Dining Review: Boma ~ Flavors of Africa

During our last trip to Disney World we had a lot of dining reservations. A lot of them were new to us, but we kept some favorites. One of those favorites is Boma ~ Flavors of Africa at Animal Kingdom Lodge.

In the past, we have had breakfast at Boma and we loved it. After having breakfast there a few times, we decided to try dinner. Glad we did, because we found it just as good as breakfast! Lots to choose from and there was something for everyone. Adventurous eaters will find more to eat, but those that aren’t as adventurous don’t have to worry, there are choices for you too.

Here is the review breakdown:

Location

You can find Boma at Animal Kingdom Lodge, Jambo House. Go down the stairs in the lobby and you will see the check in podium. If you have a stroller, or someone in your party is in a wheelchair or ECV, there is an elevator you can use.

Once you check in, you will be given a buzzer and you can wait in the area across from the podium. If you have a reservation, the wait shouldn’t be too long. You can always check out the amazingly impressive lobby that Animal Kingdom Lodge has. It’s beautiful!

Theme

The theme of Boma is African cuisine and that theme is carried throughout the restaurant. There are thatched roofs that hang from the ceiling and the restaurant is designed after an African marketplace. Large windows line one side of the restaurant and there are tables by the windows, so you can always request a seat by the windows. The theme is carried out all the way down to the salt and pepper shakers that are on every table. The ceiling, the chairs, the decorations, etc. are all African inspired and it’s very well done. We enjoy the ambiance of the restaurant as much as we enjoy the food.

Food

There is a reason Boma is always on our reservation list for each trip. The food is fantastic. Like I said above, if you are an adventurous eater you will definitely enjoy this dining experience. If you have someone in your party who isn’t as adventurous, they might not enjoy it as much, but they will be able to find something to eat.

One of my favorite things that they offer at both breakfast and dinner at Boma is the bobotie, which is like a quiche. My next favorite thing from the dinner was the Butternut Squash Soup. I could have had multiple bowls of this soup, it was so good! I wanted to leave room to try other things though, so I limited myself to one bowl, but it was seriously good. My husband really enjoyed the Carrot-Ginger Soup.

Some of the other things available at the buffet:

• Carving Stations
• Other African Inspired Soups – Spicy Nigerian Peanut Soup, Coconut-Chicken-Curry Soup, and Seafood Gumbo, to name a few.
• Salads – Watermelon Rind Salad, Tunisian Couscous Salad, and Apple Jicama Salad, to name a few.
• Slow-roasted Pork Ribs
• Whole Roasted Salmon
• Spiced Sweet Potatoes
• Couscous

The selection of desserts was pretty good too. I love the Zebra Domes, so that was definitely on my dessert plate.  The Zebra Domes are an Amarula mousse dome covered with chocolate ganache and finished with chocolate stripes (hence the name). The Guava Panna Cotta was also good.

Some other desserts available:

• Key Lime Cheesecake
• Apple Cobbler
• Cookies
• Brownies
• Bread Pudding
• Kenyan Coffee Tarts

There is a kids section at the buffet and it offers the standard kids food choices: chicken nuggets, mac and cheese, and pasta. They also have sea nuggets and mealie dogs.

Everyone had the delicious juice that is offered at Boma. It is a mix of passion fruit, orange, and guava juices. So good! They also have coffee, tea, milk, soda, lemonade, bottled water, cocktails, and beer.

Ambiance

The restaurant is very open, which is nice. Dinner felt a little busier at the buffet than breakfast, but it wasn’t crowded to the point where it was uncomfortable. The buffet has lots to offer, so it’s pretty long and the line moves pretty quick.

The noise level in the restaurant isn’t bad either. Sometimes restaurants with such high ceilings can be very loud, but we didn’t feel that it was too loud.

Since Animal Kingdom Lodge has the animals at the resort, the restaurant doesn’t use plastic straws. They use paper straws instead of plastic, just a fun little fact.

After your meal you can walk outside and see the animals wandering around the grounds. They have night viewing where you can where night vision goggles to see the animals. It’s a fun activity they offer!

Overall, we love this restaurant. Dinner was just as good as breakfast and it will definitely be one of our go-to restaurants for future trips. The added bonus of the animal viewing before or after your meal is really nice.

You can get to the resort from any park, or from Disney Springs, by bus. The buses to Jambo House are shared with Kidani Village and Kidani is usually the first stop. So make sure you leave enough time to get to your reservation. About an hour and a half from your resort hotel should be good.

Have you ever been to Boma?

Thanks for reading!

*Liz*

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