Boma at Disney's Animal Kingdom Lodge: A Dining Review

Boma is a buffet, offering a wide and varied selection of food from across the African continent. Much of it you won't have come across before, unless you're a very seasoned traveler, but having said that, there is still plenty that will be familiar to those more comfortable with meat and potatoes. One of the most frequent questions I hear about Boma is whether there's enough on offer for the picky eaters in a party? The answer to that is unreservedly "Yes!" and I say that, not because I've seen that answer from so many people over the years, but because I've also experienced it myself.

We've taken at least two people to Boma in recent years that would definitely fall into the picky eater category and they've come away praising the restaurant and saying that they would happily come back and eat there time and time again. So if that's a concern for you, have no fear. Everyone will be able to find something they enjoy.

But for us, the real enjoyment is sampling food that's new to us, and there's plenty of that to be found at Boma. The restaurant is designed to resemble an African marketplace and that's why you'll find a series of different areas called "pods," all with different types of food. There's one for soup and salad, another for vegetable accompaniments, one for meat and fish, and of course, one for dessert. There is an overwhelming choice, with probably more than 50 items available on any given night, and first time visitors often wonder where to start. Fortunately it's an easier choice for me, as a non meat eater, I usually head for the soups, followed by salads, then some fish with some vegetable accompaniments, of course leaving room for those desserts!

There isn't much explanation about any of the dishes you'll see, apart from their names and perhaps a couple of words about what's in them, but if you're unsure of anything or want more information, then don't be afraid to ask the chefs, who are always on hand, preparing more dishes for the hungry hoards. They're always happy to chat about the details of each dish and I've always found them to be very accommodating, particularly in pointing out which dishes are suitable for vegetarians. They'll also advise you as to how spicy dishes are, so you can judge whether you want to try them for yourself. And of course, that's the beauty about it being a buffet -- you can try a tiny amount at first and then if you like it, go back for more.

The way Boma works is that you just go up to the area that you want to sample. There's no line from one to another, like a conventional buffet, although the last time we were there, a lot of people were trying to do that and even the servers commented to us that they'd never witnessed that before. Don't worry if that happens to you - we did feel as if we were pushing in on occasions, but we've been to Boma enough times to know how the system should really work.