AK Table Service

Rainforest Cafe Review at Disney’s Animal Kingdom Park

by josh on March 9, 2010

Wondering how Rainforest Cafe stacks up against the other Animal Kingdom Table Service Restaurants? Check out The Best Animal Kingdom Sit Down Restaurants for a comparison of the three Animal Kingdom restaurants in a variety of categories including Most Unique Menu, Best Value on the Disney Dining Plan, Best Value Out of Pocket, Best Atmosphere, Best Food, and Best Overall Restaurant.

Food Type: American – A great variety of burgers, sandwiches, seafood, steaks, and chicken.

Dining Plan: The Rainforest Café is not on the Regular Dining Plan or the Deluxe Dining Plan, but it is on the Premium Dining Plan and Platinum Dining Plan.

Cost:  Appetizers: $9-$17.  Entrée: $13-$37.  Lunch and Dinner Menu are the same.  Breakfast: $10-$14.

Setting: If you’ve been to a Rainforest Café then the setting will be familiar.  If not, the Rainforest Café takes the idea of a themed restaurant to a whole new level.  The restaurant is decked out with trees, vegetation, waterfalls, and animatronic jungle animals that not only make sounds, but talk as well.  The sky booms with thunder and lightning and live fish swim in aquarium sized tanks throughout the restaurant.  All in all, the Rainforest Café is definitely a sight to be seen.

Advantages: The theming eclipses even the best Disney has to offer.  Fun atmosphere for kids and adults.  Wraps and burgers are moderately priced and taste good.  Service is generally better than other Rainforest locations.  You can enter through the gift shop and take a look around the restaurant without eating.

Disadvantages: Extremely noisy.  Expensive for what equates to basically TGI Friday’s quality food.  Not on the Dining Plan.  Young children may be frightened by the loud noises.  Rainforest Café is located at the front of the Animal Kingdom, which means it may be a long walk from the back of the Park.  You’ll want to plan accordingly.

Value: Average.  People will tell you the Rainforest Café is overpriced, but you’re paying for the animatronics as much as the food.  Sure, it’s basically Applebee’s with robot animals, but kids will love it and most adults enjoy the fun as well.  A half pound burger with bacon for $14 or so isn’t out of this world expensive, either.  The quality of the ingredients on the more expensive specialty items doesn’t justify the high prices.

Reputation: If you don’t have a Rainforest Café near you and aren’t on the Dining Plan then this may be a great choice, especially for those with kids who will appreciate the surroundings.  If you have a Rainforest nearby then you might want to save this for a later date as there is plenty of other fun stuff going on at Disney World to keep kids occupied.  Rainforest’s food is generally average at best, especially once you start ordering specialty items like the paella or crab cakes.  I would stick to the burgers and wraps, both for cost effectiveness and meal quality.  Also, take into consideration that the T-Rex restaurant at Downtown Disney is owned by the same company and is more unique and themed even more extravagantly.

Overall Rank on The Best Animal Kingdom Sit Down Restaurants: 3rd out of 3

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Tusker House Buffet Review at Disney’s Animal Kingdom Park

by josh on March 9, 2010

Wondering how Tusker House stacks up against the other Animal Kingdom Table Service Restaurants? Check out The Best Animal Kingdom Sit Down Restaurants for a comparison of the three Animal Kingdom restaurants in a variety of categories including Most Unique Menu, Best Value on the Disney Dining Plan, Best Value Out of Pocket, Best Atmosphere, Best Food, and Best Overall Restaurant.

Food Type: Buffet

Dining Plan: 1 Table Service

Cost:

Breakfast: $19.99 for adults and $10.99 for children

Lunch: $19.99 for adults and $10.99 for children

Dinner: $26.99 for adults and $12.99 for children

Setting: Tusker House used to be a counter service, but has recently (2008) been converted to a buffet.  Breakfast is a character meal with Donald, Daisy, Goofy, and Mickey dressed up for an African Safari.  Be aware that Donald poses for pictures before you are seated and may not come to the table until the final breakfast guests have arrived, if at all.  Only breakfast is a character meal, so no characters will be present at lunch or dinner.  The restaurant is not housed in a particularly exciting building, but there are African artifacts and paintings on the walls.

Advantages: Food and service are excellent for a Disney buffet.  Wide variety of food, including traditional favorites and African specialties.  Characters at breakfast are fun and interaction shouldn’t be rushed.  Juices are great.  A few dollars cheaper than other buffets.  If you have an early breakfast reservation (before 9am) you can enter  the Park early and get some great pictures with no one else around.

Disadvantages: That professional picture taken with Donald costs $30, but you can take your own too.  The restaurant is at the back of the Park, which can mean a long walk if you’re going straight there early in the morning.  Not the most kid-friendly buffet as far as food is concerned, but there should be plenty to eat even for the most unadventurous.

Value: Above average.  Tusker House is a little less expensive than many of the other buffets on property and the food and service are generally better.  It’s similar in its offerings to the popular Boma buffet at the Animal Kingdom Lodge and more convenient for those who aren’t staying there.

Reputation: Tusker House isn’t particularly popular, probably because it’s still sort of new and the name doesn’t exactly scream excitement.  Had they named this “Chef Mickey’s at Animal Kingdom,” it would probably be sold out just like Chef Mickey’s at the Contemporary Resort.  You can take advantage of this though, because the food and service at Tusker are among the best of any buffet at Disney.  It’s also a bit quieter and there’s more space at the buffet lines and around the tables than at some of the other buffets.  Getting an 8AM reservation is fun because it will allow you to enter the park early and take some photographs without anyone else around.  Be aware though that there is a path you must follow and you can’t just walk around the Park freely.  Nonetheless, you’ll walk by some great spots including the Tree of Life and if you can finish up around 9AM you’re in a great location to get on the safari ride and then make your way to Expedition Everest.  Overall, Tusker House is a great buffet at any time of day and you should be able to get a reservation without much trouble.

Overall Rank on The Best Animal Kingdom Sit Down Restaurants: 2nd out of 3

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Yak & Yeti Table Service Restaurant Review at Disney

by josh on March 9, 2010

Wondering how Yak & Yeti stacks up against the other Animal Kingdom Table Service Restaurants? Check out The Best Animal Kingdom Sit Down Restaurants for a comparison of the three Animal Kingdom restaurants in a variety of categories including Most Unique Menu, Best Value on the Disney Dining Plan, Best Value Out of Pocket, Best Atmosphere, Best Food, and Best Overall Restaurant.

Food Type: Asian

Dining Plan: 1 Table Service

Cost:  Appetizers: $5-$14.   Entrées: $14-$25.  Just one menu for lunch and dinner.

Setting: Yak & Yeti is one of the newer restaurants at Disney World.  Disney describes it as “Beautifully decorated with Nepalese artistic touches and sand-washed hues.  Yak & Yeti Restaurant features an array of artifacts from the collection ‘the proprietor’ and his family amassed from their travels across Southeast Asia.”  The restaurant is full of interesting statues, relics, paintings, and art and no two spaces in the restaurant feel alike.  Suffice to say, Yak & Yeti is one of the best themed restaurants in all of Disney World and you’ll instantly feel like you’ve left the Animal Kingdom and entered a remote Himalayan sanctuary (complete with restaurant and full bar).

Advantages: The theming is fantastic.  Food is high quality with keen attention to presentation.  Service is usually attentive and knowledgeable.  Strong air-conditioning that feels outstanding on hot, muggy days.  I would suggest the egg rolls, Shaoxing steak and shrimp, and fried wontons for dessert.  The Mah-Mahi and BBQ ribs are both excellent as well.  Beer and cocktail list is better than most restaurants.

Disadvantages: The temperature inside the restaurant can get downright frigid, which may or may not be a good thing.  Kids’ menu is limited.

Value: Above average.  Meals are moderately priced with high quality food and generous portions.  There are several excellent entrées in the $17 range and those on the Dining Plan can opt for the more expensive $25ish entrées if they so choose.

Reputation: I wasn’t thrilled with the Yak & Yeti table service restaurant when it first opened, but like the counter service option it has improved immensely since then.  The décor has always been excellent and now the food and service are on a similarly high level.  Animal Kingdom has some excellent dining choices.  Since most of the rides and attractions at the Animal Kingdom can be “done” in one day, many guests will only eat at one or two of the restaurants.  Plus, since the Park usually closes around 5PM, it also makes sense to Park hop and make a later reservation at Epcot or get on an Animal Kingdom Resort bus and eat at one of the fantastic restaurants there.  Overall, Yak & Yeti stands up pretty well against many of the Epcot restaurants as well as those at the Animal Kingdom Resort.  If you’ve done Teppan Edo, Boma, and others in the past, I would strongly recommend Yak & Yeti as a great alternative.

Overall Rank on The Best Animal Kingdom Sit Down Restaurants: 1st out of 3

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