Big Thunder Ranch BBQ - Disneyland

At Disneyland's Big Thunder Ranch BBQ, they ring a big old dinner bell when it's eatin' time. The tables are long and picnic-y. The waiters are dressed like they're getting ready for a hoe-down and in the whole entire courtyard, what's not shaded by leafy trees, is sheltered by huge tarps.

When they serve your meal, it'll be in metal pails. Drinks? Well, of course they're poured into mason jars. And when you get down to eating your all-you-can-eat feast of ribs, chicken, cornbread and coleslaw, it's with your hands. This is, without a doubt, one of the hardest tables to get in Disneyland. You need to reserve well in advance.

Is it the best barbecue? No. Not even close. The ribs seem to taste like they've been parboiled, baked en masse in an oven, then slathered in sauce, in that order. The chicken is just chicken. But you end up eating a lot anyway because: you are an American, this is Disneyland, and it's all-you-can-eat. It feels downright unpatriotic not to overstuff yourself until it hurts.

And after you waddle out, full of beans and meat, you walk by the petting zoo. You pet a goat.

Big Thunder Ranch BBQ
Disneyland Park
1313 S. Harbor Blvd.
Anaheim, CA 92802
(714) 781-3463

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