After years of stagnation, Magic Kingdom’s most mediocre meal spot has a brand-new menu! This post lists all of the new menu additions and food photos from Pecos Bill Tall Tale Inn and Cafe, which was previously dead to us. Plus, commentary about why this is likely happening and what it means for Tiana’s Palace Restaurant or Country Bear BBQ.
Somehow, Pecos Bill is/was not the worst counter service restaurant in all of Magic Kingdom, which is really saying something (and not a good thing). Rather, it was the one with the most squandered potential. A spot that could’ve been good and, at one time, was.
It has been surprising and disappointing that at the same time Chipotle Mexican Grill has risen in popularity, Walt Disney World has gone in the exact opposite direction with Pecos Bill. Thankfully, they seem to be undoing that damage with the Fall 2024 menu overhaul, which appears to be the best menu at this location in almost a decade.
The timing of this is opportune. I was just working on a post about pleasant dining surprises I’ve recently encountered at Magic Kingdom restaurants. It seems like this continues that trend in a big way. It’s as if someone dared to dream: what if food at the world’s most popular theme park were actually edible?
In fairness, we have yet to try this new menu at Pecos Bill Tall Tale Inn and Cafe. So while it appears to be a dramatic improvement, looks can be deceiving. If we went by the carefully-plated promotional images for the old menu, we might’ve assumed that was also good. And yet, the actual cuisine quality was one step above dog food.
Sometimes Walt Disney World’s food stylists and photographers are miracle workers, right up there with the team that makes the Big Mac look incredibly appetizing in images…despite my real burgers never looking remotely the same (or nearly as large). But I digress.
Here’s the full menu Pecos Bill Tall Tale Inn and Cafe (available as of September 18, 2024), followed by thoughts…
Build Your Own
Steamed Tamale ($12.99) – Steamed Green Chili-Cheese Tamale with Stewed Pinto Beans, Queso Fresco, and Pico de Gallo
Nacho Bowl ($12.99) – House-fried Corn Tortilla Chips smothered with Stewed Pinto Beans, Chipotle Queso, and Pico de Gallo
Southwest Caesar Salad ($12.99) – Romaine tossed in Creamy Salsa Verde Dressing, Pepitas, Queso Fresco, Pico de Gallo, and Tortilla Strips
Rice Bowl ($12.99) – Pinto Beans, Cilantro-Lime Rice, Cowboy Caviar, and Queso Fresco
With any of these build your own bowls and dishes, the following customization options also available.
Protein:
Citrus-Chipotle Chicken
Green Chili Pork
Coca-Cola Cherry Braised Beef ($.50)
Second Protein:
Citrus-Chipotle Chicken ($1.50)
Green Chili Pork ($1.50)
Coca-Cola Cherry Braised Beef ($2)
Add a Side:
Queso Chipotle ($1)
Guacamole ($2.50)
Queso & Guacamole ($3.50)
Desserts
Sweet Corn Mousse ($6.29)
White Chocolate and Raspberry Powder ($6.29)
Mexican Chocolate and Horchata Verrine ($5.49)
Turning to commentary, I’m actually looking forward to trying this! Although I strongly suspect the photo vs. reality difference will be fairly pronounced, the thing is, it’s gotta be better than what’s there now. I wouldn’t expect this to be on par with the quality of the food court at Coronado Springs, but it’ll almost certainly be better than what it replaced.
Top to bottom menu overhauls like this are almost always an improvement. Disney’s culinary teams get the green light to make significant changes and, as you can probably imagine, no one working in a creative culinary position wants to work on an unambitious update. The chefs don’t actually want to serve slop to guests–that’s usually the byproduct of managers coming in and simplifying or streamlining menus to make them more efficient or cheaper.
I know that sounds harsh, but it’s just the practical reality of things. In the last several years, when new menus have debuted at Walt Disney World or Disneyland, they have almost always been dramatic upgrades. The only reason I’m even saying “almost” always is because I think there was one example of a downgrade, but I honestly can’t remember where. At least 9 times out of 10, they’re major improvements. That’s especially true at a place like Pecos Bill, which has nowhere to go but up.
There’s also a corollary to this: brand-new menus are often better than 6-month old menus. The culinary team aims high, but some of their choices aren’t always practical for high-capacity locations or in line with guest preferences. This is the primary reason that menus are dumbed down over time, everywhere gets a burger added, etc. It’s also often necessary to reduce preparation steps, as dishes become too labor intensive or time-consuming to prepare. I don’t think there’s a danger of any of that here–this looks pretty crowd-pleasing from the get-go!
Now, if Walt Disney World is really serious about sealing the deal on the new Pecos Bill menu being a home run, they’ll bring back the toppings bar. It’s long overdue, both here and at Cosmic Ray’s Starlight Cafe. That was the thing that both of these massive counter service spots had going for them pre-closure!
Finally, there are the potential implications for the future of this venue. As we recently discussed in Restaurant Mystery at Magic Kingdom, it’s been radio silence from Disney about Tiana’s Palace in Magic Kingdom or anywhere else at Walt Disney World since the last D23 Expo. At one point, it seemed like a foregone conclusion that it would happen–and probably replacing Pecos Bill Tall Tale Inn & Cafe since Imagineers were spotted poking around there on multiple occasions.
I won’t rehash all of the discussion from that post, but one thing I did suggest was this: “With all of that said, I do think something will happen with Pecos Bill. The underlying IP is almost certainly viewed as “outdated” in Disney’s eyes, and ripe for replacement. However, I think if a change is made, it’ll be very superficial–probably just the name, signage, and a bit of placemaking. (Sorta similar to San Fransokyo Square at DCA, but not even as ambitious as that.) If this is on the table, I’d humbly suggest “Sammy’s Raccoon Saloon” or “Big Al’s BBQ Barn.” Or even just revive the Mile Long Bar moniker. Give us Country Bear fans a win.”
Once Country Bear BBQ Jamboree was announced for Disneyland, I figured an East Coast outpost of the same was an inevitability. Especially given that the reimagining of Country Bear Jamboree right next door has already breathed new life into this area of the park and the Country Bears “IP.”
Then came the D23 Expo, and the announcement of two all-new Cars attractions in a reimagined area of Frontierland at Magic Kingdom as well as Villains Land expansion at Magic Kingdom. Subsequent to D23, Walt Disney World revealed that the Cars area will actually replace the Rivers of America, meaning that Tom Sawyer Island and the Liberty Square Riverboat will permanently close.
In light of this news, I now think it’s fairly clear what’s happening. Pecos Bill isn’t going to become Tiana’s Palace Restaurant or Country Bear BBQ. It wouldn’t surprise me if both were seriously considered at one point, but I strongly suspect the ship has sailed on these concepts.
Instead, I would expect this restaurant to be converted to something Cars-themed within the next 5 years. That’s really the only option at this point, and one that makes more sense than Tiana’s Palace Restaurant. For one thing, Princess and the Frog is only so popular, and overdoing it on that franchise may not be a financially-savvy move–especially in the world’s most popular theme park. (I could still see Tiana’s Palace coming to a resort–perhaps still the revived Reflections project?)
For another thing, Cars is insanely popular and no amount of theme park presence would be too much. Since space is limited in the area it’s being built on, I can only assume that Cars restaurants and retail will eventually take over this thoroughfare in Frontierland. It just makes sense, as one of Disney’s merchandising powerhouses isn’t going to get ignored on the monetization front. (I would not expect Flo’s V8 Cafe, since the theme of this Cars land will be different than Cars Land at DCA.)
This would also explain why Pecos Bill Tall Tale Inn and Cafe is getting a new menu now. The previous version was awful. Pecos Bill was dying a slow death, but who cared? After all, it was slated for imminent replacement and it’s better to replace a bad thing that no one likes anymore than a fan-favorite. That is, until it wasn’t.
Things have changed, and Walt Disney World is going a different direction, meaning that Pecos Bill is in a holding pattern for the next few years. That’s a long time for the terrible previous menu to limp along on life support. Hence this new menu, which breathes new life into the location and buys it a temporary lease on life–and this location.
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YOUR THOUGHTS
What do you think about Pecos Bill Tall Tale Inn and Cafe getting a new menu? Are you excited for these changes and additions? Thoughts on the likelihood of a Cars restaurant coming to Magic Kingdom? Do you agree or disagree with our assessment? Any questions we can help you answer? Hearing your feedback–even when you disagree with us–is both interesting to us and helpful to other readers, so please share your thoughts below in the comments!
