Tink Tested: Boma Dinner

Location: First floor of the Jambo House at Animal Kingdom Lodge

Parking/Transportation Situation: General Resort Parking or Valet Parking available. Bus service from all parks.(If using Disney Transportation, allow 1-1.5 hours transportation time.)

Meals Served: B, D

Characters/Entertainment: None

Type of Cuisine: African Infused/Inspired

Type of Menu: Buffet

Pricing/Dining Plan: $$$/ 1 Table Service Point Per Person
Full Menu: Boma Dinner Menu

Atmosphere: African marketplace

Bright, beautiful atmosphere, with tapestries hung from the ceilings. Oh, and hey! Look at the Hidden Mickey that the lights made in this picture!

Dress Code: Theme park casual

Guests Who Would Enjoy This The Most: Those that like unique dishes and flavors

Level of Difficulty of Getting a Reservation: Moderate

Fun Stuff for Kids: Though there isn't really any entertainment for kids in the restaurant, other than coloring pages, before of after dinner, make time to take the kids out to the animal viewing paddocks around the resort to catch some up-close-and-personal time with zebras, giraffes, antelopes, wildebeests and more.
Rating of Appeal to Kid-Diners: Are we done yet???

Stand out dishes: Zebra Domes (dessert), African Carved Strip Loin, Orange Almond Emulsion Crusted Salmon
Best Use of Dining Plan Point: Only one option here... buffet and all-you-care-to-eat options are always the most bang for your buck on a Dining Plan point.

Soup Bar

Experience: So this was probably like my, I don't know, maybe 20th time eating at Boma, but probably only my 5th or 6th time for dinner. We usually do breakfast here. (On a side note, it's one of the best breakfasts on Disney property, but we will get to that another time.) This was also the kiddos' first time eating at the Lodge. We had an early reservation, (4:30pm), which I was able to book day of, without any trouble, though all of the later times were full, up through about 8:30pm.

     We showed up at about 4:25, and valet parked, (again with the free valet because we have Tables in Wonderland... and the laziness), and walked into the lobby of the Animal Kingdom Lodge. I LOVE DAK Lodge! I really do. It smells fantastic because of the wood burning fireplace, it's airy and bright and it truly transports you to another world. Now, admittedly, despite only being Floridians for 8 months, my kids are already Disney-spoiled. K remembered that there were drums being played in the lobby last time we were at Kidani Village, the other side of the Lodge, and since "dums" are his FAVORITE, he started looking for them as soon as we stepped into the lobby at Jambo House. Sorry, K, no "dums" here. D remembered that there were animals outside to see, so she wanted to head out to one of the many balconies to look for zebras, but Mamma and Daddy had some eatin' to do, so we dragged them on to the elevators and down to Boma.

     We checked in and were sat within ten minutes. Because the restaurant had just opened, it was pretty much empty, which was fine by us. That meant fresh food on the buffet, which is a big plus of having an early dining time at this type of restaurant. Our server came over and welcomed us, with a friendly, "Jambo!" She was very attentive to the kids, and right away acknowledged K's egg allergy. She said the chef would be out momentarily, to walk us through the buffet, so we placed our drink orders and I went up to grab the gremlins a bowl of fruit before they started snarling from hunger. The chef came out just a few minutes later and he was fantastic! He walked me through the buffet line, telling me what K could and could not have. The good news was, there weren't a lot of items that we needed to avoid, but since there were almost no desserts that were egg-free, Chef said to let him know when we were ready for dessert and he'd make K something special.

     Then it was off to the races! First I took D up to fill her plate. She's an awesomely diverse eater and will try almost anything, (except for peas, which will clearly KILL her if she eats them), so we loaded her plate with small pieces of salmon, beef, chicken, and pasta from the "regular" section of the buffet, and mac and cheese and chicken nuggets from the "kids" section. Next I filled a plate for K and went back to the table, THEN I was able to go back and get food for me, before I sent Jay up. I'm sure all of you with small kids can relate to the odd method that is eating your meals in rounds, but this is especially difficult at a buffet. It's a dance, really. A carefully choreographed cycle of who can eat when, how we can fit potty breaks in, and a specifically planned out time that desserts can be brought to the table, since none can appear before we are done force-feeding the littles their veggies. I know #disneypeopleproblems, huh?

     So, Boma does a pretty great job of incorporating African flavors, cooking methods, and recipes, without scaring away those with a less-than-diverse pallet. I would say I fall into the category of being a non-adventurous eater. I don't like hot spices, I can't stand certain meats and fish, like veal, lamb, sushi, and some others, and I am NOT a condiment fan. Getting mayo or mustard on my hand is like, one of my worst nightmares. I don't know why, they just freak me out. I did just fine at Boma, though I will say, I really only ate the few items that I truly enjoyed, and stuck with those. I loved the salmon, which was cooked perfectly and covered in a creamy, orange-infused sauce, and a layer of crunchy almonds. D liked it a lot too. Her favorite was the Durban Spiced Chicken. My husband tried some of the ribs, (which were shockingly spicy), and the strip loin, (the "big boy" buffet items), but his favorite part of Boma is the all-you-can-eat kids chicken fingers. He feels that there's something magical about Disney chicken fingers, so he enjoyed the unlimited access to them. K liked the meatballs and pasta, and the mac and cheese the most. (Yay, carbs!) And he ate about a pound of grapes too, so he was happy.

An African Dish, Bobotie, and Durban Spiced Chicken

Yum!!! Desserts! The middle, green tray has the Zebra Domes on it.

     Boma is heavy on side items, salads and soups. There's pretty much one whole buffet table each for salads, soups, fruits, and rice and vegetable dishes. If this is your type of thing, Boma is totally worth your money. Especially if you like trying different things, like watermelon rind salad, and multiple types of couscous. Since none of those things really appeal to my family, we found ourselves eating mostly meats and desserts. Delicious meats and desserts, but we didn't exactly feel like we were enjoying all of the spoils of Boma. I could tell that other guests were getting more out of it than we were.  

     Speaking of desserts, there were a good amount to pick from. The Key Lime Cheesecake was tasty and not too tart. The Warm Apple Cobbler was egg-free, so K gladly gobbled up some of that. There was Guava Panna Cotta, and a great selection of kid-friendly brownies, cupcakes and cookies. The real showstopper at Boma though are the Zebra Domes, which are something of a Disney legend. If you've never had one, and you like coffee flavors, make it a point to try these. (NOTE: If eating at Boma doesn't fit in your schedule or budget, you can now buy Zebra Domes in little to-go containers in DAK Lodge's quick service location, The Mara. You're welcome.) But, hold up a minute...I gotta say, Zebra Domes, you're good and all, but the Kenyan Coffee Tarts outshined you. Tiny little chocolate cups, filled with rich, mocha mousse..... Get. In. My. Belly.

    

Oh, and the Chef didn't forget K. For dessert, they brought him a massive bowl of raspberry sorbet, with egg free cookies and fresh berries on top. He sat, QUIETLY, eating and swinging his feet in delight, for about 15 minutes. Happy kid.

     Overall, the experience was smooth. Plates were cleared quickly, drinks were refilled as needed. We did notice large lines at the buffet as the crowd got thicker, so we were glad we ate early. I can imagine that dining between 5-7pm would require a bit more patience. The food was fresh, tasty and certainly unique. But for Tink's family, I think that there was more "uniqueness" than we could handle. Give me a basic garden salad over Minted Greens with Watermelon and Feta, any day. (But that's just me. You may now be salivating over that last description. If you are... go to Boma!)

     After dinner, we had to go up to the lobby balcony, to look for zebras, as promised. We didn't see any, but K and D were psyched to see a giraffe and her baby eating from a tree right at eye level to them. We watched in awe, until the sugar from dessert kicked in and K yelled, "Hiiiii, Jaff!", at the top of his lungs, scaring the poor things, as well as a housekeeper who was sweeping the floor next to us. Go home, K. You're sugar-drunk.

Tink's Tots Try It Out: According to D (6 yo girl) Hey, D... how was Boma? "Oooh, it was good! I liked it." What was your favorite thing that you ate?  "Ummm, that raspberry ice cream stuff that K had for dessert. That was SO good." I think so too. It was really good sorbet. What else?  "I liked that chicken that was like, spicy, but not like HOT spicy."  I think you mean the Durban chicken.  "Yeah, the urban chicken."  Close enough.Would other kids would like it at Boma?  "I don't know about that. I like the spicy stuff and not all kids do. They had a lot of weird stuff."

Tink's Tots Try It Out: According to K (2 yo boy)  K, did you like Boma?  "Boma."  Yeah, did you like it?  "Ya"  What did you like about it?  "Jaf. K see jaf. Hi, jaf." (Aka, giraffe.)  Yeah, that was fun, but what about the food?  "Yum, eat."  I'm gonna go with Boma being a win for K. Then again, any place that gives him a massive bowl of dessert is a win in his book.

Will we be back: We will likely not to dinner again, at least not until the kids specifically ask to eat here, but I can't wait to make our breakfast reservation! They have the BEST roasted potatoes, egg dishes, and press-pot Kenyan coffee!