Tiffins Restaurant opened a few years ago at Disney's Animal Kingdom and instantly became one of my favorite restaurants on property! The restaurant itself is beautiful and the menu has some unique dishes but still offers something to cater to everyone's tastes. It is located on Discovery Island right before you cross the path into Pandora so it's easy to get to from a lot of the park. Tiffins is classified as Signature Dining (two credits on the Disney Dining Plan) and offers Festival of the Lion King and Rivers of Light dining packages.
I like to start every visit here with a trip to the Nomad Lounge, attached and to the left of the entrance. This is a stop worth checking out on its own with great attention to detail for the traveling nomad. They offer small plates and a variety of specialty cocktails. They also offer wine, beer and non-alcoholic specialties as well. The bartenders here are always wonderful and helped me pick out a drink. Not pictured here, but the Hightower Rocks is also one of my favorites!
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| Details in the Nomad Lounge |
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Tempting Tigress - Indonesia; Russell's Reserve 10yr bourbon, St. Elizabeth Allspice Dram,
Tamarind syrup, and lime juice |
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Lambu Libation - Africa; Starr African rum, Cruzan banana rum, guava puree,
with tropical juices topped with Gosling's 151 rum float |
We enjoyed our two cocktails while we waited for our table to be ready and in just a few minutes we were escorted through the dining room to our table for dinner. It is definitely worth taking some time to check out the decor here, as there is gorgeous African art pieces around every corner.
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| Art on the walls in the dining room. |
We started with an appetizer of the Selection of Artisanal Cheeses with the Chef's selection of accompaniments. The house bread was also brought out which is a bit of a unique taste and has a hint of sweetness to it. I was also able to get gluten free crackers along with the cheese and bread, which was lovely.
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| Selection of Artisanal Cheeses |
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| Tiffins house bread and dipping sauce |
We tried not to fill up on bread as we had lots of yummy appetizers still coming our way, so the small cheese plate was the perfect size to wet our appetite and kick off the meal. We had a party of six and four of us ordered off the adult menu and the girls didn't feel brave and ordered some simpler items off the kids menu.
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| Kids Chicken Breast with Seasonal Veggie (Broccolini) |
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| Tamarind-braised Short Rib with Parsnip-Potato Puree, Cauliflower, Cipollini Onion, Medjool Date Vinaigrette |
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| Butter Chicken with Chickpea-Rice Croquette, English Peas, Cauliflower, Pickled Onion |
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| Whole-fried Sustainable Fish with Fermented Black Bean Sauce, Thai Green Papaya Slaw, Peanuts |
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| Braised Lamb Shank with Black-Eyed Peas, Piquillo Peppers, Coriander Chutney, Baharat |
The plates were all just beautiful and bursting with color. There was a variety of sides and sauces to really make each dish a unique experience. The meat was all cooked very well and fall off the bone where warranted. The portions were sizable to large (I'm looking at you whole fish!) so we were too stuffed to enjoy dessert this time around. However, the kids meals did come with a cupcake so we took that to go and enjoyed it later and it was also delectable!
While this is a Signature Restaurant so prices are on the higher side, we felt that it was a good value for the quality of food we received. They do take Tables in Wonderland and the Disney Dining Plan.
Have you been to Tiffins? What did you think? If not, what's your favorite restaurant in Animal Kingdom? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below!
- Agent Maci
