we broke the news that the Pork Shanks were officially taken off of the menu at Gaston’s Tavern in Disney World’s Magic Kingdom.
We also told you we would keep you posted on the potential replacement. So we are here to tell you that now on the menu is the: Tavern Beef Stew!
Let’s see how it compares to the surely missed pork shanks… .
Atmosphere
Gaston’s Tavern is of course a tribute to the villain from Beauty and the Beast and offers an atmosphere that stays true to its name. (There are definitely antlers in the decorating!)
Check out all the details of the restaurant here.
Gaston’s Tavern
The ordering area is simple, but themed. Look at the large barrels located behind the ordering area!
Gaston’s Tavern Ordering Area
I especially love the “Trois Blondes Biere,” a tribute to The Bimbettes from the movie!
Barrels In The Ordering Area
This is a counter service spot offering a very small menu, but there are still two separate dining areas showcasing the dark woods and beams of the stereotypical tavern.
Gaston’s Tavern Dining Room
Tables and stools are the primary seating.
Table at Gaston’s Tavern
They have a few tables and chairs set up right outside with umbrellas during the more temperate days.
Gaston’s Tavern Outdoor Seating
Eats
Gaston’s menu is mostly limited to smaller snack items. They still offer their LeFou’s Brew as well as the warm cinnamon rolls.
Gaston’s Tavern Menu
Since the new tavern beef stew isn’t on the large menu signs yet, you’ll find mention of it beside the registers.
Tavern Beef Stew
I thought the picture on the menu looked really yummy, so I am happy to say that it looked even better in person! And it smelled delicious, too.
Tavern Beef Stew
This is a large portion of stew. The cups looked like the same ones they use for the macaroni and cheese dishes from Friar’s Nook.
Tavern Beef Stew
You also get a large baguette — which of course makes sense since you’re in France!
Baguette
The stew is made up of beef, potatoes, carrots, caramelized onions, and scallions. The potatoes and carrots are diced so you get nice chunks of flavor throughout the dish.
Close Up Of The Beef Stew
The beef itself had amazing flavor and texture. The pieces are huge and you get a ton of it throughout the dish. I actually had to grab a fork at some points since the pieces were too large to fit on the spoon!
Overall
I know that there’s some upset about the pork shanks being removed from the menu, but I have to admit that the replacement is delicious! It is the perfect dish for the tavern atmosphere, especially for the winter season. I only wish the temperature was a little cooler so I could’ve enjoyed it even more!
Will you be giving the new tavern beef stew at Gaston’s Tavern a try? Let us know in the comments below!
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Do you know if the new stew is gluten free? The pork shanks were a great, filling gluten free option. We are so sad to see them go!
Hooray!!!!!
looks delicious!!!
Is this on the Quick Service dining plan or extra?
Beef stew isn’t exactly something I would consider to be a fun vaca. food, but I must say, It really does look very good and more than enough for a lunch.
Sad to say that is a snore. I make beef stew at home. It’s not what I want on vacation. Bring back the pork shank. Now THAT was a treat worthy of Gaston.
This looks like it could be a fair replacement for the pork shank but time will tell…
Right off of the cuff I think it might have been better to replace the pork shank with a nice Italian pork stew.
Next time we go over we’ll give it a try.
I agree with Christine – it was great having such a great gluten-free option with the pork shank. Most places do not do gluten-free stew (Liberty Tree Tavern is a great exception to that), so I’m assuming this will have wheat in it. Still super bummed about the loss of the pork shank…
This looks like a nice dish and it would be even better as a QS meal with a cinnamon bun. 😉 Although I know many will miss the pork shank, serving pork immediately excludes those in the population who don’t eat it, but who do eat beef and chicken. Now if we could have a nice vegetarian option too, that would be great.
We tried the beef stew last week while we were there. Unfortunately we werent super impressed. While it wasn’t bad, it wasnt anything to write home about, and I felt I could have spent the nine bucks on something a little more tasty. The baguette was also nothing like an actual french baguette, it was really more just a basic white roll in baguette shape. No butter to accompany it. Was a bit a dry. *shrug* And eating stew in 85 degree weather seemed weird.
Is it overly salty?
Hot stew will not be a popular choice during the hot months at WDW. I’ll go with the cinnamon roll.
We always going to WDW for 16-17 days so we are always looking for quick service alternatives to burgers and hotdogs as sometimes you just need some real food with veggies. Hopefully this is it, can’t wait to try it in 4 weeks.
Yay! I LOVE beef stew! I’m not a fan of turkey legs or pork shanks. This seems like a much better option for me. And there’s vegetables and fresh bread involved! Yum!
Magic Kindom just lost a customer there was nothing better than get a pork shank from Gaston tavern. It was a mandatory stop for Fathers after ride and shop with kids all day. Im really disappointed.
So basically Irish Stew served in a France setting, makes perfect sense 😉
It ain’t the Pork Shank…
Jennifer — Not in our opinion. Of course, saltiness is totally subjective, and tends to change from visit to visit. But overall, we thought the dish was delicious.
Trevor — The beef stew isn’t available on the Disney Dining Plan.
Brooke – Thanks
Thanks for keeping me up to date on all the great things that are happing at W.DW. I looked for the beef stew sign at Gaston’s Tavern yesterday I did not see it was so crowded I’m not surprised that I missed it; I will keep looking.
Will check it out when we are there next month–but that didn’t look like stew to me–it needs a thickened base–that looked like a bunch of stuff in beef broth
Stan
Dana says
November 14, 2015 at 2:32 pm
I agree with Christine – it was great having such a great gluten-free option with the pork shank. Most places do not do gluten-free stew (Liberty Tree Tavern is a great exception to that), so I’m assuming this will have wheat in it.
Dana, I believe that the restaurants have a list of ingredients for what they serve. WDW does a great job at having gluten free food available. You just need to put that on your ressie for TS restaurants.
We will be trying the beef stew for a quick dinner next month since we will be having our main meal of the day at lunch.
My daughter, bf and I LOVED THE stew…have been searching for the recipe to make it but with no luck 🙁