Thirsty River Bar and Trek Snacks at Animal Kingdom

Thirsty River Bar and Trek Snacks Review at Disney’s Animal Kingdom

Thirsty River Bar and Trek Snacks is located in Asia.

See this page for all of the Disney’s Animal Kingdom quick service reviews.

Location: In Asia, just before arriving at Expedition Everest from Africa or Discovery Island. From DinoLand, it’s located just past Expedition Everest.

There are two identical sides with two windows for drinks and two for snacks.

Food Type: Drinks and Snacks.

Dining Plan: Yes, some items qualify as snacks.

Menu

About half of the bar serves a standard arrangement of Disney popcorn and novelty ice cream treats.

Disney also makes non-alcoholic and alcoholic beverages available. You can pull up the current menu here.

$13 Himalayan Ghost

Drinks here started out being priced relatively reasonably, but they’ve gone up considerably over the last 18 months. This is the Himalayan Ghost – Snow Leopard Vodka, Guava, and Odwalla Lemonade. The drink was very sweet with no hint of vodka, but luckily didn’t suffer from the thick pulpiness of some lemonades. If you’re after something sweet to sip on, this is probably a good choice. Those looking for a more serious drink should stick to the beer or a call cocktail.

$11.25 Dragon’s Breath

This cocktail made with ByeJoe Dragon Fire Spirit Liquor, Mango Puree, and Pineapple Juice is a potent mixture of the sweet and spicy ByeJoe with a chili flavor that’s cooled by the refreshing Mango Puree and then sweetened up with the tropical sugar in the Pineapple Juice. The texture is pleasantly icy and, with the help of the juice, easier to drink than a lot of other frozen beverages. It’s worth noting that the drink is the non-alcoholic “Flying Yak” with the bartender pouring an ounce of ByeJoe on top. It ends up being an interesting, refreshing cocktail that comes recommended given the obscurity of the Fire Spirit.

$10.50 Singapore Sling

On the left is the Singapore Sling, which is New Amsterdam Gin, Bols Cherry Brandy, Sweet-and-Sour, Grenadine, and Sprite. It ends up being more of a “Black Cherry Lemonade” than your typical Singapore Sling with the addition of the Sprite, which thins out the syrupy quality of the Brandy, and the Grenadine, which adds some more cherry and ruby red color to a drink that would end up looking like Sprite otherwise. Singapore Sling purists are probably flipping their proverbial table over at the thought of this thing, but it ends up being fruity and refreshing for the most part. It’s also on the inexpensive side of things.

The Trek Bar also serves several beers.

The Golden Monkey is your best bet. At 9.5%, it’s more than twice the amount of alcohol you’ll find in a Bud Light. It’s a good way to “just have two,” while still feeling pretty good about yourself in more ways than one. You won’t taste much of the alcohol, either.

The Kungaloosh Spiced Excursion Ale was originally unique to Tiffins and Nomad Lounge, but Disney has since added it to the menus here and over at Skipper Canteen at Magic Kingdom. I like it a lot. The cinnamon and cardamom are present, but not overpowering, and the beer works surprisingly well during the warmer months. We typically see this style more often around the winter holidays.

On the bottle front, the Hitachino Nest White Ale is a great choice. I took this picture at Morimoto Asia, when it was on draft. The Belgian Witbier is similar to a Blue Moon, only fresher and sweeter with more citrus.

Thirsty River’s draft lineup is one of the better lists in the Park. It would be nice if the cocktails were still a few dollars less. On the plus side, waits are typically shorter than at Dawa Bar.

There isn’t much of anywhere to sit around Thirsty River Bar. If the seating section for Rivers of Light is open across the way, as it typically is earlier in the day, try that. There are also lots of curbs and whatnot to sit on.