Dining at AKL question

[CaseyJr]

After 3 stays at CSR, this will be our first stay at AKL (YEA! Can't wait!). At CSR we had Maya Grill (usually, just the breakfast buffet) and Pepper Market for out "resort" meals . What is the dining like at AKL? We're talking about a Mom & 9 y/o DS, so just regular old run-in-and-eat-so-we-can-get-to-the-parks kind of eating rather that "atmosphere" or "elegant" dining.

 

[wildernesslodgelover]

I LOVE LOVE LOVE the counter service restaurant at AKL! It is called "The Mara" and it has a pretty good selection! My DH had the Fish and Chips and I had this awesome "African Stew" served in a bread bowl! They also serve beer and wine there.

My DH ate breakfast ther one morning...i didn't taste it, but it was a big platter of eggs and bacon...just usual breakfast fare. Dh said it was very good.

If you get a chance, try the buffet "Boma!" It is my favorite restaurant at WDW! And "Jiko" is fine dining...also very good!

I think the restaurants at AKL are one of the major selling points of the resort! Have fun!

 

[MouseDogMom]

I have to say I absolutely agree with Wildernesslodgelover in entirety! We LOVED Mara - had taken food to eat in our room for breakfast, but after we moved from CBR to AKL and found Mara, we were there every morning. I had the breakfast platter and it was very good, also had a breakfast pizza, and they had Mickey waffles, doughnuts, anything you could want. We had sandwiches there late one night, and went in several times to pick up a beer or cider. (One of the CMs told me to try the Savannah cider, and I did and now I'm hooked and can't find it at home!)

And definitely try the buffet at Boma - I think I sampled everything on the buffet and pretty much liked it all, even if some of it was a little different.

Wonderful food!

 

[CaseyJr]

How are the prices compared to other eateries @ WDW & the resorts?

 

[becka]

The prices for Mara seemed to be in line with other WDW resorts. You can find the full menu for Mara, Boma and Jiko over on allearsnet.com.

We are staying at AKL in December and all of the restaurants including Mara get great reviews. We can't wait to try them.

Hope this helps....

 

[jl3614]

We just returned from a stay at AKL a week ago.

I thought the food at Mara was somewhere between average and good - in my mind it was not much different (maybe slightly better) than most other resort food courts.

If you are use to Moderate or Value resorts you may not like Mara that well. The quality is fine, but the selection is very limited relative to the choices you would get at moderate or value resort food courts. Believe me - if you have a week long stay and eat 1 or 2 meals a day at Mara like we did, you will get bored with the choices - I think the kids eat pizza 4 times.

 

[Ladyhawke10]

I love that the Mara has caffeine free diet coke...it's one of the few (if not only) WDW resorts that has this...and their machine makes the strongest nescafe.

The yogurt parfaits are really really great. One of my reasons to stay at AKL, I love them so much.

I tried an actual chicken plate once from the Mara and found it so-so...but it was just a personal thing, because it wasn't like it wasn't cooked well. Just wasn't my thing. I wasn't crazy about the appetizers in the concierge lounge, which I heard were from Boma. I like the Epcot area the best for food, to be honest. My son liked Jiko...he had pizza from the children's menu. We spend a lot of time at AK and eat there more than at the resort. I'm not a big eater, and since it is just me and my son, I drink stuff like slim fast for breakfast and lunch and don't have a lot of experience with the restaurants I know...weird

 

[juliesue]

Mara is okay. Like OP said, if you have to eat there multiple times everyday, the food would get old in a hurry. So, be sure to plan your adventure so that you can eat in the parks and other resorts too.

BOMA is a fantastic restaurant. My 8 yo DS is the pickiest eater on the planet and he loves it. For some reason, the mac and cheese there must be better than anywhere else in WDW (LOL!) The atmosphere and food make this a MUST for us every trip.

Jiko is very nice and very pricey. With my 2 picky eaters, no way would I pay for them to go there. My DH and I went there when kids were at Simbas Cubhouse, and we have an excellent meal and a very nice evening "out".

 

[ReninDetroit]

Jiko and Boma are two of WDW's best restaurants. Especially Jiko.

The breakfast is the only meal I liked at the Mara. If you do go there for breakfast, you HAVE to get something that comes with a biscuit. They are ginger lemon flavored, and after having one I went back and ate 3 more. lol

They are REALLY good.

Jiko has the best wine list in all of WDW, after *maybe* Victoria and Alberts. And the service is truly exceptional. I'd have to say it's my favorite fine dining restaurant in WDW. The atmosphere is stunning too. Especially after dark.

I had a great glass of wine the first time I went there, and when I came back 3 nights later they remembered and brought me the same one with my water. It was really cool. The waiter said that the other waitress had told him how much I loved that wine a few nights ago.

 

[mamalle]

do you need PS for Boma?

 

[CoolDisneyCat]

We enjoy the food at Mara a great deal. They have a wonderful roasted chicken sandwich on delicious pretzel bread. I would not recommend eating there once or twice a day though.. but then I wouldn't say eat anywhere that often. There are so many great choices at WDW, we love to eat all over the World.

If you are going to Boma or Jiko, be sure to get a PS. Both stay busy all year long.