Camp Woodchuck Kitchen is a counter service restaurant themed to the Junior Woodchucks in the new Camp Woodchuck area at Tokyo Disneyland. Their choice of food is campfire cuisine — I coined that term myself — and includes chicken & waffles, plus my personal summertime favourite, s’mores!

Here’s our review of the new Camp Woodchuck Kitchen in Westernland:

Atmosphere

The moment you step beyond the gigantic squirrel-in-a-log, you find yourself immersed in the “world” of the Junior Woodchucks. Once you walk around the log, you have two choices: Queue for a chance to meet Donald or Daisy in their newest Meet and Greet, or jump in line to stuff your face with chicken & waffles. It’s a tough choice, but for the sake of simplicity, let’s go with the campfire cuisine.

The counter for ordering your food is outside and handled in the typical counter service style. Order near the front, then walk behind the cashier to receive that delicious waffle.

The outside gives you that “I am so excited to finally escape my parents and I can order whatever I want at summer camp!” feel. At least, it did for me. Takes me back to the days of attending band camp, if anyone is curious.

The interior feels familiar but brand new all at once. It’s the type of place you want to hang out with your friends after a long day of learning to tie knots, earning your “I planted a tree” badge, and throwing your friends into the freezing cold lake—because we know lakes are always freezing even in the middle of summer.

Anyone who has grown up with camping (or is familiar with the Disney’s Wilderness Lodge or the Disney’s Grand Californian Hotel) will feel right at home and will never want to leave. I know I didn’t!

Decor

I can go on about the brilliant decor and theme throughout this entire restaurant. But, as they say, a picture is worth a thousand words. Look for a full photo and video tour in the coming days, covering the entrance into Camp Woodchuck down to the banners lining the walkway for the greeting.

Fans of the Junior Woodchucks have tons of small details to discover and take in. Let’s go over the highlights.

The entire restaurant, inside and out, resembles those “fancy” lodges you always fantasized about when that one friend bragged about visiting during their summer vacation. From the wooden signage above the counter to the chalkboard menus (with a LCD screen, too) to the painted cloth banner welcoming you to the Camp Woodchuck, they nailed the “lodge” feeling.

The interior takes it a step further and offers enough detail in this 2-story restaurant to occupy you longer than it takes to order and eat your delicious waffle (I’ll get to the food part, I promise). As you walk through the automatic sliding doors — we’re fancy here — you notice the first of many seating areas (this place holds up to 440 people).

Two glass cases greet you, one of which has the “Junior Woodchucks of World Official Guidebook.” Along the walls on the first floor are various portraits, props, and details that are best told in photos. I wasn’t kidding when I mentioned the level of detail is brilliant. The fireplace in the back of the first floor is one of my favourite details, with the crackling fire and overall warm feeling you get by just looking at it.

Another favourite of mine is the outdoor campfire seating on the first floor. You sit in oversized logs around a “campfire” (I use quotes because it’s just for show and isn’t actually warm) which is crackling and has smoke rising from the grill.

The excellent decor continues on your journey to the 2nd floor. The staircase shows a gigantic mural with all the Junior Woodchucks, including Donald and Daisy in their new outfits. Along the walls are banners and what looks like handcrafted animal head statues — because real animal heads is against what the Junior Woodchucks stand for!

High ceilings, barrels for seats, and an outdoor patio, what’s not to love? The large open area floods the seating with natural light and is beautiful during sunset (which provides excellent lighting for photographs and video.) My favourite small detail is the dart boards. If you pay attention, you’ll notice darts and even an arrow stuck in random places on the wall and ceiling. Which is what happens when I play darts, so it’s not surprising.

The fireplace on the first floor is visible from the second over the balcony, where you see a variety of decorations on the wall. Then to the right is what looks like a room with tarps for walls, which I think is brilliant.

I can go on for days about the interior, but overall it’s (dare I say) perfect.

Drink

Alright, let’s get to the drinks! The signature beverages are the Sparking Lemon Jelly and Hot Ginger Lemonade for ¥340 (~$3USD) each. They also offer the standard coffee, tea, and various soft drinks.

I have come up with a new rating system, with the chipmunk emoji ?.  Highest rating is 5 chipmunks.

Sparkling Lemon Jelly (¥340): ???

A carbonated drink in an adorable plastic cup with small red jelly floating at the top. You taste more sugar than you do the lemon, and you don’t taste the jelly at all — at least I didn’t. While the drink overall is not terrible, it’s not great either. If you want a drink other than typical soda with a cute design, then this is fine. If you want something with more flavor, then I recommend the Hot Ginger Lemonade.

Hot Ginger Lemonade (¥340): ?????

Cute cup, great mixture of lemonade and ginger, a slice of lemon, and small jelly in the cup to eat afterward. This is my favourite drink out of the two and is perfect for that chilly summer (or winter) night. The ginger is not overpowering and the lemonade with the slice of lemon gives it that nice kick.

Eats

Camp Woodchuck Kitchen’s main dish is the Waffle Sandwiches, and you have three to choose from: the Fried Chicken with Maple Sauce, Bacon with Vegetable Barbeque Sauce, and the Spicy Shrimp & Avocado. You can buy them for ¥700 (~$7 USD) by themselves or for ¥1,080 (~$10 USD) for the set—which comes with a drink and fries. For an extra ¥50, you can add the sparkling lemon jelly or hot ginger lemonade. They also offer a souvenir lunch bag to add to your meal for an extra ¥870 (~$8  USD).

For dessert, they offer their signature Chocolate Brownie, S’more Style (there’s also a salad-in-a-cup and a Cinnamon Mickey Churro) for ¥400 (~$4 USD).

During my visit, I only had the Fried Chicken with Maple Sauce and the s’more.

Fried Chicken with Maple Sauce (¥700/¥1080): ?????

Fried chicken between two waffles and featuring maple syrup is a winning combination. The sweetness of the syrup and the small spicy kick to the chicken gives you a range of emotions for your taste buds. The flavor of the fried chicken and waffles are great, but nothing out of the ordinary.

The packaging for the sandwich comes in three different designs: Huey, Dewey, and Louie. If you order more than one sandwich they don’t give you the same packaging, which is fantastic.

My only gripe is the sandwich is messy when you begin eating it. The grease from the chicken and the runny maple syrup does drip. They do give you a wet napkin to help clean your hands. Just be mindful when eating not to have it over your pants. Expect sticky fingers.

Chocolate Brownie, S’more Style (¥400): ????

Growing up with s’mores, I had grand expectations of this. I am happy to report that I am not disappointed. While it is far from what we know typically, it’s still a delicious dessert. The presentation, with the plate that looks like a log and the “nuts and berries” around the edge of the plate, make it a visually pleasing dessert.

The marshmallow on the top is lightly browned and gives it the smokey flavor that I know and love. The wafer and mousse add some texture to the gooeyness (I love that word) of the marshmallow. The brownie is just your typical brownie, nothing special here.

The mixed berries (cranberry, blueberry, and nuts) and the sauce are a great combination with the brownie.

The only thing preventing a full 5-chimpmunk rating is a wafer instead of a graham cracker. While that may seem minor, to me that is one of the key ingredients to a s’more. But, in their defense, it does say “S’more Style.”

Recommendations & Tips

To get the most out of your time at Camp Woodchuck Kitchen, follow our tips and recommendations!

• Try the s’more and hot ginger drink (The waffle sandwich is already a given)
• Enjoy your meal on the balcony on the second floor to overlook the Rivers of America
• Take the time to soak in the brilliant details on both floors
• Take your hot ginger drink and sit in one of the logs and enjoy the outdoor fire pit
• Take a look around for the hidden Mickey(s)
• Washrooms are outside the front of the restaurant

Verdict

Camp Woodchuck Kitchen is a much-needed restaurant to help with crowding in other restaurants in the park. The simple and delicious menu adds a unique factor to the variety of food offered in the park. From the flawless decor and atmosphere to the delicious chicken and waffles, there’s more than enough to love about this beautiful counter service restaurant. I can say this is the best-themed restaurant in Tokyo Disneyland.

Overall, Camp Woodchuck Kitchen gets ?????!

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Review Summary

By

Chris Nilghe

Review Date

2016-11-23

Reviewed Item

Camp Woodchuck Kitchen

Rating

4