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Disney Dining Review of T-Rex at Downtown Disney

Disney Dining Review of T-Rex at Downtown Disney

Downtown Disney has become a must do for our Disney visits.  My husband and I have usually spent the morning before we leave looking through the shops and eateries looking for last minute gifts and snacks before we pack the car up and head home.  This last trip, we did the absolute opposite.  When we arrived, it was pouring out and rather than head over to a park just to get soaked, we scored a close parking spot (That never happens for us!) and ran into World of Disney.  Being that it was already after 1 pm, we were trying to figure out what we wanted for lunch when he suggested T-Rex.  We have walked past T-Rex about 100 times since it opened in 2008 but had yet to stop in.  I am only a mild fan of the Rainforest Café and I am not a huge fan of the screaming loud restaurants, so I pretty much assumed that T-Rex would be a loud disappointment.

We headed over using bags as umbrellas to a long line to get a table, LONG.  We were told to walk around in the gift shop and that we would have a table in about 10 minutes.  It amazed me how huge the interior of this restaurant truly is, especially that it was lunch time rush and that we had at least 9 parties that had just checked in in front of us.   As we looked around the gift area, we were face to face with a HUGE T-Rex that moved and growled.  This restaurant is so themed and well done that it is a treat just to come in and walk around.  The Dinosaurs in the restaurant are animatronic and put on quite the show as you tear into prehistoric favorites.  Lucky guests are seated in the ice cave, which is literally a cave that looks like it is made from ice and changes color from blue to purple to orange.  While it was super cool in there, it was hard for me to see and I decided that it would probably give me a headache.  The dinosaurs were impressive, but even more cool was a giant Octopus that hangs over you from the ceiling numerous fish tanks full of life!   Another feature is the meteor shower that is reenacted every 20 minutes or so.  For 2 minutes, everything in the place goes to super loud with the dinosaurs coming to life by way of screeching , hooting and roaring.

After 20 minutes, we were seated and hungry.  We had a super sweet server and immediately ordered appetizers that we thought would come out fast.  I had the Megalosaurus Mozzarella  (Seared Mozzarella with creamy marinara and mozzarella fingers $8.99) and was really delighted with the seared mozzarella cheese that was a totally different taste than I had ever had.  It was yummy and the mozzarella fingers (sticks) were not greasy like they can be.  Hubby ordered the Asteroid French Onion Soup (Traditional sherry-based onion soup baked with a large crouton and bubbling Swiss cheese $7.99) While the soup was out of this world delicious, it actually did seem like an asteroid was settled inside because it was served molten hot and was painful to eat for a good 5-7 minutes.  Other choices that I would like to sample next time are the Supersaurus Sampler (Spinach and pepper jack queso with tortilla chips, Brachiosaurus Bruschetta, T-Rexadillas and Onion Rings, enough for four $18.99), Footprints Flatbread (Warm flatbread topped with cheddar, mozzarella, parmesan and goat cheese, rotisserie chicken and carmelized onions, drizzled with a balsamic glaze $15.99) and Dexter’s Dual Dip (shrimp and artichoke dip and spinach and pepper jack queso served with tortilla chips $10.49).  The appetizer selections were phenomenal and large.  I was in brontosaurus sized bliss because I usually like appetizers more than my main meal.  I have a habit of ordering the worst thing on the menu, something I envy in my awesome ordering hubby!

After seeing 2 meteor crashes and accompanying mayhem, I asked our server where our food might be.  40 minutes for a burger and chicken salad sandwich seemed way too long.  She apologized and a manager came to our table with our food after about 5 more minutes.  He was polite and apologetic and we were hungry and trying to enjoy day one of our trip, so we just thanked him for the food and dug in.  Hubby’s Guac-asaurus Burger (A 100% beef patty with guacamole, a fried onion ring, pickles, lettuce, tomato, Pepper Jack cheese, and crispy bacon. Supersize with an additional patty for only $3.00, $15.99) was a true delight.  He has a habit of ordering super expensive burgers (see Yak and Yeti review) and I complain every time, but then the first bite changes me into a crazy carnivore and I don’t complain anymore.  I had the Lost World Chicken Salad Sandwich (Rotisserie chicken with tarragon, celery, onions, toasted almonds and mayonnaise, served on a croissant $14.99) which was almost as expensive and just ok.  I am a chicken salad connoisseur and can be quite picky with chicken salad, but it was edible and the croissant was soft and buttery.  The menu is as big as a T-Rex, so I won’t even be scratching the surface with other options, but for the sake of not writing for the rest of my life (ha!) I will highlight 4 items that I also considered.  The top 4 contenders were:  Saber-Tooth Salad  (Romaine and mixed greens, with fresh pears, Gorgonzola cheese, pistachio, dried apricots, and apple chips with a white balsamic vinaigrette. With grilled chicken $17.99), Mega Mes-O-Bones  (MegaTender, slow-roasted St. Louis Ribs, basted with BBQ sauce. Served with your choice of two of the following sides: garlic mashed potatoes, waffle fries, Raptor rice, baked beans, cinnamon apples, cole slaw or roasted vegetables. Half Rack $23.99 or Whole Rack $27.99), Neanderthal New York Strip (Charbroiled New York strip steak topped with steak butter and served with red skinned garlic mashed potatoes and your choice of a side. Add a Jurassic Salad or Lava Tomato Basil Soup for $5.99 $32.99) and Stegosaurus Steak and Cheese Sandwich  (Traditional-style cheese steak with sautéed onions, peppers and mushroom, topped with melted Monterey jack and Swiss cheeses served with lettuce and tomatoes on a toasted hoagie roll $15.99).

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For dessert, which unfortunately another 2 meteor showers had come and gone between and we were wondering if we were going to become fossils just waiting for lunch to end, we couldn’t help ourselves to the unbelievable deliciousness of Chocolate Extinction  (A gigantic portion of chocolate fudge cake served with ice cream, fresh whipped cream drizzled with fudge and caramel sauces and sprinkled with Butterfinger crumbs. Enough for two or more. $16.99).  Aside from the SHOCKING price, we were so excited that we started digging into it before I remembered to take a picture, so sorry for the attacked dessert picture that accompanies this review.  It was truly beautiful before we dug in!  And for those of you that have your mouth on the floor with the price, we had the dining plan, so I was only paying for a gratuity at this point.  Other dinosaurish delights include: Ice Age Indulgence  (Layers of ice cream sandwiches, fudge sauce, whipped cream and Heath Bar Crunch $8.99), Meteor Bites  (Warm chocolate and vanilla donut holes with powdered sugar. Served with caramel and chocolate sauces $9.99), Sorbet Sampler  (Mango and raspberry sorbet topped with raspberry sauce and mango puree and served with a chocolate covered wafer $6.99) and Cosmic Key Lime Pie  (freshly baked key lime pie in a graham cracker crust, served with raspberry sauce and fresh whipped cream $7.99).  I do not drink alcohol, but the list of frozen drinks was impressive and looked like super fun combinations.  The kids menu was a smaller version of the adult menu and there were ton of happy kids eating and enjoying the scenery.

On our way out, we enjoyed watching kids stuff new pet dinosaurs in the Build-A-Dino, modeled and owned by the incredibly popular Build-A-Bear stores.  We were laughing at how the entire experience along with the stuffed animal cost about the same as my chicken salad sandwich.  All in all, we enjoyed the food, but it was nothing really to write home about.  We loved the dessert and the fish tanks.  The décor was awesome and I was able to tolerate the 7 meteor showers we encountered.  Yes, we set the record for longest lunch ever which was my only loud complaint for this lunch.  A quieter complaint was how expensive it was!  We will return again when we have our young nephews with us for a roaring good time!

3 out of 5 stars: Food was average, DĂ©cor and theme were awesome, overall LOUD and service was S.L.O.W.

F.A.S.T. Review

Food: Average fare.  In order to keep the bill lower than a typical fine dining experience (trust me, this place is pretty expensive for a highly decorated mid -range place that fare wise probably is like a TGI Fridays) you may want to stick with burgers or sandwiches.  There are plenty of places on property that I would rather spend $33 at for a steak.  Choices also include salads, ribs, chicken, tacos, and pasta.

Atmosphere: Unless you ride Dinosaur at Animal Kingdom, you will have a hard time finding a cooler group of animatronic dinosaurs and evidence of prehistoric times.  You really can’t beat the theming in this place and it looks like no expense was spared doing so.

Service: Not sure if we just had bad luck or if it is business as usual, but our lunch took over 2 hours for a 2 top.  We did not order well done or anything that should have taken that long and we were aggravated with the slow service.  We also sat with empty drinks for a long time and the table was not cleared between courses.  Our server was sweet, but we were not that happiest of (forced) campers!

Tips: One table service credit on the Disney Dining Plan.  Perhaps visit at off times for quicker service.  I would save my money for steaks, ribs and other entrees at some other places on property.  Reservations suggested, especially for big parties.  If you have an exhausted member of your party or one with a headache, steer clear of this place.  Lots of fun for families!

About Lauren Wallis

Lauren Wallis was destined to love Disney. Her Mother found out that she was pregnant with Lauren after her honeymoon at WDW. After moving to Florida in 1990, every school trip, family vacation and weekend getaway was at Disney World! Lauren attended the University of Central Florida and spent her weekends looking for the most delicious restaurants on a college budget. She and her husband have relocated and now live in Central Florida, just minutes from Walt Disney World. She has stayed at every single resort and is currently working on eating at every single restaurant! She has been on WDW property over 400 times…lucky Floridian!