Dragon Fire Grill Orange Chicken Review: Is It Worth It?
We tried (again) the Dragon Fire Orange Chicken at Busch Gardens Tampa Bay with the Pick One option, noodles, and debated whether guests should order it.
Oh, Dragon Fire Grill…
You have enjoyed many highs and many of the deepest lows for a theme park quick-service operation. No restaurant at Busch Gardens Tampa Bay is quite as ambitious as Dragon Fire Grill. The restaurant attempts to be many things to many people, with four separate food stations under one roof: Italian, American burgers, Chicken, and Asian.
That makes Dragon Fire Grill a kind of culinary peace treaty for families. Dad wants a burger. Mom wants pasta.
One kid wants chicken. The other kid has apparently decided that Asian food is the only acceptable option despite eating chicken nuggets for the last six years. Dragon Fire Grill has an answer for all of them.
RIP Mexican Station at Dragon Fire Grill
Of course, those of us who remember the tacos and fajita bowls sometimes find ourselves missing what the restaurant used to offer. The Mexican station has been gone for around a year, replaced by the current four-station lineup.
Still, it is tough to be everything to everyone, especially at a theme park. Despite that, the Dragon Fire Grill ambassadors carry on.
For that, we salute them.
What First-Time Guests Should Know About Dragon Fire Grill
If you have never eaten at Dragon Fire Grill, the first thing to know is that this is not your typical single-menu quick-service restaurant. It is essentially a large indoor food court with four stations, letting guests choose from Italian, burgers, chicken, and Asian dishes. That makes it one of the more practical dining options at Busch Gardens when traveling with a group that cannot agree on what to eat.
The restaurant is located in the Pantopia area of the park and offers indoor seating, making it particularly appealing when Florida decides that either the temperature or humidity needs to reach a completely unnecessary level. It is also a useful refuge during those sudden afternoon rainstorms that can turn a perfectly pleasant theme park day into an impromptu swimming lesson.
The four-station setup has changed over time, however. Guests who have not visited in a while may remember the Mexican station, including tacos and fajita bowls. That station is no longer part of the current lineup, having been replaced by the chicken station. However, the four-station setup has changed over time. The Asian station, meanwhile, remains on the far right side of the ordering area. So, that is where our latest Dragon Fire Grill adventure took us.
The Ever-Changing Asian Station
The Asian station has gone through many changes in recent years. Of course, Busch Gardens Tampa Bay has also experienced its share of leadership changes during that time. Coincidence? We will let you decide.
The Asian menu has changed several times, including one particularly memorable period when Orange Chicken disappeared and Bourbon Chicken took its place. Even the kids’ menu got in on the action offering Bourbon Chicken as the suggested option.
Those who enjoyed the Dragon Fire Orange Chicken were not exactly thrilled. This included a former Busch Gardens Tampa Bay executive at the time. Eventually, however, the Orange Chicken returned. So, it has now been back for many months. During a recent visit, we decided it was time to give it another try.
Letting the Dragon Fire Orange Chicken Stand Alone
Photo by Jon Self
On previous visits, we have ordered the Orange Chicken as part of a “Pick Two” meal. In those cases, the Orange Chicken had to share the plate with another protein, such as beef or Sweet & Sour Chicken. There is something comforting about having a second protein on the plate. If one isn’t having its best day, perhaps the other can save the meal. This time, however, we decided to remove the safety net.
We ordered the “Pick One.” For once, the Orange Chicken got to stand on its own. This version of the Dragon Fire Grill entree costs $19.49. There would be no second protein. No backup plan. No escape route! Just Orange Chicken. We got about 18 pieces of it.
The Orange Chicken
Let’s set expectations appropriately. This is theme park Dragon Fire Orange Chicken. It won’t be confused with the Orange Chicken from your favorite neighborhood Chinese restaurant. That is perfectly fine.
Theme parks have their own culinary ecosystem, and Dragon Fire Grill has never claimed to be a neighborhood Chinese takeout restaurant. What we got was roughly 18 chunks of chicken covered in the familiar sweet orange sauce. Still, to be fair, this was an improvement over our two most recent experiences ordering the Orange Chicken at Dragon Fire Grill. That is worth highlighting. In fact, we think we will skip the “Pick Two” option in the future, which costs a few dollars more
The chicken was reasonably enjoyable, and the sauce supplied the majority of the flavor we experienced. It wasn’t a revelation. We did not take the first bite and immediately start questioning every Orange Chicken we had eaten before that moment. However, it was better. After two less-than-impressive recent experiences, better was welcome.
Another positive was that the entrée did not become excessively greasy as we ate it. Anyone who has spent enough time eating theme park food understands why that deserves its own paragraph. There is a difference between something being fried and something making you wonder whether you should have packed a second shirt. Fortunately, we did not have that problem here.
Dragon Fire Orange Chicken: We Went With Noodles
The menu description lists fried rice with the Orange Chicken. However, when ordering, we are often asked whether we want fried rice or noodles. On this visit, we decided to go with the noodles. The noodles were a nice change of pace.
Unfortunately, they offered very little flavor. There wasn’t anything particularly wrong with them. They simply didn’t contribute much to the overall meal. In simple terms, they were noodles. They existed. They showed up for work. However, they didn’t seem especially interested in making an impression.
For that reason, we would recommend the fried rice over the noodles. We are not saying the fried rice is going to win any culinary awards. It is still theme park fried rice. However, it offers more flavor and, in our opinion, pairs better with the Orange Chicken.
There is also another issue with the noodles that became increasingly obvious as we ate. Plastic forks and noodles are not natural allies. Trying to twirl the noodles with a plastic theme park fork is challenging. Sure, it could have our lack of skill. Still, getting the noodles onto the fork is one thing. Getting the chicken and noodles into the same bite without cutting up the noodles first is another.
Eventually, the meal starts feeling less like lunch and more like a test of your fine motor skills. So, trust us. Get the fried rice. Your fork and taste buds will thank you.
Is the Dragon Fire Orange Chicken Worth Ordering?
We would say yes, with some qualifications. For example, we would not tell you to sprint across Busch Gardens Tampa Bay specifically for the Dragon Fire Orange Chicken. You should probably save that level of urgency for Iron Gwazi.
However, if you are already at Dragon Fire Grill and looking for something from the Asian station, the Orange Chicken is a reasonable choice. Our most recent experience was noticeably better than the two previous times we ordered it. The chicken had plenty of orange sauce, the portion was respectable, and the meal avoided becoming excessively greasy. The biggest recommendation we would make is to choose fried rice instead of noodles. Again, we aren’t saying the fried rice is extraordinary. It works better with the Orange Chicken and requires less negotiation with a plastic fork.
Dragon Fire Grill at Busch Gardens Tampa Bay Is Still Trying to Be Everything
Perhaps that is the bigger story with Dragon Fire Grill at Busch Gardens Tampa Bay. It continues to be one of those Busch Gardens restaurants that is difficult to categorize because it isn’t really trying to specialize in one particular cuisine. Instead, it is trying to solve a very common theme park problem:
“Where can six people eat when all six want something different?”
The current four-station setup provides answers for pizza, pasta, sandwiches, burgers, chicken, and Asian cuisine. That variety is the restaurant’s biggest strength. It can also be its biggest weakness. When you try to serve everyone, you won’t necessarily make every dish the best version of itself.
Still, that isn’t really the point. Dragon Fire Grill is about convenience, variety, and giving everyone at least one option they can tolerate. Sometimes, that is exactly what you need after several hours of walking around Busch Gardens. Also, sometimes, you just need a place where everyone can sit down in air conditioning and stop arguing about lunch.
Dragon Fire Orange Chicken Final Thoughts
Our latest Pick One Orange Chicken from Dragon Fire Grill was a positive step in the right direction. After two recent experiences that left us less than impressed, this serving was noticeably better. The chicken was reasonably enjoyable, the orange sauce delivered the expected flavor, and the entrée did not become overly greasy while we ate it.
However, the noodles were the weak point. They provided very little flavor and created more logistical challenges than we would have preferred. We would order the Orange Chicken again. We would just order it with fried rice.
If you are visiting Dragon Fire Grill for the first time, remember its biggest advantage is its variety. This will not be fine dining by any means! The four current stations give groups plenty of options, even if everyone arrives at the restaurant with completely different ideas about what constitutes a proper theme park lunch. Just don’t expect the Mexican station you may remember from previous visits. Those tacos and fajita bowls are part of Dragon Fire Grill history now.
Additional Dragon Fire Grill Reviews:
Busch Gardens Tampa Bay News:
- Congo River Rapids Reopens
- Bier Fest
- Lion & Hyena Ridge Opens
- Jon Vigue Becomes Park President
- Howl-O-Scream 2026 Starts September 11
For more theme park dining reviews, visit MSM News every weekday at noon Eastern Time. Additionally, we sometimes post bonus theme park dining reviews. As always, eat like you mean it!
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