Let’s admit it: one of the best parts of every Disney trip is the restaurants and the eating! I full-heartedly (and full-stomachly) agree with this. But, with so many places to pick from it’s always great to get some perspective online before you make those ever-so-valuable advance dining reservations (ADRs). For my first restaurant review, we’ll be talking about Liberty Tree Tavern in the Magic Kingdom.

Note: if you’re looking for an overview of all the Disney reviews I’ve done (which can help provide context for scoring) give my review index a quick glimpse.

Theme & Ambiance – 8.75 out of 10 points

To me, the theming of a restaurant is actually as important as the food itself. In fact, I’d go so far as to say I’d enjoy a great theme and OK food more than I’d enjoy an OK theme and great food. In this case, the theme for Liberty Tree Tavern takes us back to colonial America and very much matches it’s setting in Liberty Square. As soon as you walked in, the staff is all dressed in Colonial garb and you’re almost overwhelmed (in a good way) with all the artifacts and props to examine throughout the restaurant. If you’re looking for immersion in Colonial styling, this is your place, and be sure to fully explore the joint no matter where you’re actually sitting.

Menu & Food – 8 out of 10 points

My lovely girlfriend and I dined at lunch time but we’re both suckers for a good buffet. We didn’t know, at the time, that Liberty Tree Tavern was a buffet-style restaurant for dinner but a normal table service restaurant for lunch. To make matters worse, Mac N Cheese was even on the buffet-style dinner menu but not on the lunch menu. If I had known both of these things prior to my ADR I’d have absolutely done dinner. That being said, this is not the fault of Liberty Tree Tavern, so I can’t ding them, but it’s valuable enough that I thought I’d pass it along.

Both their lunch menu and dinner menu have one thing in common: serious comfort food. Everything at this place is absolutely ideal if you’re feeling overwhelmed, over-walked, sad (who gets sad at Walt Disney World?) or anything else where a mug of root beer and Thanksgiving-dinner-esque would surely hit the spot and make you feel all warm and fuzzy. I would say the food was definitely tasty, though not the most ‘advanced’ (for lack of a better word). But, again, comfort food is not meant to be advanced it is meant to be comforting- and it is!

Extra Credit – 4.25 out of 5 points

These things don’t deserve their own paragraph (usually) but could still be point-worthy tidbits. Each item is worth -1 to 1 points, which means places can actually lose points here!

• Service: In terms of wait staff, I recall them being just attentive enough and certainly not over-bearing. Probably could have enjoyed a bit more attention, but overall, service was fine. (+ 0.75 points)
• Ideal environment for: Anyone, really. Kids would, I think, love the menu (I have the palate of a six year old boy and I loved it) so it works for families, but it’s also a cute place for couples, too. Not super romantic, but cute. (+ 1 points)
• Dessert: Whether or not you care about dessert is totally subjective. If you happen to enjoy it, the Ooey Gooey Toffee Cake was so, so, so delicious. My girlfriend and I devoured it. (+ 1 points)
• Location: Somewhat close to a number of core Magic Kingdom attractions (Splash Mountain, Haunted Mansion). (+ 0.5 points)
• Will return on future visit: Yes, we definitely would, but for the dinner buffet this time! (+1 point)

Liberty Tree Tavern’s Total Score:
21 out of 25 points

Have you eaten at Liberty Tree Tavern? If so, we’d love to hear your feedback in the comments, too! And, if you’re craving more Disney insight be sure to check out these other fun articles:

• Five Food Tips for Dining at Walt Disney World
• Top five changes I’d like to see at Disneyland’s Tomorrowland

Thanks for reading!!
— Disney Dork Tom (follow me on Twitter and Facebook, too, for non-stop daily Disney action!)