Roundup Rodeo BBQ is the newest restaurant to open in Disney World. It is located in Toy Story Land in Hollywood Studios and it's a "rootin' tootin' good time." In all honesty, this is absolutely my favorite restaurant in Hollywood Studios and is a spot that I would likely eat at every time I visit the park. There are no Table Service restaurants that can even compete, and Quick Service restaurants in Hollywood Studios are not much to rave about either. I have been to Roundup Rodeo twice now, and both times the experience was great.
This restaurant is still extremely new. It opened in March of 2023. As far as Disney standards go, it is still very much a new restaurant, which makes it incredibly popular and difficult to get a dining reservation at. I have noticed that as time has gone on, reservations have been easier to get at Roundup Rodeo, but the "good" time slots do fill up incredibly fast and you should still expect quite a crowd forming near the check in booth out front of the restaurant. Even with a reservation, we found ourselves waiting 10-15 minutes beyond our check in time to be seated. As with other new in-park restaurants (like Be Our Guest), the popularity and newness will eventually fade, making it easier to eat here as time goes on.
1) Theming
While Roundup Rodeo is not considered a character meal, the dining experience still offers great theming from all of the Toy Story movies. I will admit that the presence of characters like Woody, Bo Peep, and Buzz Lightyear would make the meal more fun. However, Disney did a good job of using decor to give the restaurant a lively, fun atmosphere. You are essentially made to feel like you are one of Andy's toys, hanging out in his toybox.
Throughout the restaurant, there are oversized figures of different Toy Story characters. Also, the walls are painted brightly, and the decor has a certain Western theme to it, based on Woody's Roundup, the tv show featured in Toy Story 2. The tables are scattered through the room, and no view is a bad view since the theming is all-encompassing of the room. Also, throughout your meal, the staff perform certain "skits" which make the experience even more fun and childlike. Nothing is taken too seriously, and you can feel like a kid while eating here. Besides Be Our Guest in Magic Kingdom, I think Roundup Rodeo has the best theming out of any Table Service restaurant in Disney World.
This restaurant holds a lot of tables, which does help with crowd control. While lots of people do fit inside, I think they did a good job at preventing it from feeling like a giant cafeteria. Possibly it was the way they divided up the giant room by placing the oversized figurines in the center of the room, to create 2 semi-separate dining rooms.
2) The Food
The meal at Roundup Rodeo BBQ is served family style. This is similar to a lot of the restaurants on Disney property, where the food is served in large portions and all of the guests at your table share everything brought to the table. It is also all you can eat, so if you find yourself wanting more of a particular item you simply have to ask your waiter. The menu is price fixed at $45 per adult, which I personally think is incredibly reasonable with how much food you receive while eating here. Make sure you are hungry when you visit Roundup Rodeo because you will certainly get your fill!
You start your meal with a basket of cheddar biscuits with sweet pepper jelly. These are "sweeter" than the Red Lobster cheddar bay biscuits, but still delicious in their own way. They are also huge, so be careful not to fill up on them because there is a lot of food still coming.
Next, you are served appetizers of cucumber and tomato salad, and a watermelon salad. These are just okay, and I never eat too much since I know the main course is very filling.
For the main course, your table will receive a large basket filled with different BBQ meats. The basket holds ribs, brisket, sausage, and chicken. The chicken is my personal favorite out of all the meats. Also, in my opinion, the ribs don't have a lot of meat on the bones, and they are difficult to eat. The meats are all cooked well and have a good flavor to them. Each table holds three different types of BBQ sauce that you can put on your meats if you so choose. There is also an alternative vegetarian basket you can request if you do not eat meat.
You also receive multiple sides with your BBQ basket, again, all served family style. When the Roundup Rodeo first opened, there was a long list of sides that you could take your pick from. They must have figured out the most recently requested sides, because now you are just automatically given 5 standard sides. The sides include tater tots, coleslaw, mac & cheese, baked beans, and street corn. The mac & cheese is my favorite, followed by the baked beans. The corn has the potential of being good, but there is just way too much cheese slathered on it.
As you can see, you get to sample a lot of food while eating at Roundup Rodeo BBQ. I personally think it is a bargain to only pay $45 per person for this meal, particularly because it is all you can eat. You could easily have one meal at 3:00pm that would satisfy both lunch and dinner. The price also includes soft drinks, various flavors of iced tea, coffee, and tea.
My one complaint is that the tables are not nearly large enough to hold all of this food! We found ourselves struggling to eat because the table was so cramped.
The last course of the meal is desert. I have personally not had room for dessert both of the times I visited Roundup Rodeo. They seem to know this, because the desert portions are pretty small. Each guest gets to choose one of the following: lemon & blueberry cheesecake, chocolate silk pie, apple pie, peach-strawberry pie, or a Forky cupcake. Each of the pies and the cheesecake is served in a small mason jar, holding no more than 7-8 bites. The cupcake is a chocolate cupcake topped with a sugar cookie shaped like Forky from Toy Story 4.
Roundup Rodeo BBQ in Hollywood Studios is absolutely my favorite restaurant in Hollywood Studios. The price is a bargain for a lot of food, which is mostly all delicious. The theming is fun and different, and while adding characters would make the dining experience better, I think overall it is very enjoyable dining here. It is still pretty difficult to get a dining reservation at Roundup Rodeo due to it still being a new experience for a lot of guests who haven't visited Disney World since it opened a year ago. However, if you make it a priority to book this spot on your dining reservation day, you should be able to get a prime dinner or lunch time slot. You will also find that early lunch, midafternoon slots, and late night slots will hang around and be available even weeks before your trip. I highly recommend eating at Roundup Rodeo on your next visit at Hollywood Studios. It is enjoyable for adults and kids alike!
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