boma versus jiko for african food?

[collegejunkie]

which one is more authentic? is it worth it to go to both for dinner?

 

[madalex]

Neither is terribly authentic. When they first opened 10 years ago, they were more authentic, but they have been "Americanized" over time.

That being said, they are both fine restaurants (although very different) and both are well worth a visit.

 

[chalee94]

never been to africa.

i love both, they are pretty different. boma has lots of options. jiko is more elegant.

 

[Mrsjvb]

Jiko does not serve African food as such.. African inspired maybe.

Jiko is very upscale and refined( although well behaved children will be okay)

Boma is far more casual and a better option for someone who likes to sample a little bit of everything or has a limited palate due to having far more boring basic fare available

I LOVE Jiko. have not yet eaten at Boma although will net trip as it is at AKL.

 

[Pakey]

If you want fine dining with standard menu items but excellent Aftican wine selection in an upscale setting, go to Jiko. If you want to try food you haven't had before, Boma will offer more of that.

 

[collegejunkie]

would it be worth it to go to jiko over a different signature then? i'm sending my mom to artist pointe for the salmon one night and then i thought if she wanted to try african food, i'd make her a ressie at jiko.

 

[BEASLYBOO]

Both offer an Americanized version of African cuisine, I doubt they serve fielt mignon with mac and cheese in Africa but with that said the choice for me really depends on the atmosphere I'm looking for.

Boma, buffet, bustling and noisy
Jiko, more refined and intimate.

Both will provide the African experience!

 

[marielynn724]

if your goal is to be adventurous in your dining experience, go to boma. that way you can try everything

 

[Haley Whippet]

We love Boma because there is so much variety, something for everyone, and ZEBRA DOMES !

 

[belleatheart]

I went to Jiko three days ago, it was absolutely amazing!!! I had the grouper, and everything was cooked perfectly. What I also liked about Jiko is that I had plenty of time to talk and listen with a friend. It was really great, boma can get so loud

 

[vettegirl]

We ate at Jiko and their was nothing African about it IMO.

 

[collegejunkie]

i think i may change her ressies to boma for african and flying fish and artist pointe for her signatures

 

[EvilQueenT]

how do boma and jiko compare to tusker house or yak and yeti?

 

[TheRustyScupper]

which one is more authentic? is it worth it to go to both for dinner?

1) Having been to Africa, I can say NEITHER !
2) The food is more Americanized than Epcot food.
3) It is pretty much a joke, or at least a wide grin.

NOTE: Go to Sanaa, at least it is "close" to Inidan food.

**********************************************************
Our Ratings of Jiko: (8/10/2011)
. . . food price value: C
. . . food quality: C
. . . food quantity per serving: C
. . . food prep speed: B
. . . food selection: B
. . . seating quantity: C
. . . seating comfort: B
. . . eatery atmosphere: B
. . . eatery convenience: C
. . . staff friendliness: B
. . . staff attentiveness: C
. . . character interaction: n/a

NOTE: Jiko was designed as African-style foods, but has
become too Americanized. Gone are the richly spiced foods.
Cost cutting has reduced the uniqueness of the menu items.
It is still well above average, but now it is far too expensive
for the menu items or the very spotty service.. It should be
noted, however, that the wine cellar of African wines is quite
large and superior in offerings. But, there are better choices
for fine dining within WDW.

**********************************************************
Our Ratings of Boma: (9/14/2011)
. . . food price value: D
. . . food quality: C
. . . food quantity per serving: A
. . . food prep speed: A
. . . food selection: B
. . . seating quantity: B
. . . seating comfort: B
. . . eatery atmosphere: D
. . . eatery convenience: C
. . . staff friendliness: C
. . . staff attentiveness: B
. . . character interaction: n/a

NOTE: Boma is 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, and leave the meats, the
salads, and the desserts for someone else. There now
are fifteen different soups at five per night. Bring out
the ear plugs, as it does get moisy.

 

[DonaldDoleWhip]

1) Having been to Africa, I can say NEITHER !
2) The food is more Americanized than Epcot food.
3) It is pretty much a joke.
4) And, neither is worth the cost (even per professional reviewers).

NOTE: Go to Sanaa, at least it is "close" to Inidan food.

Are you referring to Boma and Jiko when you say neither?

If so, as a half-South African who's been to Africa multiple times and enjoys various African cuisines (from South Africa, Mozambique, Ethiopia, Morocco, etc), I don't really agree with you.

Boma has a few items that are close to actual African dishes (such as bobotie). That said, the flavors are still pretty tame because it's a buffet that has to appeal to the usual DDP'er who knows Boma is a good value.

Jiko has plenty on the menu that incorporates authentic African flavors, such as the boar with mealie pap and chakalaka, the peri peri chicken, and even a boerewors flatbread (although the boerewors spicing was slightly off to me). In addition, for a while they had an excellent malva pudding on the menu (unfortunately they replaced it with a more generic bread pudding), and of course Jiko is known for its South African wine selection (which is the most impressive I've seen in the US, even having been to other South African restaurants here). The amarula crème brûlée also has a unique but authentic African touch, and the shrimp curry was actually spiced generously.

Jiko isn't the most authentic African food I've had in the US, but it's certainly the most upscale interpretation I've seen here. Of course, if you order something like a cheese flatbread or the filet with mac n' cheese, the meal isn't going to seem very African. But I think it's silly to blame the restaurant for not being African enough when there are authentic selections on the menu. As an African, I see that the menu has plenty of African-inspired items (just like Citricos serves Mediterranean-inspired food - it's not perfectly authentic, but still incorporates appropriate flavors).

Of all the AKL restaurants (Boma, Jiko, Sanaa), my vote would go to Jiko for being the closest to its intended cuisine. You just have to order something authentic (and it's probably not the macaroni and cheese, which isn't even on the regular menu anyway - people ask for it).

 

[Peter Pirate 2]

Are you referring to Boma and Jiko when you say neither?

If so, as a half-South African who's been to Africa multiple times and enjoys various African cuisines (from South Africa, Mozambique, Ethiopia, Morocco, etc), I don't really agree with you.

Boma has a few items that are close to actual African dishes (such as bobotie). That said, the flavors are still pretty tame because it's a buffet that has to appeal to the usual DDP'er who knows Boma is a good value.

Jiko has plenty on the menu that incorporates authentic African flavors, such as the boar with mealie pap and chakalaka, the peri peri chicken, and even a boerewors flatbread (although the boerewors spicing was slightly off to me). In addition, for a while they had an excellent malva pudding on the menu (unfortunately they replaced it with a more generic bread pudding), and of course Jiko is known for its South African wine selection (which is the most impressive I've seen in the US, even having been to other South African
restaurants here). The amarula crème brûlée also has a unique but authentic African touch, and the shrimp curry was actually spiced generously.

Jiko isn't the most authentic African food I've had in the US, but it's certainly
the most upscale interpretation I've seen here. Of course, if you order something like a cheese flatbread or the filet with mac n' cheese, the meal isn't going to seem very African. But I think it's silly to blame the restaurant for not being African enough when there are authentic selections on the menu. As an African, I see that the menu has plenty of African-inspired items (just
like Citricos serves Mediterranean-inspired food - it's not perfectly authentic, but still incorporates appropriate flavors).

Of all the AKL restaurants (Boma, Jiko, Sanaa), my vote would go to Jiko for being the closest to its intended cuisine. You just have to order something authentic (and it's probably not the macaroni and cheese, which isn't even on the regular menu anyway - people ask for it).

LOL. Great post. So many experts are quick to proclaim or refute authenticity but unless you're fibbing your opinion certainly counts more than most in this case. Thanks for the input.

 

[DonaldDoleWhip]

LOL. Great post. So many experts are quick to proclaim or refute authenticity but unless you're fibbing your opinion certainly counts more than most in this case. Thanks for the input.

Thanks. To be fair, I've taken jabs at AKL when I actually had valid complaints about the theme execution (for example, I think the buildings are too large and lose some of the intimacy of an actual game reserve, Kidani Village's exterior theming looks incomplete in sections, etc). But when it comes to the food, I'm impressed with what Disney was able to come up with (mainly at Jiko, since it doesn't have to deal with DDP'ers and buffet-goers as much as Boma or Tusker House). They have to include some safer menu items, considering the vast number of picky eaters that go to WDW. But if you know what you're looking for, you can definitely find some authentic and delicious flavors there.

Here are some authentic examples from Jiko:

Malva Pudding (sadly no longer on the menu, but still it had the right flavor and texture)

Durban-Spiced Shrimp Curry

Peri Peri Chicken (not the spiciest I've had, but still authentic flavors)

Rooibos Tea (not food, but authentically South African)

Amarula crème brûlée (amarula is African, and it's being used in perhaps the best crème brûlée that I've had at WDW. There are quite a few fine dining restaurants in Africa, especially in the bigger cities such as Cape Town, and this would fit right in on a menu).

Flatbread with boerewors (African farmer's sausage)

Wild boar with mealie pap, chakalaka, white truffle oil (one of the shining stars at Jiko IMO - the flavors are a clear reference to pap and wors, even including the coriander of typical boerewors, but prepared in an upscale way)

Just because people tend to order less authentic dishes (case in point), doesn't mean the options aren't there.

My post focused mainly on the South African food that I know particularly well, but I've also seen authentic Ethiopian and Moroccan dishes on the menu (and there's probably plenty of influences that I'm unaware of). Again, I think the best parallel is Citricos, where many of the dishes are Americanized but still upscale, and they have a Mediterranean influence (I guess more people recognize it since Italian, French, and Spanish cuisine are more common in the US). Even Jiko's filet is served with a South African red wine sauce (and South Africa does have some awesome steakhouses, but I've never seen mac n' cheese at one ).

 

[aubriee]

The first time I was going to eat at Jikos, I showed the menu to a coworker of mine that's from Zimbabwe and asked him to pick me out something good, but authentic. After looked at the menu from Allears for a few minutes, he laughed and said the only thing on the menu that was even close to being authentic might be the shrimp curry or the wild boar. A few days later he brought me a covered plate full of real African food that his wife had made.

 

[DonaldDoleWhip]

The first time I was going to eat at Jikos, I showed the menu to a coworker of mine that's from Zimbabwe and asked him to pick me out something good, but authentic. After looked at the menu from Allears for a few minutes, he laughed and said the only thing on the menu that was even close to being authentic might be the shrimp curry or the wild boar. A few days later he brought me a covered plate full of real African food that his wife had made.

Africa's a big place full of lots of different countries and cuisines. And again, I repeat that the food at Jiko is meant to be African-inspired and upscale (just like Citricos is Mediterranean-inspired and upscale).

I'm South African, and I've seen plenty of touches on the menu that are authentic.

 

[collegejunkie]

donalddolewhip, thanks for all of the great information and pictures! i'm jealous now that my mom will get to eat at jiko and we won't. i'm considering making it our last ressie before we board DME for our flight home