Venue Review - The Beak and the Barrel

Everyone loves The Beak and Barrel. But me I just like it!

I love a themed bar. I love “Pirates of the Caribbean” as a classic attraction! I should love the Beak! Sadly, spoilers, the newest themed bar in the Magic Kingdom is just okay to me.

Rummy Commands the Room! 

Let’s start with the great, theming. The Beak and Barrel is one large room broken into different sections with pirate lore. The room is divided however, with walls and windows. It is beautifully decorated with cast members who are, in general, leaning into the kitsch. Like Oga’s (yeah, we will get back to that) it also has a key audio-animatronic figure in the bird Rummy who yells out at guests and creates some fun. For history nerds, like me, it also reminds us of the Barker Bird, which I never saw. Sadly, seeing Rummy won’t be easy for everyone. At least at Oga’s I can pretty much see DJ-Rex everywhere. But yeah, the theming is great!

Butttttt

Yeah, sadly there is a lot of that here.

First, this is a setting with Oga’s rules. That means you have no control over where you are sitting. The first time I journeyed to the Beak, we started with a family on their way out who also clearly chugged their second whiskey cocktails and definitely had a pirate edge to them. They were replaced by a super chatty set of Midwesterners, who knew many of the same places that we did…but also were a little distracting to my private time in the Captain’s Cabin. The second time, we stood behind a window. Now I know what you are thinking, it’s a window! You can see everything. Nope, while the earlier table may have been far from Rummy and the action at the bar, this spot literally blocked all the action. It was opaque and gave you a view of nothing but a blur. My companion kept jumping into a walkway to see Rummy’s latest bits. It was a real mood killer despite the theme and made me keep growling. I’d rip those windows out; they are useless and give you the obscured view of a stadium event.

"Plunder's Punch"

Oga’s rules also mean you have 45 minutes and a limit of two drinks. And again, that chugged drink makes me think some folks are rushing through cocktails. Oddly enough to me, there are small pours of reserve rum, and these also count as one drink. So you can’t grab a sample of all three unless you are sharing these mighty two-ounce pours.

"Barrels Ablaze"

Second, the pre-mixed signature cocktails are good but limited. For our first voyage, my companion got the “Plunder’s Punch” a Kraken Black Spiced Rum, Blackberry, Lime, and Vanilla cocktail in a pirate skull mug for $46.  And they got it so I could have the mug, which I really do like. It was a great sweet rum cocktail, which I hope you can purchase without the souvenir. That first trip, I got the “Barrels Ablaze” which has Jack Daniel’s Bonded Bourbon, Honey, Lemon, and Chile. This is a great spicy Old-Fashioned. While it has a mix of sweetness from the honey and the bourbon, it also has a true spice, not just a Disney spice. My throat and tongue felt the burn, which made me worry for those I saw chug them. The cocktail list, to me, is a bit limited, as honestly, many of the options were not to our tastes.

"Berried Treasure"

But the beers are a dud for me. This is a place that needs a signature beer, which is tropical or rum-inspired. And instead we got, meh. I think the most inspired beer for them is like “Red Stripe Lager,” a beer that makes me think of tropical islands. But I’m not going to complain about anyone ordering a Modela “Especial Lager” as a favorite or IPA in Bell’s “Two Hearted” IPA. At least the IPA mixes up the flavor. Because the main themed beer is Victory Brewing Co.'s “Pirate’s Paradise Blonde Ale” which I anticipate as being a bland beer that tastes lightly of beer. On my second voyage, I did grab the second themed beer, Wicked Weed Brewing’s “Berried Treasure Session Sour” which tastes of a light ale mixed with raspberry, because when I think tropical, I think raspberries. Why isn’t this pineapple, or mango, or coconut flavored? I just visited Melbourne’s Hell’ n Blazes brewing and tasted their “Hurricane Repellent” Berliner Weisse, which very much tastes of a pina colada. Why isn’t this on tap? Or even a Drekker Brewing from North Dakota, which as many many great tropical sours. We need better beer.


And while I’m ranting, like Goose Island Brewing, Wicked Weed from Asheville, North Carolina, used to be a craft brewing legend. Yes, I love craft beer. But like Goose, Wicked Weed is also now an Anheuser-Busch brand. Seriously, raspberries and macrobeers!

Cook’s Corn Griddle Cakes with Chipotle-braised Chicken

Finally, or third or fourth, there are a small number of small plates. I’ve heard the charcuterie board Island Provisions can help feed a mid-sized party. We had the Cook’s Corn Griddle Cakes with Chipotle-braised Chicken. It was a warm corn tortilla that was fluffy and delicious, with the corn chicken and cotija cheese all playing nicely. It was nice to get tasty food in the Magic Kingdom. But like many of the more tasty items in this park, it was a snack.

But sadly, arrrrr, The Beak and Barrel for me is likely an infrequent visit.

Other Journeys! I recently grabbed a family member a reservation, as I’ve gotten pretty good at getting spots for parties of two! This party of two was sitting in the Map Room, where they were never able to see Rummy. They also very much disliked their drinks. And they found the “Pirate’s Paradise Blonde Ale” to be a better choice than the four cocktails they sampled. And they had a very odd interaction with the “Mermaid’s Tears” cocktail, which involves a bit of show by adding a solution to the drink, an interaction where it was essentially hinted that the cast member was roofieing them, which was not cool to the young ladies in the group. It seems very off-brand for cast members.

Who Drinks Here? Pirates and pirate fans who need to see the theming. Or if you can get a reservation and think you would like a cocktail, this is a good spot. The Beak and the Barrel is likely a must-do at least once, but your enjoyment may vary by seating. But if you are beer fan, I’m likely heading to the Jungle Navigation Co. LTD Skipper’s Canteen to grab a “Kungaloosh.” Hey, you might even be able to walk in there! I’d also argue that the seasonal Halloween menu at Jock Lindsey’s Hanger bar has a better themed cocktail to this experience than many offered in “The Spike Trap,” a run and vanilla vodka take on a pina. I know you got to go! But you may not visit more than once.