Boma Dinner Review: Disney World’s Best Buffet is Back!
When it comes to buffets at Walt Disney World, there have long been two outliers: Tusker House and Boma – Flavors of Africa. For the last two decades, they have been the rare buffets that serve a wide selection of ambitious and adventurous cuisine. Don’t get me wrong–I love indulging at some other buffets, stuffing myself on so much comfort food that I’m still full the next morning. But there’s something special about Boma and Tusker House that nowhere else at Walt Disney World even comes close to replicating.
Accordingly, we had been eager for the return of Boma – Flavors of Africa at Animal Kingdom Lodge since our stay at Jambo House last fall. Months passed with no updates, and then finally, Tusker House Restaurant reopened. Sadly, dinner there was one of our most disappointing dining experiences ever at Walt Disney World. That restaurant, which was previously had a lot in common with Boma and was among our favorite character meals, was our worst meal of the year.
At that point, our perspective shifted from “eagerly awaiting” Boma to hoping it didn’t return until Walt Disney World was in a position to operate buffets as normal. After all, Boma was something of an anomaly even before and I feared that the closure and reopening would be a pretext for permanently and irreversibly altering its offerings and dumbing it down. Thankfully, we only had to wait a couple months after the return of Tusker House for the triumphant return of Boma–but the end result feels worlds apart…
In normal times, Boma – Flavors of Africa participates in the Disney Dining Plan as a 1-credit table service restaurant for dinner, which has historically made it among the Best Uses of Table Service Credits. Of course, that’s temporarily suspended right now, but presumably that info will be relevant again in the not-too-distant future.
Boma – Flavors of Africa also accepts the Tables in Wonderland card for a 20% discount (all of which are presumably expired by now) and Disney Vacation Club or Annual Passholder cards for 10% off. That comes off the $49 per adult or $27 per child (plus tax and gratuity) cost of Boma at dinner.
With the basics out of the way, let’s take a look inside the newly-reopened Boma – Flavors of Africa, and discuss what you can expect if dining here in the near future…
Reasonable minds may differ, but we’re comfortable doing indoor dining given that we’re fully vaccinated. Nevertheless, we have tried to book early or late ADRs whenever possible as a minor risk mitigation measure. Even during normal circumstances, we prefer the first or last seating–but that’s just us.
The point there is you shouldn’t expect to encounter a sea of empty tables at Boma.
Even when we left Boma, it was at most 25% full. This was likely a conscious decision by management, as the restaurant appeared well-staffed with experienced Cast Members–not just College Program participants learning the ropes.
Most of the tables in the center of the restaurant were left unfilled, with more guests seated in the other rooms. With other restaurants, we’ve seen operations scale up gradually with more tables filled over time.
As for safety measures at the buffet itself, guests are required to wear face masks whenever up from their tables, there are hand sanitizer kiosks at each entrance to the buffet, and serving utensils are changed regularly. The latter two should probably stick around as permanent changes.
All of the modifications are thoroughly explained by servers at the start of the meal. Due to the low number of guests at our seating, there was never anything resembling a line or crowd at the buffet. Again, this will likely change over time as Boma ramps back up.
Let’s turn to the cuisine at Boma – Flavors of Africa.
I’ll start by apologizing for the poor quality of the food photos. They’re all bad, with the plated images being a result of a hellacious mix of natural and artificial lighting. That’s not my fault. The buffet photos are my fault–I dunno, too much excitement about stuffing myself and not enough focus on quality? Either way, they’re sufficient to illustrate the commentary.
The buffet’s first station features Senagalase Yassa-style Salmon, Olive Oil Herbed-crushed Potatoes, and Sweet Corn Pudding.
Buffet fish is often playing with fire, but this salmon was spectacular–flaky, tender, and flavorful. The crushed potatoes were likewise great, like “elevated” mashed potatoes that went hard on the olive oil and rosemary. However, as much as I’m a sucker for mashed potatoes, the sweet corn pudding was even better. The only downside was making several trips for the individual containers.
Next up was Spiced Pork Ribs with Tamarind Honey BBQ sauce and Cast Member carving station with African Strip Loin (not pictured). Three sauces are also available: Boma Mustard, Horseradish, and Tamarind Barbecue Sauce.
Back to back homeruns here. The ribs have a fantastic rub and are slow-roasted to perfection–even Sarah got seconds on these. The African strip loin was likewise fantastic–a great cut of tender meat with a smokey flavor. Like so much of Boma, these meats have a familiar-but-different quality. The spices and preparation give them a unique quality, while they’re still totally approachable. The sauces are fantastic, as always, but we used them sparingly since the meats largely stood on their own.
I somehow forgot to get a photo of it on the buffet, but the next station features Lamb Bobotie (top left on my plate) and Durban Roasted Chicken.
The Lamb Bobotie is a Bomba fan favorite–a heavy baked casserole cooked from minced meat, egg, and mushroom. This is a bit like the Lamb Moussaka at Epcot’s Greece Booth. Absolutely fantastic. The Durban Roasted Chicken is miles better than the version being served at virtually every family style meal at Walt Disney World these days. We would’ve had more, but for the fact that we’ve had a ton of roasted chicken in the last couple months.
Boma is also known for its soup station, and this did not disappoint.
Despite it being 99º outside, we each opted for a couple bowls here. I chose the creamier options–sambal chicken corn chowder and butternut squash soup–which were fantastic as always.
Next up is the station with Basmati Rice, Spiced Green Beans with Golden Raisins, Black-Eyed Peas Greens and Chakalaka, and Peanut Rice.
The highlight here was the Peanut Rice, which was distinctly peanut-y. Sarah would also recommend the green beans and black-eyed peas, but I cannot corroborate that.
At the next station, which for some reason I opted to photograph at a low angle that doesn’t show much of anything, we have Berbere-Chickpea Salad, Tabbouleh, Tunisian Couscous and Shrimp Salad, North African Cauliflower Salad, Berbere Chicken Salad, Pasta Salad, and Coleslaw.
I loved pretty much everything else here except the coleslaw and chickpea salad. The Pasta Salad was an unexpected standout and Sarah raved about the North African Cauliflower Salad. She was impressed by the ambition and execution of this entire station.
The kid’s station serves up Macaroni & Cheese, Chicken Bites, Penne Pasta, Marinara and Meatballs.
Neither of us tried any of this. C’mon, we were at Boma!
Speaking of things we didn’t try, here’s the fruit station.
I actually did eat the cottage cheese, which was fine. Interesting seasoning, but not necessarily in a good way. Cottage cheese is one of my go-tos at home, and I have high standards for it. (“Cottage cheese snob” is probably one of the least cool humblebrags, but whatever.)
Next, we have the breads.
The only thing I can vouch for here is the hummus (it was only okay). The rest we didn’t try–but it appeared very pedestrian.
Also didn’t bother with anything from the salad station.
Some of you may see these omissions as “unprofessional” for a food critic or restaurant review. But I don’t recall ever claiming this blog was the pinnacle of professionalism. I’m here to put the buffet through its paces as an average guest–to punish my stomach with its indulgences–and no reasonable person is filling up on salad, fruit, and bread at Boma.
If you’re looking for hard-hitting journalism, our coverage of the desserts at Boma should be unparalleled.
In the interest of quality control, we tried multiples of each item.
In addition to all of those beauties, there’s Banana Bread Pudding with Vanilla Sauce. Wow, what a spread.
Most of these desserts have been around, and are the same excellent options as before. The Banana Bread Pudding is great, with a crisp top giving way to a moist and sweet center. The vanilla sauce soaks into the top layer beautifully.
The weakest option of the desserts is the Kenyan Coffee Tart.
This is very heavy and rich, with a pronounced dark coffee flavor. I could see this working for some, but it was simply too much for us (and we love dark roast coffee). This is a significant departure from the prior coffee-inspired dessert, which was much better.
Next, the Pineapple Financiers.
We both really liked this. In addition to the sweetness of the pineapple, the cake had a nice spice to it. In another dessert spread, this would’ve been a standout.
One noteworthy thing about the Passion Fruit Mousse is how difficult it is to pick up with tongs. I saw two different people drop them, and I almost did the same. So be careful out there!
Fruity, tart, and creamy–this Passion Fruit Mousse is a nice mix of flavors. It’s also lighter than the other desserts, making it a good addition to the lineup.
Our grand circle tour of the Boma buffet’s dessert spread arrives at the iconic Zebra Domes.
For those who have never done Boma, Zebra Domes feature Amarula Cream Liquor mousse surrounded by a layer of white chocolate, drizzled with chocolate atop a vanilla base.
I don’t know if the recipe has changed or if it’s just been a while since we’ve had Zebra Domes, but these lacked any alcohol pungency or flavor, and tasted sweeter. Perhaps this changed a while ago and we just missed it…or maybe we’re misremembering?
Regardless, my decision to plate up 4 Zebra Domes my first pass through of the dessert spread proved a bit, uh, overzealous. I ate them all…plus one more, later…but it wasn’t my finest moment. Or maybe it was–had to thoroughly investigate whether the 5th was as sweet as the first four.
Now, I don’t want to stir the pot or create any controversy since the conversation around this review should be “BOMA IS BACK AND BETTER THAN EVER, BABY”
But…we both preferred the Hazelnut Brownies by an ever-so-slim margin. Not trying to be contrarian here, but these had a superb mix of texture, rich flavors, and were flat-out fantastic. Our server, who has been at Boma since opening day, called these his favorite dessert at the restaurant–so we’re not alone.
Really, you can’t go wrong with anything from the main dessert lineup, though.
I could see guests preferring any of these items–even the coffee tart–depending upon their personal preferences and tastes. This is a stacked lineup.
Oh, there are also ordinary cookies and cupcakes. These are not included in that “stacked” assessment; we didn’t try them because this is almost certainly a ‘what you see is what you get’ situation.
At least the presentation includes a Hidden Mickey, though?
Ultimately, the only question diehard fans probably have is whether this is the same Boma as before? The answer is an unequivocal yes. There are some changes here and there, but nothing out of the ordinary–the same type of menu tweaks you might otherwise see a culinary team make over the course of a year. All of the tried and true favorites are here, some better than before. (Like the ribs!)
For those who are newer fans or first-timers, I want to be sure we don’t undersell Boma. This review breezed through the buffet out of necessity, giving a single sentence to some items that would receive top billing at a weaker restaurant. There are easily a dozen excellent items at Boma, from standout meats to supporting salads, all of which are ambitious and delicious. Far fewer things are phoned in than at a normal buffet, and there’s something for everyone at Boma. Even the soups are addictively delicious–and as someone who lives in Florida, I crave soup like once per year, tops.
To be sure, not everything is worthy of effusive praise, but that’s the nature of buffets. We’re still talking about how great the meal was and trying to come up with an excuse to go back sooner rather than later. We’ve done a lot of meals at Walt Disney World lately, and almost all of them come with an asterisk. Not Boma – Flavors of Africa. We had a better experience here than ‘Ohana, Yachtsman Steakhouse, Cape May Cafe, Via Napoli, Tusker House, Boathouse, and others I’m probably forgetting–and we had excellent meals at several of those. Suffice to say, the best buffet at Walt Disney World is back and as good as ever!
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YOUR THOUGHTS
Have you done dinner at Boma — Flavors of Africa? What did you think of it? Favorite items on the spread? Does the dinner buffet at Boma – Flavors of Africa look like it’s worth the money to you? Will you be booking an ADR here or dining elsewhere? Do you agree or disagree with our review? Other thoughts or concerns? Any questions we can help you answer? Hearing your feedback–even when you disagree with us–is both interesting to us and helpful to other readers, so please share your thoughts below in the comments!
I literally have not stopped thinking about the salmon and butternut squash soup at Boma since our first visit to the restaurant in December of 2019. I will be back the first week of October and I already have my reservation set!! Hands down some of the best food at WDW!!
It’s not letting me reply, so we’ll do this the old fashioned way: “Wouldn’t most picky eaters enjoy the chicken bites, mac & cheese, and meat carving station?”
You would think, but my son won’t touch any of them. On our last Disney trip, he ate Fries, Giant donuts from Joffrey’s, Plain pancakes with none of the toppings at Trattoria al Forno Bon Voyage breakfast, and some croissants at our Boma and 1900 Park Fare breakfasts and the chef at Garden Grill was a lifesaver and made him some pancakes with the waffle batter because he wouldn’t eat the waffles or anything else on the menu. That is pretty much the extent of what he ate over a 2 week period. LOTS of Joffrey’s giant donuts. We’d go for a meal somewhere and then hit a Joffrey’s cart for him either before or after. He won’t eat mac n cheese, he won’t eat any meats unless it’s chicken nugget form, and does not like the chicken nuggets at Disney, nor the pizza, though he did pick some of the pepperoni off our Via Napoli pizza and ate just the pepperoni. He won’t eat spaghetti, a hamburger, hotdogs are touch and go…I have literally never met a kid pickier than my son. He’s even picky about desserts. It’s apparently an Autism thing (sensitive mouth), but it can make dining anywhere difficult, especially in a different country where they don’t have his standard Dutch fare.
I’m so glad to read this review! I had dinner at Sanaa booked and was so excited! Then they announced Boma was back and I was torn! We can only fit one in this next trip, and I went with Boma. I was still second-guessing that decision (because bread service!) until reading this review. I’m excited and hope that the lunch at Homecoming does not leave me too stuffed to really enjoy Boma!
Hi Tom,
Thanks for the updates! Heading down to Disney World 10/14. We have our reservations for dinner at Tusker so was disappointed to hear the food reviews. Any other suggestions for character meal? We have a 2 and 4 year old looking forward to seeing Mickey and friends! Thanks!
Topolino’s Terrace for breakfast is definitely our favorite right now. A bit pricey for breakfast, but a significantly better overall experience.
Any idea of when hotel discounts will be out for 2022? I haven’t seen any for fall or winter 2921 either.
I can’t eat spicy foods. Are there non spicy options? We wanted to do Sanna, but it all looked spicy. Making a tip at the end of next month.
Now that my trip is in that 60 day reservation window, I am finding it is impossible to get reservations not only to Boma, but anywhere. This a.m. got “server down” errors, followed by suddenly no reservations available to Boma’s or Oga’s once they were back online? Is getting increasingly frustrating to go to Disney. Staying up until midnight or getting up at the crack of dawn to fight for reservations is ridiculous. I am sure it’s going to be the same problems for genie+ and lightning lane. Thank God for Open table, or I would have never got any Disney Springs reservations
VEGETARIANS
If you eat fish they have a nightly salmon prepared which my family enjoys very much. And the salad offerings are really tasty, my favorite being a grapefruit, mango, avocado salad, very tasty indeed. The ‘grains’ table I will call it for a better choice has the usual rice dishes but also provides a variety of options for vegetarians. And quite honestly the soups are a meal in and of themselves. Carrot soup night is one of our favorites. So much so that they waiter brought it to us one night when it wasn’t on the buffet and provided the recipe!
And the stewed tomatoes over paw-paw or on their own are not to missed. We are a split family of vegetarians and meat eaters. Everyone comes away happy from Boma.
Hope this helps.
I’m so glad to see that Boma is back open. It is our favorite restaurant at Disney. By any chance did you notice if they still have the watermelon rind salad? That is/has been our favorite item at our favorite restaurant! Thank you so much for your review pictures taken like I would take. Makes it feel so much more real! We are so excited for our Christmas trip!!!
Glad boma opened just in time for our trip next week. In all the excitement we are now booked for breakfasts and dinners for two days when we stay at Animal Kingdom Lodge. While that sounds awesome, not sure that much Boma coma would be a good thing. Happy it’s back and glad to hear it’s same as it was.
What do you think about the zebra domes though?
I have always loved Boma! I’ve worked on property, including AK Lodge, for many years now, and Boma is by far my favorite Disney restaurant. I also enjoy The Mara quick service – their African Potjie with rice, Falafel spread with couscous and vegetables, and roasted chicken is also amazing, in the case you can’t get a Boma reservation. Plus they have Zebra Domes for fans of them (they’re not my favorite, though.) I never had an issue getting a Boma reservation though, so I definitely recommend doing so. It’s pricy but extremely worth it. So glad Boma is back!
Totally agree about the Mara. Its current menu leaves a lot to be desired, but hopefully more is restored when AKL reopens next week!
I’m so glad to see this review!! We had breakfast at Boma in 2019 and it was one of our favorite meals. I decided next time, I would book both a breakfast and a dinner here. Then the menu came out and it didn’t mention the meat carving station, the soups, a kids station….it looked like my worst food nightmare with nothing I would touch. We did Tusker House in 2016 and all of us came away hungry from that one. My son wouldn’t touch anything even on the kids station. He won’t eat mac n cheese, spaghetti, Disney chicken nuggets, etc…and they didn’t have fries, the one thing he WILL eat. So he ate about 6 chocolate chip cookies and that was it. The new Boma menu looked like it was going to be more like that. But now that I’ve seen they have ribs, and other meats, and some vegetables, I think 3 of us would be ok. My son still won’t touch anything other than the cookies and cupcakes, but my husband asked my daughter and I to go without them next time, so it’s a moot point. I’d be careful with the phrase “There’s something for everyone.” Picky eaters may have a hard time filling up.
It’s odd that Boma’s online menu leaves off so many of the items/stations that make it appealing. I feel like that’s always been the case, but am not 100% sure of that.
Wouldn’t most picky eaters enjoy the chicken bites, mac & cheese, and meat carving station?
Yay! So glad to hear that it lives up to is pre-covid reputation. I booked an ADR for our upcoming trip the morning they were released in the hopes that you’d review it before we arrive. Thanks for that! I’m looking forward to trying Boma – we’ve done Sanaa twice now, but haven’t eaten anywhere else at AKL (despite having stayed a few nights) other than the Mara. We are making a special trip this time to pig out at Boma! One question though… I’m unclear if you liked the Zebra Domes as much as before, despite them not tasting as you remembered? Or did you prefer the old version? (I’ll be trying a few regardless!) Thanks again Tom & Sarah. 🙂
“I’m unclear if you liked the Zebra Domes as much as before, despite them not tasting as you remembered?”
They’re still excellent and memorable–an iconic WDW dessert for a reason. However, in the past I could polish off at least a half-dozen during dinner at Boma. The current version made my stomach upset after 5. I realize that’s a “me problem” and no one should eat 6 Zebra Domes in one sitting, though.
I love Boma too, but I am staying at BCV & BWV, so kind of a pain and pretty time-consuming to get to AKL. I have one Boma ADR and one Cape May Dinner ADR, but from your Cape May review, wondering if I should cancel that and get another Boma ADR. What are your thoughts, Tom?
Since it has not returned to its former self, seems money better spent at Boma. It would be a no-brainer if not for the transportation hassle.
Cancel and go to Boma.
Even with the transportation hassle, that’s my advice. (Have it be dinner on your AK day would probably be easiest, and go directly from the park.) Also, if you’ve never been to AKL, pencil in some time to explore the hotel.
YMMV, though. A lot of people prefer to save time and eat at their own hotel.
This sounds spectacular and I’d love to try it, but my partner is a vegetarian. I did see some items up there that would appeal to them, but it doesn’t seem like they have an entree option for the meatless crowd. Do you know if they have something available on request?
I do not–sorry!
Hopefully a vegetarian can chime in with their experience at Boma…
Thanks Tom! We can’t wait to go back to our favorite restaurant!
The BOMA breakfast and dinner have been really good buffets. My only negative critique of the dinner fare, and that’s pre-COVID, is that they have less expensive meats that they grill. They are never prime. If you request medium cooked then they are tough. Everything else is quite good!
Buffets resort wide used to serve prime rib. I want to say that changed around 2012 or so.
I agree with you, but I don’t see that ever changing back.
I’m so happy to hear Boma is back in all its glory! We ate there a few trips ago and everything I tried was amazing. Boma is definitely on my ‘absolutely would return’ list.
I think it’s disgusting that Disney is changing people with families more money to get have genie rides costing families all types of extra greedy owners makes me sick no more of our family money will go to this greedy Corporation Walt must be rolling in his grave