Tiffins of Jiko on AK Park Day

[BrianMcG]

My fiancee and I are taking a trip mid-Oct to WDW and have 4 day single-park tickets. Right now, the plan is to spend the Friday at AK and we currently have a 5PM ADR for Tiffins. The logic behind this choice is that we wanted to have a great dinner, but did not want to risk leaving the park early for an ADR and not getting to do everything we wanted at AK.

However, I am having second thoughts as I read more and more glowing reviews of Jiko. Do you tihnk it is worth it to drop our 5PM Tiffins ADR and book a later ADR (8ish) at Jiko? To give a little more context, we are staying at POFQ and here our other ADRs for our trip:

Tues: Fly-in late afternoon, 9PM dinner at Cali Grill for Halowishes fireworks
Wed: EPCOT- no ADRS, plan on stuffing ourselves throughout the day on F&W
Thurs: MK and MNSSHP- 11:20 BOG Lunch, 4PM Ohana early dinner
Fri: AK- Tiffins or Jiko?
Sat: Universal- 8:30PM Boathouse Dinner

Appreciate any thoughts!

 

[4fordisneyworld]

This is a tough one! We are pretty die hard Jiko fans. That being said, we tried Tiffins for the first time our past trip and I am sold! We are going back in a few weeks and I chose Tiffins for my birthday dinner. The service was absolutely fantastic and their food is incredible. I cannot speak for desserts at either location, as we rarely make it to that course because the food is so wonderful and filling at either place. Not sure that helped much! Enjoy whatever you choose

 

[BEASLYBOO]

Do you tihnk it is worth it to drop our 5PM Tiffins ADR and book a later ADR (8ish) at Jiko? !

Yes, absolutely. Jiko's one of my top 3!

 

[Moliphino]

I haven't been to Jiko, but Tiffins is great. The Wagyu beef has been a highlight of two trips so far.

 

[BrianMcG]

This is a tough one! We are pretty die hard Jiko fans. That being said, we tried Tiffins for the first time our past trip and I am sold! We are going back in a few weeks and I chose Tiffins for my birthday dinner. The service was absolutely fantastic and their food is incredible. I cannot speak for desserts at either location, as we rarely make it to that course because the food is so wonderful and filling at either place. Not sure that helped much! Enjoy whatever you choose

Yes, absolutely. Jiko's one of my top 3!

I haven't been to Jiko, but Tiffins is great. The Wagyu beef has been a highlight of two trips so far.

Thanks for the input!

Haha it seems like a tough decision to make, but at least I'm choosing between two great options it seems.

If I stick with Tiffins, is it possible to upgrade my existing ADR to the ROL dining package? I tried making a new reservation online but it told me to call. We are paying out of pocket and do not really care too much about ROL, but the cost of the package for an app, dinner, and dessert still seems like it may be worth it.

 

[KenHutch]

This is an easy one Jiko. This is the one restaurant I force my family to go to every trip. They have their favorites like Ohana. But I truly love this place.

 

[MomOTwins]

I don't like to waste time on my park days shuttling to a hotel and back. Keep Tiffins. We had equally great meals at Tiffins and Jiko. Also, the Tiffins location is super convenient for strolling around Pandora at dark and taking in the sights.

 

[Pygoplites]

They're both really good. I don't think I would want to cut my only AK day short to leave the park and eat at Jiko; you especially don't want to miss Pandora at night. Could you do lunch at Tiffin and then have a late-night dinner at Jiko?

My choice would be lunch at Tiffins (maybe with with the ROL package), see ROL and Pandora at night, and then go to Jiko for a late dinner. Since you're paying OOP, you could just split a few things at Jiko if you don't want a huge meal late at night. I think their small dishes are better than the entrees, anyway. You could probably get seats at the "cooking place" counter, which offers great interaction with the chefs.

 

[BrianMcG]

They're both really good. I don't think I would want to cut my only AK day short to leave the park and eat at Jiko; you especially don't want to miss Pandora at night. Could you do lunch at Tiffin and then have a late-night dinner at Jiko?

My choice would be lunch at Tiffins (maybe with with the ROL package), see ROL and Pandora at night, and then go to Jiko for a late dinner. Since you're paying OOP, you could just split a few things at Jiko if you don't want a huge meal late at night. I think their small dishes are better than the entrees, anyway. You could probably get seats at the "cooking place" counter, which offers great interaction with the chefs.

I love this idea, but doing two signature meals in one day may be a little too expensive for our budget. In either case, I think we would opt for a late dinner at Jiko so we can experience Pandora at night. If we go with Jiko, we would probably just do a QS lunch. Currently the posted hours have AK closing at 8PM that night.

Right now I'm weighing the decision to keep the 4PM Tiffins ADR and be able to get back to POFQ to get a full night sleep or suck it up and do a late night Jiko meal and probably uber back to the hotel. The next day we are planning to rope drop and do both Universal Parks. The Universal day is also our last full day so chances are we will probably appreciate the extra rest.

Has anyone been to Jiko recently that can speak any truth to the rumors that Jiko's quality has gone down in recent months? Not that I have any prior experience (this is my first trip to WDE in 15+ years and last time I was probably about 12), but a lot of the glowing reviews I've heard have come from the DIS podcasts and it seems like they haven't been since the iold chef went to the CG.

 

[gharter]

I love both restaurants. If you were going to leave the park for the day, going to Jiko would make sense. I would not leave the park, eat at jiko and then return to the park.
We spent a little over 90 minutes for our meal at Tiffins. We always spend 2 hours or more at Jiko, if that matters.
We ate at Jiko last fall and did not notice any difference. Still very good.
Tiffins is very casual as its in the park. Jiko is definitely dressier.

 

[loves to dive]

Not a hard one at all for us, Tiffins. It is one of two restaurants on property that we will and have eaten at more than once. We like to try new places so don't like to repeat but we love Tiffins and will eat there for the third time in May. We have eaten at Jikos and it was a one and done for us. The food was o.k., the service was o.k. but neither good enough to justify the cost or the trouble of getting there.

 

[KevM]

I haven’t eaten at Jiko’s. But eat at Tiffins for the first time this past trip and loved it.

 

[BrianMcG]

I love both restaurants. If you were going to leave the park for the day, going to Jiko would make sense. I would not leave the park, eat at jiko and then return to the park.
We spent a little over 90 minutes for our meal at Tiffins. We always spend 2 hours or more at Jiko, if that matters.
We ate at Jiko last fall and did not notice any difference. Still very good.
Tiffins is very casual as its in the park. Jiko is definitely dressier.

Yeah if we go to Jiko, it would definitely be for a late dinner after park close. As it is our only day at AK, we want to get as much park time as possible. My biggest concern I tihnk is how late we might be getting back to French Quarter from Jiko.

Not a hard one at all for us, Tiffins. It is one of two restaurants on property that we will and have eaten at more than once. We like to try new places so don't like to repeat but we love Tiffins and will eat there for the third time in May. We have eaten at Jikos and it was a one and done for us. The food was o.k., the service was o.k. but neither good enough to justify the cost or the trouble of getting there.

This is good to hear. It seems like there are lots of people on this board that swear by both Jiko and Tiffins. I'm thinking Tiffins will probably be our choice due to the convience factor of already being at the AK and we'll save Jiko for a return trip.

I guess I should just stick with what I have booked and worry less about what I may be missing out on. Easier said then done when your stuck at your desk on a Friday and daydreaming about WDW.

Thanks for all the feedback!

 

[ENJDisneyFan]

Debating this exact same thing! Except we'll be staying at AKL so it makes the decision even harder.

 

[Sugardimples]

I would pick Tiffin's. It's a great restaurant, and it's right there in the AK. No reason to leave to go to Jiko. Go to Jiko another time.

 

[holden]

Tiffins is excellent. Jiko is one of our favorites, but if I was in the park already, I'd choose Tiffins.

Another option is Nomad lounge (adjacent to Tiffins). It's our go to lunch place in AK.

 

[Nancyg56]

I don't like to waste time on my park days shuttling to a hotel and back. Keep Tiffins. We had equally great meals at Tiffins and Jiko. Also, the Tiffins location is super convenient for strolling around Pandora at dark and taking in the sights.

I agree. If there were no options I woudl leave the park, but Tiffins is excellent and offers more than dinner. The restaurant itself is an homage to teh imagineers and craftsmen who created DAK. The artwork is wonderful and offers a glance into the background of this wonderful park. If you have more time and want to relax longer, stroll out to Nomads, which is a comfortable resort from a long day at the park.

 

[jacknsally19]

Jiko is good but the conveniece factor is IMHO a big issue.

I have eaten at both and for me Tiffins is the one I have repeated and plan on going back on our next trip. I say Tiffins.... plus Pandora is beautiful at night! You will want to enjoy it.