As far as "table service" (or sit down) restaurants go, the options can sometimes seem limited when visiting Disney's Animal Kingdom. Unlike Magic Kingdom & Epcot, Animal Kingdom's physical location does not provide easy access to a variety of resort dining, and there are not as many choices inside the park as some other places.
While there are two phenomenal table service experiences within the gates (Yak & Yeti and Tiffins), the menus don't always appeal to our kiddos, leaving us with two Animal Kingdom "go to" restaurants: Rainforest Cafe and Tusker House. We love them both! Today we'll take a closer look at Tusker House.
Tusker House is the only restaurant inside Animal Kingdom that provides a character experience. Goofy, Daisy, Donald, and Mickey are decked out in their best safari gear and visit each table to give hugs, take pictures, and sign autographs.
Tusker House serves breakfast, lunch, and dinner (buffet-style), and much of the food is prepared with an African twist (although corn dog nuggets and macaroni & cheese can be found as well!). We've found that the restaurant's menu allows our family to be adventurous in our eating, knowing that there will definitely be something we'll enjoy even if we end up not liking the new food we've tried (although we typically find most of it to be delicious!). Sweet plantains, spit-roasted bone-in ham, curry chicken, mojo pork with spicy mustard, and beef bobotie have become some of our favorites!
The restaurant is located toward the very back of the property, near the entrance to The Festival of the Lion King and Kilimanjaro Safari. Early breakfast reservations (at least an hour before the park opens) can allow your family to enjoy the meal, meet the characters, and be among some of the first in line to ride the Safari, but you'll need to be sure to arrive at the park early enough to make it through security and complete the trek back to the restaurant in time for your reservation! (Valid theme park admission is required to dine at Tusker House.)
We LOVE the breakfast buffet, but prefer to eat as late as possible (typically around 10:30-10:45ish), so we often time our meal with the start of The Festival of the Lion King, which allows us to finish eating and immediately head over to see one of the best live shows in all of Disney World.
The breakfast buffet costs around $30/adult ($18/child), while lunch is about $38/adult ($23/child) and dinner averages $42/adult ($25/child). You can also pay for the meal with one (1) table service credit per person on the Disney dining plan.
If you're looking for a fun character dining experience that offers a little more variety than your standard buffet, Tusker House would be a great spot to try! I'd love to help your family book & plan a Disney trip-- tailored specifically to your desires and budget--with as little stress as possible. Please don't hesitate to let me know how I can help!
