This week I noticed that there were quite a few questions posted on the PassPorter Message Boards about dining at Animal Kingdom Lodge and specifically about Boma.  I thought I’d address both my favorite buffet meal at Walt Disney World and the BIG question: will my picky eaters find something to eat at Boma?

Entrance Sign at Boma

Let’s start with the basics. Boma is an African themed buffet located in Jambo House at Disney’s Animal Kingdom Lodge. Boma serves both breakfast and dinner.  Breakfast is served from 7:30am until 11:00am. The cost is $24.49 for adults and $13.84 for children ages 3-9. Children under the age of 3 are welcome to eat from their parent’s plate. Dinner is served from 4:30pm until 9:30pm. The cost for adults is $39.40 and $19.16 for children ages 3-9. Children under the age of 3 are again welcome to eat of a parent’s plate.

Boma is located on the first floor of the Jambo House, right next door to Jiko. To get from the entrance of the Lodge just take the elevators from the 3rd floor down to the 1st, or walk into the Lodge and take the stairs leading to Victoria Falls Bar and continue down to the 1st floor. I always like to plan a little extra time to stop and have a drink at Victoria Falls because several of the bartenders are from Louisiana and remember us from previous trips! Both Boma and Victoria Falls serve wine and beer from South Africa. I think it is wonderful that Disney has so fully embraced the Animal Kingdom Lodge theme, right down to the beverage selections.

Boma is NOT set up like a traditional buffet, where you get in one long line and filter past a multitude of steam trays. Boma has a series of several pods. You can just walk up to whatever pod strikes your fancy and serve yourself without waiting in an enormous line. That’s a good thing because Boma is frequently very busy. Second, Boma does not have steam trays, hot food is kept that way using convection plates–no open sterno cans to worry about here!

Seeing as breakfast is the most important meal of the day, I’ll start there. The breakfast menu changes, but offers a combination of traditional breakfast foods as

One of the Boma breakfast pods

well as African specialties like quinoa (a protein filled grain similar to oatmeal), corn beef bobotie (similar to a hash), and pap (a white corn meal). I think that picky eaters will do just fine at breakfast, as there is no problem finding scrambled eggs, bacon, sausage, fresh fruit and pastries. Also served at breakfast is a special juice called Frunch (fruit punch!). West African Frunch is lemonade, pineapple, guava, papaya and orange juice. I’m not sure how authentic it is, but it sure tastes good. If you’ve been to ‘Ohana for breakfast at the Polynesian Resort, Frunch is very similar to the juice blend served there. I would give all of the options a try. Even if you are not sure if you’ll like them or not. That’s the beauty of a buffet, you can sample a little of everything and go back for more of the things you really like. I have to say that I’m a big fan of the seasoned potatoes that Boma serves at both breakfast and dinner.

Moving on to dinner, as that’s where most of the questions seem to come. Dinner can be very busy at Boma, so make sure you make an Advance Dining Reservation as soon as you can. I’ve had some luck with same day reservations, but only for late seating. Dinner has six pod areas to chose from. Starting from the farthest away from entrance area they are meats and veggies, kids section, soup, salad, dips and breads, and dessert. The meat pod has a carving station, a fish option, and one or two African specialties like lamb stew. You’ll also find a green vegetable and those wonderful potatoes again. The kids section offers selections for pickier eaters like mac and cheese and chicken nuggets or spaghetti. The soups at Boma are really something special and I could make a meal from this area alone. They rotate, but among the favorites are butternut squash, carrot and ginger, and seafood gumbo. The salad section is my other favorite area. I just love the watermelon rind salad and the chickpea and red onion salad. There are usually about five or six salads on offer, in

Desserts at Boma

addition to regular mix greens with a choice of dressings.  In the bread and dips area you will find at least two different types of hummus. It’s usually a white bean and a black olive, but I’ve seen a few other types on different trips. There is usually one other on offer–but I can’t remember what type of spread it is, because I’ve got a nut allergy and can’t eat it! The spreads come with assorted flat breads and naan. There are also dinner rolls and butter available.

Lots of diners come to Boma specifically for dessert. There is always fresh fruit available as well as cookies and a hot dessert like bread pudding. Dessert is another area where I have to be very careful about what I’m eating. The bread pudding is usually out for me. However, the item that Boma is famous for is featured prominently in the picture to the left. Those little black and white striped beauties are called zebra domes. The inside of a zebra dome is an Amarula infused cake. Amarula is a South African liqueur made from the Marula fruit. These cakes actually contain alcohol that has not been rendered out, so be careful! Lately I’ve also seen tiny chocolate mousse, pana cotta, coffee mousse and cheesecake. That pastry case is worth the trip alone!

I want to quickly address allergies, as I’ve mentioned I have one. My allergy is to tree nuts, which are fairly common in African cuisine. There are a lot of things at Boma that you might not be familiar with so make sure you note any allergy on your reservation. When you arrive your server should already know that you have a special need. If they don’t say anything, don’t be afraid to bring it up. A chef will come out of the kitchen and walk you through each of the pods and let you know what you can and can’t have. The chefs at Boma have taken such good care of me that I never worry about eating here!

Finally, is it worth it? The price tag for dinner at Boma is pretty steep. I’ve had so many great meals at Boma that I have to say, I think it is. For starters, it can act as an introduction to a cuisine that you and your family might not have much experience with. The fact that it is a buffet with lots of accessible items, like the carving station, mean that even if you discover that African cuisine is not to your liking there will still be things that you can eat. I think of Boma as a gateway restaurant. If you decide you love the food, you might move up to Boma’s big brother, Jiko, on your next trip or branch out and try the Indian inspired food at Sanaá. Good luck and Happy Disney Dining!