Jiko/Ohana/Boma/Sanaa ???

[bigkbull]

Going to the World in August and staying on site for the first time and getting the dining plan (also a first). Trying to get some ideas of these 4 places. Which would you choose? It's just me and my fiancee. We are fans of buffets as we like to have the options but we also like a nice sit down dining experience too.

Thoughts?

 

[bdearl41]

For animal kingdom lodge both Boma and Jiko are good, but i highly recommend Sanaa!!!! This is an amazing restaurant!!!! If you like ethnic food, by that i mean Indian, and if you are an adventurous eater youve got to eat here.

First the view is amazing, get a table by the windows, it looks right onto the savannah at ground level, really cool. Second the wait staff was fantastic, very knowledgable about all the dishes.

Try the bread appetizer with all the different toppings, the pickeled mango relish was amazing. Also anything off the slow cooked menu. I have had the pork and butter chicken off of it, both were fantastic. Definately hit this spot up if you like different types of cuisines.

Ohana is nice, but too pricey for what you get in my opinion, much better options throughout the world.

 

[BrittanyRose428]

Of those, I've only been to Ohana, but I loved it. We usually like buffets too, but Ohana was nice because they bring everything to the table, so you still get more options rather than just ordering one meal.

 

[real mad hatter]

Wow!

Great choices!Been to Jikos,awesome,but Sanaa has had great reviews and I love Indian cuisine,I might have to try it this year,oh no,another ADR on my list.:slurp:

 

[Ariel484]

Hooray, a dining question I feel like I can actually answer. I have been to all 4 of these.

Boma: We don't like it, and I think we're in the great minority here. After hearing all of the hype throughout our planning, this place just did not blow us away. We like "interesting" food and thought this meal was just okay. Our server was really hard to track down for drink re-fills. If you're looking for a quite meal, this is not the place for you - it's LOUD - but I think this is due to it being a very popular buffet.

'Ohana: One of our favorites! We've been there twice. We think the food is great and the atmosphere is fun. Like Boma, not the place to go if you want a quiet meal. The service both times was excellent - here they bring the courses to you and sort of use a "team" approach. We love it. Keep in mind that this is a very hard ADR to get.

Sanaa: Another favorite! This is a traditional sit-down meal. We've only been here once, but we were very impressed! The food and service were excellent and if you're lucky you may get a table with a savanna view.

Jiko: Our favorite restaurant at WDW! Again, interesting and excellent food with great service. A traditional sit-down meal and the place to go if you want a quiet, romantic dinner. However, since you are on the dining plan, keep in mind that this is a signature restaurant and you'll each need to use 2 Table Service credits for this meal (where the others you asked about are 1 TS credit). It's absolutely worth it, in my opinion. We've been here 3 times and it's been great every time.


One other thing to keep in mind is that travel time to these places will be long since they are all at resorts.

I think it just comes down to what kind of atmosphere you want, since you like both buffets and sit-down meals. If you want a quieter meal, I'd go with Jiko. If you want a little bit more of a livelier environment, you can't go wrong with 'Ohana or Sanaa. Happy planning! :wave:

 

[NiarrNDisney]

Sanaa is one of the best restaurants on property with an even greater wine selection.
I prefer Kona Cafe to Ohana.
Boma is great as well as Jiko but I still prefer Sanaa over the two.

 

[bigkbull]

Hooray, a dining question I feel like I can actually answer. I have been to all 4 of these.

Boma: We don't like it, and I think we're in the great minority here. After hearing all of the hype throughout our planning, this place just did not blow us away. We like "interesting" food and thought this meal was just okay. Our server was really hard to track down for drink re-fills. If you're looking for a quite meal, this is not the place for you - it's LOUD - but I think this is due to it being a very popular buffet.

'Ohana: One of our favorites! We've been there twice. We think the food is great and the atmosphere is fun. Like Boma, not the place to go if you want a quiet meal. The service both times was excellent - here they bring the courses to you and sort of use a "team" approach. We love it. Keep in mind that this is a very hard ADR to get.

Sanaa: Another favorite! This is a traditional sit-down meal. We've only been here once, but we were very impressed! The food and service were excellent and if you're lucky you may get a table with a savanna view.

Jiko: Our favorite restaurant at WDW! Again, interesting and excellent food with great service. A traditional sit-down meal and the place to go if you want a quiet, romantic dinner. However, since you are on the dining plan, keep in mind that this is a signature restaurant and you'll each need to use 2 Table Service credits for this meal (where the others you asked about are 1 TS credit). It's absolutely worth it, in my opinion. We've been here 3 times and it's been great every time.


One other thing to keep in mind is that travel time to these places will be long since they are all at resorts.

I think it just comes down to what kind of atmosphere you want, since you like both buffets and sit-down meals. If you want a quieter meal, I'd go with Jiko. If you want a little bit more of a livelier environment, you can't go wrong with 'Ohana or Sanaa. Happy planning! :wave:

WHOA! Thank you! This really helped. I actually already reserved Ohana, but then started thinking about the others. I am very into interesting and new foods but my fiancee is a little iffy with that. I might get her to try some but I don't know if we can make a whole meal out of it. It's between keeping Ohana or going with Jiko. This is all a surprise for her so I can't just ask if she will be ok with being adventurous. I think I may just stick with Ohana.

Thanks again!

 

[GoochDSA]

Personally, we hate 'Ohana. It's pretty awful. But to each their own.

But this isn't so much as to give my opinions of the restaurants you mentioned, OP. Instead, I'm curious as to where you are staying. Are you staying at AKL? If so, and you can budget it, I can't speak highly enough of the Wanyama Safari. It's about $190 per person, but it is a great deal. First, you head out on a safari truck and have a guided tour of the savannahs. You get really close to the animals (a giraffe stuck its head in our truck). You hear all about the animals, how they are cared for and what not. It's pretty awesome. After the safari, the group (max of 12) has an unbelievable feast at Jiko. Bread service, a few appitizers, a few entrees all served family style to the table and a trio of desserts served to each person. The chef comes out and explains each of the dishes being served. Did I mention that wine pairings are included? Hands down one of the best experiences on WDW property and it is available to anyone staying at either Jambo house or Kidani. That would really surprise the heck out of your fiancee.

Of course, if you are not staying at AKL, I'm sorry I got your hopes up.

 

[coachwnh]

you can't make a bad choice between them. if you enjoy buffets, then you will love Boma. the food is different from many of the other buffets in the world. sanaa and jiko are great sit down options. i would do these three before ohana. having said that, i love ohana too. but i love the others for their uniqueness. enjoy:slurp::slurp:

 

[Ariel484]

WHOA! Thank you! This really helped. I actually already reserved Ohana, but then started thinking about the others. I am very into interesting and new foods but my fiancee is a little iffy with that. I might get her to try some but I don't know if we can make a whole meal out of it. It's between keeping Ohana or going with Jiko. This is all a surprise for her so I can't just ask if she will be ok with being adventurous. I think I may just stick with Ohana.

Thanks again!

You're welcome! I hope that you guys love 'Ohana. It's a great value for a TS credit and I think it's a good compromise for the two of you. The food is good and not too crazy (good for your fiancee) but also is seasoned a bit differently and comes with sauces that you can try with your meal (good for you if you want to try something different - the sauces are peanut, sweet & sour, and a third that I can't remember!). My only advice is to pace yourself during the meal, as there are a lot of courses!

Personally, we hate 'Ohana. It's pretty awful. But to each their own.

But this isn't so much as to give my opinions of the restaurants you mentioned, OP. Instead, I'm curious as to where you are staying. Are you staying at AKL? If so, and you can budget it, I can't speak highly enough of the Wanyama Safari. It's about $190 per person, but it is a great deal. First, you head out on a safari truck and have a guided tour of the savannahs. You get really close to the animals (a giraffe stuck its head in our truck). You hear all about the animals, how they are cared for and what not. It's pretty awesome. After the safari, the group (max of 12) has an unbelievable feast at Jiko. Bread service, a few appitizers, a few entrees all served family style to the table and a trio of desserts served to each person. The chef comes out and explains each of the dishes being served. Did I mention that wine pairings are included? Hands down one of the best experiences on WDW property and it is available to anyone staying at either Jambo house or Kidani. That would really surprise the heck out of your fiancee.

Of course, if you are not staying at AKL, I'm sorry I got your hopes up.

I always thought that this was for concierge level guests only but it looks like I got it confused with the Sunrise Safari. Thanks for mentioning this! :wave:

 

[The MadHatter]

jiko...favorite restaurant on the property for me

 

[fredtom]

You just mentioned four of our favorite must-do restaurants. As another poster mentioned, you will need to decide what sort of atmosphere and meal you prefer. Boma and 'Ohana are both all you care to eat and usually very lively. If you want something quieter and more romantic, go for Sanaa or Jiko. Keep in mind Jiko is a little more upscale and requires two credits if you're on the DDP.


"An Adventurer's life is best!" :lol:

 

[GoochDSA]

I always thought that this was for concierge level guests only but it looks like I got it confused with the Sunrise Safari. Thanks for mentioning this! :wave:

We did both the Wanyama and Sunrise in October and the Sunrise was no where near the experience of the Wanyama. We would do the Wanyama again without hesitation. Don't get me wrong, the Sunrise was a really nice expereince too, but we are in no rush to do it again, only if we were staying at AKL-CL again, didn't have any really nice experiences planned, had some extra money laying around and were able to book it the night before.

 

[bigkbull]

Alright, well I was good to go with Ohana but then I looked at the menus of Ohana and Boma and there is just so much more to choose from with Boma! I changed our ADR to Boma because I think we're going to enjoy the options a bit more. The only downfall is that we will be in MK that day and Ohana was going to be a lot easier to get to but I think it will be worth it to take the bit of extra time to get to Boma.

Is it August yet?

 

[wdwfan317]

Boma

Hey. I see that you decided to choose Boma. GOOD CHOICE. My husband and I dined at Jiko 2 years ago. Our server had the personality of a brick. The food was just o.k. (we were on the dining plan and used 2 TS credits for this - an anniversary dining experience)- The ambience and atmosphere were incredible. I could practically LIVE in the bathroom. SO gorgeous/fancy, etc. ha, ha! I ordered a ($10)glass of wine and an appetizer($18) for us to share and with tip, we paid $50.00. WHOA! AND we took up TWO dining credits to eat there? Just not worth it. I do also remember that the dessert was pretty good. That's about it. We ate at Boma for a late breakfast/brunch 2 years ago and enjoyed it immensely. It was hands down our favorite dining experience to date. The food(especially all the casseroles) and carving station was amazing. LOTS of delicious pastry choices, fresh fruit, etc. I have heard good things about the dinner there, too. Can't go wrong with Boma. We are planning to try out their newest restaurant, Sanaa in September. I have heard a lot of good things and they have good reviews at all the websites I have been to. Ohana's character breakfast was fabulous. It was our very first dining experience in Disney world and one we will not forget. I hope you and your family have a very Magical and Blessed time in Disney world in August!