4 Rivers Cantina Barbacoa Review
4 Rivers Cantina Barbacoa is a food truck now located on the Disney Springs West Side near Starbucks. In this Walt Disney World dining review, we’ll share food photos and how the latest concept from Orlando’s best barbecue smokehouse stacks up to the competition. (Updated November 18, 2020.)
Let’s start with an update and some good news! After temporarily suspending operations during and after the closure of Walt Disney World, the popular 4 Rivers Cantina Barbacoa Food Truck is once again serving its innovative, Mexican-inspired dishes. There have been a couple of changes.
First, the 4 Rivers Cantina Barbacoa Food Truck is now located on Disney Springs’ West Side at Exposition Park. The food truck is open daily from 5 pm to 10 pm Monday to Wednesday, 3 pm to 10 pm Thursday and Friday, and noon to 10 pm on Saturday & Sunday. Second, there are several new menu items in addition to signature favorites like Taco Cones and Burrito Bowls…
The new items developed by John Rivers and the award-winning 4 Rivers Smokehouse culinary team are:
- Birria Tacos: Beef Birria on three crispy griddled corn tortillas with melted Oaxaca cheese. Served with a rich beef jus and onion-cilantro sauce.
- Birria Quesadilla: Beef Birria with melted Oaxaca cheese on a crispy griddled flour tortilla. Served with a rich beef jus and onion-cilantro sauce.
- Mulita: crispy tortilla stack with melted Oaxaca cheese and choice of filling, topped with queso fresco and onion cilantro salsa.
- Roasted Sweet Potato: new vegetarian option that can be substituted for meat with any dish.
- Cantina Trio: pico de gallo, guacamole and queso with fresh tortilla chips.
- Margarita Bar: even better than the drink — decadent lime mousse, a graham cracker crust, with white chocolate and flake salt.
We have yet to taste-test the new menu items at the 4 Rivers Cantina Barbacoa Food Truck, but will be doing so ASAP. While Walt Disney World was closed, we ordered takeout at 4 Rivers Smokehouse several times. It’s our favorite Orlando-area restaurant (outside of Walt Disney World) and we’re also big fans of the food truck.
The 4 Rivers Cantina Barbacoa Food Truck has a menu that’s entirely unique to Disney Springs, meaning these items can’t be found at the other 4 Rivers locations in Orlando and Winter Park.
While we are looking forward to trying everything new on the menu at 4 Rivers Cantina Barbacoa Food Truck, we should note that we’ve tried the seasonal items in the past and haven’t been overwhelmed. In our experience, these items are often smaller, less filling, and not nearly as delicious as the signature dishes.
While definitely give the Beef Birria items and new dessert a try, but in the past our experience has been that there’s a reason why the Taco Cone and Burrito Bowls are the signature items…
For our review of the food truck, Sarah ordered the Burrito Bowl with pork. This contains black beans, salsa verde, guacamole, pico de gallo, sour cream, queso fresco, cilantro, jalapeño, and corn tortilla strips. She got hers served over rice (as opposed to lettuce).
The bowl was absolutely delicious. Words aren’t going to do justice to either of the meats we ordered; the pork was tender with the ideal amount of fattiness to give it balance and flavor, without being fatty. It was perfect. The bowl was also piled high with the other toppings, all of which were fresh and delicious.
Sarah preferred the ease and style of her bowl, whereas I preferred the taco cone. We also debated which was larger, and held them side by side, sifting them around in our hands like doofuses while trying to eyeball it and get a feel for weight. Rice is denser than lettuce, but the taco cone is edible whereas you probably shouldn’t eat the plastic bowl. Ultimately, our results were ultimately inconclusive.
Being a sucker for novelty foods, I ordered the Taco Cone with brisket, which also came with guacamole, sour cream, pico de gallo, queso, cilantro, jalapeño, and lettuce. This thing is gigantic, much like the Cone of Shame your pup might have to wear, except this cone would bring shame to no one.
It reminds me a bit of the iconic Handwich, which debuted at EPCOT and was billed as “the sandwich of the future” that could be eaten with one hand. That bread cone used to be served at the Land pavilion and Lunching Pad at Tomorrowland, and was later revived for EPCOT’s 35th Anniversary. (See below.)
The 4 Rivers Cantina Barbacoa Food Truck is like a Handwich on steroids–better than any Handwich I’ve ever had at EPCOT. The meat is beyond belief, with the brisket far exceeding expectations, with a slight kick and resounding juiciness. As with the pork, there aren’t words for how good this is.
I had several bites by itself because the flavors in isolation were so delicious, and I wanted to savor that. Together with the other toppings, it’s like a symphony in your mouth. (For what it’s worth, I slightly preferred the brisket to the pork, but reasonable minds could differ on that.)
Going in, I was concerned that the cone would be awkward to eat, or that I’d wind up with half of the food on my shirt. I have a masterful ability to spill things onto myself–I’m so good at it that I don’t even bother with white shirts anymore. Here, that was not a problem. the cone held its form and eating it was pretty simple.
The unexpected “pro” of the cone was that it tasted delicious, with an exterior crispness that gave way to a slightly-moist flakiness. I expected this to be a total novelty, with the cone itself being a utilitarian food-holding device. Instead, it was delicious. It was also a lot of fun to eat, so bonus points for that. If the Handwich was the sandwich of the future, then this Taco Cone is the Handwich of the Future!
My one ‘wish’ here is that the Taco Cone came with the option of rice instead of lettuce. I know that wouldn’t be the norm for a taco cone, but as Walt Disney famously didn’t say, “if you can dream it, you can do it.” I personally prefer rice, and thought the lettuce was the one ingredient in the cone that sort of just ‘got in the way’ of everything else. This is probably an odd minority opinion, though.
Part of me feels that it really is a shame that 4 Rivers is relegated to a food truck where it can only serve a limited menu, whereas Polite Pig has a brick and mortar location with a full menu of hit-or-miss items, too many of which are ineptly prepared.
This experience really made me wish we got the full 4 Rivers treatment (and also makes me eager to visit their Winter Park and Orlando locations) at Disney Springs. A larger menu plus a themed environment would’ve been cool (even if “themed” these days in Disney Springs means only one thing: an interior repurposed by rustic hipsters).
Although, perhaps the food truck setup is ideal for 4 Rivers given their unique menu? During our visit, we observed an unsurprising trend: guests saw people clutching the giant Handwich of the Future, asked where they got them, and ordered their own. Having a food truck rather than a confined, indoor setting allows 4 Rivers to gain customers via “word of eye.”
Tourists’ love for giant, novelty foods is absolute. I know this because I am a tourist, and I am a total sucker for things like this. When it comes to Disney Springs dining, I suspect this visual advertising is more important than word of mouth. Our Disney Springs restaurant reviews are among the least popular on this site; I’m assuming this is at least in part because visitors are overwhelmed by all of the choices and constant change at Disney Springs. Seeing a giant, delicious-looking Handwich is an easy way to decide where to eat with zero research.
Overall, we can’t say enough positive things about 4 Rivers Cantina Barbacoa Food Truck. This is in the top 2 for counter service restaurants at Disney Springs–and is an easy #1 pick for the best budget option. While we still absolutely love D-Luxe Burger, you get more food for less money at 4 Rivers, making the latter a smart pick for Walt Disney World visitors paying out of pocket. It also blows away popular chains like Earl of Sandwich and Blaze Pizza. 4 Rivers is likely to stay relatively under-the-radar because it’s a food truck rather than a “proper” restaurant, but don’t let that discourage you from trying it, you absolutely will not be disappointed.
Planning a Walt Disney World trip? Learn about hotels on our Walt Disney World Hotels Reviews page. For where to eat, read our Walt Disney World Restaurant Reviews. To save money on tickets or determine which type to buy, read our Tips for Saving Money on Walt Disney World Tickets post. Our What to Pack for Disney Trips post takes a unique look at clever items to take. For what to do and when to do it, our Walt Disney World Ride Guides will help. For comprehensive advice, the best place to start is our Walt Disney World Trip Planning Guide for everything you need to know!
Your Thoughts
Have you tried the 4 Rivers Cantina Barbacoa Food Truck? What did you think of it? Have you tried the Handwich of the Future? Are you disappointed its not a full service restaurant, or is a food truck ‘good enough’ for you? Do you agree or disagree with our review? 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!
SO glad to hear they are once again open! We had eaten here Sept 2019 since I had read your review and loved it, so I couldn’t wait to get back and have more! We will probably try the holiday dessert since it sounds interesting but the Taco Cone is the bomb!
Tim, Many people believe bl/vloggers don’t pay for their food/drink at WDW or even UO because, let’s face it, you’re giving them free advertising. We disagree about this all the time in my house. Can you clear this up? One reason is, as someone eluded to earlier – prices are rarely mentioned. Thanks in advance.
Unless you see a disclosure in the post (which is required by law), we pay for our food, drinks, hotels, tickets–everything. You almost never see those on this blog because we pay for 99%+ of the things we do.
The reason prices are not mentioned is because Walt Disney World increases them multiple times per year and Disney publishes online menus that offer up-to-date pricing. If I posted prices, I’d be spending way too much time updating posts when prices inevitably increase.
You should include prices for reviews like this.
Two people have asked a very important question that hasn’t been answered at least from what I read…does it accept Disney dining plan credits?
Does the truck accept dining plan credits?
This is the best food truck food ever! We stayed at Saratoga Springs and walked over one night to find a quick place to eat. I am so glad we chose this one. we enjoyed it so much, we walked over the next night too. Can’t wit to go back.
The staff are amazing here and the food is really good. I just wish they had listened and gave me chicken instead of pork which I wasn’t able to eat
I bet it was delicious from the pictures i’ve seen. I want to try it myself.
I wish one of Disney’s minigolf courses was near Disney Springs. We have the PH+ tickets for our visit next month and it’ll be tough to justify a trip over to Disney Springs. Maybe could do in conjunction with a visit to Typhoon Lagoon, would that make sense?
If you can justify the time to go to Typhoon Lagoon, i’d say definitely do it. Drinks at Raglan Road and Jock Lindsay’s for sure!
Was this a quick service credit or does it qualify as a snack credit??
We walked right past the food truck this past Friday at DS. Wish we had seen this review . We most definitely would have tried the food. Also, my hubby had a 6 day “vacation” at South Lake Hospital and I passed 4 Rivers in Winter Garden numerous times. In December, we are going to make it a point to eat at the food truck or Winter Garden location. The food sounds delicious and was making my mouth water ( 4 nights of eating PB&J on bagel thins for dinner at the hotel while waiting for hubby to get better and be discharged is YUCK).
Being a food truck i probably wouldn’t have given it much attention in Disney Springs. But after reading your review, and looking at the delicious food in your pictures , this definitely gets added to my list of places to check out!
4Rivers catered our wedding and we are STILL getting compliments on the food. I can’t wait to try the new food drunk. I might just have to move into Disney Springs — it’s starting to house all my favorite things!
“I can’t wait to try the new food drunk.”
Haha, typo or just being honest?
Definitely a freudian slip!
I for one love the Disney Springs reviews – please keep them coming! While I enjoy the parks, I always make time to eat in DS. The restaurants are for the most part superior to what we generally get in the parks. The only problem is that there are so many great choices and so little time if you’re only in town for a few days.
Oh no, I left Orlando yesterday, I’ll have to wait one full year before I can eat one of these… 🙁
Why would anyone ruin good brisket with nasty avocado? That’s a crime! Otherwise it sounds absolutely awesome…
I had the Squash Blossom Quesadilla on myour August trip. It was so good!
Now what we Really Need is 4 Rivers Food Trucks in All Four Parks, just to shake things up a bit, u-know!
I have met Sarah and I do not recall her having abnormally small hands. In which case that taco cone is absolutely huge!
I suspect the DS springs reviews are less popular on this site because of people like me. We finally ate at DS on our last trip (our first visit to DTD/DS in ~ 10 trips). The food was very good (dinner at the Edison, dessert at the Boathouse), but for us Disney still revolves around the parks and resorts. So even having eaten good foot at DS, I would rather have spent the few hours I spent getting to and from there doing something else Disney-related. I’m glad DS exists and has improved in quality for locals or people who do want a break form the parks.
Thanks for the review, I probably would have steered away from a food truck with all the dining options had I not read a good review. My husband and I still want to try the Winter Park location, we just haven’t made it there yet.
Glad you liked our local stuffs!
Your best bet for some 4R near Disney is either gonna be the Winter Garden location, rather than the Winter Park one. You can also schlep it out and hit The Loop, too. There’s one there. As for The Coop, for their amazing chicken tenders, you need to head up to Winter Park, unless you can make it up to the Downtown Orlando location, which servers The Coop tenders when it is open for breakfast and lunch on weekdays (try the breakfast brisket burrito if you’re there in the morning… wicked good).