Sanaa v. Boma - Choose your favorite!

[DisneyLvr55]

I realize that they are two different restaurants, serving two different kinds of food.... But, if you had to choose between the two of them, which would you choose??


TIA

 

[TheRustyScupper]

1) Sanaa.
2) It even gets better newspaper ratings than Boma and Jiko.
3) See my own reviews below.

*************************************
Our Ratings of Sanaa: (rev 10/9/12)
. . . food price value: B
. . . food quality: B
. . . food quantity per serving: B
. . . food prep speed: B
. . . food selection: C
. . . seating quantity: C
. . . seating comfort: C
. . . eatery atmosphere: B
. . . eatery convenience: C
. . . staff friendliness: B
. . . staff attentiveness: A
. . . character interaction: B (views of animals on savannah)

NOTE: Sanaa has good regional African food. Americanized, but
definitely more adventurous than other eateries. The menu is
shorter than other table service eateries, the wine list average,
but the quality of the food and presentation are high. An added
benefit is viewing animals on the Savannah during the meal (for
daylight hours). There's eight savannah window tables and six
more with good views. For lunch, try the Lamb Kefta open face
sandwich; for dinner, try the Durban Chicken and Durban Shrimp.
Don't miss out on the Banana Kulfi Sundae. For lunch or dinner,
get the salad sampler with three of the salads that can feed two
people. Have Kelli as your waitress as she is as-good-or-better
than many of the "signature" servers. Be aware items labeled as
"Durban" are highly spiced, and best washed down with cold milk!
However, you can request them to reduce the amount of spices,
and thus the need for milk ! It is out-of-the-way at AK Villas,
but worth the drive.

**************************************************
Our Ratings of Boma - Dinner: (6/11/2012)
. . . food price value: D
. . . food quality: C
. . . food quantity per serving: A
. . . food prep speed: A
. . . food selection: C
. . . seating quantity: B
. . . seating comfort: C
. . . eatery atmosphere: D
. . . eatery convenience: C
. . . staff friendliness: C
. . . staff attentiveness: B
. . . character interaction: n/a

NOTE: Boma's an outstanding buffet for breakfast. For dinner it's below
average and worth passing by. African and Middle Eastern foods are
typically spiced with cinnamon, vanilla, nutmeg, cardamom, etc, which
can make food appear sweet to the taste buds. If doing dinner, go for
the soups. Leave the meats, salads, the desserts - except for the
Zebra Domes - for someone else. (There now are fifteen different soups
at five per night.) Bring out the ear plugs, as it does get REALLY noisy.

 

[minnie mum]

I'd have to go with Sanaa too. Nothing wrong with Boma- we always enjoy dining there. But we LOVE dining at Sanaa. Quite an adventurous menu, givent that it is a WDW restaurant. Love the decor as well, and the servers are always courteous, prompt, and above all knowledgeable about the menu.

 

[mommadjones]

Sanaa hands down!

ETA; Just as a disclaimer Boma is one of our favorite breakfast locations! They have an amazing breakfast spread!

 

[greengeen]

I vote for Sanaa. I love the salad sampler and dessert trio. My only beef with Sanaa is that they serve their red wines waaaay too chilled. They should know better!

 

[chocovrdmicears]

We couldn't decide either - so we booked both.
It has been years since we have been to BOMA - definately ready to give it another try.
And we are very excited to try Sanaa.
We shall see which we prefer.......

 

[TheRustyScupper]

I vote for Sanaa. I love the salad sampler and dessert trio . . .

1) Oh, Darn!
2) There goes the drool all over the keyboard, AGAIN.

 

[dvcterry]

Hmmm, as much as I LOVE Sanaa, I would say if you looked over the menu and are ok with flavor then by all means Sanaa. However, what one person enjoys may not be what YOU like. We went with family and with a large group and I gave such high ratings but they did not enjoy the flavors. So what I enjoy may not be what you enjoy. So for my vote, Boma. There were some choices that were a little safer for everyone there and of course everyone did enjoy the soups and salads.

 

[cigar95]

I'll go with Boma no question, then again Boma is my favorite restaurant anywhere - not just WDW.

Heck, for that matter, I'd probably rank Boma higher than a couple of my kids.

Whenever I'm preparing for a WDW trip, the first thing on my mind is my visit to Boma before I bother thinking about anything in the parks.

Did I mention that I like Boma?

 

[Lizzybean]

I absolutely ADORE Sanaa! We love everything but the bread sampler and vegetable samosas are particularly delish!

 

[MickeyFan612]

Boma is by far my favorite buffet Anywhere!

 

[dakcp2001]

We did not care for Boma at all. Saana was pretty good and had a lovely view. I enjoyed the food, my husband is less adventurous. We did have a bad experience. We had reservations but ended up with over a 40 minute wait, and our server was not good. But the food and view were FAR better than Boma

 

[bcrook]

I can no longer justify spending $200.00 for a family of four at Boma. It is just a buffet. It is loud and messy.

Sanaa has reasonable prices, a comfortable atmosphere, and great food. I like the appetizers, desserts, and bread service.

 

[hmillerbarilla]

Sanaa Sanaa Sanaa.

Best Restaurant on property!!!!!

We LOVE it!

We even have reservations for Christmas Day since it is our favorite. My kids love the food--no kids meals here for us!

Enjoy!

 

[DisneyLvr55]

Thanks for your input guys! We ate at Sanaa on our last trip, and I really enjoyed it, but then again, I've been eating Indian food since I could eat solid foods, so spices don't bother me. This trip DHs parents are coming along, and they are strictly meat and potato kinda folks, so I'm a little worried about them.

 

[momtwoboys]

our last trip in April our then 11 year old claimed the Steak dinner to be the best steak he ever had!!! Came with some yummy roasted potatoes. We all tasted a bite and could not believe how tender juicy and FLAVORFUL it was. Its on our list again for april 2013

 

[DEA]

Sanaa, absolutely. I can see by the rest of the thread that a lot of other people feel the same way, and I would say that Sanaa is my favorite 1TS restaurant on property.

As for the folks who have more middle-of-the-road tastes, I think that the steak could be made without the chutney rub. I don't think that the Tandoori entrées are that spicy, but I'm not the best judge of that.

 

[BEASLYBOO]

I realize that they are two different restaurants, serving two different kinds of food.... But, if you had to choose between the two of them, which would you choose?? TIA

If I wanted a quiet, more intimate dinner I would choose Sanaa. Were I in a group, and that is often the case (travel party 6-8) then we would do Boma which is the only Disney buffet we still do.

Both very good in their own rights, and as you stated with different foods.

Sanaa - The Tomato soup w/ paneer cheese is so very good. The salad sampler, very fresh, and tender beef short ribs. I enjoyed Jiko a few times but much prefer Sanaa.

Boma - Very good asst. of soups. (faves, carrot & ginger, smoked tomato and a new favorite, lentil) Same with the salads and the dressings, chili cilantro vinaigrette, spinach & beet salad, all so fresh. The cous-cous, vegi kabobs, spiced chicken, love it all, even the boboti.

2 very different dining experiences, both very good food!

 

[BEASLYBOO]

I think that the steak could be made without the chutney rub. I.

Yes, you can request it plain grilled without rub/chutney etc. Same with the fish, you don't have to have the curry broth!

 

[Simba's Mom]

Given a choice, I'd prefer Sanaa. The only time there's a choice, though, is dinner. Boma's my favorite breakfast anywhere.