Jiko vs. Boma?

[CJ]

DH & I really want to check out the AK Lodge on our upcoming trip. So my plan is after touring Animal Kingdom until the 5:00mp closing time, we'll take the bus to AKL and look around. We'll eat dinner there and then head to MK for the evening extra magic hours.

Would we enjoy Jiko or Boma more? We do prefer sit down restaurants over buffets normally, but we've never been to either.... so which would you all recommend?

 

[kathie859]

Comparing Boma to Jiko's is truly apples to oranges. The Boma experience is buffet style with a wide variety of usual and unusual offerings. It's louder and larger than Jiko's.
Jiko's is a wonderful sit down experience--it's not an eat and run sort of place and it's significantly more expensive.

I enjoy both experiences. It's just that even though they are side by side in location--the dining is very different. You may be more comfortable in your "park" clothes at Boma which is less formal.

Have fun planning and check out the menus on allears.net. That may help you decide.

 

[myweegirls]

I completely agree with your first responder! We stayed at AKL with our DDs last month. We ate at both - Boma with the girls and Jiko for a date night.

Jiko is a signature restaurant, and, while we were very impressed with the depth of the kids' menu (we asked to see one before we left), I'm glad we had some couple time there for our first visit. It would definitely be on my list to go with the girls next time, though.

Boma's buffet has wonderful, interesting foods with a few nods to those who don't want to venture too far down that path. I fell in love with the passion fruit panna cotta - even more so than the zebra domes! - and we all ate very well that evening, with even the girls taking seconds on many items.

I think your decision comes down to which type of experience you prefer. Boma will be less expensive and will give you a ton of variety. Jiko will be quieter (although we didn't find noise a problem at Boma) and a more intimate experience.

Maybe just do both.

XO
Liz

 

[CJ]

Thanks for the responses. I think we would prefer the quieter sit down atmosphere of Jiko. But will we be too consipicuous in "theme park" clothing (mind you we're both over 50, so it will be tasteful none the less )?

 

[DISNEYNV]

AKL is my most favorite resort, but Boma was not a winner in the sit down to a great dinner category! Kilo ALL the way Enjoy the resort and your dinning experience!

 

[grace&philipsmom]

People often range from theme park clothes to dress casual (at least when we were there). Jiko is delish!

 

[jdisnut]

Both restaurants rank among my favorite on property, but they are too different to make a fair comparison. They cater to different audiences. Boma is a buffet geared toward families. Jiko is one of the finest dining establishments Disney has to offer.

If it's just you and your husband, I recommend Jiko if you can afford it. My girlfriend and I celebrated our college graduation there last month and adored each moment of the experience.

As for attire, there is a loosely enforced dress code prohibiting flip flops and tank tops, but I doubt you'll have an issue. For men, nice shorts and short sleeves are fine. I can't speak about women. Your clothing is too complicated.

 

[cbg1027]

As a few pp's said, you can't compare them because they are different ball games. I like both a lot, so I don't think you can go wrong with either one.

If you want to splurge, go with Jiko.

If you want to keep it cheaper, go with Boma.

 

[TillyMarigold]

I love all 3 restaurants there for different reasons, so I want to put in a plug for Sanaa, which is at Kidani Village. It's more Indian than African food, themed like an outdoor market, with floor to ceiling windows through which you can see the savannah.

I'd say probably on a scale of 1 to 10, I'd give Jiko a 9.5, Sanaa a 9, and Boma an 8 *if* you eat late enough that it's no longer crowded and noisy (or if you don't mind crowds/noise).

 

[Golf4food]

Jiko, definitely, if you enjoy a sit down full service dinner. It is fantastic. Our favorite WDW restaurant (pending a trip to Victoria & Alberts in December, haha). You can read a full review in my September 2009 dining review linked in my signature.

 

[Deb & Bill]

We just ate at Jiko on Wednesday and it was very good. When our server, Ron, asked us if we had eaten there before, we told him, no, just at Boma. He said that Boma had a more ethnic range of foods than Jiko. But the menu at Jiko was very good. My husband had the lamb loin and he thought it was perfect. My son and I both had the Oak Grilled Filet Mignon and they were also excellent.

So if you like Signature Dining, eat at Jiko. If you want a wider range of ethnic choices, eat at Boma.

And then there is always Sanaa at Kidani Village if you want to try a third one.

 

[DisneyCruiser2008]

Thanks for the responses. I think we would prefer the quieter sit down atmosphere of Jiko. But will we be too consipicuous in "theme park" clothing (mind you we're both over 50, so it will be tasteful none the less )?

we ate there last night and there were many people in theme park attire... So I think you will be fine. We had a lovely time. And the food was delish!

 

[Grendalynn]

just booked Boma today, but thinkinh i will re look at jiko and boma...

 

[tortoni]

We've eaten at both and enjoyed Jiko more. Very nice atmosphere and the food was quite good. We found the food at Boma interesting, but it was noisy and we do not like getting up and down for the buffet. We did not dress up for JIko, casual is fine.