AK Lodge Dining Help Please

GoofyKidd

DIS Veteran
Joined
Jun 22, 2007
Our family of 4 will be in WDW after Thanksgiving for a week. I am trying to plan some different activities & try different dining options to keep our trip fresh. We have never visited AK Lodge & thought it'd be a good time to go. I am looking at dinner at either Boma, Sanaa or even Tusker House at AK, which is where we will be that day. I always hear people rave about Boma especially, but the menu isn't really doing anything for me. And I'm wondering how our kids (DD 15 and DS 12) will like it. They're not picky but the food sounds a little different from what we are all used to. Any thoughts? Out of the 3 which would you choose and why? I know dining is very subjective but I'd still like to get a few opinions before I make our reservations this weekend. Thank you!
 
We have done Boma several times and really liked it. There is a large enough variety at that you should be able to find something that you like. My DS was 11 the first year that we ate there and found lots of things that he loved, plus it allowed us all to try some things that we might not have tried otherwise. Tusker House is also wonderful and a nice break when you are in the parks. We've never had Sanaa.
 
We ate at all three this past trip.

TH breakfast seemed like very common US breakfast fare: sausage, biscuits and gravy, breakfast potatoes, donuts and pastries, tater tots, coffee cake, waffles,... We had 10:40 reservations, so we also got some of the lunch items. Lunch seemed to include a few more 'exotic' foods (like potato and pea samosas), but still had mostly common (the the US) foods. The buffet was clean and well-stocked, but it didn't have anything that I now crave. (Note that TH is a character meal. We saw Mickey, Donald, Daisy, and Goofy.)

Boma dinner had a small salad bar (lettuce, tomatoes, cheese, dressing), plus a few pre-mixed salads. They also had fruit; soups (oxtail stew, squash soup, chicken curry soup, and a vegetable soup); a 'children's' section with items like mini corndogs; an array of mini desserts; and things like salmon, brocollini, mashed potatoes,... There were some more exotic foods (bobotie), but they weren't in the majority. The food was better than your typical buffet, but I wasn't totally blown away by it. (It was my brother's favorite meal of the trip, though.)

Sanaa had the best atmosphere. We had 5 pm dinner, and were seated (without having to ask) by a window. During dinner, we were able to watch zebras, giraffes, etc. There is also a deck with some rocking chairs you can go out onto to watch animals before and/or after your meal. A couple CMs were out on the deck available to answer questions, too.

The bread service at Sanaa was really good - I would highly recommend it. My brother and I each had then potjie inspired dishes: I had butter chicken and lentil dhal, and my brother had two different seafood dishes. The portions weren't huge, but were filling. (The potjie cost $23.99 I think, and my brother noted that he'd have paid that much or more for the same amount of seafood curry at home.) DH isn't much into curried dishes, so he got the fish and seemed to enjoy it. DD had grilled chicken breast with basmati rice and vegetables (they had typical kid-centric meals; DS shared with us).

Of the three, I liked the food at Sanaa the most. (I tend to prefer restaurants where you order off a menu over buffets.) Each had plenty of foods for less-adventurous palates. I would choose Sanaa to dine at again, especially for the bread service and animal watching.
 


We love Boma but we enjoy buffets for the variety of foods that are available to try. Nothing there is really very exotic and they have plenty of choices for picky Americans. Really enjoyed walking around the resort after dinner.
 


I would definitely do Sanaa. On top of great food, you can't beat the animal viewing. If you go definitely get the full bread service, best in the world
 
We did breakfast at TH and dinner at Boma. I agree, most of the items at TH are fairly standard. They did have fried plantains which aren't (at least around here) a super common buffet item, chocolate chip bread pudding, and another out-of-the-ordinary item or two. Boma was fantastic. There's a wide variety of options, my picky eater found plenty to eat. Haven't done Sanaa yet. Whatever you do, don't do TH and Boma on the same day--made that mistake lol.
 
We ate at Boma last trip, the rest of my family hadn't seen AKL before, got there early to check out the animals. My parents don't like anything spicy/adventurous/different, but were able to find plenty of things to eat on the buffet. Boma also has an extensive dessert buffet.
 
Boma is my favorite. It's a fairly easy-going buffet. With the pods, you don't have one long buffet line and you don't have to fight for your food. I love the hummuses and the the soups. My husband loves the meats and Boma mustard sauce. My daughter adores the many desserts. Here's a good detailed review:
http://www.disneyfoodblog.com/2013/06/17/review-dinner-at-boma-in-disneys-animal-kingdom-lodge/
Of the 3 you mentioned, it's the only one located in the AKLodge. Have you ever visited the lodge? It's stunning, and worth a visit.

We tried Sanaa last trip, and were really impressed. We weren't seated by the window and did not have a good view of the animals. The food, however, was really good. As PP said, the bread service and dips are outstanding. We would definitely return, but if you go, be sure to visit the main AKL. Kidani is cool, but not as impressive. Here's a recent review with pics, but be aware the menu changed recently. http://www.themouseforless.com/blog_world/2014/08/dinner-review-sanaa-disneys-animal-kingdom-lodge/

Have not tried Tusker House, but it's on our list for next trip!
 
We love Jiko and Sanaa but were not impressed with Boma.

Boma is buffet fare not that different from other buffets a few more spices used but otherwise we found it to be pretty much buffet fare. We found it to be over crowded and the food not replenished quickly enough. The salads and soups were almost empty when we were up more than once so we ended up with the roast meats. We didn't like the desserts much either. Service was very slow and it was very nosy.

Sanna is beautiful on the edge of the Savannah much smaller and not crowded plus it is table service so people are not wandering about. Food is interesting and different. And Jiko is just wonderful.
 
Boma is my favorite. It's a fairly easy-going buffet. With the pods, you don't have one long buffet line and you don't have to fight for your food. I love the hummuses and the the soups. My husband loves the meats and Boma mustard sauce. My daughter adores the many desserts. Here's a good detailed review:
http://www.disneyfoodblog.com/2013/06/17/review-dinner-at-boma-in-disneys-animal-kingdom-lodge/
Of the 3 you mentioned, it's the only one located in the AKLodge. Have you ever visited the lodge? It's stunning, and worth a visit.

We tried Sanaa last trip, and were really impressed. We weren't seated by the window and did not have a good view of the animals. The food, however, was really good. As PP said, the bread service and dips are outstanding. We would definitely return, but if you go, be sure to visit the main AKL. Kidani is cool, but not as impressive. Here's a recent review with pics, but be aware the menu changed recently. http://www.themouseforless.com/blog_world/2014/08/dinner-review-sanaa-disneys-animal-kingdom-lodge/

Have not tried Tusker House, but it's on our list for next trip!
So I am confused now-we have never been to AKL & that was sort of the point of us making a dining reservation there. Is Sanaa not in the AKL? I was thinking we'd take a bus from AK to AKL for dinner. Is that not what we'd do? Thank you for mentioning this. I'm clearly uneducated on AKL!
 
So I am confused now-we have never been to AKL & that was sort of the point of us making a dining reservation there. Is Sanaa not in the AKL? I was thinking we'd take a bus from AK to AKL for dinner. Is that not what we'd do? Thank you for mentioning this. I'm clearly uneducated on AKL!

No Sanaa is not at AKL, Sanaa is at AKV Kidani Village the next building over. It is park of the AK resort but not within the lodge building. The gate gives you good directions when you arrive.
 
No Sanaa is not at AKL, Sanaa is at AKV Kidani Village the next building over. It is park of the AK resort but not within the lodge building. The gate gives you good directions when you arrive.

Yes, Kidani was built later - it is part of DVC. The two are close together, but they are not the same building. I stayed at the main AKL before (Jambo House) and I'm partial to that building. In addition to all the regular AKL rooms, it houses Jiko, the Mara, Boma, the AKL gift shop, etc.
 
We have eaten at all the AKL restaurants. Loved them all. DH would joke that I would go to Boma just for the soups and desserts. I feel Jiko is a little more upscale but that is because we did our Anniversary dinner there. As PP said Sanaa has a wonderful bread service. The sandwiches were delicious. We tried a couple of appetizers at Sanaa the first time to test the waters. We returned and were well satisfied.
 
We ate at all 3 on our last trip (staying at AKV) and our kids (11 and 13) would pick Boma. They enjoyed TH as well, but since you've never been to AKL/AKV, I'd go with Boma or Sanaa to check out the beautiful resort. We very much enjoyed Sanaa, and DH13 is a big lamb fan, so he loved the lamb shank. DD ate off the kids menu even though she was 10 at the time because there was nothing on the adult menu that interested her. We did all enjoy the bread service and the view of the animals. You really can't go wrong with any of the three!
 
I think I would choose Sanaa. My family did not like Boma, although I did. I have heard that if you book Sanaa early enough you can see the animals roaming, and that would be a bonus to the food, which I have heard reallly good feedback about.

I booked Sanaa for the parents in our group while I take the girls to 1900 Park Fare, They all love Indian food, and because one of our group has never been, seeing the Village and maybe getting over to the Lodge as well will be fin.
 

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