Boma or Jiko at Disney??

Question

We are on the Disney dining plan and want to try lots of different places. There are 2 adults and 2 kids-9 & 12. Jiko takes 2 meal credits and Boma only takes one. We were considering doing Boma, will we still get a different taste and have African cuisine choices on the Boma buffet?

We were going to use Jiko as our choice for signature dining but we were thinking instead of going to Yachtsman for signature dining and Boma for our African experience.

We are just tying to get the most out of out Dining Plan. Here our some other selections we have made
Maya Grill
Donald's breakfast @ Animal kingdom
Spirit of aloha dinner show
Mama Melrose-Fantasmic dinner show
Planet Hollywood
L'Originerale Alfredo di Roma Ristorante
Chef Mickey's Breakfast

Also we wanted to eat at teppanyaki, but were informed it would be closed. Anyone know of another Japanese style restaurant at Disney. Not interested in Sushi, but more the habachi style cooking, where the dinner is prepared at the table?

Answer 1

Both Boma's and Jiko's is really great, some of my favorite choices on property. However, I don't necessarily think that Jiko's is that much better to use two points from your dining plan. Don't get me wrong, Jiko's is well worth the two points and is well worth the cost of what you would spend, but if you are wanting to experience as many restaurants at Disney as possible, I don't know if you would want to use the two points on it. Boma's is really great as well, you get a similar type feel, but only have to use one point. For a buffet, it cannot be beat. Both offer a little different food than what some may be used to, but still offer some more familiar options as well. I think they are both great choices, it really just depends if you want to use two of your points on one meal. The dining plan is such a great deal, and if you use it right, you could easily get by with only eating the food on the meal plan each day, even though it doesn't include all three meals. But, if you use two points at one restaurant, you would lose one day that you would then have to pay extra for, so for some, using two points on one meal isn't always ideal, but the options that require two meal points are really worth it.

Between Yachtsman Steakhouse and Jikos, I think I would choose Jikos, I think they are a little better than Yachtman and more worth the two points. Also, there are more options for good steak at Disney, though with Jiko's you have the option of Boma's. If it were me, I would go with LeCelliers over Yachtsman. In my opinion, Le Celliers is better and you only have to use the one point. However, it does sell out pretty quickly, so I'm not sure if you will be able to get that for your dates or not.

Overall, I like all of your choices for your restaurants. The only thing I noticed is that you have two character breakfast's. While the character breakfast on the dining plan will still save you money over buying them outside of the dining plan, you will not save as much as you could if you were to do dinner, or even lunch. Also, your breakfast items are pretty much going to be the same basic things at each, so you won't get as much variety as you can with lunch and dinner. But, the character meals are a huge hit with kids, so that may be more of the reason why you picked those. The other thing is that breakfast, in general is not going to be your best value on the meal plan, not considering Disney's cost. Breakfast is usually the least expensive meal, and you could just have a quick donut or something like that before leaving for the parks. If you use your point for that day on breakfast, you won't be able to have as nice of a meal for dinner, or you may have counter service or something. Again, the breakfast choices that you have made are still good, but you may consider doing lunch or dinner just to get a little more for your money. I really enjoy Chef Mickey's, I think it is my favorite character meal.

For your other choices: Maya Grill is really great, the food is excellent, though you may read some reviews where the service wasn't real great. Personally, I've never really had a problem with the service, and the most important thing, the food, was excellent. Spirit of Aloha is also really good, probably not the best show, but I enjoy the food. If you aren't wanting to use two points, you may also consider Ohana, I think I enjoy this just as much and it is only one point, the main difference between the two is the show. Mama Melrose is great as well, I like it alot more than Hollywood and Vine. If you don't mind using two points, I think Brown Derby is well worth using the two points on, just my opinion though. Planet Hollywood is okay, not one of my favorite choices. Food is basically what you find at most Planet Hollywoods, just the basics, nothing too unique. In my opinion the food is not the best, for example the hamburgers are just a little better than what you can get at a counter service in the parks. Also, it is really crowded and noisy, not too enjoyable in my opinion. Of all your choices, this is the only one that I don't think I would choose, if it were me. I like Alfredo's as well, one of the many great options at EPCOT, I could easily plan my whole meal plan in just EPCOT alone, from Le Celliers to Coral Reef, there are so many great options.

Teppanyaki is pretty good, I don't think there is really anything else that is really comparable to it. But, I think there are a few options that may work. I would suggest Nine Dragons (EPCOT), Matsunoma Lounge though this is sushi and tempura (EPCOT), Tempura Kiku but I don't think it is on the dining plan (EPCOT) There are a lot of great choices in EPCOT, if you are willing to go for something other than Japanese food. A few of my favorites: Bistro de Paris, Coral Reef, Chefs de France, San Angel Inn, Rose and Crown, and of course Le Celliers.

I've included four links for you, these are the four best resources I've found for planning my dining in Disney, aside from my agent. The first has really great info on the dining plan itself, the second a basic rundown of each restaurant, i.e. what type food and price, the third has menus for the restaurants and the fourth has reviews on the restaurants. I think these will be really helpful in your planning.


I hope this helps! Have a great time!

Answer 2

Both Bomas and Jiko's are great but I think the children might like Boma's more. It is a buffet and there are lots more options to choose from and there is definately an african flair with their cuisine. Jiko's tends to be more of an adult atmosphere the times that I have gone.
Personally, I would do the same thing you are considering- go to Yachtsman for the signature dining and Boma for the african experience.
There aren't any other Japanese style restaurants at Disney aside from the Teppanyaki Grill where they prepare the dinner at the table.
Also you left out one of the best dinner shows ever off your list of places to eat...Hoop De Doo Review at Ft Wilderness!!

Answer 3

Boma is my all time favorite WDW Restaurant and I highly recommend it! The food is amazing and quite different. Be sure to try the Watermelon Rind Salad, Fu-Fu (tastes like pumpkin pie) and the Zebra Cakes dessert. The desserts are amazing! Jiko is a nice sit down choice, but I think you will enjoy the Yachtsman as your signature dining experience more. So yes, you're on the right track! I recommend Boma and Yachtsman!
As far as Japanese food, I don't know of any other restaurant on Disney property that offers that style of food. Wolfgang's at Downtown Disney has a sushiu bar, but thats it. You would have to go off Disney property to find a Tempenyaki Restaurant.
Enjoy your trip!