Jiko Reviews - Disney Reviews and Ratings

Author

goodfood4ursoul

Registered: September 2009
Posts: 104

Review Date: Wed October 7, 2009

Would you recommend the product? Yes | Price you paid?: None indicated | Rating: 10

Positive aspects of the product (pros):	amazing food and service + you get veggies with your meal
Cons:

We ate at three signature resort restaurants and this was our favorite!

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KimDis

Registered: May 2006
Posts: 387

Review Date: Tue August 18, 2009

Would you recommend the product? Yes | Price you paid?: None indicated | Rating: 10

Positive aspects of the product (pros):	Great food, good wait staff, beautiful dining room, lots of choices for kids.
Cons:

This restaurant was one of the best resort table service meals we had during our vacation and a big hit with my retiree mom and 3 tween cousins. Our waiter was excellent and very engaging � he got the girls searching for the big hidden Mickey in Jiko and they actually found it.
While the girls stuck to the standard kids meals (grilled chicken, fish, and mac n cheese were their picks), they enjoyed their meals and loved the setting. We all enjoyed sharing the Taste of Africa appetizer; our faves were the lentil dip and naan. The naan would have been our favorite bread � but then they brought out that amazing honey bread. Oh my.
My mom is a vegetarian and had the Swahili Curried Vegetables with Tofu � absolutely delicious. Since I�d heard so many raves about the macaroni and cheese, I had to get it � but with the short ribs instead of the filet. Tasty, tasty, tasty. It was a big meal and I couldn�t finish it but I enjoyed every bite I could fit in.
An overall great choice for our family and we�ll definitely return.

DisneyDad64

Registered: July 2008
Posts: 51

Review Date: Mon June 22, 2009

Would you recommend the product? Yes | Price you paid?: None indicated | Rating: 10

Positive aspects of the product (pros):	Great food
Cons:	None

Great food. Try the chef counter if you are two and looking for a different experience.

irunnoft

Registered: July 2008
Posts: 701

Review Date: Sun June 21, 2009

Would you recommend the product? Yes | Price you paid?: None indicated | Rating: 9

Positive aspects of the product (pros):	food, flavors/spices, menu items, atmosphere
Cons:	none

The last time I went to Jiko, I ordered the filet and it was good. To me, it wasn't in the same league as the filet at the California Grill, but it was good. I really didn't care for the mac and cheese. It was just mostly elbows. I didn't really get any cheese flavor at all. I might have had an off night for that dish, though. I'm going back to Jiko in a few days and I plan to order that dish, so I'll review that then.

We started off with the barbecue chicken flatbread and I thought it was quite good. My wife, who hates cillantro, thought it wasn't good for the sole fact that she tasted either cillantro or some sort of spice that was very close to it. If it wasn't for that, she would have loved it. Too bad. . . that meant more flatbread for me to eat! The mixture of the barbecue sauce along with sweetness of the apple (it was like a slaw type texture of apples) created a great taste combination. I thought the onion added a little zip to it and the chicken was fantastic. I'm sure the barbecue sauce itself had the offending spice my wife didn't like. It was a smoky, sweet type of sauce. The flatbread was crisp and just plain delicious. I'd have no problems ordering this again.

For an entree, I ordered the barbecue short rib. This is one extremely large rib (think more like a roast with a bone in the middle). The meat on the rib was phenomenally seasoned and wonderfully tender. The meat just fell off the bone and was more of the consistency of a type of pot roast rather than the texture of meat you would expect on a baby back type rib. The Kenyan coffee rub used on the meat was just fantastic. Couple that with the oven roasted potatoes and it was a great meal. I'd have no problems ordering that again, either.

My wife had the maize crusted halibut that had a tomato buttery sauce accompanying it. She said the fish was light and perfectly cooked. I tried some of it and I'm not a big fish person, but I'd have no problems ordering that entree. It was delicious. The maize crust was crisp and not heavy. The fish was white and flaky - cooked to perfection. The addition of the tomato butter sauce was something that took a good entree to the next level. My wife has done nothing but rave about this fish since we dined there on 06/15/09.

My son had the oak fired filet from the kid's menu and it was a portion that would satisfy most adults! It was at least an 8 oz. filet. It, too, was cooked perfectly and he enjoyed it immensely.

We like dining at Jiko so well that we stopped at the host stand on the way out and booked another night during our trip.
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soupy11

Registered: February 2004
Posts: 1514

Review Date: Fri June 19, 2009

Would you recommend the product? Yes | Price you paid?: None indicated | Rating: 9

Positive aspects of the product (pros):	Amazing food, amazing atmosphere
Cons:	Busy busy busy

This is an unbelievable place to visit. Enjoy a beverage in the relaxing Victoria Falls Lounge and then prepare to be wowed by the great selection of food at this unique buffet style restaurant. The wine selection is great and the deserts are delicious.

JoQuo711

Registered: May 2009
Posts: 80

Review Date: Thu June 11, 2009

Would you recommend the product? Yes | Price you paid?: None indicated | Rating: 10

Positive aspects of the product (pros):	Great food and decor
Cons:

First of all, it should be made clear that not everything on the menu is clearly African-influenced cuisine. A lot of the northern African inspired cuisine can be mistaken for Middle Eastern or Mediterranean European cuisine because of the location. You should ask your server what he or she suggests if you want a uniquely African experience.

That being said, the food is stellar. Everything we ordered was top quality from start to finish. As noted above, even if you have never had African food before, some of the food will be very familiar.

The restaurant itself is also gorgeous. The paper birds are beautiful, and the lighting in the restaurant cycles between red, orange, yellow, and off-white, which I'd think is meant to represent the changing colors of the sun throughout the day. This place definitely shot right up my must-do list after eating there just once, and I'll certainly be back again.

missminniemouse

Registered: September 2004
Posts: 676

Review Date: Thu June 11, 2009

Would you recommend the product? Yes | Price you paid?: None indicated | Rating: 10

Positive aspects of the product (pros):	very relaxing atmosphere
Cons:

We truly enjoyed this restaurant. My husband and I went without our children and were given special attention by the sommelier, who brought us 3 or 4 different wines to sample.

While macaroni and cheese sounds like a strange accompaniment for a steak, it really is good. The sampler appetizer with different breads and spreads was very good as well. We had a chocolate dessert that was outstanding.

Upon returning to our room, our children (then ages 8 and 12) latched onto our leftover steak and dessert. It all disappeared very quickly.

bsusanmb

Registered: July 2004
Posts: 1818

Review Date: Wed May 27, 2009

Would you recommend the product? No | Price you paid?: None indicated | Rating: 5

Positive aspects of the product (pros):	nice wine selection, theming
Cons:	quality of food has declined, service has declined

This had been one of our favorites. We have dined here about 8 times. The first 6 were just wonderful until the management and chefs changed.
We tried it a second time after a bad meal, and it was even worse. We both had the filet mignon and asked for it medium rare. We asked to substitute smashed potatoes for the mac and cheese, and sauce on the side. Our appetizer was the African breads and hummus. The appetizer was perfect, and the bread that is served with the meal was also great. Our steaks came out medium well and were very dry. This is the first time that we have ever sent a meal back in WDW. But for $39 for a piece of meat, back they went. New filet was medium rare, but very tough and stringy. The edges were dried out. I am accustomed to having the steak cut like butter, and almost melt in your mouth...it was awful. And the potatoes were about 3 tablespoons...for $39. The desserts were good. Our server was from Cuba and he spoke broken English. I couldn't understand him, and he couldn't understand me. He was also very disinterested, which has never been my experience in a WDW signature restaurant. Our servers at Jiko have always been attentive, offered suggestions, discussed the menu with us, checked to see if we were pleased with our food. Not this time, we had to flag him down to send the food back. I am sorry to say that our last two times at this restaurant were just not good. I hope that it improves.

tx2tn

Registered: January 2006
Posts: 985

Review Date: Fri May 22, 2009

Would you recommend the product? Yes | Price you paid?: None indicated | Rating: 7

Positive aspects of the product (pros):	Great Atmosphere, Service
Cons:	Food not as good as expected

We ate at Jiko during our recent stay at AKL. We were very excited to get ADR's for this restaurant.

The location and decor were excellent and the service is even better.

My wife and I were not overly impressed with the food. It was good, don't get me wrong, but it was just not as good as we had heard.

Overall, a very nice dinner.

bsusanmb

Registered: July 2004
Posts: 1818

Review Date: Sun May 17, 2009

Would you recommend the product? No | Price you paid?: None indicated | Rating: 3

Positive aspects of the product (pros):	used to love this restaurant.
Cons:	terrible service, poor quality cut of meat

After our second terrible meal here, we will not go back. When the restaurant first opened, we loved it. The food was just phenomenal. The next year we had a great meal there. Last year the food was not as good, and the signature dinner monk fish was awful. This visit, we both had the filet mignon. We ordered it medium rare. It came out dry and medium well. It was the first time I have ever sent back a meal in WDW. The replacement steaks were very dry, stringy, but medium rare. The quality of this restaurant has gone down. The server was disinterested. The previous visits we had servers who were top notch, just like in the CA Grill. We were both very disappointed. $39 for a piece of meat...well, it should cut like butter, and I needed a saw to cut it. Sorry to say that it was terrible, as we have always loved JIKO and Boma.

BlueFairy

Registered: August 1999
Posts: 1232

Review Date: Tue May 12, 2009

Would you recommend the product? Yes | Price you paid?: None indicated | Rating: 10

Positive aspects of the product (pros):	atmosphere, wine list
Cons:	hard to access

We have eaten here many times since the opening week. Though I prefer some of the older menu items that have gone away, we remain thrilled every time we eat here. Excellent service and wine list are consistent here, too. Allow plenty of time to get here from another resort. Go early so you can visit the animals. Ask to eat at the counter if you need a last minute ADR or are dining alone.

LuccaDrake

Registered: March 2008
Posts: 398

Review Date: Sun May 10, 2009

Would you recommend the product? Yes | Price you paid?: None indicated | Rating: 10

Positive aspects of the product (pros):	excellent food and great atmosphere
Cons:	getting to restaurant if staying at different property

Don't walk...run to Jiko. It is THAT good. This is definitely our favorite place on property. It is dimly lit and has a romantic feel which is great for date night. We have tried multiple things from here but one of my favorites is one of their signature meals, filet mignon with mac 'n' cheese in a cabernet sauce. It's delicious and the meat is so tender you could cut it with a fork. A great appetizer to try is the lamb patis. It's seasoned pork in phyllo dough with a mint dipping sauce. For dessert you can't miss the pistachio creme brulee. It has pistachio custard on the top with a layer of rich chocolate on the bottom. I crave this when not at the World. I can't wait to go back during our next visit!

oilheadbob

Registered: May 2008
Posts: 44

Review Date: Thu May 7, 2009

Would you recommend the product? Yes | Price you paid?: None indicated | Rating: 9

Positive aspects of the product (pros):	unique food choices, great atmosphere
Cons:	uniquie food choices

If you are adventurous, great place to eat. The atmosphere is very nice, although the rest. is a little dark if you have poor eyesite. The food and service have been excellent the two times we have dined there.

tohono2000

Registered: March 2007
Posts: 38

Review Date: Tue May 5, 2009

Would you recommend the product? Yes | Price you paid?: None indicated | Rating: 10

Positive aspects of the product (pros):	The food, the view, the wine list...
Cons:	None

I love this place! The menu always has something interesting or something I have never thought of eating before. Try everything, be bold.

Have the chef reccommend a meal with wine pairings and see where it takes you. I am a foodee, and this is a good place to be one.

Circusgirl

Registered: November 2007
Posts: 1117

Review Date: Mon May 4, 2009

Would you recommend the product? Yes | Price you paid?: None indicated | Rating: 10

Positive aspects of the product (pros):	Beautiful ambience, fantastic food.
Cons:	None

Serene atmosphere, attentive service and exceptional food. It feels like a terrific luxury to eat here.

minie_meese

Registered: July 2007
Posts: 769

Review Date: Sun May 3, 2009

Would you recommend the product? Yes | Price you paid?: None indicated | Rating: 10

Positive aspects of the product (pros):	food, wine, staff
Cons:

Love this restaurant. We like a variety of foods and were not disappointed. The Taste of Africa was superb. The food is not so exotic that someone willing to try something a little different will be disappointed. Out 3 yr old granddaughter loved the food here and she tried something from everyone's plate. For dessert our wonderful server took my son and granddaughter to the back where they prepared desserts and let our little one watch and help pick things out.

The wine selection at Jiko is wonderful here. Our server happened to be a sommelier too and helped us select a wonderful wine for our dinner.

We look forward to going back to Jiko again.

lady danger

Registered: June 2006
Posts: 175

Review Date: Thu April 30, 2009

Would you recommend the product? Yes | Price you paid?: None indicated | Rating: 9

Positive aspects of the product (pros):	excellent food, wonderful atmosphere
Cons:	service a bit spotty

We ate here in October of '08 and had a really great meal. The menu has a lot of variety, offering both more exotic fare and more "safe" options. The food was terrific (the macaroni accompaniment with the filet is as delicious as promised!), but the service was a bit shaky. The waitress was very knowledgeable about the menu and friendly, but she seemed to lose track of us after our appetizers were served. She was difficult to track down for refills and when we needed the check, and randomly served us bread for the first time only after we were almost finished with our entrees. She may have just been having an off night, but it was an odd experience for one of WDW's signature restaurants.

katylady

Registered: June 2006
Posts: 42

Review Date: Thu April 30, 2009

Would you recommend the product? Yes | Price you paid?: None indicated | Rating: 10

Positive aspects of the product (pros):	nice atmosphere, good food, good service
Cons:

My husband and I thoroughly enjoyed our experience at Jiko. Our server/sommelier was attentive but not intrusive and made excellent suggestions for wine accompaniments to our meals. He also arranged a special sampler appetizer that is not on the menu (not the Taste of Africa). Many people rave about the filet with mac&cheese, and my husband had that and really liked it as well. I had the kenyan coffee barbeque short ribs and they were outstanding. I also can't say enough about how much I enjoyed my dessert - the house made meyer lemon curd. I think I could have eaten five of them and I hope it's still on the menu when we get a chance to make a return visit.

Mickey_Man

Registered: February 2008
Posts: 1087

Review Date: Thu April 30, 2009

Would you recommend the product? Yes | Price you paid?: None indicated | Rating: 8

Positive aspects of the product (pros):	location, flavors, service
Cons:	location, check-in

Yes - Location, Location, Location. For me, the fact that this is at Animal Kingdom Lodge gives me more than just a dining experience. Touring this resort is a destination unto itself. Unfortunately, it also means getting to AKL, which is not an easy feat without a car.

As far as the food goes, the flavors here are different but they are not abstract - try it, you'll like it! I am a tough grader so getting an 8 is a good thing here. I think of 5 as average, so this is well above average.

skunkvette

Registered: March 2006
Posts: 224

Review Date: Thu April 30, 2009

Would you recommend the product? Yes | Price you paid?: None indicated | Rating: 10

Positive aspects of the product (pros):	Fantastic (and different) menu and wine list
Cons:

Love it here, a great change of pace in a beautiful setting.

The menu is different without getting too strange. Every meal we have ever had was excellent.

Wine list is a treat, and if you need to wait for your table, check out the small bar off to the side, the bartender there is great fun.

Only downside, our last visit, the service was down a peg - maybe an off night.

Cruz Family

Registered: July 2005
Posts: 3478

Review Date: Thu April 30, 2009

Would you recommend the product? Yes | Price you paid?: None indicated | Rating: 10

Positive aspects of the product (pros):	Wonderful atmosphere, great service, and amazing food
Cons:	A little on the pricey side.

The first time we went to Jiko we were really worried about the flavors being too "African". We thought the spices might be different from what we are use to and were very apprehensive. Boy were we wrong!!! We thought Jiko was outstanding in every way....food, service, atmosphere. It has become my family's favorite WDW restaurant.

msteddom

Registered: May 2003
Posts: 2246

Review Date: Thu April 30, 2009

Would you recommend the product? Yes | Price you paid?: None indicated | Rating: 9

Positive aspects of the product (pros):	Wonderful Service
Cons:	Difficult to get to without a car

I sat at the "Cooking Place" counter on my most recent trip. I was a solo diner, but I don't think I spent five consecutive minutes alone. It was great! One of the chefs or one of the servers was constantly checking on me, and telling me stories about their homes. I have never felt so well taken care of!

peacefrogdog

Registered: February 2000
Posts: 413

Review Date: Wed April 29, 2009

Would you recommend the product? Yes | Price you paid?: None indicated | Rating: 9

Positive aspects of the product (pros):	Great service, awesome food
Cons:	portion sizes are shrinking

These comments are based on two visits, a year apart. The first time, everything was perfect. The waitress was courteous, knowledgable and made our adults-only dinner a true experience. The food was spectacular!

A year later, our waiter was OK but nothing spectacular (although I must give another waiter credit for walking by our table, seeing me with my camera, and volunteering to take a picture of me and my wife). We did notice that portion sizes are shrinking. The filet, while excellent, as well as the mac&cheese that comes with shrink, have shrunk in size compared to a year ago.

For what you pay for the meal, the smaller portion sizes make it a bit less of an experience. Overall though a great restaurant.

burberryplaid

Registered: February 2007
Posts: 2196

Review Date: Wed April 29, 2009

Would you recommend the product? Yes | Price you paid?: None indicated | Rating: 10

Positive aspects of the product (pros):	Delicious unique food, friendly staff, elegant atmosphere
Cons:	None

Jiko is absolutely the best! The atmosphere is gorgeous (pay close attention to the back wall which goes from a yellow sunrise to an orange sunset while you dine) It might be intimidating to think of trying African food, but embrace the opportunity..you will not be disappointed!

Our favorite dishes are the Taste of Africa and the Oak Grilled fillet. The fillet is magnificent..definitely the best piece of beef I've ever had the pleasure of eating!

The staff is always friendly. If you are a wine lover, the staff will gladly recommend the right vintage to go with your meal. If you are lucky, you may even get a seat in the wine room. We had the pleasure od dining here on our anniversary and we felt like royalty.

Jiko is worth the price and we will keep coming back for more!

mmmears

Registered: November 2005
Posts: 5795

Review Date: Wed April 29, 2009

Would you recommend the product? Yes | Price you paid?: None indicated | Rating: 8

Positive aspects of the product (pros):	Beautiful decor, great food, great service
Cons:	Steak not cooked quite right.

Went here for DD's Bday dinner. We had the filet w/mac & cheese. We asked for Medium Well, and it was extremely well done, so not tender. We would have liked a little more of the mac & cheese on the plate as well.

Our service was excellent. The waiter brought our DD a pistachio creme brulee for her Bday, and it was just amazing!

xipetotec

Registered: March 2005
Posts: 762

Review Date: Wed April 29, 2009

Would you recommend the product? Yes | Price you paid?: None indicated | Rating: 10

Positive aspects of the product (pros):	Food, Wine, Service
Cons:	none

Best table service on property imho.
Food was fantastic. Server knew his stuff on the wines offered and pairings with the food.

The atmosphere was elegant and reflected the look and feel of the AK lodge overall with a calm and pleasant african inspired design.

Went with DW and DB. ordered different food and wine pairings between the three of us. Also had the hummus variety appetizer ( forget the actual name on the menu for this ). We're all family ( and a small group ) so we all tasted each other's dishes and *nothing* was bad, in fact everything was excellent. I guess you get what you pay for at Jiko.

OKW Lover

Registered: April 2004
Posts: 8529

Review Date: Wed April 29, 2009

Would you recommend the product? Yes | Price you paid?: None indicated | Rating: 10

Positive aspects of the product (pros):	Elegant Dining with a wide-range of flavors; great wine list
Cons:	May be too exotic for some

If you don't mind trying different flavors, this is a great place. Its a wonderful dining experience (as opposed to merely having something to eat). The wine list is full of wines from africa that make wonderful accompaniments to your meal.

Service is good and the food is presented well. This place is fairly expensive, but that is consistent with the other top end WDW restaurants.

The filet is a favorite.

Mouse Skywalker

Registered: August 2005
Posts: 5059

Review Date: Tue April 28, 2009

Would you recommend the product? Yes | Price you paid?: None indicated | Rating: 10

Positive aspects of the product (pros):	Incredible food, amazing service
Cons:	kind of expensive, long dinner

This has to be one of my favorite restaurants on property. It is to die for. Prepare yourself for a dinner event. It will take 2 hours or so for dinner, but it will be worth it. Also, make sure you get the Taste of Africa when you go. I know some people get concerned about bringing children to this restaurant, but you know your kids. If they can sit through a long, upscale dinner, and not get restless, then they will be fine. We've taken our children, and they loved every minute of it. In fact, they still talk about the steak they got there. The filet mignon served with mac&cheese is incredible. I love Jiko, and I want to go back.

One secret, I was by myself once for a conference and did not have an ADR. They say me at the counter at the salad station, and I had the most amazing time. I talked with the salad preparers all evening. Two of them were from Africa, and they told me all about their countries. By the end of dinner, they even made me a special African non-alcoholic drink. I would love to sit there again.