Boma vs Sanaa

[Akess]

Hi, hoping for some advice on choosing between Boma or Sanaa. I have read great reviews of both restaurants. My husband and I will be visiting Disney in November with two 14-year-old girls. It looks like Boma might be a good choice because of the variety, but Sanaa for the atmosphere. Looking through the menu for Sanaa, the Tandoori Chicken seems like a safe bet for teenage girls who may be apprehensive about trying Sanaa. Additionally, the Beef Short Ribs and Butter Chicken also appear safe. However, does anyone know if the restaurant will honor a request to have the Tandoori Chicken served without the onion, tomato, and cucumber raita? Additionally, are there any onions or peppers in the sauce of the Beef Short Ribs or Butter Chicken? I just would hate to drag two teenage girls to a restaurant that they may or may not find something on the menu to eat. If I knew they could request sauces and onions to be held from the dish, this would be an easy choice.

Or is Boma the better choice? We currently have so many buffets on our list of desired table service meals that I was hoping for a couple non-buffets to finish up our ADR list.

 

[Jkarrows]

We stayed at animal kingdom at Christmas last year and eat breakfast and dinner during our stay in boma and I must say the choice of food was massive and there was always something for our two boys who ar similar in age to your girls, I would highly recommend boma we never did eat in Sanna so can not say what that was like sorry

 

[cbg1027]

Both places are good, but I think Sanaa is the better of the two.

Sanaa will gladly omit items from the Tandoori dishes. Most any restaurant at Disney is very accommodating about tailoring dishes to meet the guest's tastes.

The Beef Short Ribs come a in a light brothy sauce that does not have any any solid items in it. It may have been cooked with onion, but it is not served with anything in the broth. Ask your server, they will be able to tell you what the beef is cooked with. It's a great dish! I haven't had the Butter Chicken.

Sanaa is really fantastic, and I like atmosphere better than Boma because it's more relaxing and intimate. Plus, you can't beat the savannah view!

 

[adamki]

The view of the savannah from Sanaa is awesome, we had giraffes staring at us through the windows last time we were there. Boma is good but I wouldn't call it special.

The Tandoori chicken is essentially just roasted chicken with rice and naan (flat bread, like a pita). IIRC, there is a sauce, but they can put that on the side.

Additionally, are there any onions or peppers in the sauce of the Beef Short Ribs or Butter Chicken?

FYI, Butter chicken is a curry dish. The menu says that it's cooked/served in "gravy" but that gravy is composed of spices like garam masala, cayenne pepper, etc. It's fantastic, not crazy hot but it's definitely spiced.

Same goes for all of the items listed on the menu as "slow cooked in gravy". The vindaloo and durban shrimp/chicken are somewhat spicy.

 

[MissPrice]

I'm totally adding Saana to my ADR list after reading this thread. -Amanda

 

[ciera321]

Another vote for Sanaa. We love Boma, but since Sanaa opened, it's our favorite restaurant and we visit every trip! The staff is very accomodating, and they can answer any questions about the food. Our first time we had no idea what we wanted, but our waiter explained the menu to us and helped us choose the perfect items.

 

[Akess]

Thanks you everyone for the advice. We are going to try Sanaa!

 

[PammyNic]

That sounds wonderful! This thread has also swayed me to add Sanaa as one of our ADRs. Question though- can you still see the Savannah views/animals if you go for dinner, or would it be best to stick with lunch to be able to see out the windows? I guess I mean, is it lit?

Thanks!!
Pam

 

[Akess]

That sounds wonderful! This thread has also swayed me to add Sanaa as one of our ADRs. Question though- can you still see the Savannah views/animals if you go for dinner, or would it be best to stick with lunch to be able to see out the windows? I guess I mean, is it lit?

Thanks!!
Pam

From other discussion I have read regarding Sanaa, I understand that it is not as crowded during lunch. Therefore, the opportunity to get a seat by the window to have a better view of the Savannah may be better if a lunch ADR is scheduled vs. a dinner ADR. I am leaning towards going for lunch, but I just need to make sure it fits into our schedule. I would hate to break away from a park to catch a bus to head over to the Animal Kingdom Lodge for lunch and then head back to a park again.

 

[B-Ride]

We ate at Sanaa last August and had a great window table with a view of a great many animals. Still it is luck of the draw. Also, we really enjoyed our meal but not enought to take Boma off the list. The only solution we have is to do both.

 

[BriarRosie]

Don't count on a good view of the savanna during dinner hours in November. Daylight savings time is over, and you will have a pitch black view of nothing. I liked the food I had at Sanaa, at any rate.

If animal viewing is important to you, go during lunch.

 

[Akess]

Don't count on a good view of the savanna during dinner hours in November. Daylight savings time is over, and you will have a pitch black view of nothing. I liked the food I had at Sanaa, at any rate.

If animal viewing is important to you, go during lunch.

Great tip, thanks!

 

[adamki]

Don't count on a good view of the savanna during dinner hours in November. Daylight savings time is over, and you will have a pitch black view of nothing. I liked the food I had at Sanaa, at any rate.

If animal viewing is important to you, go during lunch.

True, we were there for a 5:15 ADR in early October so sunset was about 7:00. In November, sunset is closer to 5:30.

 

[DW2010]

I book an 11:30 ADR for Sanaa for our trip in October. I can't wait to try it.

 

[mmmagic7754]

Boma has never disappointed but love the breakfest over dinner. Sanaa is one of our favorites and on our last trip my wife and i just grabbed a seat in the lounge and ordered the bread service and one of the African wine flights(a tasting of 3 different african wines) WOW!!! Gonna be a must do every trip now

 

[Akess]

Boma has never disappointed but love the breakfest over dinner. Sanaa is one of our favorites and on our last trip my wife and i just grabbed a seat in the lounge and ordered the bread service and one of the African wine flights(a tasting of 3 different african wines) WOW!!! Gonna be a must do every trip now

What a treat!

 

[WildernessMickey]

I love both restaurants. Sanaa has a quieter atmosphere and you have the chance to see the animals. We ate lunch there on our last trip and we were seated in the back, far from the windows, but still had a fantastic meal and went out to the viewing area of the safari after our meal to see the animals.

Our meal was fantastic. We got the bread service, an appetizer of samosas, several of the "gravy" dishes, and my daughter had an open faced sandwich with I believe lamb, and she loved it. We also had hot tea and a mango drink. Every single crumb was eaten and we will return. Service was great too!

Enjoy your lunch there. Since you booked at the opening time of the restaurant, you could check in early and ask for a seat by the window.

 

[BriarRosie]

Boma has never disappointed but love the breakfest over dinner. Sanaa is one of our favorites and on our last trip my wife and i just grabbed a seat in the lounge and ordered the bread service and one of the African wine flights(a tasting of 3 different african wines) WOW!!! Gonna be a must do every trip now

I did the exact same thing for lunch in December. My friend and I met for lunch at the bar, and we each ordered a wine flight. We ordered the rest of the food to share. We ordered a bread service, the samosas, and the kefta kabobs. All were fantastic and we feasted like queens.