Boma Breakfast Review
The breakfast buffet at Boma — Flavors of Africa in Disney’s Animal Kingdom Lodge is one of the best ways to start your day at Walt Disney World. This review features photos and thoughts about why breakfast at Boma is so delicious. Boma’s breakfast menu features a variety of American and African cuisine, with a diverse mix of adventurous and breakfast mainstays…so you don’t have to get your morning ‘jolt’ by trying exotic cuisine.
As we stated in our Boma Dinner Review, this is arguably the best buffet at Walt Disney World. The good news is that’s true for both meals. In terms of background info, Boma participates in the Disney Dining Plan as a 1-credit meal for breakfast, and accepts Tables in Wonderland for a 20% discount. Since breakfast is on the cheaper side (relative to Walt Disney World prices), it’s a poor use of a Disney Dining Plan table service credit if you’re trying to maximize your value on the Disney Dining Plan.
Boma is located on the lower level of Animal Kingdom Lodge’s Jambo House, adjacent to Jiko — The Cooking Place (one of our favorite restaurants at Walt Disney World) and The Mara (one of the best counter service restaurants at Walt Disney World). With this hard-hitting trio plus the often-overlooked Sanaa in Animal Kingdom Lodge’s Kidani Village, Animal Kingdom Lodge has arguably the best dining of any resort hotel at Walt Disney World. Breakfast at Boma is one of the reasons why…
While we’ve done dinner at Boma several times and have long been fans of the meal, we did not do breakfast at Boma until fairly recently. Getting to Animal Kingdom Lodge early in the morning is a hassle, and other times when we’ve stayed at the Lodge, it’s been 1 or 2-night trips, and we’ve been in a rush to get to the parks.
Finally, we slowed down and took the time to do breakfast at Boma. I’ll admit, early on, I was not overly impressed with the meal.
I had heard a lot of really, really great things about Boma’s breakfast, and my first plate was fairly indistinguishable from what I might’ve had at Trail’s End. After my first plate of food, I said to Sarah, “well, that was overrated.”
Aside from a few unique items, I thought it was pretty similar to any breakfast buffet at Walt Disney World. To her credit, Sarah demurred.
For plate two, I tried a couple of her recommendations, most notably the French Toast Bread Pudding with Praline Sauce. Game changer. This made me buy into the hype, at least partially.
I may or may not have followed that plate up with a heaping bowl of just the bread pudding. Just thinking about that bread pudding now as I write this is making me salivate. It is almost as good as the Bread and Butter Pudding at Raglan Road, and if you’ve ever had that, you know that’s about the highest praise bread pudding (or any dessert) can receive.
After trying this, the question of whether Boma’s breakfast is worth it sorta becomes, “how much is bottomless bread pudding worth to you?” I’m not even kidding.
I then tried the made-to-order omelet, which was another good choice. That was followed by tastes of Sarah’s Scrambled Eggs with Goat Cheese and Spinach, and some Corned Beef Hash. (By this point, I was stuffed from bread pudding.) Other unique items that can, apparently, appear on the buffet include Turkey Bobotie and South African Tomato Stew, but I saw neither of these during our visit.
All of the options we did try on our second round were pretty good. You can consult the official menu to see what’s currently on the breakfast buffet at Boma, but unless they’ve scaled back, I’m pretty sure that’s only a partial menu.
Ultimately, I was still a bit disappointed by the buffet. It wasn’t nearly as unique, ambitious, or exotic as dinner, but maybe I shouldn’t have expected that? It seemed like only around 4-5 items were things that would be out of place on the Trail’s End buffet.
Perhaps it was a matter of expectations or personal preference, though. Even though I’d consider Boma among the best breakfasts at Walt Disney World (not exactly fierce competition) and my mouth is currently watering as I think back on that bread pudding, I wouldn’t go out of my way to revisit this meal.
The majority of the time, I’m disappointed by breakfast at Walt Disney World. I think it’s the meal that is, across the board, the worst value proposition. I’ve become a big fan of the breakfast at Trail’s End, but no other breakfast at Walt Disney World instantly comes to mind as a must-do for me.
So ultimately, we enjoyed Boma for breakfast. Not as much as I was hoping we would, but it was still good. The bread pudding was really the saving grace of the meal for me, and I walked out stuffed thanks to that. If you’re a Walt Disney World regular, you should make a point of giving it a try (although it seems like everyone already raves about breakfast at Boma, so we’re late to the party on that.)
However, if you’re a first-time visitor, particularly one not staying at Animal Kingdom Lodge, it’s a bit trickier. First of all, there’s the question of whether you want to get up this early for a breakfast, especially one that isn’t within walking distance of a theme park.
Then, there’s the question of whether you should do breakfast or dinner at Boma. On the one hand, dinner at Boma is exceptional. On the other hand, Boma’s dinner is somewhat similar to Tusker House, so you could always do that instead. On the other other hand (Stitch is pulling ‘hand’ duty for us, in case you were wondering), Zebra Domes. That two word argument is probably the most persuasive one, and we’d skew towards those who have never experienced Boma doing dinner over breakfast.
Overall, though, dinner is the meal I’d pick, but I suppose you cannot go wrong either way. A meal at Boma, and a visit to Animal Kingdom Lodge in general, is a wonderful experience. Even though it’s a bit pricey as far as breakfasts go, Boma’s breakfast buffet is significantly than many other options at Walt Disney World (I’m looking at you, Chef Mickey’s), and is far better. It’s easily one of the top 5 breakfasts at Walt Disney World, and even by WDW’s weak breakfast standards, that’s still a strong distinction.
Want more dining tips? Check out our 101 Delicious Walt Disney World Dining Tips. For where to eat, read our Walt Disney World Restaurant Reviews. For comprehensive advice, the best place to start is our Walt Disney World Trip Planning Guide for everything you need to know!
Your Thoughts
Have you done breakfast at Boma? What did you think of the experience? Do you agree or disagree with our review? Any standout buffet choices that you’d recommend people give a try when dining at Boma? Any questions about this breakfast buffet? Hearing from readers is half the fun, so please share your perspective on whether this meal is ‘worth it’ or any other thoughts you have in the comments below!
I know this sounds stupid question, but being a buffet breakfast can you go up several times to get food?
Also is this a tip type of venue with it being buffet?
As for me Trails End has the best breakfast hands down and the best prices and yes they have French Toast Bread Pudding and it’s deadly and Sunday is Brunch with more offerings, It’s a must try for everyone!!
For me Trails End has the best breakfast hands down and the best prices and yes they have French Toast Bread Pudding and it’s deadly and Sunday is Brunch with more offerings, It’s a must try for everyone!!
We have stayed at AKL several times and enjoyed bfast and dinner at Kiki’s and Sanaa are always winners too. Our family met up with us for dinner and thoroughly enjoyed Bomas after a day at AK. Last December we did Bomas for breakfast even though we did not stay at AKL that trip. Never disappoints Not sure how you missed the Bobootie as it is always on the menu and always delicious
Tom, would you choose Boma over Kona Cafe for breakfast?
Trails End is best
For what it’s worth, when my husband and I did breakfast at Boma, we expressed our disappointment regarding lack of Zebra Domes on the buffet to our server, and he *magically* delivered a plate of four to our table! YMMV, but it never hurts to ask!
Note: we didn’t actually ask for them, we just indicated that they were the only thing missing from an otherwise excellent breakfast when he came to check on us
Loved Boma breakfast! But we were staying at AKL, so getting there was easy peasy. By the way, after I enthused over the bread pudding and sauce, the server came out with the recipe. Can’t wait to try it at home, although I doubt I’ll do as good of a job! And the goat cheese eggs were so tasty as was the bobotie.
I must say this was my favorite breakfast at WDW—and the bread pudding was the main reason (though I was more impressed with the other offerings than you seemed to be). It’s been almost three years and I still dream of that bread pudding. I’m somewhat of a connoisseur, and have tried every bread pudding on every menu of every restaurant that offers it, and it’s the best I’ve ever had hands down.
We have a Boma breakfast scheduled for our departure day on Aug 7. Looking forward to that bread pudding!
Oh, Tom, I usually agree or have a very similar viewpoint on most of your blogs, but this one though, I couldn’t be less enthused with your review. We just left there from breakfast on June 30th, and by far the best breakfast I’ve had at WDW! Was also a big fan of the Tusker House Breakfast. The hash and Bobotie were probably the two best items I’ve had off of any buffet at WDW. The oak fired asparagus and tomatoes were fantastic too. You’re spot on with the bread pudding, fantastic!! Haven’t eaten at all the braggarts locations at WDW but have had quite a few and Boma tops the list!
Did the bread pudding have raisins?
I thought lunch at the Tusker House to be overrated. The food was moderately tasty and we were there for the characters. Hated the curry, which I felt was too “earthy”. So we now have a way to compare with Boma at dinner. I will likely not eat there.
I never do breakfast at the resorts unless it is a free benefit at the hotel or if it is a brunch where you eat breakfast and lunch. If there’s a room refrigerator, load up with breakfast items. It’s the best use of your dollar and the room amenities.
We do that as well – some milk and cereal/protien bar/etc. brought from home is an inexpensive breakfast. but given that breakfast is until 11, you can make it a brunch as well. We’ve done that in the parks, but not at Boma. If I were staying at AKL, I’d be tempted to give Boma a try.
Huuuuuge bummer that you didn’t get to have the bobotie! It is absolutely wonderful, and the recipe is now a staple in our own brunches at home (although never QUITE as good as it is at Boma). I think you might be right when you wondered if your high expectations going in to the breakfast may have set you up for disappointment. You are absolutely right when you mentioned that you can have a fairly similar meal at Tusker House, so I can understand if most guests not staying at AKL don’t think it is worth a special trip in the morning, in lieu of early park time. When our family stays at AKL, we like to save a breakfast at Boma for our departure day or for holidays. A few years ago we ate there on Christmas morning, and it helped add to a really wonderful family holiday memory.