Review: Does Disney World’s Viral Restaurant Sensation Live Up to the Hype?

Stop me if you’ve heard this one before. Walt Disney World has a new restaurant along the BoardWalk that recently opened, serves up food that gained a fan-following thanks to viral social media posts, and is pretty popular despite high prices. I know what you’re thinking: we don’t need yet another post about Cake Bake Shop.

This is not about Cake Bake Shop. Walt Disney World somehow, some way has managed to open two inexplicably expensive restaurants this year along the Crescent Lake BoardWalk between EPCOT and Hollywood Studios. Meanwhile, the more affordable and more mainstream restaurants have been slowly vanishing.

Now in fairness, perhaps we should not blame Walt Disney World for these prices. After all, these are third party restaurants and Disney does not set their menu prices. (They do, however, set rent and likely take a cut of sales…and that does indirectly dictate minimum menu prices.)

Another commonality between Cake Bake and Blue Ribbon Corn Dogs is the anemic pace of their construction. Or in the case of the latter, its “construction.” This was really the refurbishment of an existing waterfront kiosk, which was spruced up and given a new blue and yellow color scheme. I’m not sure whether we technically consider Blue Ribbon Corn Dogs a snack stand, food booth, restaurant, or the more vague “dining venue.”

Blue Ribbon Corn Dogs wouldn’t rise to restaurant status just about anywhere else, but it’s become slim pickings along the BoardWalk during the last couple of years. Given that, this arguably becomes the top counter service restaurant option for guests of Disney’s BoardWalk Inn and Villas.

That’s especially true for guests from the Northeast who are still perturbed about the purported regional authenticity of BoardWalk Deli. That reimagined restaurant is inspired by the delicatessens of the Northeast region, with a menu that (supposedly) takes you on a road trip of classic sweet and savory flavors from New York to the Jersey Shore. Regional authenticity or not (“not” according to pretty much all of our readers from the Northeast), BoardWalk Deli does have the deeper and more well-rounded menu. See our full BoardWalk Deli Review for more on that.

As for Blue Ribbon Corn Dogs, it has already developed a fan following over the last few years. The first location opened in Downtown Disney at Disneyland Resort several years ago, and it made a big splash when adding its fried pickle corn dog to the menu in April 2021.

For those who don’t recall, Disneyland and Disney California Adventure were still closed at that time. Influencers, food bloggers, and Disney fans were all starved for content and things to do…and everyone loves a good gimmicky food. It was the perfect storm for a snack stand to go viral. And Blue Ribbon very much did, with posts about the fried pickle corn dog garnering millions of views.

This viral moment for that menu addition probably is what led to the otherwise-unassuming Blue Ribbon Corn Dogs getting a second location at Walt Disney World. It’s certainly why the opening of this restaurant dining venue was being so closely watched and anxiously anticipated by Walt Disney World fans.

Suffice to say, the hype levels were high for the year-plus between the announcement of Blue Ribbon Corn Dogs and its actual opening. If that year-plus “construction” timeline is any indication, this is certainly a restaurant!

Turning to logistics of Blue Ribbon Corn Dogs, guests order via a window on the side of the kiosk closer to Flying Fish. They pick up their order on the opposite side, closer to Cake Bake.

The menu is fairly simple:

• Classic Dog ($12.50) – All-Beef Hot Dog fried in Cornmeal Batter. Served with a bag of chips.
• Pickle Dog ($15.50) – All-Beef Hot Dog wrapped in a Dill Pickle, fried in Cornmeal Batter, rolled in Panko Bread Crumbs. Served with peanut butter and a bag of chips.
• Kids Dog ($10.50) – All-Beef Kid Size Hot Dog fried in Cornmeal Batter. Served with a bag of chips.
• Mexican Street Dog ($15.50) – Jalapeño Cheddar Sausage, fried in Cornmeal Batter. Topped with Garlic Mayo, Corn Kernels, Cotija Cheese, and Cilantro. Garnished with a Lime Wedge and served with a bag of chips.
• Golden Dragon ($15.50) – All-Beef Hot Dog, fried in Cornmeal Batter, rolled in Panko Bread Crumbs. Served with Sriracha Mayo, Sweet Thai Chili, and a bag of chips.

In addition to corn dogs, Blue Ribbon offers lemonade for $7 to $10 per cup. There are also two cotton candy options on the menu, which cost $8 to $9. For a limited time (I’m not even sure whether it’s still available), there’s also a Giant Mozzarella Stick for $15.50.

Everything at Blue Ribbon Corn Dogs is made-to-order. After paying, you’ll receive a buzzer that goes off when your food is ready.

This allows you to go enjoy the rest of the BoardWalk, sweltering in the sun or shaking your fist at the posted menu prices at Cake Bake Shop. You know, all of the fun stuff the BoardWalk has to offer!

I’m joking, but only partially. I was fortunate enough to receive a “Blue Ribbon View” room at BoardWalk Inn (a new booking category with a 12.5% surcharge) and noticed that there was almost always a crowd congregated outside the dining venue.

It was rarely a line of guests ordering corn dogs–it was people waiting for pickup. The only exception to this was during a downpour. I’m sure they were still around–not like you drop fifteen-plus bucks on a corn dog and abandon it in a drizzle–but probably under the hotel’s overhang, so I couldn’t see them.

For my order, I waited about 15 minutes for pickup. I didn’t time it, since I didn’t anticipate this being an issue, but that’s about how long it took. During that time, I saw two other guests inquire about their orders, so I know I wasn’t the only one.

If my dad were here, he would’ve made the ‘old dude’ joke about the restaurant having to go and catch the…I dunno, whatever mystery meat corn dogs are made of…before cooking it. Classic comedy.

Point being, if you’re thinking Blue Ribbon Corn Dogs is a convenient fast food option…you are mistaken. BoardWalk Deli will be a much better bet.

Since it’s an outdoor food booth or whatever, the seating area is just these preexisting tables across from BoardWalk Deli. These are fantastic on a cloudy or overcast day–perfect during the winter months when it’s a little cooler. During Central Florida’s 47 weeks of summer? Not so much.

There’s also outdoor shaded seating that’s often unused and available over by Trattoria al Forno. But if that restaurant is using it to seat table service guests, they might shoo you away like a filthy pigeon.

After photos and initial taste-testing, I ended up taking the corn dogs back up to my room and ate on the balcony. It felt like a VIP skybox with that Blue Ribbon View. This must be how celebrities eat their corn dogs.

As for the corn dogs, let’s start with the Mexican Street Dog. I was really looking forward to this, as I’m a sucker for elote.

Flavor-wise, the toppings delivered. The corn dog itself was freshly-made, as advertised, and both the cornmeal batter and hot dog itself were good. A nice interplay of semi-sweet and savory. I have zero complaints about the quality.

However, I do have complains about value-for money.

This corn dog was small. I did a double-take, wondering if they had given me a child’s size by mistake. Nope. Even before ordering, I thought $15.50 was steep for corn dogs, but given the portion size, it’s downright laughable.

I guess if you’re on vacation, have no budget, and only view the corn dog as a snack, this is a viable option. Again, no complaints when it comes to flavor. But this seems more a snack-sized portion that could be served at the all-hot dog America booth during the EPCOT Food & Wine Festival. And in fact, those hot dogs were larger and more filling than this for less than half the price!

Next up is the Pickle Dog.

As mentioned above, this is what put Blue Ribbon Corn Dogs on the map, and is likely why the Walt Disney World outpost exists in the first place.

The Pickle Dog is a smaller and stouter corn dog–by design. It is nevertheless a more sizable portion than the Mexican Street Dog.

As far as gimmicky foods go, the Pickle Dog is solid.

It’s fun. It looks cool. It tastes surprisingly good. It offers a variety of flavors and textures. You wonder “how scientists made it happen?” It checks all of the right boxes.

My biggest complaint about the Pickle Dog is that the peanut butter was served ice cold–almost frozen–and made it impossible to dip. I overheard guests at another table also commenting on this. This might seem like a little thing, but I guess I expect the little things to be paid attention to if I’m dropping $16 on a corn dog.

The Pickle Dog is the one thing that it makes sense to order at Blue Ribbon Corn Dogs. It’s less about the value-proposition and more about the experience.

Get this to share with friends or family, talk and laugh about it, and move on. Don’t order a half-dozen of these puppies as a full meal, unless you want to take out a second mortgage beforehand. In which case, do it up right–have this be the opening course before a meal at Cake Bake!

In other words, I don’t think the Pickle Dog is “worth it” as a counter service entree, but it arguably is as a fun food experience.

Ultimately, I went into my meal at Blue Ribbon Corn Dogs thinking that it’d take me a couple of days and dedication to review the full menu. I left this one meal still hungry and with my wallet over $30 lighter. I was also frustrated by little things–the lack of attention to detail with the frozen peanut butter and serving generic bags of Lay’s instead of housemade chips.

Perhaps I’m being nitpicky here, but that comes with the territory of charging $15+ for a corn dog. These prices are higher than the hand-dipped corn dogs at Sleepy Hollow in Magic Kingdom and the in-park corn dogs at Disneyland. Those in-park portions are also larger and the taste is just as good. (I’d say slightly better, but perhaps that’s the castle view talking.) Sleepy Hollow remains my favorite corn dog at Walt Disney World: it’s bigger, at least as good, served with housemade chips, can be eaten in the shadow of Cinderella Castle, and costs $11.49.

All of this was enough for me to nix plans to try the rest of the menu at Blue Ribbon Corn Dogs. I just do not see a scenario where I’d recommend having a corn dog here over one in the parks, which are somehow cheaper and just as good. I’m surprised and, frankly, frustrated that no other reviews that I’ve seen call attention to any of these things. The social media sentiment about this place is absolutely effusive. Honestly, I wouldn’t have even bothered with Blue Ribbon Corn Dogs in the first place if I knew all this going in…and that’s why I’m writing this review, so you potentially won’t make the same mistake I did.

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 dined at Blue Ribbon Corn Dogs? How do the corn dogs here stack up to Sleepy Hollow or other in-park locations for you? Anything that’s a menu stand out or letdown from your perspective? Are any of these menu items things you’d like to try, or will you stick to World Showcase or other eateries around Crescent Lake? Think the BoardWalk still needs another counter service restaurant in addition to this and deli, or is there now enough in the area? Do you agree or disagree with our assessment? Other thoughts or concerns? 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!