Are you ready to try out some of the best Animal Kingdom Lodge restaurants for your next Disney trip?
Disney’s Animal Kingdom Lodge is known for it’s amazing savanna view rooms, close proximity to Disney’s Animal Kingdom Theme Park, and the ability to be immersed in African culture and traditions while on vacation at Walt Disney World.
Another thing the resort is lauded for is its incredible dining locations including quick service, table service and buffet-style restaurants.
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
Both have incredible dining options that are worth traveling from around Walt Disney World to dine at.
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Disney’s Animal Kingdom Lodge Restaurants- Jambo House
After checking in at the security check-point you’ll drive up to Disney’s Animal Kingdom Lodge- Jambo House.
The massive building is reminiscent of safari lodges in Africa, but on a much larger scale.
From the moment you walk inside you can smell the fire pit from Boma- Flavors of Africa luring you downstairs to see what’s cooking.
This section of the resort has five different dining locations to explore.
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1. Uzima Springs Pool Bar
Outside at the Uzima Springs Pool Bar you’ll find specialty drinks and a small selection of entrees that are served in the middle of the day.
While there’s nothing truly spectacular here, the entrees include things like a chicken Caesar salad, which should keep you full until dinner at Boma or Jiko.
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2. The Mara
The Mara is the quick service location at Disney’s Animal Kingdom Lodge- Jambo House. The restaurant serves breakfast and dinner along with the very popular Zebra Domes dessert box.
Mobile ordering is available here and is encouraged because lines can get long in the small space.
For breakfast do not miss out on the sweet cinnamon roll or the Kilimanjaro Bowl which comes with Potato Barrels topped with Scrambled Eggs, Sausage Gravy, Chakalaka, Cheddar, Bacon, and Chives.
Dinner is basic faire with things like burgers, flatbreads and salads.
3. Boma- Flavors of Africa
One of our favorite places to dine at Disney’s Animal Kingdom Lodge is Boma- Flavors of Africa.
The buffet-style dining will likely return as a shared family-style service with some of the same great menu options including:
- Hand-carved ham, omelets, breads and house-made hazelnut and chocolate spread for breakfast
- Apple jicama salad, slow-roasted ribs and plantain crisps for dinner
Whatever you do, do not leave the buffet before filling your plate with Zebra Domes, especially if you’re not staying at the resort and are able to get them at The Mara whenever you want.
4. Jiko- The Cooking Place
The signature dining restaurant at Disney’s Animal Kingdom Lodge is Jiko- The Cooking Place, which is across the hallway from Boma- Flavors of Africa.
The restaurant is only open for dinner and reservations are strongly advised.
The restaurant is home to the largest collection of South African wines outside of South Africa, and is known for the open kitchen where you can see a small team of chefs working on meals.
A few of our favorite dishes include the Jiko Salad which is made with a base of greens grown at EPCOT.
The Botswana-style Beef Short Rib is also a favorite, and comes with hominy, sea peas, butternut squash and mushrooms.
5. Victoria Falls Lounge
Above Boma- Flavors of Africa you’ll find Victoria Falls Lounge. This small bar is serving up cocktails and wine, along with a small menu of sharable plates.
It’s a great spot to relax after a day at the parks or to enjoy a pre-dinner cocktail before heading downstairs to Jiko- The Cooking Place.
Disney’s Animal Kingdom Lodge- Kidani Village
Up next is Disney’s Animal Kingdom Lodge- Kidani Village which is the smaller of the two spaces at the resort.
It’s typically the spot for Disney Vacation Club guests to stay, but anyone can dine at its table service restaurant, Sanaa.
6. Sanaa
Sanaa is a table service restaurant that serves breakfast, lunch and dinner with African and Indian inspired flavors.
Breakfast is more of a fast-casual meal with limited, but delicious options and seating is first-come, first-served and does NOT require a reservation.
My favorite breakfast item is the Banana Brûlée French Toast, which is a decadent French toast with griddled Challah Bread topped with Banana Chantilly Cream and Brûléed Banana.
Lunch and dinner have a similar menu, but the one thing you must get is the bread service, which has five pieces of traditional breads and nine different dips and spreads.
This is a great thing to split between a few people. I’ve also been known to polish one of these off on my own.
7. Maji Pool Bar
The last spot to grab a bite to eat is the Maji Pool Bar at Kidani Village.
The menu here is small but is suitable for a day by the pool with options like a Gourmet Grilled Cheese, a Tandoori Chicken Caesar salad and a Naan Pocket Chicken Club.
Pro Tips for Dining at Disney’s Animal Kingdom Lodge Restaurants
- Many of the Animal Kingdom Lodge restaurants take reservations, so be sure to make yours early if you want to dine at a place like Jiko or Sanaa.
- If there are no more reservations, you may be able to snag a spot at some of the restaurant lounges at Jiko and Sanaa. The lounge serves the full menu but is seated on a first-come, first-served basis. Get there early or go at off-times to get a seat.
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Wrapping Up…
I hope this guide through all the Animal Kingdom Lodge restaurants helps make your trip to Walt Disney World even more magical and easier.
Visiting this resort on your Disney vacation is free and is another fun thing to do in Orlando.
Until next time, Happy Park Hopping Hipsters!
About the Author
Megan is a theme park expert and frequent traveler to magical places. She covers all things Disney and Universal and runs marathons for fun.
She thinks you can tell a lot about someone by the name of their signature lipstick, and hers is NARS Dragon Girl.
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(Original Article Date: August 23, 2021/Updated by Editor on July 6, 2024)