Hungry Bear Restaurant at Disneyland is getting a new name, a new theme, and a new menu. Today, Disney has announced that when it reopens, the restaurant will be a destination that County Bear Jamboree fans will want to visit!
The new name will be Hungry Bear Barbecue Jamboree. The restaurant will be inspired by the Country Bears and also their travels throughout some of the great music halls in the United States. Along with the new name and theme, there will also be a new menu inspired by the Country Bears’ favorite regional barbecue dishes. While guests enjoy the barbecue, they will get to enjoy listening to a soundtrack of the Country Bears’ greatest hits. Artwork was also released showing what the sign for the new establishment will look like:
While many details remain to be shared, it is known that the Hungry Bear Barbecue Jamboree will not be a character dining location. More details about the menu, the concept of the dining location, and also the reopening date will be shared at a later date.
The Country Bear Jamboree was a stage show with audio-animatronic bears that first opened at Walt Disney World’s Magic Kingdom in 1971. The show opened the following year at Disneyland. A third version of the show opened at Tokyo Disneyland in 1983. The Disneyland version of the show closed in 2001. Walt Disney World opened a new version of the show called Country Bear Musical Jamboree on July 17, 2024, after closing the original version earlier this year. The Tokyo Disneyland show still runs in The Country Bear Theater in Westernland.
In 2002, a movie called The Country Bears was released. It was based on the The Country Bear Jamboree. The movie is about how a young fan brings the now-dissolved Country Bears back together to perform a benefit concert to save Country Bear Hall, where they originally got their start.
The Hungry Bear Restaurant recently closed as Critter Country continues to get some tender loving care ahead of the opening of Tiana’s Bayou Adventure and a couple of new stores. Now, the area will also get a new restaurant! On a recent trip aboard the Mark Twain, the sign for the old Hungry Bear Restaurant could be seen sitting on a cart.
What do you think of Hungry Bear Restaurant turning into Country Bear Barbecue Jamboree? Are you looking forward to this new iteration of the restaurant? Do you have any ideas for what you’d like to see and eat at this restaurant? Share your thoughts and opinions in the comments below!
