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Walt Disney World Resort Animal Kingdom Lodge Restaurants might be your go-to for your next Disney trip. However, you might not be sure what to try. Are you looking for a table service restaurant? Do you fancy an experience with Indian-inspired flavors or other exotic options? Well, today, we are going to go over the top five most highly recommended places to eat within Disney’s Animal Kingdom Lodge!
Restaurants near Animal Kingdom Lodge come in a large variety. These range from exquisite dining experiences to your regular old casual dining. In this guide, we are going over each one of these dining experiences to help give your stay the variety you might be looking for!
FEATURED DISNEY’S ANIMAL KINGDOM LODGE RESTAURANTS, WE WILL TOUR TODAY:
- Boma – Flavors of Africa
- Jiko – The Cooking Place
- Sanna
- The Mara
- Maji Pool Bar
Boma – Flavors Of Africa
This wonderful buffet-style restaurant is perfect for families at Walt Disney World. It highlights all-you-can-eat food with an African flair, including spiced and crusted meats, African soups, and an assortment of hummus. Boma is located on the first floor of Animal Kingdom Lodge.
The overall atmosphere of Animal Kingdom Lodge is nice and relaxing as you eat under thatched roofs and dim lighting – reminiscent of a lively African market. Perfect for a relaxing dinner after a long day walking around the parks.
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What Are Some Of The Foods Offered Here?
Boma offers both Breakfast and Dinner options. This all-you-can-eat buffet is the perfect way to start your morning or end your day at Disney Animal Kingdom Hotel Restaurants. Boma is the more mid-range restaurant, offering both breakfast and dinner in buffet style. For breakfast, the extensive buffet included such staples as scrambled eggs, bacon, and French Toast and such unique items as lamb or chicken sausage.
The French Toast Bread pudding is really more of a dessert than a breakfast, but it is too delicious to pass up. It is one of the items that you can only find at Boma. While other French Toast bread puddings exist at the various quick service restaurants, they do not measure up to this one. It is not overly sweet as some bread pudding can be. And, like most bread pudding, the sauce is what makes it dazzle. Moreso, at Boma, they serve both traditional African and American dishes. Giving you the best of both worlds. This is what makes Boma a perfect location for picky eaters in the family!
The onstage kitchen at Disney’s Animal Kingdom Lodge provides the perfect viewing opportunity to see the culinary dishes come to life. Therefore, whether you are craving French toast bread pudding, custom omelets, or gruyere quiche, your breakfast will be diverse and just what you are looking for at Animal Kingdom Lodge! Dinner brings options like Durban chicken and lamb bobotie, seafood dishes, and tabbouleh. Guests over 21 can sample a long list of South African cocktails.
For dinner, the Boma buffet is equally as extensive and is hands down the best buffet in all of Walt Disney World. The focus is on fresh ingredients and fresh fruits. The menu changes often based on the season’s finest offerings. There’s always an assortment of soups and stews, salads and fresh fruits, rotisserie meats and poultry, food prepared on the woodburning grill, and an incredible array of desserts. Best known for the Zebra Domes, the other sweet temptations are equally delicious.
The Boma breakfast and dinner offerings are sure to please your palate, which is why Boma – Flavors of Africa is one of the signature dining restaurants in the Animal Kingdom Lodge at Walt Disney World. The kids are often thrilled when they find out Lion King and Mickey waffles on the menu.
Jiko – The Cooking Place
Jiko is a signature restaurant located at the Jambo House on the first floor. It is slightly hidden away but worth checking out. For this specific restaurant, reservations are highly advised, and do not accept same-day reservations.
If you dine at Jiko and like steak, consider forgoing all the other entrees to try the Oak-Grilled Filet Mignon. Although there are plenty of good places on Disney property to get steak, none of them are quite like the steak at Jiko. The flavor profile is unique and rich.
Besides the cuisine, the only reason to eat here is that this restaurant makes a sunset indoors. This alone makes the dining experience worth trying at Animal Kingdom Lodge. They do this by subtly altering the lighting colors during the dining experience. Overall, it has tasty food and a super unique feel that transports you to the heart of the African continent.
What Does Jiko’s Menu Have To Offer?
The full Jiko menu changes seasonally, so this all depends on the time of year you visit. However, Jiko has a blend of Mediterranean, Indian, and African Cuisine. They offer anything from oak-grilled filet mignon to plant-based options to choose from, depending on the season.
Of course, catering to kids is always a big help for families. Mac and cheese are sure to always please, and other options like cheese pizza or shrimp with kushari are favorites as well.
Jiko offers an extensive allergen-friendly menu for those that must be careful about what they eat. Jiko also offers the nation’s largest assortment of South African wines. Wine lovers should also be sure to check out the extensive list featuring African wines. This just personifies the extent to which this restaurant goes in a quest to make the dining experience the best possible for its guests. To get a full review, get over there.
Jiko Dress Code:
What are the dress code requirements? Well, the dress code varies for men and women.
For men, you must wear khakis, dress shorts, or slacks and collared shirts. For women, you must wear Capri pants, dress shorts, skirts, or dresses. They also mention that a nice pair of jeans are permitted for both men and women if they are in good condition. Therefore, the dress code overall isn’t too strict but required to enter.
Before making a reservation at Jiko, be sure you have the proper attire to wear. That way, you won’t potentially run into complications when trying to eat here.
Sanaa
Sanaa is located in Kidani village, a short walk from Animal Kingdom Lodge’s main building. It is one of the best table service restaurants. Here you can enjoy Breakfast, Lunch, and Dinner without a reservation and at an affordable price. Sanna offers African cooking while incorporating Indian flavors!
The overall atmosphere here matches its name, meaning “work of art,” with a beautiful atmosphere and delicious food. If you’re looking for somewhere to get a more casual and relaxing meal, then this is the place for you!
Imagine yourself surrounded by an East African spice market with handcrafted goods, under the graceful shade of an acacia tree and with the savanna stretched out before you. As the day slips away and the African sunset unfolds, you begin to relax as the pleasing aroma of roasting meats wafts up to make your hunger grow. Now you have an idea of what’s in store at Sanaa!
What Makes Sanaa’s Dining Experience Unique?
While you dine, you can watch African wildlife, such as zebras, gazelles, kudu, and giraffes, from inside this Animal Kingdom Lodge restaurant! With over 30 species of animals native to the African savanna and more than 200 varieties of birds, this makes for a super fun experience for all ages. Due to this alone, I recommend checking this place out before you leave Disney!
What Food Is Offered Here?
One of the main food attractions here is the Indian-style bread service! The Sanaa Indian-Style Bread Service has become a bit legendary in Walt Disney World. It is one of Dinsey’s best appetizers and one of the best anywhere. If you don’t have a reservation for Sanaa or would like to take an order of the tasty bread service back to your room, you can mobile order and take it to-go.
Additionally, five varieties of bread, including garlic ginger naan, paratha, garlic pickle, and onion kulcha, delight the taste buds. The bread comes with nine different types of dipping sauces to help fill your cravings, like cucumber raita, tamarind chutney, Traditional Naan, coriander chutney, tomato-date jam, and roasted red pepper hummus! This bread is for sure worth the hype, and I recommend trying it out for yourself if you haven’t already. Or taste the potato and pea samosas with tamarind and mango chutney!
Sanaa serves African cuisine with Indian flavors for lunch and dinner at Kidani Village in Walt Disney World Resort. Just as its name — in Swahili — means work of art, Sanaa offers its Guests beautifully prepared food in an artistic atmosphere. If you plan to visit Saanaa, try their African cuisine.
Sanaa Lounge offers a truly special experience with salads, slow-cooked meat, seafood, and even some vegan options sure to please vegetarians. They also have a sampler and kid-friendly choices, making this location great for families with picky eaters!
Don’t forget to snag some grab-and-go options for high-powered snacks as you trek through the savanna exhibits at Animal Kingdom Lodge.
The cozy Sanaa Lounge features appetizers and African wines and beer. Discover exceptional, African-inspired cocktails like the Kande Coconut Cooler. Seating is first-come, first-serve. It is one of the finest breakfast, lunch, and dinner places.
The Mara
This restaurant at Animal Kingdom Lodge is a good choice for busy families or someone who just needs a quick meal during their Disney venture. The restaurant serves breakfast, dinner, and the very popular Zebra Domes dessert box. The Mara has a food court-type feeling to it and, overall, is made for quick in and out for busy Disney guests. This is also one of the more affordable restaurants to choose from within Animal Kingdom.
What Does The Mara Have To Offer?
The Mara offers your standard options for breakfast, such as muffins, cinnamon rolls, and Mickey waffles. They also offer a few platter options, including eggs, meat, and potato wedges. They have quite a bit of variety you can choose from.
For Lunch and Dinner, the Mara offers a large variety of premade sandwiches, hamburgers, grilled chicken, pizza, and fresh salads. The tamarind barbecue pork sandwich served with french fries is a popular and savory choice. Try the butternut squash soup or Marrakesh falafel platter with tabbouleh. And don’t forget the decadent zebra domes dessert!
If your family is filled with picky eaters who want some basic American favorites, the Mara is the best choice for you at Animal Kingdom Lodge! The Mara also offers mobile order dining as well as in-restaurant ordering. Unfortunately, at popular lunch times, this location can become extremely packed. As a result, if there is a long queue, you should probably use mobile order.
Maji Pool Bar
The last spot to grab a bite to eat is the Maji Pool Bar at Kidani Village. The Maji Pool Bar is a smaller location, as it’s designed as a grab-and-go setting. They don’t have too many food options. However, this is a nice location for a day at the poolside. The focus here is the drinks, as the Swahili-inspired name meaning “water” suggests.
What Does Maji Have To Offer?
Well, here at the Maji Pool Bar, they have a nicely picked smaller selection of foods to choose from. They have a variety of salads and sandwiches to choose from at Disney’s Animal Kingdom Lodge.
Below is what’s currently listed on their entree menu:
- Kenya Coffee Barbecue Sandwich
- All Beef Hotdog with Chili and Cheese
- Roasted Turkey Sandwich
- Caesar Salad with Tandoori Chicken
- Berbere Black Eyed Peas Harvest Salad
- Lemon Caper Tuna Salad
Overall, Maji offers a few classic options and a few more unique options for those who may be feeling adventurous. This restaurant at Animal Kingdom Lodge shines with the choice of drinks, both non-alcoholic and more adult beverages, that can be enjoyed next to the pool.
The Maji Pool bar serves fewer exotic dishes than others and is perfect for someone who is a pickier eater. It also makes for a good option if you want a break from the more exotic food options.
Final Thoughts
Disney’s Animal Kingdom Lodge Restaurants come in a variety of different forms. There is a restaurant here for everyone! Even the pickiest of eaters! It has food to delight everyone, from the most adventurous eater to those who live on pizza and bread.
Animal Kingdom Lodge is home to a sophisticated signature restaurant, an exciting buffet, and one of Disney’s most popular table service restaurants. Whether or not you stay at the resort, you should arrange a lunch here throughout your holiday. A trip to Disney’s Animal Kingdom Lodge is therapeutic for the soul.
Here at Animal Kingdom Lodge, you can find American eats, as well as African and Indian-style eats that fit the theme. Most restaurants follow the theme of African and Indian-inspired foods. However, they also offer American food as well. That way, everyone gets to enjoy dining at these restaurants without complaints! However, if you are looking for a more Americanized restaurant while staying here at Disney’s Animal Kingdom Lodge, they offer places that serve only American food too.
Here at Animal Kingdom, there are poolside eats, casual dining, buffet-style dining, and even formal dining to choose from. Therefore, if you are looking for something in particular, I’m sure you will be able to find it with the help of this guide for your next Disney trip. If one of the above offerings doesn’t catch your fancy, perhaps you’d be interested in the Victoria Falls Lounge or Uzima Springs Pool Bar?
The Uzima Springs Pool Bar sits on the outskirts of the Uzima Springs Pool. Seating is available at the bar, and tables with chairs are available around the parameter. Since the pool bar is fenced separately from the pool area, anyone visiting the resort can use the pool bar.
Victoria Falls is one of the finest restaurants located at the Jambo House. This area can be accessed through the Resort’s large staircase. The resort is split into two distinct areas: Jambo House, which is the larger of the two areas and has more things to do Kidani Village, which is smaller and is for Disney Vacation Club members. Victoria Falls also offers guests the chance to enjoy specialty cocktails, wine, or beer in an unforgettable setting. It has a lengthy cocktail list that includes specialty cocktails, wines, beer, scotch, cognac, and several drink flights. You can access Victoria Falls from the back entrance by taking the elevator down to the second level.
Walt Disney World Animal Kingdom Lodge restaurants have unique features that make the dining experience most definitely worth it. One location featured a Sunset mimicking the African savanna sunset. At the same time, other guests may enjoy being able to watch zebras, gazelles, and giraffes while dining. It is surely one of the finest dining options to choose from. Whether you choose Victoria Falls or any other restaurant, the dining options at Disney are worth trying on your next Walt Disney World vacation. Guests from other Resorts or theme parks can access Disney’s Animal Kingdom Lodge by bus from any of the four theme parks and Disney Springs. Don’t wait another moment to sample these exceptional, signature dining restaurants!
