation is a huge culprate in decreasing interest in WL.
In order to get to the resort, there are three options. You can take take a boat from Magic Kingdom (best option), you can take an Uber or Lyft (better option, but can be expensive), or you can take a bus from your resort to a park or Disney Springs and then to WL (by far the slowest and worst option). I would still highly recommend Whispering Canyon, regardless of the amount of effort it takes to get there.
Sarah and I first ate here while I was at a higher education conference in Orlando in March 2017. We liked it so much (ok, fine, I liked it so much), we made it a centerpiece of our dining experience during our November 2017 trip. Fortunately for me, I make the plans for our trips so I get a small say in our dining.
I would put Whispering Canyon Cafe in my top-5 favorite restaurants at WDW. Before you burn me at the stake for blaspheming the good name of places like California Grill by putting this restaurant in the top-5, hear me out. I LOVE barbecue. If I could eat one type of food for the rest of my life and die fat and happy, it would be barbecue. Spoiler alert, Whispering Canyon has a dish that is all-you-care-to-enjoy barbecue. Dear six pound, eight ounce Baby Jesus it makes me happy.
Atmosphere
Like I said above, Whispering Canyon Cafe is located in the lobby of the main building of Disney’s Wilderness Lodge. As I stated in my review of this property, I really love the lobby of this resort. I even called it one of the best on property. You sit on the ground floor in a rocking chair and you feel like the building is 100-stories tall. You really leave the world of Central Florida behind and you are transported to an iconic lodge in one of America’s national parks.
Even though I could write about Wilderness Lodge forever, I will transition to the restaurant itself. The important thing to understand about this eatery is that it is not in a defined, walled space. Whispering Canyon is an open-air space looking out over the fabulous lobby. This means it can be incredibly loud.
Speaking of loud, the other thing you should understand about Whispering Canyon is that it is not merely a meal, but it is also a show (of sorts). Now when I say show you may immediately jump to a stage show like Hoop Dee Doo Musical Revue. That is certainly not what is going on at Whispering Canyon. The show comes with every interaction with a Cast Member. Each CM has a shtick that (for Sarah and I) is hugely entertaining.
During our November 2017 trip, we had an especially entertaining server. He dropped his serving tray loudly, he complained that management was oppressive and he even sat down and took a short break. A couple of times our server even broke character and we had a really good conversation about living in Orlando and how much everything has changed since he has been here. Add three dozen thrown straws and you have yourself two Coleman’s for dinner almost every trip.
It feels like every interaction is met with a sassy and sarcastic response. Sarah and I especially appreciate this since our sixth love language is sarcasm. Not only was he entertaining, but he also provided excellent service. He asked for refills several times (not just of drinks, but food!) and they always came out incredibly promptly. (Hot tip: ask for ketchup!)
If you don’t enjoy sarcasm or are not feeling up to the shtick, you can turn the green/ red coaster to the red side and they will lay off the dry humor. Just be warned, you may be missing part of the experience! Regardless of your preference in humor, you may want to avoid this restaurant if you are looking for a quiet meal. Even if you are not personally being annoyed with shtick, other people will be. This (plus some activities for kids like riding around the restaurant on wooden horses) makes this dining room incredibly loud.
IMPORTANT NOTE: Disney is “currently working on what’s next for Whispering Canyon”. My understanding is that the show aspect of this restaurant may be done and dusted. I cannot say that it would cause me to not eat here. However, I believe it is a strength, not a weakness of Whispering Canyon. This is seconded by Sarah (who actively avoids 50’s Prime Time Cafe because of the sassy servers).
Food
The Walt Disney World website categorizes Whispering Canyon Cafe as American Cuisine, which is slightly reductive of American food. Basically, it is barbecue. Both times Sarah and I ate here we arrived for dinner service. Whispering Canyon is open for breakfast, lunch and dinner.
Breakfast service is what you would expect from Disney World: as many calories as you can imagine from derivatives of eggs, breakfast meats, and bread. I cannot imagine anyone other than Wilderness Lodge guests will actively seek out breakfast, so I will focus on lunch and dinner. Fortunately, these menus are the same so it is easy to smash them together into one review.
The meal starts with Trailblazing Starters (appetizers) which include “Cowboy Caviar”, tortilla soup, nachos, and salad (for the strange humans who want to eat greens at a meat palace). Sarah and I split the nachos during our March 2017 trip and they were insane(ly large). They come with chili, queso, and salsa. Unfortunately, I did not have my camera so I could not take a picture.
The next stop on your meat tour is the Main Claim Entrees course. This really comes down to a simple choice: to family style or not to family style. Sarah and I have done both. During our March 2017 trip, we split the Braised Pork Shank. It was insanely tender. Just as a test, I pulled the meat off the bone and cut it with my spoon. It just fell to pieces and then melted in our mouths. The potatoes were really nice, but the vegetables were undercooked. We were both really happy with the meal.
Hot tip: order family style! Order the All-You-Care-To-Enjoy Skillet! It includes (Alex takes a deep breath to try to get this all in one go): Mixed Greens Dressed with Apple Vinaigrette, Fresh-baked Cornbread, Slow-smoked Pork Ribs, Barbecued Pulled Pork, Citrus Herb Chicken, Oak-smoked Beef Brisket, Western-style Sausage, Mashed Yukon Potatoes, Buttered Corn, Seasonal Farm-fresh Vegetables, and Cowboy-style Baked Beans.
Sorry, I passed out for a bit after that one. I’m back! Goodness gracious this includes a lot of food. Hot tip: bring your stretchy pants. Not only is this a neverending cornucopia of barbecue, but all-you-care-to-enjoy milkshakes are also a drink option for people on the Disney Dining Plan.
Sarah ordered the chocolate milkshake and I ordered the strawberry. I can’t believe I managed it, but I actually ordered a refill. Sure, I probably lopped off a year of my life, but it was worth it!
The food barrage began with cornbread and salad. It is important to understand that Sarah loves cornbread. I think she could exist in a world whose cuisine is exclusively cornbread. I thought it was decent cornbread, but she really like it so she ordered a second helping.
The salad I didn’t bother with (because gross), but Sarah did not care for it.
Then came our platter. Once we recovered from the earthquake that the platter caused when it was dropped on our table, we were ready to dig in. One of the most overwhelming parts of this experience is deciding where to begin. Sarah started on the chicken and baked beans and I started on the ribs, pulled pork, and brisket. I think that it may be helpful to rank these in order of our enjoyment. Here they are:
- Slow-smoked Pork Ribs: really tender and decent flavor. I definitely went back for seconds!
- Cowboy-style Baked Beans: interestingly spicy and flavorful. Sarah demanded two rounds of these!
- Citrus Herb Chicken: moist chicken, but wish the citrus flavor was more pronounced.
- Mashed Yukon Potatoes: creamy and delicious. Heavy so be careful not to eat too much so you can have more meat!
- Oak-smoked Beef Brisket: not exactly on the level of Salt Lick in Texas (shout-out to my Texans out there!), but decent. Slightly dry.
- Barbecued Pulled Pork: pretty dry and not incredibly flavorful. I wouldn’t call it bland, but it was close.
- Western-style Sausage: nothing to write home about. Not a huge barbecue sausage person and this did not change my mind about it.
- Buttered Corn: verging on a vegetable, but still pretty good. Very buttery so maybe wipe off some of it to get to the corn.
- Seasonal Farm-fresh Vegetables: fully vegetable. They were just under-done green beans so don’t waste stomach space on them.
I normally don’t share pictures of food that we have picked through and eaten (because they’re gross), but I thought it was helpful for this review. It shows the sheer amount of food we ran through. This meal is immense, so come hungry. Hot tip: if we are eating here on the Disney Dining Plan, we will skip our meal before it to ensure we are as hungry as possible.
By the time we were done with the skillet, we could not even think about dessert. However, our server came by and suggested that we took the final course to-go. We were both grateful that we did not have to think about eating another bite and we accepted his offer. I ordered the Whispering Canyon Pioneer Chocolate Cake and Sarah ordered the Granny Smith Apple-Caramel Pie. I imagine these would have been better fresh, but we both enjoyed them. Unsurprisingly, both were incredibly rich. I would probably recommend the apple pie.
Overall, I would call the food at Whispering Canyon Cafe above-average. Will the quality make the legends of St. Louis, Carolina, Texas, or Memphis barbecue envious, no. Will it make me very happy, YES! When I am on vacation at Disney World, I expect above-average. I would call this slightly exceeding expectations. I would call it a 7/10.
Cost
According to the Disney World website, Whispering Canyon Cafe is classified with “$-$$” which means adults should expect to pay roughly under $34.99, per adult. If you are paying out-of-pocket, you can plan on paying roughly $10 per appetizer, $28 per entree ($33 per person for the Skillet), and $9 per dessert. That makes it a fairly inexpensive Disney dining experience. Unfortunately, the entree that I would recommend (and by far the most popular) is one of the most expensive on the menu. That is great for Disney Dining Plan guests, but not great for those paying with cash or card. However, I cannot understate the value for money in terms of food quantity.
For the Disney Dining Plan users, this restaurant requires one Table Service credit per person. Like I said above, this can be one of the better values on the Disney Dining Plan. You can eat yourself into a coma, if that is what you are into! For the Tables in Wonderland users, this restaurant has a 10% discount for breakfast and lunch and 20% for dinner/ Also, Disney Visa cardholders get a 10% discount for lunch only (not including alcohol) and DVC members get 10% on all meals.
Who Should Eat Here?
There are several groups that would be interested in dining at Whispering Canyon Cafe. The first group that will be interested in this restaurant are Disney’s Wilderness Lodge guests. Like I stated previously, I don’t imagine that many people will actively seek out Whispering Canyon unless you are staying in WL. Unfortunately, it is just not terribly accessible. One tip is that you should take the boat from Magic Kingdom! If I was a guest on a longer trip, I would make an entire evening out of this! I would take the boat, wander around the Lodge, eat our meal, then curl up in one of the chairs in the lobby and sleep my full stomach away.
The second group are the hungry masses. If you have a big appetite and can put down a lot of meat, this is your place! You will be very happy to sip your bottomless milkshakes and munch on a never ending supply of ribs. If you are not a big eater or a vegetarian or vegan this may not be the place for you.
Have you eaten at Whispering Canyon Cafe? What what your experience? Share your thoughts in the comments section! For other reviews including resorts and other restaurants, check out our Reviews page!
Fantastic review! Love your writing style!
