Tusker House or Boma or Neither?

[arielmomma]

I would really like to try one of the African-style Buffets. Which one would you prefer? My husband and my son can be pretty picky, especially my husband! Would either of them appeal to the picky eater? Is the food too unusual? What are the seasonings like? If you don't think that either is a particularly good choice, could you please recommend another non-character buffet or family style restaurant that would appeal to both the curious eater (myself) and the picky. Thanks

 

[TotalSnowWhite]

I've never been to Tusker House, but we ate at Boma on our December trip for the first time. Some of it was a little "authentic" for me, but my foodie grandparents liked it. I probably wouldn't return, but I think it's worth a go just to try some interesting dishes.

The staff couldn't have been better, though! They really took care of us. Although it wasn't my "official" birthday dinner, they sent over a wonderful personalized dessert.

 

[Beauty & the Best]

We've been to both.

We wanted to try something different from Boma and liked the Tusker House atmosphere. I would go there again but Boma would be my first choice.

Tusker house has more of your run-of-the-mill buffet stuff for unadverturous eaters so maybe that's a good way to go for you.

Boma has a bigger selection of exotic flavors. They also have potatoes, rice, carved meats and a regular salad bar for people who don't want to experiment. The desserts at Boma are waaaaay better than at Tusker House.

Hope that helps you w/ your decision!

 

[BEASLYBOO]

They are both good but I prefer Boma, it's a bit better than Tuskerhouse as far as amniance and African selections. Now if you were doing Character Breakfast it's gotta be Tuskerhouse all the way!

 

[arielmomma]

Thanks for the responses. I really want to try Boma, but my hubby is a little nervous. Are the roasted meats good and not to oddly spiced?

 

[mommymeg]

I had the same dilema, and didn't know which to choose...

So I booked BOTH!!

My TA highly recommended the Tusker House Donald's safari breakfast... and I've been so curious about Boma... I'm sure even my picky eaters will be able to find something to eat... and I cannot wait to try new things!!!

 

[wilde_oscar]

both have enough choices that even picky eaters can leave full

 

[catne]

we've been to both places for dinner. For picky, non-adventurous eaters, Tusker House for sure...has somewhat exotic choices, but most foods are regular buffet offerings. Boma is mostly "exotic"...VERY exotic. We did not care for it at all and we like many different country's foods including Thai & Moroccon

 

[my3cinderellas]

BOMA!!! It was soo good and there definately is something for everyone.

oddly enough we found the food to be more sweet than spicy.

Deserts were to die for !

 

[MickeyNicki]

We love Boma for breakfast so in Oct we tried dinner there, neither of us liked it because the food was sweet spiced with cinnamon, vanilla etc and it threw my taste buds off...I dont like my meats to taste sweeter than my desserts

I did love the falafel balls with yogurt sauce, man I could eat my weight in those little suckers

 

[maleficentmom]

We like both, sounds like Tusker House is the one for you though. We did Tusker House for lunch and did the reserved seating for the Finding Nemo show...we waltzed right in to great seats. Just ask about the reserved seating pkg. for Nemo when you make res.(it doesn't cost extra, but you have to get the res./time..just like Fantasmic Dining)

 

[Twoboysnmygirl]

Can I pick BOTH?!?!? I loved them both and I thought they had different things to offer at both places but also a variety of "regular" foods that my picky daughter could eat. Well...if they have mac-n-cheese and some fruit, she's good to go!

Our next trip we plan on going to both!

 

[BEASLYBOO]

Thanks for the responses. I really want to try Boma, but my hubby is a little nervous. Are the roasted meats good and not to oddly spiced?

The roast beef is just plain roasted, served medium, rare and well done! No spices at all. The salad bar has different dressing from mild to a little more exciting. Of course, there are the staple chicken nuggets, etc. They have Cous-Cous and other grains that are not typical american staples, that's not to say that they are spicy (they are not) but it's certainly different than what you would see at the Golden Corral.

For really picky eaters who do not like anything remotely ethnic or different then perhaps a more American style buffet would be better.

Personally we love it!

 

[FireDancer]

I agree, can I pick both.

These are my two favorite restaurants at WDW. To answer your question I would go with Tusker House for lunch. First, lunch is less expensive than dinner and Boma doesn't offer lunch. Second, it is in the park so doesn't require a side trip to AKL. Not that the trip is bad because AKL is amazing but it can be inconvenient if you don't have the time set aside.

There is plenty of regular food at both, even some "exotic" food that tastes normal. For example, cous cous is very pasta like so just because you never heard of it doesn't mean it is exotic.

If you go to Tusker for lunch and everyone likes it you could add a Boma dinner later in the trip. It is different enough to still be a good choice even after Tusker but I would make it a few days later.

Plus you get to see AKL.

 

[marvali]

Haven't been to Tusker House, but have an ADR for the character breakfast there on our upcoming trip.

As for Boma, we loved it. DW and I actually did a walkup on our latest trip to eat there a second time (dinner both times, haven't done breakfast there).

I told my DSs the first time that they needed to at least taste some of the "specialty" items on the buffet and not to just blow them off. There were plenty of items for the picky eater to get also, as DS12 tried a few items, but also found the mac and cheese, and chicken nuggets to his liking. Older DSs, DW and I had plenty of the African dishes and enjoyed most of them. The meats are all fire-roasted and delicious. And everyone loved the desserts. As other PPs have mentioned, there are plenty of standard items on the buffet to more than fill everyone in your group.

If you want to see some food porn and read some descriptions and reviews of the food from our trip last summer, I have a link to my TR in my sig. (review on page 1, pics on page 3)

 

[WillCAD]

A lot of the food at Tusker House is right off the Boma menu, but Boma has a larger selection, so I don't think you can go wrong with either place.

I think it's more of a scheduling thing. Pick whichever one works best for your schedule, and if possible, try both, just not on the same day.

Since they are both buffets, I think they're both perfect for picky eaters. Both have some selections that will appeal to the "picky eater" crowd, and you can load up on whatever foods you like the most and still get a great meal, even if you avoid the more unusual dishes.

 

[avspilot69]

I didn't care for Tusker House at all. The food was the same Disney Buffet food. After 4 days of that, I had enough. We might try BOMA next time.

 

[drakes]

Tusker House Character Breakfast was great! Food yummy, Characters fun, Jungle Juice amazing.
We did Tusker House Nemo Pkge for lunch and liked this food as well, the atmosphere was good, service ws great.
This was Jan 2009. The lunch was perfect for a sit down in AK(didn;t need to leave the park).

In Jan 2007 we did a Boma dinner after our AK day. The resort was beautiful - but very dark ! The food we did not find spicy, the service was terrible and gettign the bus back to our resort was even worse! I think we ended up cabbing it home! Sitting in a dark, noisy, busy restaurant does not appeal to me, we will not be going back.

 

[JaxJags08]

We went to Boma for the 1st time last week and left underwhelmed. Something was just too strange about the spices for me - everything was a little too sweet. And I love sweets, but I don't like sweet spices on my entrees. We are definitely adventurous eaters, so the problem isn't that it wasn't "American" enough. The desserts were really good, but not enough for me to go back.