Info on Boma Needed

[Schmiv]

Have not been to Boma since 2005 and we were not very happy with the food or the choices. :( Now planning on going back to Disney in August 2010 and need to know how the fare is this time around b4 making reservations. :confused:

Friends have a group going with the ages ranging from mid-50's down to age 9. My family has 3 children and last we went I did not find a good selection for the kids.

Any feedback would be greatly appreciated.:thumbsup: I mean you can't go wrong with the atmosphere & themeing @ AKL but if you are only going for the food you want to enjoy that as well. :D

[DisneyFr33k]

We've always loved Boma. Yes, they have some very essentric foods true to African cuisine. My DH and DS love to try new things, so this was right up their alley. For me and my DD, however, we were not such adventuresome eaters. Boma has alternatives for those of us wanting American foods as well. Here is a copy of a menu from about 6 months ago. s you can see, there are some familiar choices there for those of us that don't want to wander outside of our food groups:

The dinner menu changes daily. This listing gives you an idea of the types of foods that may be offered, over 60 items on the buffet.
African Breads

Mixed Field Greens:
Mango Vinaigrette, Paw Paw Vinaigrette,
Chili Cilantro Vinaigrette, Balsamic Vinaigrette

Potato Salad
Fresh Fruit
Avocado, Grapefruit and Papaya Salad

Pasta Salad
Watermelon Rind Salad
Kool Slaai
Chicken Salad with Chili Cilantro
Moroccan Seafood Salad - Couscous, mussels, scallops and shrimp

Avocado, Grapefruit, Papaya, Curry Cucumber Salad, Spinach and Beet Salad

Macaroni and Cheese
Saffron Rice

African Soups and Stews May Include 1 or 2 of these:
Chicken Corn Porridge
Smoked Tomato Soup
Creamy Carrot and Ginger Soup
Coconut Currey Seafood Soup
Seafood Gumbo

Sweet Potato Pancakes
Vegetable Lentil Kofta
Pap
Braised Greens

FuFu - sweet and white potatoes mashed with coriander and cinnamon

Potatoes with Afritude

Durban Spiced Roasted Chicken
Malabu Pepper Steak

Grilled Seafood

Wood Roasted Meats

Bobotie - lamb and beef quiche with onions, raisins and bread.

Vegetable Skewers
Chicken Pepper Pot
Coconut Curried Chicken Soup
Curried Coconut Seafood Stew
Couscous Marrakesh

Chicken Tenders
Spaghetti and Meatballs

Wonderful Dessert Buffet including:
Zebra Domes
Simba Paw Prints

We found we couldn't go wrong there - the atmosphere and the food is very, very good. My vote is to try it again! Good luck and let us know what you think if you try it again!

[mom2morgan]

We went last year. There was myself and DH,and my daughters were 10 and 16. All of us got "enough" to eat. However, my older daughter and I LOVED it, while my husband didn't care much for the seasonings on the meat (and he is all about the meat ;-) Everyone enjoyed dessert, LOL

[ThanxForNoticin]

My initial reaction to your question/concern is that if you didn't care for the food at Boma back in 2005, I'm not sure that there have been enough changes to make it completely different for your trip in 2010. I don't think that the food choices have changed significantly during that time.

Since Boma opened, it has been one of the most popular restaurants at Disney, and a lot of that is because guests enjoy the food they are offering. The changes they've made are probably slight.

All that being said, we love Boma and get there every chance we get. I hope you'll get the chance to experience it again and perhaps enjoy it much more this time. Have a great trip!

[Schmiv]

If things have not changed the chances of us liking it this time are slim. I just fell in love with the atmosphere and total theme of the AKL itself.

I guess I was hoping that if things had changed I could convince DH to try it again. ;) Was also trying to get info for a friend who is visiting 11/2010 and one member of his family wants to try Boma.

Thanks for the info! :blush:

[SBETigg]

If it wasn't your thing then, don't go back. It most likely still won't be for you. Maybe go visit the AKL and plan a counter service type of meal or snack at the Mara. There's also the new Sanaa, with a view of animals from the restaurant. But if Boma wasn't for you, I'm not sure Sanaa will be your kind of place either.

[cer]

We gave it two shots. In 2008, it was alright, in 2009 just ok. Nothing changed in quality or offerings between 08 and 09... I think we just admitted to ourselves that it wasn't our kind of food.

I just found myself going back to the buffet over and over, getting a little of this and that and not being excited about much on my plate.

This year we are trying something new.

It is a beautiful wonderful restaurant in a lovely adventurous resort. I just wish the food was more to my liking.

[Schmiv]

It is a beautiful wonderful restaurant in a lovely adventurous resort. I just wish the food was more to my liking.

I think you are totally right. Although I love AKL I need to accept that the food is just not for us. :(

I think we will try the new Sanaa (sp :confused:) restaurant. The kids will love looking at the animals and maybe I can finnaly eat a hot meal if the kids are kept busy. :party:

[ThanxForNoticin]

I think your decision is a good one. If you are uncomfortable even going into dinner at Boma, you are probably not going to enjoy it anyway. Besides, there are SO many amazing dining options at Disney. If Boma is not for you, there are probably dozens of other places you'll enjoy more - so try something new!! Have fun! Let us know how you enjoy Sanaa!

[d_m_n_n]

Have you considered Boma for breakfast? Same atmosphere and very "normal" offerings with enough of the "local" flavor that you can say you tried something new... :blush:

[kakn7294]

I agree that if you didn't like it the first time, you probably won't care for it much this time either. I thought it was good but not overly impressive. I enjoyed our lunch at Tusker House - which has very similar food choices - much more. Good luck with dinner at Sanaa!

[mom2morgan]

Have you considered Boma for breakfast? Same atmosphere and very "normal" offerings with enough of the "local" flavor that you can say you tried something new... :blush:

GREAT idea! Another thing we did was to go to some of the resorts for quick service meals. We did this at the Grand Floridian and Wilderness Village. Gave us a chance to look around and enjoy the resort (and the gift shops) without having to commit to an ADR at one of their actual restaurants.

[disneyfanfromoz]

I think you are totally right. Although I love AKL I need to accept that the food is just not for us. :(

I think we will try the new Sanaa (sp :confused:) restaurant. The kids will love looking at the animals and maybe I can finnaly eat a hot meal if the kids are kept busy. :party:

Have you checked the menu at Sanaa? I know that when we were staying at AKL we went to Boma once for dinner and were not impressed, one there was peanut rice and we have a peanut allergy in the group so this was worrying that somebody may have accidently dropped a grain of rice into another dish. But aside from that the food just wasn't really to our liking. However we LOVED the breakfast, thought it was the best breakfast we had at WDW. We ended up having breakfast about 10 or more times that trip (we were there for 21 nights). We also LOVED Jiko and Mara even thought we were not keen on Boma's food. So Jiko may be an option. I have looked at the menu at Sanaa for when we go later in the year as I am already getting our ADR's organised on where we will and won't go as we are there again for 21 nights, so there are lots of meals to book. But the Sanaa menu just doesn't appeal to us, it seems like a similar style to Boma dinner.

Anyway I think, like others have suggested, maybe try breakfast at Boma.

[mom2morgan]

GREAT idea! Another thing we did was to go to some of the resorts for quick service meals. We did this at the Grand Floridian and Wilderness Village. Gave us a chance to look around and enjoy the resort (and the gift shops) without having to commit to an ADR at one of their actual restaurants.

eeek! I just called Wilderness Lodge by the name of our local campground, and it was too late to edit ;-) Wasting space with a disclaimer so you won't all think I'm a nube LOL

[PetefromRI]

We gave it two shots. In 2008, it was alright, in 2009 just ok. Nothing changed in quality or offerings between 08 and 09... I think we just admitted to ourselves that it wasn't our kind of food.

I just found myself going back to the buffet over and over, getting a little of this and that and not being excited about much on my plate.

This year we are trying something new.

It is a beautiful wonderful restaurant in a lovely adventurous resort. I just wish the food was more to my liking.
I couldn't agree with you more.I to kept going back and getting alittle of this and that and never really being excited about anything.Just not my cup of tea.

[braindew]

We have been with "picky" eaters as well to our favorite restaurant, Boma. What are you gonna do...you can lead a horse to water...
My sister's family all ate chicken fingers and mac n cheese (including the adults)...but one thing is certain, they all love the desserts:cloud9:
To this day, we make a bunch of the dishes at home because we love them so much: Wife the Curried Butternut Squash Soup, my daughter FuFu, and me the Banana Bread Pudding and Carrot and Ginger Soup. I think you go and enjoy the whole experience with seeing animals. And, remember...they always have Prime Rib for the meat and potatoes crowd.

[braindew]

I know that when we were staying at AKL we went to Boma once for dinner and were not impressed, one there was peanut rice and we have a peanut allergy in the group so this was worrying that somebody may have accidently dropped a grain of rice into another dish.

They cook to order...so that was no excuse. I have seen many dishes brought out to people with special needs.

[disneyfanfromoz]

They cook to order...so that was no excuse. I have seen many dishes brought out to people with special needs.

and then I said.... "aside from that,the food was not really to our liking" Actually it was a HUGE excuse for OUR family, it may not be for you and your family :mickey:! Firstly we were not offered to have a special meal, the chef walked around and showed us what was safe and what was not and secondly if the whole table has to have special meals made then there really isn't much point to going there! We were at AKL for 21 nights so we actually ate a Boma about a dozen times that trip once for dinner and the rest breakfast, we loved breakfast there and that food was to our liking, so thought the OP may like breakfast if dinner was previously not to their families liking.

[luvdiznee]

I've given some restaurants a "2nd chance" and was glad I did. As far as BOMA, the food hasn't changed much, so perhaps in this case if you didn't like it the first time, it may still not be your cup of tea. :mickey:At least at GF cafe; I had the choice to order something different and it made everything allright. :cloud9:

[braindew]

We were at AKL for 21 nights

21 nights at AKL!!?? You guys must be bazzillionaires.:spend:

JK...I see you are are an Aussie, so you guys don't have the spoiled pallates of most yanks...so you probably have a good perspective of various quisine. I tried Vegemite once...:ack:

All kidding aside...if you don't like soups,salads, and desserts then don't bother with Boma. That is their forte'. I will chime in on Sanaa...I took the same picky eaters over there and they loved it. It helped that the wildebeest were in a tussle with the zebra and both were running back and forth scaring the other animals...what a sight. If you do go to Sanaa...don't miss the bread sampler (do yourself a favor and just get Naan bread...the chutneys were awesome):thumbsup: