What’s Vegan at the the Regal Eagle Smokehouse in America at Epcot

The fast casual restaurant Liberty Inn closed its doors to the public back in July of 2019 to make way for a brand new restaurant. This new eatery is called the “Regal Eagle Smokehouse: Craft Drafts & Barbecue” and it officially opened its doors to guests today!

What’s Vegan at the the Regal Eagle Smokehouse in America at Epcot

The restaurant still holds on to its fast casual status and expands on its list of adult beverage offerings with a variety of American craft beers, ciders, west coast wines and even craft cocktails.

They have even added an outdoor bar to the location which will make a fantastic spot for guests to grab drinks during the American Gardens Theatre concerts held over the course of the specialty festivals in Epcot throughout the year. The bar is serving beverages only.

Drinks aside, we’ve now got our first look at the redesign of the space!

The exterior of the restaurant has several shaded picnic tables which are gathered around a smoker centerpiece.

I was concerned that the smell of meat cooking on the grill would be overpowering.

Because I visited opening day, the smoker was not functional, but we will see how that plays out on a subsequent visit as I’m sure they will be utilizing the smoker at some point.

Stepping through the front door of the restaurant you can see that the American barbecue theme extends inside as well.

The walls are adorned with bbq competition ribbons, Americana photos and subtle nods to The Muppets.

Large swags depicting the American flag hang across the ceilings.

There’s ample air-conditioned seating options inside at half booths and stand alone tables.

I love that the restaurant is using standard utensils in lieu of plastic.

The restaurant is slinging four signature BBQ sauces and guess what….they are ALL vegan and gluten-free.

Vegan BBQ Sauces

Spicy Mop Sauce – inspired by Texas-style “mop”
Sweet BBQ Sauce – inspired by classic dry rub seasonings
Vinegar-based Sauce – inspired by North Carolina’s tradition of vinegar and pepper
Tangy Mustard Sauce – often referred to as “Carolina Gold”

Regal Eagle Smokehouse Vegan Food Options

Now let’s get into the vittles.

Probably the most highly anticipated offering is the Plant-Based BBQ Burger ($12.99) featuring a vegan Beyond burger patty topped with BBQ jackfruit and served on vegan garlic toast with lettuce, tomato and vegan mayo.

This thing was substantial in size! Every component worked phenomenally with each other. It needed some acid so a bit of the vinegar based sauce or mustard based sauce would go a long way on it. We actually ordered a side of the House Made Pickles (4.99) and putting those on the burger sent it into a whole different stratosphere. So good!

The burger comes with your choice of side. We of course went with the seasoned fries. But I would be hard-pressed not to order those housemaid pickles as my side on my next visit just to put on top of the burger.

But can we talk about the side pricing for a moment…$4.99 for a small boat of pickles with some onions is astronomical. Actually all of the sides are a $4.99 up charge and there are additional sides that are vegan friendly.

Besides fries and pickles, you can also indulge in the restaurant’s Cole Slaw. Though I wouldn’t recommend it. It tasted like wet cabbage to me and was rather bland. 

I don’t know if this was just opening day jitters but the coleslaw was a miss.

And good news for my vegan and gluten-free friends. You have options here! Because I was dining with my girlfriend Katie of FairytaleFoodie.com , who is gluten intolerant,  I got the scoop to share with you.

Here are your gluten free and vegan sides….

That is gluten free vegan Texas Toast y’all! The gluten free toast is by request. The coleslaw and pickles are safe for gf and the fries are prepared in a dedicated fryer. This is not the same toast (pictured) that is served on the plant-based burger, however you can request gluten-free toast and enjoy the plant-based burger if you’re vegan and gluten-free since the restaurant is utilizing Beyond patties.

I also want to give honorable mention to the modified Power Greens Salad ($11.49). This was the runaway hit of our lunch here.

The salad is composed of mixed greens, orange segments, grapefruit segments, thinly sliced radishes, sunflower seeds and dried cranberries tossed in a fresh citrus vinaigrette. You’ll need to ask for bbq jackfruit in lieu of the chicken the salad is normally served with.

It was so bright and fresh and Katie joked that they needed to bottle and sell the dressing because she’d buy it to take home.

Because there wasn’t a button on the register for this modification we received a salad without the chicken and then a side of jackfruit to place on top.

Sadly none of the fun dessert options are vegan friendly. The vegan offering is a cup of Fresh Watermelon ($4.99) which carries with it that same exorbitant side price.

We loved almost all of the options at this new quick service restaurant. I would definitely recommend the plant-based burger and modified salad as well as the fries and the house-made pickles. I would skip the coleslaw.

You can check out our Regal Eagle Smokehouse vlog for more of our thoughts.

LOOKING FOR VEGAN OPTIONS IN THE THEME PARKS, WATER PARKS AND DISNEY SPRINGS?

Click any of the images below for those guides.

LOOKING FOR VEGAN OPTIONS IN THE WALT DISNEY WORLD RESORT HOTELS?

Click the image below for that guide.

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