Whispering Canyon Cafe Dinner Review

If a platter of Western fare with a side of shenanigans sounds like a delicious (and fun!) way to enjoy dinner at Disney World, then you might consider planning a meal at Whispering Canyon Cafe. Now, if you’re a regular reader of the site, you already know we love a good breakfast at Whispering Canyon Cafe, and when we’re a smaller party, we often request a “shenanigan-free” breakfast. For this review, however, we’re having dinner with a multitude of friends and we’re going all in, even requesting the….ketchup. That’s right, it’s going to be the wildest dinner on this side of the Magic Kingdom Resorts Area. So hold onto your horses, we’re on our way to Disney’s Wilderness Lodge for a little horsin’ around!

To provide a little backstory, Whispering Canyon Cafe is the Wilderness Lodge’s primary table service restaurant serving breakfast, lunch, and dinner. As of late, the restaurant’s been calling the combined lunch and dinner period brunch. You’re welcome to call it whatever you like. The restaurant seats guests until about 2:00 p.m. each afternoon. Then, it reopens at 5:00 p.m. for dinnertime. I’m surprised they don’t ring the bell for dinner each evening.

The restaurant sits on the far side of the resort’s lobby, so it’s open to the elements. Depending on the crowd, things can get a little rowdy. That’s because the servers are a little bit sassy. When I said shenanigans, I wasn’t kidding. You might get a little backlip if you request a straw, put in timeout (a cardboard jail cut-out) for having bad manners, or you will receive a whole lot of attention if you ask for a bottle of ketchup. Really, it’s whatever the servers are in the mood for during the time of your visit. Did I mention that they stop things mid-meal and make everyone stand up and do the Hokey Pokey? You do not want to know what happens if you don’t participate!

I’m only kidding! It’s all in good fun, and if you really don’t care to participate, you can tell your server you would prefer a shenanigan-free meal. From our experience, they will oblige. As far as the food goes, you’re going to have to wade through the menu a bit. There are plenty of options.

For this meal, we’re joined by my friends Jim and Denise, who invited us. My friend Kristen and her son were also along for the ride! We knew right away that we wanted to order the ‘Burnt Ends’ nacos. They come topped with beef brisket, barbecue pulled pork, cheese sauce, maple chipotle barbecue sauce, and fresh salsa. It’s safe to say they were a hit because we devoured them completely.

Our server also brought a platter of cornbread to the table.

Kristen’s son ordered chicken fingers and fries. Since this is a table-service restaurant, he didn’t qualify for a kids’ meal because he’s over the age of 9 years old. Kids’ meals are for ages 3 to 9 years old. He was, however, allowed to order an “adult portion” from the kids’ meal menu. This is an option for anyone at most of the restaurants we’ve visited. So if you have older children, teenagers, or a picky eater, you will still have options. Just let the server know, and they will do their best to accommodate.

Kristen and I both ordered the cedar-plank salmon. Per the menu, this was a house-smoked salmon with ancient grains, roquette, fennel, parmesan, and a lemon creme fraiche. I really didn’t expect much out of this meal and was just hoping for lighter fare. I was completely wrong. It was delicious and I ate every bite.

We both agreed the salmon was of good quality, and the ancient grains salad was the tastiest bite.

Jim and Denise ordered the traditional skillet. This is one of those items where each person (who orders it) pays one price, and the server brings out one large skillet to share. They will replenish as many items in the skillet as you like.

The traditional skillet comes with beef brisket, pork ribs, slow-smoked pulled pork, citrus-herb chicken, Western-style sausage, mashed potatoes, baked beans, buttered corn on the cob, and sauteed green beans. They also received a side of slaw that’s not pictured. Maybe one of these days, I’ll remember to remove the serving ware before taking the photo. This was not that day.

Jim and Denise both enjoyed the skillet. Since I went with the salmon, I didn’t try it. I have, however, enjoyed the brisket and potatoes before. The barbecue brisket and burnt ends with sides are what’s served on the dinner menu at Roaring Fork. We have a separate dinner review of Roaring Fork if you would like to know more. It’s the resort’s quick-service restaurant.

During the course of our meal, we had several opportunities to participate with our fellow diners, including a round of the Hokey Pokey. Then, someone in our party decided they needed ketchup.

And, oh boy, we got the ketchup. Our server quietly asked Kristen if we wanted silent ketchup or regular ketchup. Naturally, she requested the real deal. Within seconds, our server was yelling, “Ketchup!” Before we knew it, a family was rushing to our aid, with a dozen or more bottles of ketchup. They had to cross the entire restaurant to deliver it!

As you can probably imagine, it wasn’t long before we were delivering ketchup to another needy family. Thankfully, we didn’t have that far to travel! We laughed and laughed, though. It was funny, and Kristen’s son got a big kick out of it. Really, I think we all did.

I’ll be the first to admit that I generally avoid having attention drawn to myself. This kind of thing (in thought) goes against the fiber of my being. But maybe that’s something I should have gotten over a long time ago. Because in reality, we had a wonderful time, an incredible server, and a really tasty meal.

As mentioned earlier, my family has eaten breakfast here so many times that it’s become a tradition. Now, I’ll look forward to having dinner here. I can’t recommend it enough. If you would like to know more about Disney’s Wilderness Lodge, you might also enjoy the following:

• Disney’s Wilderness Lodge Review
• Disney’s Wilderness Lodge Room Types (with Photos)
• Disney’s Wilderness Lodge Pools (Hours and Photos)
• Bus Schedule at Disney’s Wilderness Lodge

You might also enjoy our entire list of Disney Restaurant Reviews or our list of Disney Resort Hotel Restaurants.

More Planning

Resorts Gal specializes in Disney World Resorts, Characters, and Dining. Explore our resources, including our Disney World Resorts Guide. It provides an overview of everything you need to know about the Disney Resort Hotels. For dining, our Disney World Dining Guide is an excellent place to start. Our Disney World Transportation Guide is a wonderful resource for planning your routes. It’s one of our most popular resources. If you plan to meet characters in the parks, we have an updated list of Disney World Characters. It includes every available character meet-and-greet in the parks and where to find rare characters throughout the year. Lastly, our Disney Parks Guide provides a complete overview of all four theme parks and water parks.