Dining at T-Rex Cafe: Everything You Need to Know
T-Rex Cafe is one of the most popular restaurants in Disney Springs.
In this page, we will explain what T-Rex Cafe is, why it's so popular, the best items on the menu, and what you should do while you're there.
What is T-Rex Cafe?
T-Rex Cafe is a pre-historic family restaurant that offers a unique environment, allowing visitors to dine back in ancient times, full of animatronic dinosaurs that come to life, several different prehistoric-themed areas, and even a gift shop where visitors can build their own stuffed dinosaurs.
This restaurant's impressive visuals include a massive T-Rex, a Woolly Mammoth, a giant 13-foot wide octopus, and 2 fish tanks.
Those aren't the only impressive parts of the restaurant, however, as the food & drinks do not disappoint.
We'll break down the food and drinks later in this article.
Fun Facts
This T-Rex Cafe location opened in 2008 and cost $25 million to build.
Although it is located on Disney property, it is not owned by Disney but rather by Landry's restaurants.
Theme & Layout of T-Rex Cafe
T-Rex Cafe is split up into four different-themed areas including:
1. Ice (Ice Cave With T-Rex skeleton)
2. Ocean (Aquarium With Giant Octopus)
3. Fire (T-Rex and Wooly Mammoth)
4. Earth (Herbivore Dinosaurs)
Every Area is Completely Different
Each area offers something completely different, allowing visitors to dine multiple times and experience something completely new each time.
Regardless of which area you are sitting in, a huge meteor shower happens every 15 minutes.
During the meteor shower, all of the dinosaurs in the restaurant will come to life, moving around (and lasting) for around 1 minute and 30 seconds.
It's important to know that these meteor showers are quite loud, and although they can be fascinating for most guests, they can be a little scary for younger visitors.
Best-Themed Area to Eat
For first-time visitors, we always recommend eating in the ice cave, as although the cave may be blue when you sit down, it will change into different colors during the meteor shower.
If you're looking for something more laid back where you can watch everything from a distance, the ocean area will be your best bet.
Food & Drinks
The food that you'll receive will be of high quality and a decently sized portion.
Our go-to appetizers after visiting for years include:
- Drinks - T-Rex Signature Mojito & Coronarita
- Appetizer - Beef Nachos & beans with salsa
- Entrée - Megasaurus Burger or Fish-N-Chips
Take Part In Their Famous Birthday Song
During your visit, there's a high chance that many servers will rush to a table while clapping, holding a dessert, and singing their famous birthday song.
Once you hear it once, you won't be able to unhear it!
It goes like this:
Happy happy birthday from all of us to you, we brought you something special, we brought it just for you. We hope you have a super fun and dino-rific day. Happy happy birthday from T-Rex Cafe--RAWR!
When is T-Rex Cafe is Most Busy?
T-Rex Cafe brings in larger crowds from the late afternoon (around 3 pm) through the end of the night.
It's also important to know that when it rains, there will also be a large number of people entering the restaurant, as they try to find shelter from the rain while grabbing a bite to eat.
Are T-Rex Cafe and Rainforest Cafe the Same?
Although T-Rex Cafe and Rainforest Cafe are both owned by Landry's Inc and are located in Disney Springs, they're completely different restaurants.
T-Rex Cafe focuses on dinosaurs and everything that was roaming the planet during that era, while Rainforest Cafe is a jungle themed restaurant full of animals from this century.
Do You Need a Reservation?
You don't need a reservation, but due to the guaranteed long lines that you'll find every day, it's highly encouraged to make a reservation for T-Rex Cafe.
All visitors can make reservations at T-Rex cafe via booking online or through the My Disney Experience app for parties of 8 people or less.
If your party is more than 8 people, you'll have to call the restaurant directly to make a reservation.
Do They Accept Walk-Ins?
T-Rex Cafe does accept walk-ins throughout the day, as long as the restaurant is not at full capacity or expected to be at full capacity for the next several hours.
If you're a smaller party of just adults, you can almost always simply walk in and find seats at the bar to skip the line completely.
Gift Shop & Build a Dino
In addition to the restaurant and bar, T-Rex Cafe also offers a gift shop, and a Build-a-Dino workshop.
The Build-a-Dino workshop in particular is extremely popular as visitors can create their own custom stuffed dinosaur from scratch for themselves, or even as a gift!
How Many T-Rex Cafes Are There?
There is currently only 1 T-Rex Cafe in the United States (located in Disney Springs), as the Kansas location closed in 2017 after the landlord opted not to renew their lease.