AKL Dining About This Page:

[disneyfreaks]

Can anyone please comment on the restaurants(not food court) at Animal Kingdom? We're staying here in May and am interested in trying one of these restaurants. Concerned however and am allergic to shellfish and have a bit of trouble eating spicy foods.

We've also heard about a wine bar at one of the restaurants. Is this something we could try without eating at the restaurant?

Any recommendations?

[Caldercup]

From your title, I'm assuming you want dining options at the Animal Kingdom Lodge and not the park... If I'm wrong, let me know.

There are two dining options beyond the food court (called The Mara at the AKL) - Jiko and Boma.

Jiko is a Signature Dining option and well worth the money. Great African wines, complex and delicious entrees, superb service. A great -- but pricey -- food choice.

Boma is a buffet, with "pods" offering everything from carved meats, to delicious salads and soups, to breads and flavorful spreads, to chicken nuggets and other kid-friendly (or "spice-averse") foods. There's also a very fine selection of desserts that include its signature offering, the Zebra Dome. Yum!

Both restaurants will have options that are not hot or spicy (and the spices at Boma are more of the unusual rather than "hot" variety. If you can handle mild curries, you'll be fine with many of the selections.)

As for a great lounge offering, Victoria Falls sits right between the main lobby of the Lodge, with Boma situated below. They will have lots of great African wines and other cocktails on the menu.

If you feel like traveling over to Kidani Village (the DVC offering at the AKL), there's a very good restaurant called Sanaa. The food and service are really good, and it has a delightful atmosphere too.

[JoanneS]

If you have children in your party, I think you would be better off with Boma. It's a buffet. Even this picky eater was able to find something there she liked! Jiko is a 2 TS restaurant; sit down, and more adult. My family also really liked Sanaa over at Kidani, but because I'm allergic to coconut, I had to have an allergy plate, which although safe, didn't give me a true idea of what the menu at Sanaa had to offer. My DFIL enjoyed himself there, immensely, and he's a picky 83 year old.

[chezp]

I think Eileen's given you a great review of each restaurant. Personally,we love Boma. I don't like spicy foods, but I never find their food to be that spicy. I'd describe it more as "flavoursome" - it's not filled with heat that blows your head off, which is what spicy means to me.

[elbodans]

i've eaten at all of them including sanaa--jiko twice (love it there). honestly, i didn't find anything to be very spicy. that is if you define spicy as 'hot'. they do use spices, but they create flavor, not heat. personally, i think jiko is comparable to boma in price, but the food is much better. for the cost of dinner at boma ($36) you can have an appetizer, glass of wine, and dessert at jiko. or an entree and a non-alcoholic drink. or two appetizers. i don't know--i just like jiko more!

the first meal i had at jiko was through the wanyama safari. because of this, i got to taste MANY of the menu items. i wrote about it (with photos) here...

The Wanyama Safari at Disney’s Animal Kingdom Lodge–Post Two: The Meal at Jiko | The Suitcase Scholar

sanaa is a really neat space, though the food isn't amazing (it's good--just not amazing). and it's definitely more exotic than jiko or boma.

[skidog]

I strongly preferred Boma to Jiko. The atmosphere at Jiko is nice but I just wasn't enough of a fan to recommend it at 2 dining credits. Boma on the other hand is the only buffet worth using a dining credit on in my opinion unless you are going for characters to another place. The food is sooooo good and above the standards of a typical buffet. About the best thing I can say about Jiko was that I ate dinner two tables away from Peter Mayhew (Chebacca from Star Wars)...

[gardengirl628]

I don't think you can go wrong at either one! We love both Boma and Jiko! Enjoy your trip and planning!

[disneyfreaks]

Great feedback! I'm excited about staying at AKL and really wanted to enjoy a restaurant there, but was a bit nervous. Thanks for all the comments. Very excited now!

[Kevin_Wadsworth]

They are all great. I'd second the recommendation above for Sanaa on the other side as well. It was our favorite meal on our last trip.

I have a shellfish allergy and have never had a problem at WDW. And although I like spice I ahve never had anything even remotely "spicy". Some of the Sanaa dishes they describe as spicy, but I'd give those as at best a 4 on a scale of 1-10.

Enjoy your trip and food! Check out the night vision goggles at the savannah!

[ilovedisney247]

I have a food allergy and the service I've received at AKL restaurants has been some of the best. I don't find that any of the restaurants serve really spicy food--I just can't eat it anymore. Sanaa is my favorite of the bunch. I love the samplers they do and the main courses are so flavorful. The Durban chicken/shrimp is pretty spicy so I would skip that one. Jiko is fantastic, but also more expensive. Boma has always been a good option for us, they have great variety and I love the soups and salads offered. Good luck!

[dolphin041599]

Great question. I'm glad you asked because I wanted to know too! We're going (but not until 2013), so we'll add Boma to our list.

[thinkpink]

We love all the restaurants at AKL and Kidani Village. We eat there every trip and have always had great meals! I don't think you will be disappointed or overwhelmed by too much spice - it really is varied flavor and not heat (you can ask the server for clarity on which dishes may be hot).


Sanaa is my most favorite restaurant of all!

Enjoy!