Disneyland surprised everyone by opening a restaurant EARLY!

Despite having an official opening date of October 25th, 2024, the Hungry Bear Barbecue Jamboree soft-opened a day early in Bayou Country and we stopped by to check it out!

Once called the Hungry Bear Restaurant, the Hungry Bear Barbecue Jamboree had been closed for refurbishment as it came up with a new menu and theming to reflect the defunct Country Bear Jamboree attraction at Disneyland and the newly rethemed Country Bear Musical Jamboree show at Magic Kingdom.

The restaurant was rethemed as part of Critter Country’s evolution into Bayou Country in anticipation of Tiana’s Bayou Adventure joining the land. While the Hungry Bear’s soft reopening on October 24th wasn’t advertised, we stopped by anyway to check it out and see what the newly rethemed restaurant has to offer!

Immediately, you’ll get a strong sense of that Country Bear theming. According to Disney, the decor is supposed to help tell the story of the Country Bears taking a break from their world tour.

You’ll find plenty of familiar faces and even hear some Country Bear tunes while you dine!

We also got a good look at the menu…

And, of course, you know we had to try some of the new offerings!

First, we tried the Loaded Fries for $14.99. These fries are made with smoked pulled pork, queso sauce, pickled red onions, pickled jalapeños, cilantro, and scallions.

Our dish was pretty good! The smoked pulled pork didn’t have much of a smoked flavor, but we still thought it was very tasty! The meat was tender and coated with a sauce akin to a brown sugar barbecue sauce flavor.

The fries weren’t special, but their purpose was to soak up the cheese and barbecue sauces, so they worked just fine for us. Speaking of the sauces, the queso sauce had a creamy texture and flavor that worked so well with the sweet barbecue pork and jalapeños. Overall, we were happy with this new offering and recommend giving it a try if you’re looking for a Southwestern snack.

Next, we tried the Sparkling Strawberry-Pickle Lemonade​ for $7.49. This drink is made with Simply Lemonade, Minute Maid Strawberry Smoothie, flavors of lime, Sprite, pickle juice, and a pickle spear.

Right off the bat, our reporter told us they aren’t the biggest fans of pickle and/or dill flavors. That’s why it was so surprising that they liked this a lot! It was sweet, refreshing, and tangy, delivering the sweet and refreshing strawberry lemonade flavors at first before throwing in a tangy pickle aftertaste.

The lime was thoroughly blended in with the lemonade and Sprite, so it didn’t really stand out, which was also the case with the strawberry smoothie aspect. If you’re expecting a smoothie texture, this doesn’t really provide that but what you WILL get is that delicious strawberry flavor, which tasted surprisingly fresh. We recommend this when you just want to sit and relax on a hot Southern California day!

Are you excited to visit the newly reimagined Hungry Bear Barbecue Jamboree? Let us know and continue to follow us here at the Disney Food Blog for all the latest Disneyland news, tips, reviews, and more!

PRICING and FULL MENU Announced for Disney’s NEW Country Bear-Themed Restaurant

How do you feel about the new Hungry Bear theming and menu? Share your thoughts in the comments below!

The post SURPRISE! Disney’s NEW Country Bear-Themed Restaurant Opened a Day EARLY! first appeared on the disney food blog.