We Ordered Smoked Chicken at Adventure Island, and We Are Still Proud of That Decision
Barbecue at a water park sounds risky. Still, we tried Mango Joe’s Smoked Chicken at Adventure Island. We have a verdict on taste, value, and why this water park smokehouse works so well.
Most people do not plan a water park trip around the food. Waterslides, wave pools, and sunburn management usually rank a bit higher on the priority list. Still, guests still have to eat, right? Also, of everything you might expect to find at a water park, barbecue is probably not on the list. Smokehouse-style comfort food and swimsuits do not exactly scream “pair perfectly.” Still,, Mango Joe’s Beach Cafe at Adventure Island makes a genuinely excellent case for exactly that combination.
Seriously, we mean it. This smokehouse concept, tucked near the back of the park, offers some of the best quick-service dining you’ll find at any water park. Honestly, it holds up better than plenty of Florida theme park quick-service spots that never have to compete with a lazy river. On a recent visit, we put its Smoked Chicken ($23.99) to the test. The Pulled Pork Sandwich passed. So, we had high hopes for the Mango Joe’s Smoked Chicken.
Getting There: An Unexpectedly Empty Queue
We visited around noon on a weekday, and the line to order was not busy at all. In fact, our food came out so quickly that we ended up waiting around for our own mandatory 90-minute window between All-Day Dining Plan credit redemptions to actually hit. We ordered too efficient for our own dining plan, if that’s a phrase that can exist.
We came in familiar with this style of entree from visits to Zambia Smokehouse at Busch Gardens Tampa Bay and Voyager’s Smokehouse at SeaWorld Orlando, so we had a real basis for comparison. The Smoked Chicken at Mango Joe’s comes with fries, which is true of almost everything at this particular counter-service restaurant.
For planning purposes: Mango Joe’s Beach Cafe tends to get busy starting around 12:30 p.m. We’ve seen this same pattern every time we’ve visited Adventure Island around noon. So, if an empty queue and fast service sound appealing, aim for that earlier window.
Tasting the Mango Joe’s Smoked Chicken: Better Than Expected, Better Than Zambia
Our first reaction upon getting the entree: it came with a genuinely generous portion of fries. The chicken itself was well seasoned and well prepared. It easily beat out the version we’ve had at Zambia Smokehouse at Busch Gardens Tampa Bay. Additionally, it was light-years better than the Smoked Chicken at Voyager’s Smokehouse at SeaWorld Orlando. We also added Mac and Cheese as a side, which came in well above average for theme park mac and cheese, a category that does not always clear a high bar.
Best of all, this chicken avoided the dryness that so often plagues theme park chicken across every park in Florida. Though we suspect quality could slip as the day wears on and the smoker keeps working through the afternoon rush.
The Price Problem: $23.99 Is a Lot for a Water Park
Here’s where things get complicated. At $23.99, the Smoked Chicken stays over $20 even after the Platinum Annual Pass discount, and that price genuinely concerns us. For comparison, a similar smoked chicken entree at Regal Eagle Smokehouse in Epcot currently runs under $16, meaningfully less than what Mango Joe’s Beach Cafe charges for a comparable smoked chicken dish. Remember, that’s before you factor in that one of these restaurants is inside a Walt Disney World theme park and the other is at a regional water park.
We’re not encouraging this, but the portion is large enough to split reasonably between two people, which helps soften the price tag. It also makes for a semi-healthy water park entree, as long as you skip the fries. If you’re using the All-Day Dining Plan, fruit is available as a side instead. Though the mac and cheese here is often so good that skipping it for fruit is a genuinely tough call.
Should You Order the Smoked Chicken at Mango Joe’s?
Overall, this is a solid option at Adventure Island, arguably solid enough that you could eat exclusively at Mango Joe’s Beach Cafe during a visit and still feel like you made good choices. We do have some lingering concerns about the ribs here, though they’re still a good water park food option in their own right.
Smoked chicken at a water park sounds like a risky order on paper. However, in practice, it’s a genuinely safe choice at Mango Joe’s Beach Cafe. Safe, that is, if you can get past the idea of tackling a substantial piece of chicken with plastic silverware while sitting in your swimsuit.
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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