Dinner 1st night at AKL

[amandaluvsgoofy]

We're spending our first night at AKL (no parks that day) and I thought a dinner would be fun there! Any recommendations/preferences? We were thinking Boma, or I've heard good things about Sanaa. What do you think?
TIA!

 

[casjen]

I LOVE Boma. It is a buffet though and you will be in line and it is kind of loud. But the food is great and we love to try new things. My DH especially loves all the new foods. My boys happily eat the kids offerings and my adventurous eater tries new things to. It's a must do for us on a trip b/c it is just so different from any food choices we have at home.

We are planning to try Sanaa this trip to see how that is.

 

[Pakey]

Boma has great variety but Sanaa has a much better atmosphere and very good food. Boma is a buffet if that makes a difference; it might be nice for you to have your food delivered since you have a little one.

Depending on the time you eat, Sanaa offers a nice view of the animals on the savannah (before dark).

I like the food about the same at both places but I really prefer the calming TS at Sanaa over the hectic buffet at Boma.

 

[daisyduck123]

We've had dinner at Sanaa twice. We enjoyed both meals, but won't return anytime soon. We will try Jiko next (we've done Boma already as well).

 

[ryanmcin]

We've had Boma and Jiko quite a few times (6-8) over the years and we had Sanaa twice on our last trip.

Boma is by far the best buffet at WDW and I think Jiko is my favorite restaurant at WDW, but, Sanaa is amazing. When you compare the price, quality and atmosphere I think Sanaa is possibly the best all-around restaurant at WDW. Both times we ate there we were very impressed by the service and food, and the prices are very reasonable considering where you are. Unless I really wanted to stuff myself full of food I would have a hard time picking Boma over Sanaa.

 

[sissy_ib]

We had dinner at Boma and loved it. It was hectic and loud but we had a great time and the food was fantastic. We will be going back for sure.
We ordered lunch from room service one day but the food came from Sanaa. It was possibly the best meal we had WDW. If I could only pick one I'm not sure what I would chose!

 

[OhThePain]

Since it is your first day and you probably did some traveling in the morning and would rather have a more relaxing meal, I would go with Sanaa. I know the thought of doing a buffet on the first night makes me cringe.

Another option, if you wanted, would be to leave the little one with the babysitting service at AKL and enjoy a quiet, adult only, kick-off dinner at Jiko.

 

[amandaluvsgoofy]

Thanks for the tips everyone!
I should have been more specific, but it'll just be DH and me, so taking a little one around won't be an issue!
Part of me is leaning towards Boma just for the variety, but a nice sit-down meal sounds good too....

 

[OhThePain]

Thanks for the tips everyone!
I should have been more specific, but it'll just be DH and me, so taking a little one around won't be an issue!
Part of me is leaning towards Boma just for the variety, but a nice sit-down meal sounds good to....

Then I would totally go with Jiko. A drink or 2, quiet relaxed setting, great food after a day of travel.

 

[Diz Kids]

If it is just the two of you I would recommend Sanaa. We just returned from AKL and ate at all of the restaurants. We enjoyed our meals at all of them, but comparing value, service and food Sanaa was our favorite.

 

[laughinplace199]

I've heard good things about Sanaa and I love Boma, so I'd look at the menus and see which one appeals to you the most. I don't think you can go wrong with either one.

 

[gillep]

DH and I have been to all three recently and they are all really wonderful restaurants. I choose between the three based on the atmosphere I am going for that evening.

The buffet atmosphere of Boma is definately its only turn off as that place is usually quite loud and hectic. My only other issue with Boma was that the table for 2 are really small for a buffet, DH and I were splitting a wine flight and had individual glasses of water plus we each had a bowl of soup and a small plate of food after our first time up and we realized that it just was not going to work out well. Our server was also really good but there were a few times our plates weren't completely cleared before we came back from the buffet and that made the small table situation even more interesting. It wasn't a huge deal at all I just felt a little wierd eating with my soup bowl on my lap. All of the food was really great though I especially loved the soups.

We always love Jiko it is very relaxed and the food is wonderful. Last time we were there I wasn't feeling any of the main courses so I just got the boar appetizer and a side of their wonderful mac and cheese which was just perfect with a glass of South African red wine.

Sanaa was also really nice but if you are planning on eating after it is dark I am not sure how well you can see the animals (DH and I ate lunch there and the viewing was amazing).

Are you also staying at AKL? If so they have free culinary tours each night at 4pm they do Jiko/Boma together and then they also have one at AKV for Sanaa. They tell you a little about the restaurants and give you small samples of the food at each one, we really enjoyed the Jiko/Boma tour.

 

[disney_mommy]

I vote for Boma. I have been to that and Jiko, but not Sanaa, so I can't compare all 3. Of Boma and Jiko, I prefer the casual atmosphere of Boma and liked the food better.

 

[mollygirl13]

My vote is for Boma!

 

[MickeyMark9]

You have to go to Jiko and get the Filet Mignon over Mac-n-cheese! It sounds weird, but is incredible!

 

[mullysisters]

I was at Jiko 5 years ago and had dinner with my sister and her two sons. The meal (my treat) cost me over $300. We all had three courses and DSis and I shared a bottle of (I thought) ordinary wine. I thought the restaurant over priced. Maybe I am just not a connoisseur of good food. I was very unhappy but many people here seem to really love it. The decor is beautiful.
On the other hand, Boma is my favorite restaurant. We have breakfast and dinner here each trip. I am not a huge eater but love the variety.
Last trip we tried Sanaa and found it very nice, but we lived in a large Indian and Pakistani area and were not as impressed as other Disers. The portions are small, but flavourful and nicely presented.
I envy you the choice