Jiko?

[disneydreamin247]

I was looking at the menu and would LOVE to eat there but I am curious as to what the atmosphere is like. I know it's Disney, but is it child friendly? Is it a very quiet place?

 

[Pakey]

I was looking at the menu and would LOVE to eat there but I am curious as to what the atmosphere is like. I know it's Disney, but is it child friendly? Is it a very quiet place?

Jiko is beautiful, fairly darkly lit atmosphere. Its always been very quiet when we have dined here. Dinners are generally fairly slow paced and relaxing. Quiet and well behaved children are welcome.

 

[disneyfan62]

I was looking at the menu and would LOVE to eat there but I am curious as to what the atmosphere is like. I know it's Disney, but is it child friendly? Is it a very quiet place?

hello we had the pleasure of eating at Jiko's last October, we loved it so much we made it a point to go a few weeks ago on our Disney vacation. Jiko has a wonderful, warm & inviting atmosphere. It is our favorite Disney dining experience. Both times overall was quiet even though there were children dining. We had a great server named Darlene this time, she made us feel right at home & had a great sense of humor too! we were a party of two & no one sat around us till we were almost done with our meal..it was awesome

 

[Hopefully]

Jiko is a beautiful restaurant. It is quiet and rather dimly lit. On our last trip we had dinner here and shared a bottle of South African wine recommended by our server. That evening I did not see any children in the restaurant. We had a wonderful, relaxed, romantic meal.
I have also been with my then 4 & 6 yo Grand children. They live in the DC area and are accoustimed to eating in nice restaurants. They know what is expected of them and they are very well behaved.
Well behaved children who can sit through a 2 - 2 1/2 hour dining experience are certainly welcome. That said, there are many more restaurants in WDW more geared toward children.
Have a Great Trip

 

[disneydreamin247]

I think we'll have to skip this one. I wouldn't want to interrupt anyone's meal if DS has an "Autism moment". Hopefully on another trip. It is definitely a place I'd like to try.

 

[MickeyNicki]

We went to Jiko last month for my birthday and it was the most incredible meal ever. We had 5:30 ressies, the restaurant was very bright and beautiful, we sat by the windows so I guess that is why it was so bright

We were there for almost 2 hours and did not see any children there the entire time but at the host desk they do have a huge basket of crayons and coloring pages so I am sure it is a kid friendly place

 

[girli565]

Try the ostrich, it's delicious!!

 

[Mr Stoat]

We went 3 weeks ago and found the menu very "pared back" on what it used to be. Noticably little african theming now. Go to the flying Fish Cafe instead.

 

[Ron from Michigan]

We love Jiko. Along with California Grill it is our favorite place to dine at WDW. We love it so much that we ate there twice last month. It is child friendly and very quite for the most part. They have a fantastic South African wine list.

 

[the who #3]

i just came back from a beautiful week at the animal kingdom villa. we went on the sunset safari which included a meal at jiko. the meal was served family style with a large portion of almost everything on the menu. it was all just fantastic. some kind of fish that was out of this world!!!. there were several children in the group that left before the end of the meal. the food may not have been to their liking or maybe there was something else they wanted to be doing at that time. they did not serve the kids things (mac & cheese or fries). the restaurant atmosphere and service was great for any age. some parents do not want to pay those prices for the children's food knowing that the children may not like those items. the seasonings are a little different but not at all too strong. we loved it.

that being said. my grandson and i had dinner there about 6 yrs ago and we did not like the food. the food was very highly seasoned and just not suitable to our taste buds. it seems to be very different now. i truely loved every bite and every moment with the serving staff and the other guests.

 

[onelilspark]

I'm a big fan of Jiko and I think it's more child friendly the earlier you dine. My friend and I ate at 8pm and didn't see one child in the restaurant that was considered a "child" by Disney standards. And I think when we left there weren't any "children" that weren't teens.

 

[CamColt]

I was under the impression it wasn't child friendly but thought my kids are old enough to try it. We went this summer at about 6:30/7:00 on a Saturday and almost every table in the place had kids. I ws very suprised. I wouldnt hesitate to bring kids there.

 

[mommy22pumpkins]

This is now on our list of top three restaurants. Along with Narcoose's and California Grill. The ambience is wonderful very relaxing. But one word of advice go with the signature dish of steak and mac and cheese. This was TDF! I made the mistake of getting Tanglewood Chicken and was very disappointed.

Hope you enjoy your meal whatever you decide!

 

[TifffanyD]

Jiko was the bomb! I was scared of eating here but booked it as a surprise for my DF's birthday. He didn't think I would've booked it because it was quite adventurous for me. The service was awesome. They presented DF with a bday card (he was wearing his pin) and treated us great. I asked to sub the mac n cheese for veggies cause I heard it was so good and they had no problem with that. (Unlike the lady at the other table who wanted to sub an uncompatible sauce. I may be picky but I'm not *that* difficult). It was quiet and barely lit. We went at opening when it was empty and only when we were leaving did I realize it had filled. They also presented DF with a complimentary bday dessert of creme brulee. I would definitely recommend this!

I saw some kids there. I'm not sure if they liked it, wasn't paying attention to them. There is a dress code but people don't adhere to it. Altho I would have felt out of place in jean shorts like some - oh well

 

[Inkmahm]

I think we'll have to skip this one. I wouldn't want to interrupt anyone's meal if DS has an "Autism moment". Hopefully on another trip. It is definitely a place I'd like to try.

Ah, I woudlnt' worry about it! Don't skip a meal because a child might act up. If DS needs to calm down, you can always walk him outside to the pool area that is right there. It's a great restaurant, your DS will probably love it! Tell him to keep an eye on the back wall- it changes colors during your meal. My nephew loved announcing ever new color.

 

[kirrrby]

My family and I had the pleasure of having Christmas Day dinner at Jiko. The atmosphere is pleasant, the food is very good.

We still love Jiko even after having a family sit near us, they had two adorable twin girls, one was very quietly sitting in her seat, the other was throwing macaroni and cheese at everyone in a 4 ft distance. She was screaming and yelling when her parents told her to sit down.

 

[Disneyfriend]

We were just there last week, and there were several families with very young children. No problem. My littles ones happened to stay with our teens that night, but I would have felt comfortable bringing our little ones there. I would say that any reasonable behavior from children would be completely ok there. Quiet/moderate talking and laughing would be absolutely fine . . . food throwing/yelling/major tantrums would not be.

But to give you an example, we saw one family with a wiggly 15 month old girl. They spent the whole dinner walking her quietly around the restaurant. The other diners just smiled at them; nobody was at all bothered by that. We all understood.

So the bottom line is that it's more sedate/quieter than, say, Chef Mickey's, but not nearly as formal as Victoria & Albert's.

HTH.

 

[Wendi2000]

I think we'll have to skip this one. I wouldn't want to interrupt anyone's meal if DS has an "Autism moment". Hopefully on another trip. It is definitely a place I'd like to try.

Just to throw this one out there... I don't know your son and what sets him off, but mine is more likely to have his "moments" when he is overwhelmed and overstimulated. This generally means harsh lighting, loudness, lots of activity and sensory input all around him. He is actually more relaxed at places like Jiko, where the lighting is a little lower and calming, and the atmosphere is more quiet and cozy. I'm a single mom, so it's not easy to get up and take a walk without anyone else to leave at the table, but if you are traveling with someone other than your child this is a great place to take a quick break to go out to look at the savanna or have a quick run around outside to "stim" for a few minutes and get it out of his system before going back inside.

I personally don't think meltdowns are fun at any restaurant, so I don't know why people seem to think they're more out of place when they're spending more money for their meals... I like to try to prevent those moments from happening, and often times they will happen at a wild, noisy restaurant where the mood is hectic, but not at the places where they seem to drink in their surroundings and be more at ease with the environment.

 

[disneydreamin247]

Thanks everyone. I guess we can make an ADR, hope for the best and plan for the worst, right?

Just to throw this one out there... I don't know your son and what sets him off, but mine is more likely to have his "moments" when he is overwhelmed and overstimulated. This generally means harsh lighting, loudness, lots of activity and sensory input all around him. He is actually more relaxed at places like Jiko, where the lighting is a little lower and calming, and the atmosphere is more quiet and cozy. I'm a single mom, so it's not easy to get up and take a walk without anyone else to leave at the table, but if you are traveling with someone other than your child this is a great place to take a quick break to go out to look at the savanna or have a quick run around outside to "stim" for a few minutes and get it out of his system before going back inside.

I personally don't think meltdowns are fun at any restaurant, so I don't know why people seem to think they're more out of place when they're spending more money for their meals... I like to try to prevent those moments from happening, and often times they will happen at a wild, noisy restaurant where the mood is hectic, but not at the places where they seem to drink in their surroundings and be more at ease with the environment.

I'm in the same boat- single mom, traveling alone. We had an overstimulated dinner Les Chefs last trip, but the people around us were very understanding (even with our tables so close it felt like we were sitting together) and it was a bit noisy in there so it wasn't that bad. DS is both a seeker AND avoider which can be complicated at times. It's often hard to predict how he's going to react. He likes to keep me on my toes.

 

[Whipperwhirl]

Im sending my kids to Simbas so we can enjoy this one alone!