Liberty Tree Tavern

Liberty Square, Magic Kingdom Park

January 2015
Overall rating: 7.9
Ambiance:  7 
Food:  8 
Service:  8 

This is the first time in the six vacations I have taken to WDW that I have eaten at a table service restaurant in the Magic Kingdom.   If you have done any extensive research online concerning dining experiences at WDW, you are fully aware that glowing reviews of eateries within the MK are hard to come by.   However, we wanted to start our vacation with a nice dinner, and this year, we knew we were spending our first full day in the MK.   As Be Our Guest was impossible to reserve, we decided to go with Liberty Tree Tavern as our 2nd choice.



Ambiance/Theming: 7 

The facade of the restaurant is deceivingly small, and I wondered about potential capacity issues as we were a party of 13.   However, once through the doors, it opens to a very large reception/waiting area with vaulted ceilings.   It was baffling how such a large hall was behind such a small entrance (Disney magic at work).

This area is decorated with floor to ceiling hardwood complete with wood benches around a large hearth. With the Cast Members dressed in colonial costuming, you feel immediately taken back in time.   As with many Disney touches, there are plenty of details to enjoy as you wait to be seated.

Absent from this experience are the electronic pagers that buzz you when your table is ready.  Instead, a host(ess) comes to the hall and "calls" you to be seated, "Hear ye, hear ye.. now seating the (blank) family from (blank)!"   It is a fun detail.

The tables are located on several levels and nooks throughout the restaurant which adds to the interest and appeal.   I assume the decor is colonial (as I am not an expert), and I would say it is elegantly casual; much how I would imagine a tavern of the time would be.  With wood floors and wood walls, there is a lot of ambient noise, but in my opinion, this adds to the atmosphere rather than detracting from it.

Food: 8 

Dinner is a fixed buffet menu served family style starting with a bread basket with an assortment of warm rolls, biscuits, and corn bread, then followed by a mixed green salad with a wonderful strawberry vinaigrette.   The main course consisted of a meat tray with roasted turkey, sliced flank steak, and a smoked pork.    Sides included macaroni and cheese, traditional stuffing, mashed potatoes, and green beans.   These dishes are all you care to eat.

I was wonderfully surprised at the quality and flavor of the food.   It was comfort food done well and a fun Thanksgiving meal with the family in January.  The absolute true stars of this meal for me were the flank steak and the macaroni and cheese.   The steak was well done yet extremely tender, juicy, and seasoned throughout while the mac and cheese was extremely creamy with just the right amount of sharpness in the cheddar that left your mouth wanting more.  (I don't care for mac and cheese, but if it were prepared like this everywhere, that is probably all I'd eat)

I am not sure there was anything that was served that I didn't care for.   Having eaten buffets in other restaurants at WDW, this is quite an accomplishment as I usually can identify a couple of things that I either dislike, or are just not prepared well.   There was nothing placed on our table that I wouldn't eat again ( but I will go easy next time on the turkey and potatoes to leave more room for the steak and mac).

Dessert was a warm cranberry spice cake topped with vanilla ice cream.   I would assume that it was seasonal as I have heard that the toffee cake is to die for.   Although expecting toffee cake, this offering did not disappoint.   The warm tone of the spices were counterbalanced by the brightness of the tart cranberries with a splash of citrus.   It was the exclamation point at the end of a great meal.

Service: 8 

The hostess, the waiter, and the various servers that tended to us were friendly and cheerful.  Our drinks were refilled often, and we were never wanting for food.  In fact, before we would run out of any particular item, our waiter would ask us if he could bring more to the table.   This was a nice alternative to him waiting until we were out of food and sitting for a length of time getting irritated (which happens more often than not in the family style services).
  
Summary:
Liberty Tree Tavern has officially made it to the "must do" list for my family, and I consider it a hidden gem.   If you are looking for home style comfort food, this is the place to go.   It has the colonial style charm that takes you out of park for a moment, and the service and staff are equally as charming.