Jiko – Animal Kingdom Lodge’s Hidden Gem

There are a lot of restaurants in Walt Disney World. Some are good, some are ok, and some are just awful. A general rule of them is that the best restaurants are not in the parks. At times it seems like the further you get from the theme parks the better the restaurant is. This is the case with Jiko.


Jiko is located at the Animal Kingdom Lodge. That alone makes it a hike for anyone who wants to dine here and is not staying at the Lodge. Getting to Jiko is by far the worst part about dining at Jiko. One small tip that might help is the fact that it’s a short trip from the Animal Kingdom. If you are using Disney Transportation try to going to Jiko after visiting the Animal Kingdom. The only drawback of this tip is that you need pants (not shorts) to eat at Jiko. I solved this problem by wearing zip off cargo pants when I ate there.

Once you reach the AKL you still need to find Jiko. Out of all of the restaurants I’ve been to this was the only one I could not find on my own. I had to ask for directions. Most of the time it’s very easy to find a restaurant because there are a lot of signs of the restaurant just sticks out. This is not the case with Jiko. If you are heading over there I can help a little by saying you need to take the elevator down a floor from the main lobby to find Jiko.

Overall Jiko is a dark restaurant. It’s not as dark as the San Angel Inn but it is very dimly lit. It’s about as dark as Le Cellier. Unlike Le Cellier the ambient lighting comes from a few different sources not just the lights over head. For example the back wall is lit up with a cycling light that changes color. Most of the colors are reds, oranges, or other warm colors which adds nicely to the atmosphere.

One entire wall is made up of large windows that look out onto the grounds of the AKL. This would be nice during the summer but if you are going later in the year there is a good chance it’s going to be dark while you are there. Artist Pointe is also like this. Both would be awesome for lunch but who wants to go to an out of the way resort for lunch?

Unlike Artist Point Jiko has good food. Actually it’s not just good it’s some of the best you’ll find in Disney World. It doesn’t match the California Grill but it’s right up there. This is the real reason why Jiko is worth visiting.

What should you start with? We tried the Barbecue Flatbread and it was amazing but you can get a good flatbread in at a number of locations in Disney. We also tried the “Taste of Africa.” You will not find anything like this anywhere else in Disney World. This is an amazing dish with a wide range of flavors. You cannot go wrong with this dish.

For your entre it is a very hard choice. All of the offerings are good. If you want something you can’t get anywhere else try the Swahili Curry Shrimp. If you want something less adventurous you will not go wrong with the Barbecue Beef Short Ribs or the Oak-Grilled Filet.

For desert Jiko has a nice selection but they all tend to be overshadowed by the Tanzanian Chocolate Cheesecake. I don’t know if it’s because it’s Tanzanian or what but this is a great desert.

The service at Jiko was the best we received on our entire trip. They beat the great waiter we got at the Hoop Dee Doo. They beat the California Grille. They were the best. However, I would not expect to get this service again. The lady who waited on us was on loan from the dinner show at the Poly. She used to work at Jiko but got transferred. I feel bad for her. I don’t know what she did to deserve a transfer like that but she was the best we had. Too bad we had her before we went to the Brown Derby or else she would have easily restored our faith in the wait staff at Disney World.

Overall Jiko is worth the trip and that says a lot considering how long it can take to get there if you using Disney Transportation.

It’s Good…Let’s Ruin It!

In 1995 I ate at Artist Point. It was one of the best meals I’d ever eaten at Walt Disney World. The portions were good, the menu had a lot of options, and nothing I or my family ordered was bad. It really stood out as a fine dining experience.

Fast forward 13 years. I brought my wife to Artist Point. I know a lot can change in 13 years but I wasn’t expecting what we ran into.

First – the atmosphere. The atmosphere in Artist Point is nice. It has tall windows all over the place, a huge ceiling with a large chandelier, and some western artwork.

Second – the service. The service was decent. Our server was nice but he didn’t really do anything that would put him in the great category.

Third – the food. Totally forgettable. I wish I was kidding. I can’t remember what I had. It was so ordinary and cookie cutter that I forgot. I can tell you what I had 13 years ago (quail) because it was that good. This time nothing stood out. It was just an average dining experience at a fine dining price. If there was a corner that could be cut, Disney cut it. The berry cobbler is the biggest example. In 95 it was the size of a dinner plate with tons of berries and ice cream. It was so awe inspiring I took a photo of which I put into this post. It’s been reduced to the size of an ice cream bowl with less of everything, but double the price. Now that’s what I call progress!

Thank you Disney World for taking a fond memory and giving it a swirly. Maybe you could come over my house and replace my TV with a 13 inch black and white tube TV. Or grab my PS3 and replace it with a Sega Dreamcast.

If I go back, I’m guessing the berry cobbler will be an English muffin with raspberry jam on it. Oh stupid me…I should have kept my mouth shut…I can only imagine a Disney stooge reading this and thinking “Wow! Why didn’t I think of that?!? Someone get Food Services on the phone. Papa’s getting a bonus this year!

The Deluxe Dining Plan – My stomach hurts…

The last time I went to Disney I went all out. I hadn’t been in ten years. My wife hadn’t been in longer than that and she had never really done “Disney.” So I went nuts. We booked the atrium in the Contemporary, got the park hoper passes, and bought the Dining Deluxe plan.

In 2008 the Deluxe plan included three sit down meals a day, two snacks, and a resort fillable mug (I'd never pay for it but it's a decent mug). Thankfully I thought things through before I started making my ADRs. First of all how were we going to find time to eat three sit down meals a day? Second, how could be possibly eat that much? Finally, if we do eat that much, is my life insurance paid up?

With those things in mind I knew right away that I did not want to waste that much time just eating or even eat that much. So what do you do? You don’t want to waste your credits. You also don’t want to eat one meal a day at a counter service location so the other plan is out.
We decided to eat one meal a day at a signature dining location. That means that we spent one credit a day on breakfast or lunch and then two credits a day on dinner. We used our snacks for breakfast or lunch. Using this combo, we ate enough to feed a third world country. There were times when we didn’t want to eat anymore. I think I gained ten pounds. I can’t see how anyone could eat a full three sit down meals a day. I’d barf. There would be turkey legs and dole whip all over the place.

Now if you want to try out some of the signature dining locations here are the ones we tried (please forgive the spelling): Citricos, (Grand Floridian) Narcoossee’s (Grand Floridian), California Grill (Contemporary), and Artist Point (Wilderness Lodge). There are other signature dining locations. Some are more popular that others. A couple you have to book as early as possible to get into, those being Cinderella’s Table and Victoria and Albert’s. Dinner shows also count as two credits. In most cases this it’s not cost effective but we did the Hoop Dee Doo Review.

When it comes to signature dining I’m going to predict something. It’s only a matter of time before Le Cellier becomes a “signature dining” location. It’s too popular not too. I will be reviewing all of the signature dining locations we ate at in upcoming posts. I’ll also be reviewing the regular sit down locations too. Some were good , some were mediocre, and some were Yak and Yeti which you already know about.