Disney4me Posted 19 hours ago Report Share Posted 19 hours ago Figuring out what to eat on your Disney World vacation can be overwhelming, to say the least. Don’t worry — that’s why we’re here! We try all the restaurants and snacks so you have the best trip possible. Animal Kingdom Lodge We headed to Jiko — The Cooking Place at Disney’s Animal Kingdom Lodge. Come with us for a full review to see if you should add this to your next Disney World trip. Atmosphere While we love the convenience of heading to this restaurant when staying at the resort, everyone coming to Disney World is welcome here. Jiko is what Disney calls “signature dining,” which really means fine dining. Jiko We find ourselves heading here for special occasions, incredible date nights, or when we just want to treat ourselves. Reservations are recommended, but depending on the day, they might have some walk-up availability. Inside They serve dinner from 5 PM to 9:30 PM, and heading here after a long day in the parks is a great way to relax and unwind. Disney describes Jiko as “vibrant spices, crackling wood-burning ovens, and boutique South African wines transport you to the heart of Africa.” Grab a seat That puts us in the mood for dinner, so let’s see what’s on the menu! Menu From appetizers, entrees, and desserts, Jiko is going to take you on a journey of African flavors with gorgeous presentation. While African flavors might be unfamiliar to some, when you read over the menu, you’ll likely find that you know most of the words, and the servers are usually very knowledgeable about the dishes. Make sure to look up! In addition to the food, Jiko also serves specialty loose-leaf teas, which are fun add-ons to your meal, as well as a large pot of Kenyan Press Pot Coffee. A kid’s menu includes items like Grilled Chicken Breast, shrimp, steak, Macaroni & Cheese, and more. After finishing your meal, you can also order after-dinner drinks and dessert wines to finish a spectacular meal. The menu After reading the menu, we’re hungry, so let’s eat! Eats We started with the Braai’d Wild Boar Tenderloin for $19 for our appetizer. Braaid Wild Boar Tenderloin This starter is made with creamy pap, tomato chakalaka, and herb-smoked oil. Let’s start off by saying we were scraping off every little bit on the plate, and if no one was looking, we probably would have licked it clean. Delicious! The pap was a great level of creamy and was so buttery. The salt mixed through paired with the butter, and we could have eaten a whole bowl of this. The tenderloin was cooked medium rare and had a warm pink center. They were thinly sliced and had about three or four medallions on the plate. What impressed us the most was how filling this appetizer was! If you were looking for a cheaper or quicker meal, you could order this appetizer with a drink and feel like you still had a filling dinner. We wish we could lick the plate! With our meal, we were also served bread, which was called giraffe bread, and yes, it’s as fun as you would think. Bread Service The top of the bread had a crackling like the pattern on a giraffe and was served with creamy butter and dark sea salt. Not only did we enjoy the combination of the salt, butter, and bread, but the bread service matched the rest of our meal, which we really appreciated. We loved it! Then we had the From the Oak Grill for $62. From the Oak Grill Filet Our first entree was made with your choice of bone marrow-crusted Filet Mignon or Braai New York strip, four cheese macaroni, seasonal vegetables, and topped with a chocolate-red wine demi-glace. We chose the filet and ordered medium rare, and we knew that was the right choice once we saw that gorgeous pink center. Yum! Most of the flavor came from that heavy demi-glace, which took the place of a steak sauce. The bone marrow crust didn’t bring in too much flavor, but added a different texture to the dish and was easy to cut into. It came with the four-cheese mac and cheese that had a toasted parmesan layer on top. While this probably won’t be the world’s best mac and cheese, we loved how it paired with the steak to combat some of the beef’s savory elements. Pink inside For another entree, we had the Moroccan-spiced Lamb Shank for $51. Lamb Shank This dish consisted of preserved lemon potatoes, date chutney, peas, and minted lamb demi-glace. When we put our fork in, the lamb completely fell apart due to how tender it was! The Moroccan spices and oil towards the bottom combined it all. So good! We would have loved a little bit more salt in the lemon potatoes on the bottom, but when we got the potatoes, lamb, and sauce onto our forks, the combination was lovely. If you enjoy the flavor of lamb, especially well-cooked lamb, you have to try this dish. Falls apart! As an enhancement, or additional side, we had the Bobotie Mac & Cheese for $17. Bobotie Mac and Cheese Made with four cheeses, spiced beef, almonds, raisins, Kachumbari, and red wine reduction, this isn’t your typical mac and cheese! There are fresh almonds inside that provide a bit of crunch and chew, and small chunks of ground beef are inside. A big portion! Combining with the African spices and the diced tomatoes, it provides a filling side dish you can share with the table. If you love Boma, another restaurant at Animal Kingdom Lodge, you can also get the Bobotie Mac & Cheese there! Diving in We couldn’t leave without trying dessert! We had the Malva Pudding for $14. So pretty! The dessert was an amarula-infused Malva cake, caramel-sea salt gelato, Kataifi, Kanu Tuile, and a Cabernet Gelee. Can we talk about this stunning presentation? As if our meal couldn’t get any better, this truly blew our minds. The little bird on top is a shortbread cookie that brings a bit of crunch to the dish, and the Malva cake reminded us of a fig or apricot pudding that is dense and rich. The cake is soaked in South African liquor similar to Baileys, but so much lighter. We will be ordering this dessert again and again because of the incredible flavors all together, and it was a perfect way to round off our meal. Incredible Drinks When looking over the menu, we knew we had to try one of their specialty loose-leaf teas, so we tried the Shanghai Rose for $9.75. Shanghai Rose Tea This tea is made of fragrant red rose petals and the sweet, sultry flavor of seductive lychee in a rose petal black tea. The tea was light but still had a more prominent flavor than other teas around Disney World. The rose is more, well, on the nose, and provides a darker and richer flavor throughout each sip. While we really enjoyed it, we were slightly disappointed with the size compared to the price. We could only get about a cup and a half, which makes it more per person, instead of something you could share for the table. The pot If you’re someone who likes to try different teas when you travel, especially those of different cultures, we highly recommend ordering a cup and seeing if you find your new favorite. Sides Nosh or Not You’ll want to visit Jiko if… You want a nice, sit-down meal with gorgeous presentations and bold flavors You like trying different styles of cuisine You love filling meals in a relaxing setting You might want to skip this restaurant if… You prefer more traditional flavors You want a faster and less expensive meal You don’t want to go through the effort of getting to Animal Kingdom Lodge Our meal! Overall Jiko is a restaurant where we find ourselves time and time again, and we are pleased with our meals every time. This meal had filling and rich flavors that made us go back for another bite every time. It’s a true savory meal, but we loved ending it with our gorgeous dessert that we’ll be thinking about for weeks. Overall, we love Jiko for special occasion meals because we always feel happy after our dinner! We’re going to keep trying all the restaurants around Disney World so we can give you all the details so you can plan the best Disney vacation EVER! Keep following Disney Food Blog for the latest Disney news and more. We’ve eaten at every Disney World hotel restaurant. These are the best. Need Disney Restaurant Advice? We’ve Got EVERYTHING You Need to Know The ONLY Disney Dining Planning Tool You’ll Need Is Here – Get the DFB Guide to Walt Disney World Dining! See Our Complete Disney World Restaurants Guide The Best Magic Kingdom Restaurants The Best EPCOT Restaurant Restaurants The Best Hollywood Studios Restaurants The Best Animal Kingdom Restaurants The Best Disney Springs Restaurants Check Out Dozens of Disney Dining Tips and Tools Learn All About Tipping at Disney Restaurants How to Use Mobile Order in Disney World Join the DFB Newsletter to get all the latest Disney food news right in your inbox! Click here to Subscribe! Have you been to Jiko before, or is it on your list to try? Let us know your thoughts in the comments!The post REVIEW: Jiko Proves It’s Still the Fan Favorite at Disney World for a Reason first appeared on the disney food blog.View the full article Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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