*DIS Contributors review meals, resort stays, and entertainment that they have paid for during their own vacations. They only utilize discounts and offers if they are available to the general public, such as annual passholder discounts, Tables in Wonderland, or DVC membership discounts. They receive no additional compensation for dining experiences or events, so that they may give their honest opinions about price and value.
I have always had people around me or on the internet saying that Boma – Flavors of Africa is the best restaurant on Walt Disney World property. When I recently had the chance to dine at Boma, I got excited due to all the hype I’ve heard about the restaurant. I can understand the hype due to the fact that it’s located at the beautiful Animal Kingdom Lodge Jambo House. I assume that during the day, the windows show a beautiful sight; the dining reservation we had was late in the evening, so there wasn’t much to see. Most of the group members that I was dining with were raving about the dining location, and as we were eating, they continued to rave. I felt left out because I wasn’t having the same feeling.
I thought the dining location was gorgeous and that the decor was very immersive. This dining location felt very different from others on Disney property. It’s important to note that this location is back to full buffet-style, meaning you can get up and grab as much food as you want and in whatever order you want. Before I get into the food, I want to mention the pricing. For dinner, it is $49 per adult and $29 per child. If you are interested in breakfast, it is $29 per adult and $17 per child. Our server mentioned that the buffet had about 72 items laid out for us to try and that the desserts are the best part.
My first stop was the salad and soup section of the buffet because I love soup and I saw couscous, which I also love, nearby. As for the soups, I got the corn chowder. I am a sucker for anything with sweet corn. I also grabbed the Tunisian Couscous and Shrimp salad and the Berbere-Chickpea salad. I loved all three items. The corn chowder warmed my soul and it’s all I wanted to have for the rest of the night.
Obviously, I had to keep trying different things, though, so I went back to the buffet. This round was the main course. Sadly, this course didn’t go as well as the first. I filled my plate with sweet corn pudding, olive oil herb-crushed potatoes, Durban chicken, and chicken bites. The only memorable part was the sweet corn pudding and the chicken bites. The potatoes were fine but nothing out of this world, the mac and cheese looked and tasted like it had been sitting there for way too long, and the Durban chicken I barely touched. The Durban chicken was way too pink on the inside for me to feel safe enough to eat it. At this point, all I wanted was another helping of corn chowder.
Up next was dessert, which our server warned us to save room for because it was the best part. I was excited. I have heard so much about the zebra domes to the point that I wanted to eat those before anything else that night. I grabbed two zebra domes and all the other chocolate desserts located in that section, along with a cupcake. I enjoyed the zebra domes a lot. I didn’t know what to expect with them, and I think that I expected more than what I got, but I was very happy with them overall. The mini cupcake was a standard cupcake, and for me, those are perfect. There were other dessert options more on the tart side for those that enjoy tart or fruity desserts rather than chocolate-based ones.
My overall opinion of Boma – Flavors of Africa is that it is not worth the price for someone like me. I don’t eat red meat and I am an adventurous eater, but not adventurous enough to eat oxtail or lamb. Since I don’t eat red meat, my only option was the salmon and the chicken. Which left me in a difficult place because I am not a huge salmon fan. Now, my other friends at the table really enjoyed this dining experience and if you were to ask them, they would say it’s 100% worth the price. My friends also eat more than me and are more adventurous with their food.
I truly think enjoying this restaurant has to do with how much food you can handle and how adventurous you are with trying new foods. It’s a fun place for celebrations or for a large family dinner. Would I go back? For dinner, probably not; but for breakfast, I would because I know there is more for me to eat and enjoy. The service was fantastic and so was the atmosphere of the entire restaurant. I think my final stance on Boma is that you need to at least try it once. We all rate food differently and we all prefer different tastes, so that is the best advice I can give you.
What Disney restaurants do you recommend?
Hi, I'm Erica, and I write about all things Disney. Before working for The DIS, I was a theme park performer at SeaWorld, but I also performed at Disney. I have such an immense love for theme parks to the point I studied them in college.