- Mar 13, 2024
- 8,642
- 36
I’m back to talk about the best food in Disney World!
Nomad Lounge at Disney’s Animal Kingdom
Recently, I went to Animal Kingdom for a tour of the best food around the park, and while I’ve already spilled all of my thoughts on the snacks (you can check that out right here), that was just the beginning. Sit back, relax, and maybe grab a snack — we’re talking Nomad Lounge and Tiffins!
It’s no secret that here at Magical Guides, we love Nomad Lounge. In fact, we ranked it as our #1 restaurant in ALL of Disney World! Seriously, it’s that good.
And while we do really enjoy Tiffins, too, Nomad Lounge gives us the opportunity to try some small bites that come STRAIGHT from the Tiffins kitchen, while also sipping on some of the best handcrafted cocktails Disney resort-wide.
We love Nomad Lounge!
If you’re trying to choose between the two, here’s the quick breakdown: Tiffins is the full sit-down signature restaurant — think adventurous, globally inspired dishes, a longer meal, and a more upscale atmosphere. Nomad Lounge, on the other hand, is Tiffins’ laid-back sibling. It’s more about small plates, cocktails, and snagging a cozy seat to relax without committing to a full dining experience. You’ll find some overlap in menu items and flavors, but Nomad is ideal if you want the vibe (and maybe those famous churros) without the full signature restaurant price tag or time commitment.
Nomad Lounge
I tried two drinks on my visit to Nomad Lounge — the non-alcoholic Lychee Ginger Lemonade and the alcoholic cocktail called The Pachyderm and The Pollinator.
Two different but necessary beverages
The lemonade is made with Minute Maid Premium Lemonade with flavors of lychee, pomegranate, and ginger beer. It may scare some people away with the lychee and ginger flavors in the description, but actually, this is a mildly flavored drink. You get a slight kick from the ginger, and it may taste different than anything you’ve tried before, but the lemonade adds some familiarity. For $6.59, it’s worth a try!
Lychee Ginger Lemonade is unique and refreshing!
The Pachyderm and The Pollinator is made with Bayab African Rose Gin, honey, lemon, lavender bitters, and soda water. This is one of the lightest and most refreshing cocktails I’ve ever tasted. The Rose Gin is floral, but doesn’t taste like you just put perfume in your mouth. The lemon and lavender are already two light flavors, so they really brighten up the drink. The coolest part is that the color is meant to look like an elephant’s skin!
Wow, this might be my new favorite cocktail in Disney World
As delicious as the drink is, the story behind it is even better. This is inspired by The Elephants and Bees Project, which created a solution to keep elephants from raiding farmers’ crops. Researchers discovered that elephants are genuinely afraid of African bees, so they developed beehive fences that keep up to 80% of elephants at bay. Pretty neat, huh?
You may hear about this project on Kilimanjaro Safaris, too!
The drinks are a pull in their own right, but we can’t help but gush over the food here. I got a look at the Charcuterie and Cheese Board, which is the chef’s selection of assorted meats, cheeses, and accompaniments for $23.
This and a cocktail on the patio? Yes, please.
You know, The Traveler’s Provisions (AKA the naan and dip trio we talk about ALL of the time) had to be included when showcasing the best of Nomad Lounge. It’s described as “a collection of flavors gathered from distant bazaars and remote outposts” and includes a trio of dips: roasted garlic hummus, roasted eggplant and beetroot spread, roasted red pepper and walnut muhammara. Did you drool reading that, or was it just me?
Travel the world through dips and bread!
The naan is nice and soft, making it the perfect vessel for these dips. The garlic is prominent in the first dip…but isn’t that what you want from a garlic dip? If you don’t need a mint after a garlic-forward dish, it wasn’t done right.
The eggplant and beetroot spread will shock you! Even if you mostly ordered this to eat the naan bread (and I don’t blame you for that), the flavors are light and not too earthy.
Finally, the red pepper and walnut muhammara dip is the spiciest of the trio, but it really stands out for the flavor! The spices transport you somewhere else, so much so that you’ll forget you’re in a theme park. The walnuts add a crunch, which makes for an interesting texture. For $18, this shareable snack will not disappoint you.
A close-up
Next up, it was time for the Chinese Five-Spice Glazed Chicken Wings ($16). Y’all. For some reason, I didn’t expect these to blow me away — after all, they are “just” chicken wings. Boy, was I wrong! The skin was so crispy, and the chicken was juicy and easy to bite. The sauce flavor rotates, but this Chinese Five-Spice Glaze had just the right kick to it. Can the chefs at Nomad Lounge bottle this up and sell it? Please!! For me?
I NEED this wing glaze in my everyday life
The Grilled Beef Kefta is another newer dish we recently tried during our review back in April. This is a Middle Eastern-inspired beef skewer, harissa hummus, herb-honey yogurt, and pickled red onions, on top of roasted garlic naan. This has everything going for it — a hearty, spiced meat (albeit a tad on the salty side), the tangy red onions, a soft honey yogurt sauce, and a pillow-y naan. I’d spend the $17 for this again and again.
YUM
I don’t know about you, but I love it when I can eat my veggies and not even know that I am eating vegetables. That’s exactly what the Wild Mushroom Dumplings do! This plant-based dish is made with dim sum sauce, chili crunch, and roasted mushrooms for $14. Some mushroom dishes don’t appeal to the masses because of an overly-earthy taste…but these dumplings do NOT pose that problem. The dumplings are packed with the roasted mushroom filling, which is seasoned beautifully. This was another instance of spiced, but not spicy. However, that chili crunch on the outside adds a bit of heat!
This is just one of the dishes that will surprise veggie haters!
Last but certainly not least, it’s the famous Churros! Who knew $11 could change your life? You’ll never want a standard Disney churro after trying these. The churros have a crunch on the outside, but are oh-so soft on the inside. Although the churros are covered in cinnamon sugar, the vanilla sauce adds a sweetness that isn’t over the top.
There are no words to describe how amazing these are.
Still hungry? I hope so, because now it’s time for a meal at Tiffins, which is celebrating its 10th anniversary this year!
A tiffin! At Tiffins!
When you visit Tiffins, your jaw will drop at the level of detail in this place. It’s basically a museum! Joan Hartwig, who is the Executive Creative Director of Walt Disney Imagineering and worked alongside Joe Rohde on the creation of Animal Kingdom (!!), gave us a tour of the restaurant. There are endless details to admire, but I loved looking through the photos of the Imagineers’ trip to Africa! Hartwig even recalled jumping out of their safari truck so she could take a photo of the ridges in the dirt. It’s all in the details, people!!!
Joan Hartwig explaining the backstory to these photos
Once you get settled in, it’s time to order an appetizer. We tried the Korean Barbecue Pork Belly Bao Buns first, which are topped with pickled cucumber, green papaya slaw, and cilantro for $16. These were AMAZING. The pork belly is super tender and melts in your mouth without any of the overly fatty texture pork belly can sometimes have. The bao was soft and fluffy, while the pickled cucumber and green papaya slaw added the perfect bright, acidic balance to the rich pork. Plus, the Korean barbecue glaze was flavorful without overpowering the dish.
Bao Buns
My fellow veggie haters — I see you, and I need you to trust me. The Gobi Manchurian is a MUST-order at Tiffins. For $11, you can share (or not) a pile of crispy-fried cauliflower with manchurian sauce and green onion. The cauliflower was crispy on the outside, soft on the inside, and coated in a tangy sauce that wasn’t overly spicy. Honestly, the crunch reminded us of those extra crispy fried chicken batter pieces in the best way possible.
You’ll be shocked by this dish
While you can order a whole-fried fish if you’re feeling brave, I opted for the Butter Chicken, which costs $43. This was rich, comforting, and packed with flavor, just like you want butter chicken to be. The chicken was super tender and sitting in a smooth, creamy sauce with warm spices. It also came with a crispy samosa and seasonal veggies like peas, squash, and pickled red onion that added such a fresh balance to the dish.
Now THIS is a meal
For dessert, you can’t go wrong here! The African Pot de Crème ($13) was one of the most complex items I ate all day! The chocolate pot de crème was smooth, creamy, and more milk-chocolate leaning than dark chocolate. The Ethiopian coffee flavor, crunchy chocolate cookie, pistachio, and bright pineapple pieces gave it so many fun textures and flavors together. Since it has more complex flavors, it may not be a crowd-pleaser with kids. If you’re worried about that, you should check out…
The chef recommended cracking the chocolate cookie on top…and they were right!
…this stunning Caramel Flan ($14)! This was a surprise favorite at my table. It’s made with cardamom-scented caramel and vanilla chantilly, and somehow, it’s even better than it sounds. This super silky flan had a deep caramel flavor with hints of cardamom, and the spoon literally glided through it like butter.
Sleeper hit!
Tiffins isn’t the most affordable restaurant by any means, but for a special occasion? It doesn’t get much better than this in Disney World. Or, if you’re a huge Animal Kingdom fanatic, you’ll want to set aside some of the dining budget to go here. The decor will blow your mind!
If you just want a taste of Tiffins without the commitment, Nomad Lounge is a no-brainer. All you have to do is join the Walk-Up Waitlist on the My Disney Experience app, and it will notify you when they are ready for you. Relax, and take in one of the BEST views in Disney World!
Tiffins
You know we’re eating in Disney World every single day here at Disney Food Blog, so stay tuned if you want to keep up with it all!
Disclosure: In nearly all circumstances, Disney Food Blog writers and photographers pay full price for their own travel, hotel, food, beverage, and event tickets. We do this because it’s important to us as journalists to ensure not only that we give you unbiased opinions, but also that you can trust us to do so since we’re paying our own way. On rare occasions, when we are invited by a company to attend a preview as media, and when we choose to accept that invitation, we will always make you, our readers, aware of that situation. Recently, we were invited by Disney World to attend a media event for Tiffins 10th anniversary. Note that when we attend events as media we are 1) Not required to review that event/food on any of our channels, and 2) Not required to review that event/food favorably. You can always count on Magical Guides to give you a 100% unbiased and honest review of any event that we attend, food that we eat, or beverage that we drink. You can see more in our Disclosure Policy. Thank you for reading. — AJ
Nomad Lounge at Disney’s Animal Kingdom
Recently, I went to Animal Kingdom for a tour of the best food around the park, and while I’ve already spilled all of my thoughts on the snacks (you can check that out right here), that was just the beginning. Sit back, relax, and maybe grab a snack — we’re talking Nomad Lounge and Tiffins!
And while we do really enjoy Tiffins, too, Nomad Lounge gives us the opportunity to try some small bites that come STRAIGHT from the Tiffins kitchen, while also sipping on some of the best handcrafted cocktails Disney resort-wide.
We love Nomad Lounge!
If you’re trying to choose between the two, here’s the quick breakdown: Tiffins is the full sit-down signature restaurant — think adventurous, globally inspired dishes, a longer meal, and a more upscale atmosphere. Nomad Lounge, on the other hand, is Tiffins’ laid-back sibling. It’s more about small plates, cocktails, and snagging a cozy seat to relax without committing to a full dining experience. You’ll find some overlap in menu items and flavors, but Nomad is ideal if you want the vibe (and maybe those famous churros) without the full signature restaurant price tag or time commitment.
Nomad Lounge
I tried two drinks on my visit to Nomad Lounge — the non-alcoholic Lychee Ginger Lemonade and the alcoholic cocktail called The Pachyderm and The Pollinator.
Two different but necessary beverages
The lemonade is made with Minute Maid Premium Lemonade with flavors of lychee, pomegranate, and ginger beer. It may scare some people away with the lychee and ginger flavors in the description, but actually, this is a mildly flavored drink. You get a slight kick from the ginger, and it may taste different than anything you’ve tried before, but the lemonade adds some familiarity. For $6.59, it’s worth a try!
Lychee Ginger Lemonade is unique and refreshing!
The Pachyderm and The Pollinator is made with Bayab African Rose Gin, honey, lemon, lavender bitters, and soda water. This is one of the lightest and most refreshing cocktails I’ve ever tasted. The Rose Gin is floral, but doesn’t taste like you just put perfume in your mouth. The lemon and lavender are already two light flavors, so they really brighten up the drink. The coolest part is that the color is meant to look like an elephant’s skin!
Wow, this might be my new favorite cocktail in Disney World
As delicious as the drink is, the story behind it is even better. This is inspired by The Elephants and Bees Project, which created a solution to keep elephants from raiding farmers’ crops. Researchers discovered that elephants are genuinely afraid of African bees, so they developed beehive fences that keep up to 80% of elephants at bay. Pretty neat, huh?
You may hear about this project on Kilimanjaro Safaris, too!
The drinks are a pull in their own right, but we can’t help but gush over the food here. I got a look at the Charcuterie and Cheese Board, which is the chef’s selection of assorted meats, cheeses, and accompaniments for $23.
This and a cocktail on the patio? Yes, please.
You know, The Traveler’s Provisions (AKA the naan and dip trio we talk about ALL of the time) had to be included when showcasing the best of Nomad Lounge. It’s described as “a collection of flavors gathered from distant bazaars and remote outposts” and includes a trio of dips: roasted garlic hummus, roasted eggplant and beetroot spread, roasted red pepper and walnut muhammara. Did you drool reading that, or was it just me?
Travel the world through dips and bread!
The naan is nice and soft, making it the perfect vessel for these dips. The garlic is prominent in the first dip…but isn’t that what you want from a garlic dip? If you don’t need a mint after a garlic-forward dish, it wasn’t done right.
The eggplant and beetroot spread will shock you! Even if you mostly ordered this to eat the naan bread (and I don’t blame you for that), the flavors are light and not too earthy.
Finally, the red pepper and walnut muhammara dip is the spiciest of the trio, but it really stands out for the flavor! The spices transport you somewhere else, so much so that you’ll forget you’re in a theme park. The walnuts add a crunch, which makes for an interesting texture. For $18, this shareable snack will not disappoint you.
A close-up
Next up, it was time for the Chinese Five-Spice Glazed Chicken Wings ($16). Y’all. For some reason, I didn’t expect these to blow me away — after all, they are “just” chicken wings. Boy, was I wrong! The skin was so crispy, and the chicken was juicy and easy to bite. The sauce flavor rotates, but this Chinese Five-Spice Glaze had just the right kick to it. Can the chefs at Nomad Lounge bottle this up and sell it? Please!! For me?
I NEED this wing glaze in my everyday life
The Grilled Beef Kefta is another newer dish we recently tried during our review back in April. This is a Middle Eastern-inspired beef skewer, harissa hummus, herb-honey yogurt, and pickled red onions, on top of roasted garlic naan. This has everything going for it — a hearty, spiced meat (albeit a tad on the salty side), the tangy red onions, a soft honey yogurt sauce, and a pillow-y naan. I’d spend the $17 for this again and again.
YUM
I don’t know about you, but I love it when I can eat my veggies and not even know that I am eating vegetables. That’s exactly what the Wild Mushroom Dumplings do! This plant-based dish is made with dim sum sauce, chili crunch, and roasted mushrooms for $14. Some mushroom dishes don’t appeal to the masses because of an overly-earthy taste…but these dumplings do NOT pose that problem. The dumplings are packed with the roasted mushroom filling, which is seasoned beautifully. This was another instance of spiced, but not spicy. However, that chili crunch on the outside adds a bit of heat!
This is just one of the dishes that will surprise veggie haters!
Last but certainly not least, it’s the famous Churros! Who knew $11 could change your life? You’ll never want a standard Disney churro after trying these. The churros have a crunch on the outside, but are oh-so soft on the inside. Although the churros are covered in cinnamon sugar, the vanilla sauce adds a sweetness that isn’t over the top.
There are no words to describe how amazing these are.
Still hungry? I hope so, because now it’s time for a meal at Tiffins, which is celebrating its 10th anniversary this year!
A tiffin! At Tiffins!
When you visit Tiffins, your jaw will drop at the level of detail in this place. It’s basically a museum! Joan Hartwig, who is the Executive Creative Director of Walt Disney Imagineering and worked alongside Joe Rohde on the creation of Animal Kingdom (!!), gave us a tour of the restaurant. There are endless details to admire, but I loved looking through the photos of the Imagineers’ trip to Africa! Hartwig even recalled jumping out of their safari truck so she could take a photo of the ridges in the dirt. It’s all in the details, people!!!
Joan Hartwig explaining the backstory to these photos
Once you get settled in, it’s time to order an appetizer. We tried the Korean Barbecue Pork Belly Bao Buns first, which are topped with pickled cucumber, green papaya slaw, and cilantro for $16. These were AMAZING. The pork belly is super tender and melts in your mouth without any of the overly fatty texture pork belly can sometimes have. The bao was soft and fluffy, while the pickled cucumber and green papaya slaw added the perfect bright, acidic balance to the rich pork. Plus, the Korean barbecue glaze was flavorful without overpowering the dish.
Bao Buns
My fellow veggie haters — I see you, and I need you to trust me. The Gobi Manchurian is a MUST-order at Tiffins. For $11, you can share (or not) a pile of crispy-fried cauliflower with manchurian sauce and green onion. The cauliflower was crispy on the outside, soft on the inside, and coated in a tangy sauce that wasn’t overly spicy. Honestly, the crunch reminded us of those extra crispy fried chicken batter pieces in the best way possible.
You’ll be shocked by this dish
While you can order a whole-fried fish if you’re feeling brave, I opted for the Butter Chicken, which costs $43. This was rich, comforting, and packed with flavor, just like you want butter chicken to be. The chicken was super tender and sitting in a smooth, creamy sauce with warm spices. It also came with a crispy samosa and seasonal veggies like peas, squash, and pickled red onion that added such a fresh balance to the dish.
Now THIS is a meal
For dessert, you can’t go wrong here! The African Pot de Crème ($13) was one of the most complex items I ate all day! The chocolate pot de crème was smooth, creamy, and more milk-chocolate leaning than dark chocolate. The Ethiopian coffee flavor, crunchy chocolate cookie, pistachio, and bright pineapple pieces gave it so many fun textures and flavors together. Since it has more complex flavors, it may not be a crowd-pleaser with kids. If you’re worried about that, you should check out…
The chef recommended cracking the chocolate cookie on top…and they were right!
…this stunning Caramel Flan ($14)! This was a surprise favorite at my table. It’s made with cardamom-scented caramel and vanilla chantilly, and somehow, it’s even better than it sounds. This super silky flan had a deep caramel flavor with hints of cardamom, and the spoon literally glided through it like butter.
Sleeper hit!
Tiffins isn’t the most affordable restaurant by any means, but for a special occasion? It doesn’t get much better than this in Disney World. Or, if you’re a huge Animal Kingdom fanatic, you’ll want to set aside some of the dining budget to go here. The decor will blow your mind!
If you just want a taste of Tiffins without the commitment, Nomad Lounge is a no-brainer. All you have to do is join the Walk-Up Waitlist on the My Disney Experience app, and it will notify you when they are ready for you. Relax, and take in one of the BEST views in Disney World!
Tiffins
You know we’re eating in Disney World every single day here at Disney Food Blog, so stay tuned if you want to keep up with it all!
Join the Magical Guides Newsletter to get all the breaking news right in your inbox! Click here to Subscribe!
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Disclosure: In nearly all circumstances, Disney Food Blog writers and photographers pay full price for their own travel, hotel, food, beverage, and event tickets. We do this because it’s important to us as journalists to ensure not only that we give you unbiased opinions, but also that you can trust us to do so since we’re paying our own way. On rare occasions, when we are invited by a company to attend a preview as media, and when we choose to accept that invitation, we will always make you, our readers, aware of that situation. Recently, we were invited by Disney World to attend a media event for Tiffins 10th anniversary. Note that when we attend events as media we are 1) Not required to review that event/food on any of our channels, and 2) Not required to review that event/food favorably. You can always count on Magical Guides to give you a 100% unbiased and honest review of any event that we attend, food that we eat, or beverage that we drink. You can see more in our Disclosure Policy. Thank you for reading. — AJ
