In an earlier post, I wrote about what I believed to be the #1 character dining experience in all of Walt Disney World Resort–Chef Mickey’s located in the Contemporary Resort, but since I’ve started working with Brooke Cartwright, a real Disney pro with Kingdom Magic Vacations, I’ve been introduced to what some would argue is even better than Chef Mickey’s:  Tusker House in Animal Kingdom.  Tusker House offers a very similar line-up of characters:  according to the latest information from the WDW website, guests will meet Donald and Daisy Duck, Mickey Mouse, and Goofy.  At Chef Mickey’s guests meet Pluto and Minnie, so there’s not a huge difference between the two locations.  If you schedule a breakfast at Tusker House, the food is even similar. However, if you are a more adventurous “foodie,” you might consider scheduling a lunch or dinner where you will be offered a buffet “brimming with African flavor.”  I read on one website where if you schedule a later breakfast you can even sample some of the lunch offerings as the cast members are switching out the buffet lines.

So why would Tusker House be BETTER than Chef Mickey’s?  Since it is located INSIDE one of the theme parks, you don’t have to give up valuable touring time to travel to the restaurant. For families who will have multiple days at the Magic Kingdom, traveling to Chef Mickey’s is not that big of an issue, but if you only have a four day ticket, you probably want to maximize your time inside the parks.  Tusker House is the best of both:  a great character experience and awesome location inside a park.

When my family last went to WDW in 2013, we had our table service meal at Yak & Yeti Restaurant.  While this doesn’t seem to be one of the more “popular” or requested restaurants, we all thoroughly enjoyed our meal here.  They offer pan-Asian inspired fare, so if you happen to like chains like P.F. Chang’s or Panda Express, you would definitely be able to find food to your liking.

 

As far as the “CAN’T MISS” restaurant in Animal Kingdom, I would have to give that honor to the quick service Flame Tree Barbecue. Especially for visitors paying out of pocket, you get A LOT of food for your money.  As the name suggests, this is a barbecue restaurant and the portions are Texan-approved LARGE.  Depending on how hungry you are, two people could probably split a plate here.  As good as the food is, though, the view is even better.  After you order and get your food, find a spot in the outdoor seating area that looks over toward Expedition Everest and give your feet a much needed rest while enjoying your ribs and/or chicken!  This will become your go-to spot when in Animal Kingdom.  Happy eating!