There are three primary dining venues at the Animal Kingdom Lodge.
The upscale Jiko, the buffet style Boma and the food court area,
Mara.
One
theme that runs consistent throughout all the dining venues is
the unique menus that are offered. Jiko offers the most eclectic
menu on property, offering authentic African cuisine. Among the
offerings, you'll find dishes as unique as Horseradish-crusted
Salmon and Banana leaf steamed Sea Bass, to more traditional dishes
like Baked Chicken and mashed potatoes and grilled beef tenderloin.
Even the traditional dishes are prepared with African flair, with
dishes like the chicken featuring grapefruit, garlic and olives.
Price
ranges at Jiko are from $5.50 to $10.25 for appetizers, $16.50
to $26.75 for entrees and $5.00 to $6.00 for desserts. Speaking
of desserts, if you are a chocolate lover, you MUST try the Cardamom
flavored chocolate candies. I won't tell you anything else...you
must simply experience it to believe it.
The
food at Jiko was superb. Some in our party were a bit nervous
at the eclectic menu, but quickly had their fears removed when
they started to taste the food. While the prices are in line with
all of Disney's upscale restaurants, the offerings here are, by
far, the best on property. In our opinion, this restaurant has
no equal on Disney property, and will rapidly become a very difficult
place to get reservations. Book your Jiko priority seatings early
and often, as one visit to this restaurant will not be enough.
Boma
is the more mid-range restaurant, offering both Breakfast ($15.95 adult, $8.99 ages 3-11) and Dinner ($24.99 adult, $10.99 ages 3-11) 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 buffet line is huge, and expands out it's
offerings with a variety of fresh fruits and pastries. Most notable
here is the Kenya coffee prepared in a press pot (which was delicious),
and the complimentary fruit juice that is offered . We found the
breakfast buffet to be very enjoyable, the flavor and freshness were
excellent, and the unique coffee and fruit-juice offerings really
rounded out the meal. At $15.95 per person, this is an excellent
deal. Please note that this is not a character buffet, as there
are no character meals offered at Animal Kingdom Lodge.
For
dinner, the Boma buffet is equally as extensive. The focus is on fresh ingredients. 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.
Mara,
the food court area, offers standard fare found in most food courts
for breakfast, lunch and dinner. Offerings for breakfast include
cinnamon rolls, assorted danish, muffins, bagels, and various
other bakery items,Mickey waffles or French toast. Breakfast platters
include eggs, seasoned potato wedges and a choice of bacon, sausage
or ham (these offerings come in both adult and child sizes). Breakfast
wraps are also available (flour tortilla, bagel, biscuit or croissant,
with eggs, bacon, sausage and cheese). There is also a made-to-order
omelets station.
A
specialty item for breakfast is called Pops and Gravy, which is
white corn-meal cake in an African sausage gravy.
Lunch
and Dinner consist of a variety of options including hamburgers,
grilled chicken, and pre-made sandwiches. The resorts refillable
mugs are available at this location. There is also an assortment
of fresh salads (some of which can be 'custom-designed'). The
pizza offerings are also unique, as they are made to order, and
come in both personal and family sizes. Beer or wine is also available
here.
Mara
also offers a children's menu which is similar to the adult menu,
only the portions are smaller by half. There are also chicken
strips and hot dogs available for kids.