AKL meals - Worth trying all three (Jiko, Boma, Sanna)??

traveler000mkl

Earning My Ears
Joined
Apr 16, 2019
We are staying at AKL (Jambo) for the first time in June and so excited! I know the restaurants are supposed to be great!

We are a family of 4 and my boys are 8 and almost 6.. They are adventurous eaters and will have no issue finding things to eat anywhere. We currently have ADR for Jiko dinner on arrival day, Sanna dinner on one of the early park days (we will return early from MK for dinner at Sanaa) and Boma breakfast on the departure day. But I wonder if we are better off changing Jiko dinner to Boma dinner on the arrival day.

Would you dine at Boma for both breakfast and dinner during the same trip? I assume they are pretty different. Or would it be better to experience Jiko? I am worried about Jiko being too slow/relaxed for the boys to be patient through the entire meal. We are paying out of pocket (no ddp)...

WWYD? Thank you!
 
IMHO it is TOTALLY worth trying all three! (Disclaimer: I do not have children. Please bear that in mind when reading my thoughts. :tilt:)

2 years ago Mr. Spuds and I stayed at AKL. We had ADR's for Sanna and invited my parents to join us. They are not adventurous eaters and LOVED it for lunch! Mr. Spuds and I enjoyed Jiko so much that we cancelled another ADR and went to Jiko a second time in the trip. We ended up with an extra credit and decided to go to Boma for breakfast on our departure day......Mr. Spuds typically does not eat much the day we depart. It was fantastic! I found myself regretting not visiting sooner.

All three restaurants have proteins that are "familiar" and comfortable enough for even non-adventurous diners. When my parents showed a little hesitation at Sanna over some of the spices, the CM's were FANTASTIC about explaining what might be too much for them, and what would be good even if my parents were't familiar with the spice names. They still rave about it!

When Mr. Spuds and I go back for our 25th wedding anniversary in September, I'm a little sad that we will only get to visit Jiko once. And no Sanna and no Boma. (moment of silence please) I strongly support visiting all three restaurants!

Edited to add: If you let your server at Jiko know you need to go at a slightly faster pace, they will happily take care of you. The service was the most attentive we had anywhere.
 
I tend to think of Jiko as more adult, elegant and romantic. Some little boys might like it (it's fun to order wild boar) but it does sound more iffy.

Boma dinner is one of my favorite things about wdw (especially as Wednesday and Saturday are usually ribs night). Lots of different choices - if you don't like the bobotie and salmon dishes, they do have rotisserie chicken, mac and cheese, and great desserts (the zebra domes are mildly alcoholic, so be aware). Buffets are good opportunities to try small bites of the peanut rice and cous cous to see if you like it.

Boma can be fairly expensive for light eaters, so that might be a factor.

I do not think there is that much of a crossover between breakfast and dinner items at Boma. I have done both on a trip before. (I might be a superfan, though, so it's fair to consider alternative opinions.)
 


I would definitely do all three. We've been taking DS to Jiko since he was very young and he always enjoys it - he's an adventurous eater too! I think your plan to do Jiko on arrival night, Sanaa on an early park day and Boma breakfast is perfect.
 
One of the (many) reasons we can't seem to shake the AKL bug is because of the restaurants. On our upcoming trip we have Boma dinner on our arrival night, Jiko dinner before the Starlight Safari (taking our nieces on the safari with us, but not to Jiko), Sanaa lunch on a pool day and a late Boma breakfast on another pool day. We typically do this schedule whenever we are staying at AKL. I also really love the African stew at The Mara. We don't have kids but even if we did I am not sure how much we would deviate from this plan. If you ask me, it is almost criminal not to enjoy each restaurant when staying there.

As a side note, all 3 of the restaurants offer the 10% discount with a Disney Visa.
 


Thank you all! We could not decide whether to keep Jiko dinner or switch to Boma dinner... So we just ended up booking another Boma dinner. Best possible answer!

So now we have Jiko dinner on arrival night, Boma dinner one early park day (coming from EPCOT), Sanaa dinner on another early park day (coming from MK), and Boma breakfast on our departure day. Yay!!
 
Thank you all! We could not decide whether to keep Jiko dinner or switch to Boma dinner... So we just ended up booking another Boma dinner. Best possible answer!

So now we have Jiko dinner on arrival night, Boma dinner one early park day (coming from EPCOT), Sanaa dinner on another early park day (coming from MK), and Boma breakfast on our departure day. Yay!!
We love all three restaurants.
I think your plan sounds wonderful and delicious!
 
Boma and Jiko are an unreserved yes. I think Sana’a is overrated and wouldn’t make a special trip for it, but would return if staying at AKL/AKV as you are.
 
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