Why is choosing Boma so hard for us?

[RainK]

I know people either seem to love or hate Boma but I am really eager to see the AKL and figure getting my family there for dinner will do the trick.

But, I am very weary that there will be nothing for my DH and kids to eat(to their liking that is).

Are the "meats" comparable to any other restaurant on Disney property? I am trying to get a grasp on the spices they use to make sure my family doesn't kill me after.

Also, since we will go to AKL after AK......what time do the buses stop picking up and dropping off at AK after close? If park closes at 6 and our dinner is at 6....say, at 7:30, will there be a bus at AKL that will take us back to AK and then a bus to POP?

 

[Nadjalu]

Yes people either love or hate this place.

For us it was a hate. But not because the food was bad, it was simply the spices they use weren't for us.

I did lots of research on the "spices" and didn't really find out what they were before we went and I was sorry.
So I try and tell people exactly what we experienced that way you can make your decision if it is for you.

The spices are not "hot" spices, like chilis and pepper. Rather they use sweet spices, like cinnamon, vanillas and fruits in ALL the dishes.
Everything has a very distinct sweet taste to it. The meats (yes the beef, chicken at the carving station all had a cinnamon rub/taste to it). I can eat any kind of beef but that wasn't for me I will be honest.
The sides, potatoes, soups even the veggies had sweetness to them.
I had an overwhelming experience, it was like eating a Christmas dessert for dinner.

We both tried everything trying to find something to eat, but ended up eating nuggest and mac and cheese off the kids buffet. We weren't happy and ended up eating CS once we were back at our resort.

Now if sweets or these spices are for your family then excellent you will love it. But this is the only restaurant I have been at that I couldn't find something I really liked.

As for the buses, depending on when you are done, Ak is probably not the park to head back to to transfer. Whichever park is open is where to go, or DTD, even the TTC.
What we did (as we stayed at POP) is catch the Epcot bus and then transfered to the POP bus there, it was close and convienent.

Good luck with what you decide, and enjoy your trip!!!

 

[Huff]

We love Boma. Excellent food! I didn't find what the above poster said on our visits. They do use some flavorful spices but it varies with the wide variety of foods. Some are sweet spices, others are like curry or various types of tropical fruits. The carved meats didn't have any notable rubs. With the beef they had a selection of sauces to put on it if desired. Theres plenty of breads and desserts as well.

If you have kids who are very picky I think they would still find enough items to enjoy that aren't too unusual. They can also sample a bite or two of other items and see what they like.

 

[curseofcurves]

I definitely agree with Huff on flavors and spicing.

The chicken, pork, and steak are fairly "normal" if you don't add the various sauces they offer. I didn't notice any strangely spiced rubs on them. There was the basic mixed greens salad in the midst of all the exotic ones. There was watermelon, pineapple, melons, and grapes if I remember correctly. They have multiple flavors of hummus and 3-5 types of soups. The "children's" section included chicken, mac n' cheese, regular pasta, and fries I think. The "Mealy bread" is a slightly sweet cornbread. For dessert there were cookies and brownies amidst all the other absolutely amazing, but less standard goodies.

It really depends on what your family will eat. Try searching for reviews and menus to give yourself a better idea of the things they will be serving on a typical night. Yes, there are several things there that are sweetly flavored. I don't particularly like sweet soups and meats, but there were tons of things there that I really really loved. The steak, salmon, mealy bread, couscous, and a couple of the soups just to name a few. I will likely eat at Boma every time I go to Disney. (If it weren't a 7 hour drive, I'd eat there more!)

If you're feeling adventurous and are willing to say "Oh well, we tried it" if it isn't a hit.... then go for it.

 

[natebenma]

We love Boma. Even my very picky 12 year old has enjoyed the two meals we had here. He is a beef eater and liked the roast. I can't remember if there were a lot of spices, but the mustard sauce was served on the side.

I have included a link to my review with lots of pictures, http://www.disboards.com/showpost.php?p=38932829&postcount=320

I guess I don't have a photo of the kids' selections, but there were chicken nuggets and macaroni and cheese. Pasta with tomato sauce on the side, too, I think.

You may want to consider the "difficulty" in getting there when you are deciding to book. If you have your own car, it shouldn't be a problem. We don't drive while at Disney, so we rely on the bus system. We need to creatively plan our trip there. The last two years we have gone to Boma following an afternoon at Blizzard Beach (bus to AKL), and to return to our resort (Beach Club), we took the bus to Hollywood Studios, enjoyed a few attractions, and walked back to the BC when we were finished. You are ok if you are going to Boma from/to one of the theme parks.

 

[stitchaholic]

boma is definitly the best buffet on disney property, our first year we went I would have never considered it, after reading tons of reviews of this place I decided to bite the bullet and try it, I was hesitant because I do not like indian food or spices and i thought african food would be similar, I also had 2 picky eaters with me.
we left Boma stuffed, all 3 of us, the food was amazing and there is planty of choices, the service was wonderful and the resort is absolutly gorgeous.
Boma is a must do for us now, it is also the reason why we will be staying at AKV this summer

 

[Tosie]

There are 2 "eat anything" people, one picky person, and one food allergic person in our party.

We LOVE Boma and eat there on most of our trips. I like the meats personally and some of the side dishes are delicious. (I am the picky one).

Our dd (the food allergic) has had the chefs make her something she's enjoyed every time.

Have you considered breakfast there? You may find more familiar foods and still be able to see AKL. We love breakfast there (dd still talks about the special pancakes that were made for her!)

 

[stargazertechie]

I am BEYOND picky when it comes to food- I don't eat sandwiches, salads, foods that touch, casseroles, dressings, or sauces. I LOVE Boma and could eat there every day of my trip.

 

[chocolateMinnie]

also love it, we have four diverse eaters, myself and DS are fairly adventurous but he hates salad and I love them, DH is a traditional meat and two veg man and DD is the picky child (fruit, meat, chocolate is about it.)

Plenty to choose from, meat is unspiced when carved but other spicy fish etc is available. Kids selection is chicken tenders, fries, macaroni cheese. Hummus and salads and soups are great. Good selection of (plain) fruits. Awesome puddings for me and DS but for the plain Jane's in our family there are two cooked puddings with custard for DH and a selection of cookies for DD.

The wine flight and cocktails are great too. We have booked to visit AKL this trip mainly based on Boma

 

[DavidNYC]

One of our favorites as well (the curry chicken or seafood chowder to this day is one of the best things I've had in any restaurant).

Unless you're someone who only likes bland food - I think you'll find something. Most stuff is very flavorful but there are definitely different types of flavors. I completely disagree about everything being sweet. At worst, the carved meats without any of the side sauses or chutneys are fairly normal. The rubs used on those are no more than you'd find at many good restaurants.

 

[mollygirl13]

We love Boma!!

DH and I are not adventurous eaters. However, we LOVE Boma. There is something for everyone-meat, soups, salads, sides, desserts.

By judging on the dinner crowd there in early December, I'd say most people find it to be enjoyable!!

 

[pmaurer74]

We LOVED Boma's and my husband is a very picky eater. What we liked was not worrying if we liked something, we didn't waste a meal on it. I liked being able to try different things. The salmon was awesome there was also mac n cheese, nuggets and meatballs so there is plenty of food for everyone.

 

[allonte]

We loved it. Even the pickiest eaters in our group loved it. Try it out and be open!

 

[Lehuaann]

Yes people either love or hate this place.

For us it was a hate. But not because the food was bad, it was simply the spices they use weren't for us.

I did lots of research on the "spices" and didn't really find out what they were before we went and I was sorry.
So I try and tell people exactly what we experienced that way you can make your decision if it is for you.

The spices are not "hot" spices, like chilis and pepper. Rather they use sweet spices, like cinnamon, vanillas and fruits in ALL the dishes.
Everything has a very distinct sweet taste to it. The meats (yes the beef, chicken at the carving station all had a cinnamon rub/taste to it). I can eat any kind of beef but that wasn't for me I will be honest.
The sides, potatoes, soups even the veggies had sweetness to them.
I had an overwhelming experience, it was like eating a Christmas dessert for dinner.

We both tried everything trying to find something to eat, but ended up eating nuggest and mac and cheese off the kids buffet. We weren't happy and ended up eating CS once we were back at our resort.

Now if sweets or these spices are for your family then excellent you will love it. But this is the only restaurant I have been at that I couldn't find something I really liked.

As for the buses, depending on when you are done, Ak is probably not the park to head back to to transfer. Whichever park is open is where to go, or DTD, even the TTC.
What we did (as we stayed at POP) is catch the Epcot bus and then transfered to the POP bus there, it was close and convienent.

Good luck with what you decide, and enjoy your trip!!!

Ditto.

...btw, we love Jiko.

 

[BEASLYBOO]

I love Boma and so does my son(14), he loved it even when he was 6. Though I do agree the spices and flavorings can turn off some people, I've always found that there are enough generic other choices that even picky eaters would have more than enough to be satisfied.

There are enough chicken nuggets, spaghetti, french fries, cakes, cookies to satisfy any child and adult for that matter and they have no African flair whatsoever.

The roast beef featured every night is plain, un-seasoned.

I think anyone who tried it once would find enough to satisfy their appetite and from there could determine whether or not it was worth putting on the do-again list.

 

[Altoqueenkelly]

As for the buses, depending on when you are done, Ak is probably not the park to head back to to transfer. Whichever park is open is where to go, or DTD, even the TTC.
What we did (as we stayed at POP) is catch the Epcot bus and then transfered to the POP bus there, it was close and convienent.

We choose Sanaa because I also want to check out the AKL but I prefer a sit down dinner with more "experience" and I think the viewing of the animals on the Savannah will be perfect for DD(4)

However, we are also staying at pop and what Nadjalu said is exactly what you will do to get back to POP, you wont board the AK bus since the park is closed, you will board another park bus and then switch to POP bus when you get there.

 

[marcyinPA]

Another BOMA lover...

We are fairly adventurous, with the exception of my youngest DS. That said, we didn't find the food to be adventurous at all! It was delicious, but it wasn't "out there". My youngest had no problems finding food to eat and we all walked out of there full!

What I have learned over my many trips to Disney is that you HAVE to try restaurants for yourself. The reviews on here are somewhat helpful, but I would never skip a restaurant based upon reviews. You won't know if YOU like it until you try it!!!

 

[mollygirl13]

Another BOMA lover...

We are fairly adventurous, with the exception of my youngest DS. That said, we didn't find the food to be adventurous at all! It was delicious, but it wasn't "out there". My youngest had no problems finding food to eat and we all walked out of there full!

What I have learned over my many trips to Disney is that you HAVE to try restaurants for yourself. The reviews on here are somewhat helpful, but I would never skip a restaurant based upon reviews. You won't know if YOU like it until you try it!!!

Very, very true!! I would never skip a restaurant because of someone else's opinion.

 

[Kelsey In Wonderland]

Another Boma lover here. I love it so much that I'm planning on going twice on my next trip! After going there on my past two trips I have fallen in love with AKL and am now planning on staying there in 2012. Boma though is awesome and this is coming from a pretty picky eater. I am a meat lover, but I am not an adventurous eater AT ALL. I love Boma and think they have a great array of choices that are absolutely delicious. I think Boma has some of the best sauces and dressings as well.

 

[asdfghjkl13]

Boma is my favorite buffet in wdw. There is a huge variety and I have a picky family and we all LOVE it.