Boma or Jiko with kids age 5 & 11

[Alpha Jeanie]

Which would you pick for a family dinner with kids ages 5 & 11, Boma or Jiko? We want to make ADR's at one of these but aren't sure which one is best. Please tell me what you like and don't like about each one.

Thanks for any info.

[VAdizneefan]

In my opinion (never having actually eaten at Jiko), Boma would be better for kids. My DD has eaten there at 15 months and 2 yrs and did well there. The buffet has a lot of choices, albeit not always what you'd call traditional food, but she seemed to enjoy the selection. They do have traditional kids meal food but she liked a lot of the other choices. My husband and I love Boma. Both breakfast and dinner are great. Jiko seems much more adult oriented and is two TS credits if you're on the dining plan. The food choices seemed a lot more mature in my opinion as well. Just my two cents. :)

[ThanxForNoticin]

Both are excellent restaurants. But without hesitation, I would tell you Boma. it's less formal. Plus being a buffet, the kids can get up and move a bit during dinner - that's always a plus with my kids. Boma has definitely become one of our favorite restaurants at Disney, including the kids. Outstanding food. Enjoy.

[Suz36]

I've never eaten at Jiko, but Boma was great. The buffet is perfect for kids, and the food was really tasty!

[pox24]

Boma....
Jiko is an upscale elegant adult dining experience. Boma has alot of everything including many favorites for kids like mac and cheese etc. :thumbsup:

[ResQRanger82]

I love both and have seen kids dining and enjoying themselves at both, but I would agree with the others. Boma seems very popular with kids. The atmosphere is more energetic and you can't beat the buffet!

[TexasPrincessAurora]

If your kids are picky eaters I would definitely say Jiko over Boma. Jiko has a traditional kids menu complete with PB&J on the most colorful bread I've ever seen. Boma, despite being a buffet, the last time we ate there had a VERY limited kids selection and had cut out the PB&J's altogether. Yes, Jiko is more formal, but if you're kids are well behaved and are used to eating out they'd do fine at Jiko's.

[tyandskyesmom]

We're doing both in 17 days (well Boma in 17 and Jiko in 18 but who's counting????) so I'll let you knwo which we found better for our 8 and 3 year olds....

[Hull-onian]

Boma gets my vote. It is very fun. The food choices are good and the deserts are yummy. After that, you can go outside and sit at the fire pit and look at the animals. It is a great take.

[wilshade]

I once witnessed a very interesting interaction between a couple of children who were self-proclaimed finicky eaters, and a cast member / chef who was at that particular station.

The kids seemed to be about 7 & 9 were with their folks and were very obviously scrunching their noses at some of the offerings on the buffet. The parents seemed to be getting a little frustrated when the cm/chef noticed.

The chef then engaged the kids in a discussion of what their likes were and what was on the buffet before them. Keeping a long story short, the conversation resulted in the kids trying some of the unfamiliar stuff and liking it.

I think the advice here is to try to get the kids to engage the chefs in conversations about the dishes. The chefs seem to enjoy the interaction, especially with kids.