Disney World Restaurant Review: Crockett’s Tavern, King of the Wild Frontier?

Crockett’s Tavern is a family-friendly lounge at Fort Wilderness Resort & Campground in Walt Disney World that was recently reimagined and expanded. Although billed as a bar, it’s really a rustic restaurant features rich woods and good grub, plus a variety of beers, wines and cocktails. This WDW dining review features food photos of some items you’ll find here, our assessment of the cuisine, and other thoughts.

As part of the new DVC Cabins at Fort Wilderness conversion, Disney announced a “collection of improvement projects” at Fort Wilderness Resort & Campground designed to enhance the guest experience. Examples include pool and walking trail enhancements, as well as expanded dining experiences at Trail’s End Restaurant and Crockett’s Tavern.

The most controversial component of this project was converting the beloved buffet at Trail’s End Restaurant into a marketplace food court. We loved the old Trail’s End Restaurant in large part because it was quirky and charming. It had a cult following and resonates with so many longtime Walt Disney World fans for a reason, and a major source of the appeal was its quaint and unique style.

We once described Trail’s End as the kind of joint where Chuck Norris and Sarah Connor arm wrestle as the “World’s Most Interesting Man” lies on the floor passed out from moonshine (his drink of choice now that he realized Dos Equis sucks) while Cool Hand Luke and Conan the Barbarian snap selfies with that glorious restroom mural, its own version of an S.E.A. room.

The point is that Trail’s End, like Fort Wilderness as a whole, was Distinctly Disney in the old Vacation Kingdom of the World sense. It had old school charm and developed a sense of character over the years. The campground is beloved by its many fans for its quirkiness, with more of a folksy quality and less modernity than the rest of Walt Disney World. Admittedly, Fort Wilderness also needed a fresh set of casual dining options, as it had resorted to food trucks and other makeshift offerings to meet guest demand for dining.

Here are photos of the recently-reimagined and expanded interior of Crockett’s Tavern:

Thematically, I would describe the project as a partial success.

Imagineering didn’t overdo it with modernizing (or generifying) the interior design. It still features the same bones of the restaurant, with wood beams and columns giving it a rustic charm. The new flooring is a mix of wood and tile, and is an unequivocal improvement over the old puke green tiles of Trail’s End that were showing their age.

There are just enough thematic flourishes overhead and on the walls to keep me happy, although I’ll admit that I miss the taxidermy and some of the specific details. But largely, this is a nicer version of what existed before. It’s still charming, the warm lighting overhead along with the abundance of woods and natural materials gives it a cozy feeling. It’s a nice place to sit and decompress after a long day in Magic Kingdom, while watching a game, or to simply watch the wilderness (and people) outside the windows.

Functionally, I actually like that Disney subdivided this space into a seating area for Trail’s End and another distinct seating area for Crockett’s Tavern. While I’ll always miss the beloved buffet that previously occupied the entire space, there is something to be said for a greater variety of options. Having a food court/counter service restaurant and a sit-down lounge/casual restaurant under one roof is good for guests staying at Fort Wilderness.

Even during weeklong stays at Fort Wilderness in the past, we seldom ate at the Trail’s End buffet more than one per trip. We’ve already gotten more use out of this new hybrid dining venue and will continue to do so during future stays, especially given that we’re big fans of the new controversial Cabins at Fort Wilderness.

Now let’s take a look at some of the food at Crockett’s Tavern…

First up is the Trio of Sliders: Pulled Pork Slider with BBQ Sauce and Coleslaw, Brisket Slider with Carolina BBQ and Pickled Onions, Buffalo Chicken Slider with House-made Blue Cheese Dressing and Dill Pickles and served with Seasoned French Fries.

Both the pulled pork and buffalo chicken are fairly average. The flavor is certainly enhanced by the sauces and accompaniments, making these punch above their weight as sliders. If you ate the meats alone, they’d be mid-tier, though.

Quality-wise, they’re roughly on par with what you’d find at counter service restaurants around Walt Disney World, perhaps a little better. Roaring Fork over at Wilderness Lodge has a very similar pulled pork, which is better than, say, Cosmic Ray’s in Magic Kingdom but would be disappointing dishes at most table service restaurants. In other words, perfect for this in-between lounge setting.

The highlight of the trio is, without a doubt, the brisket slider. It’s juicy, flavorful, and not overly fatty.

If you’re a Texan or [insert other state that claims it has unrivaled BBQ] or fancy yourself a smoked meats connoisseur, this brisket may be underwhelming. Even in Central Florida, it doesn’t compete with a real world location like 4 Rivers Smokehouse, which is our favorite spot for BBQ and is worthy of a detour. As with so much in life, it’s all relative.

It’s also relative to what’s served in this very same building. The brisket slider is only one-third of this dish, whereas I’m pretty sure they’re serving up the exact same brisket next door at Trail’s End as part of the Brisket Sandwich or Smokehouse Pizza. I haven’t had the former, but I have had the latter and it is shockingly good. Both offer better value for money if you’re looking for a brisket-centric dish (and who isn’t?!).

If you’d prefer a plant-based option, there’s the Fried Green Tomato Sandwich topped with Southern Rémoulade and Citrus Green served with Seasoned French Fries.

This is surprisingly good. It’s also a bit awkward with the way the fried green tomatoes are precariously stacked, like Jenga blocks. When Crockett’s Tavern first reopened, this was also served in slider form, and I can’t help but wonder why that changed–it would seem to be that would be the optimal approach.

No matter, the fried green tomatoes are tasty and further enhanced by both the rémoulade, which offers a savory tang, and the citrus greens. The bun is nothing special, but otherwise this strikes me as an elevated counter service or mid-tier table service sandwich.

Speaking of which, that’s also how I’d describe the fries.

These are ordinary Walt Disney World counter service fries, which I think are fairly decent filler especially when accompanied by the dipping sauce of your choice. The seasoning here elevates them a bit, adding an addictive quality that makes you keep coming back for more. Still, I paired them with the various sauces that came with our dishes.

All in all, the Fried Green Tomato Sandwich wouldn’t be out of place on the lunch menu at Whispering Canyon Cafe or Geyser Point over at Wilderness Lodge. It’s a good, but not great, sandwich that I’d recommend if it sounds intriguing. This also earns Sarah’s unenthusiastic endorsement, which is harder to come by on dishes like this (hence the “unenthusiastic” part).

Our final entree at Crockett’s Tavern is the Macaroni & Cheese Burger: Angus Cheeseburger topped with Fried Macaroni & Cheese, Candied Bacon, Smoked Gouda, and Carolina Barbecue Sauce served with Seasoned French Fries.

If you’ve followed the ongoing Very Important Research of our Best Burgers at Walt Disney World compendium, you know that this dish scratches me right where I itch. The burger is every bit as big as it looks, and difficult to get your mouth around. That makes for a filling–and messy–entree.

Quality-wise, this is almost assuredly a regular ole Walt Disney World counter service burger patty. I’m guessing that, as with other items, it’s pulling from the same inventory as Trail’s End. The patty itself is nothing like the nicer ones at Geyser Point or most other higher-end lounges at Walt Disney World.

That’s mostly a guessed based on looking at it. There’s so much going on here that it effectively masks the flavor of the burger patty, so it’s hard to be sure.

The fried mac & cheese glob (such an appetizing term) is easily larger than the burger, and also more flavorful. Really, the better way to think about this is as a beefy fried mac & cheese sandwich with bacon and double cheese. From that perspective, it’s actually quite good and flavorful, and the bacon is better than the standard thinly-sliced counter service stuff.

It may not be much to look at, but the Macaroni & Cheese Burger is pretty tasty. It won’t top my list of the best burgers at Walt Disney World, but it’ll make the cut. If this were served at Cosmic Ray’s, it’d be in my regular rotation during research days at Magic Kingdom. The quality would be sufficient to keep me from leaving the park for Steakhouse 71 or Geyser Point.

This probably doesn’t even need saying, but the burger is heavy. It knocked me out. If you’re a light eater, it’s shareable. Otherwise, it’s the perfect dish for devouring and then sitting in those rocking chairs outside for an hour or three while recovering from the food coma. Not a bad idea, as that’s prime people-watching.

Finally, we have the Crispy Cauliflower with Garlic Aïoli.

This was ordered by virtue of a miscommunication, as Sarah loves cauliflower for some reason (she has questionable taste from time-to-time, which has otherwise benefitted me). This was a tad too greasy and indulgent for her, and we were both very full by this point anyway.

Like any Distinctly Patriotic American, I hate cauliflower with the fiery passion of a thousand suns. Despite that and being quite full, I still ate most of this. As it turns out, what Sarah thinks makes cauliflower bad is what I think makes it marginally edible. The garlic aïoli is also fantastic, and had I not ended my meal with the cauliflower, I would’ve requested more of this for the fries.

Ultimately, the reason we stopped at Crockett’s Tavern in the first place was because we wanted a sit-down dinner after spending some time at Tri-Circle-D Ranch and wandering around the Settlement–and because a couple of the menu items appealed to us. Those menu items were generally good, but none of them really went above and beyond in a way that makes Crockett’s Tavern a top-tier lounge at Walt Disney World that you may want to seek out.

To the contrary, from a culinary perspective, you’re probably better off at Trail’s End. The menu is larger and more varied, prices are slightly more reasonable, and it’s not really a step down in terms of cuisine quality. I’ve dined at Trail’s End by myself a few times since the reimagining and have been fairly impressed by the food.

The biggest selling point of Crockett’s Tavern is that it’s a sit-down establishment. That you can take a load off, order at your table, and have reasonably-priced and reasonably-delicious food brought out to you. It’s nothing special like some of the newer ‘elevated’ lounges at Walt Disney World, but it fills at important role in diversifying the dining options at Fort Wilderness. I’m glad that it exists in this expanded capacity and I’m sure we’ll return here many times when we just want to crash and not hassle with the marketplace, but it’s nothing special to seek out.

As for whether the reimagined Crockett’s Tavern and Trail’s End live up to the legacy of the beloved buffet they replaced, they do not. As mentioned above, we already dined in this shared space more often on our recent Cabins at Fort Wilderness stay than we did the buffet at Trail’s End during previous trips to Fort Wilderness.

And yet, none of our recent meals have reached the same high-water mark of the previous Trail’s End buffet. So we’ll be dining in this split venue more frequently, but without the same caliber of memorable meals. In other words, Walt Disney World has trade quality for quantity. Suffice to say, I have mixed feelings about this whole reimagining. The end of an era, and beginning of another. I’m just glad the beloved bathroom mural was saved. So long as that exists, all is right with Walt Disney World.

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YOUR THOUGHTS

What do you think of Crockett’s Tavern? Have you dined here or at Trail’s End Restaurant since the reimagining? Are you pleased by the addition of a quick service marketplace and sit-down lounge, or do you miss the fan-favorite buffet? Thoughts on Trail’s End as a hidden gem and source of fan nostalgia and memories? Agree or disagree with our assessment of this Walt Disney World restaurant? Any questions we can help you answer? Hearing your feedback is both interesting to us and helpful to other readers, so please share your thoughts below in the comments!