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