We went to Boma at Disney’s Animal Kingdom Lodge this past February and it was one of the best dinners we had. Eating at Boma gluten free was AMAZING and delicious!!
It had been years since we had been to Boma for dinner and I was excited to go this time because I remembered how much I liked it back then. The food is an African-inspired buffet that is full of flavor and spice without being overwhelmingly so.
Animal Kingdom Lodge is also host to another favorite dining spot, Sanaa. If you’ve never had the pleasure of eating at Sanaa, check out my review from 2019 here. We also ate dinner at Sanaa this past vacation and I’ll be doing another review of that as well.
I normally don’t do buffets at Disney (or anywhere for that matter). I usually ask the chef to bring me plates from the back. Eating at Boma gluten free, however, was a different experience. When Chef Lieu came to our table, she asked if my daughter (vegan) and I would trust her and let her walk us through the buffet. Then if we weren’t comfortable with selecting from the buffet, she would gladly bring us anything we wanted from the back.
We went along with her as she guided us through each “pod” of the buffet. She pointed out how just about everything is grouped together. The breads were in one “pod.” And all the carved meats were in another “pod.”
She explained how they are very careful about cross contamination and make sure that those things that have gluten are far from those that don’t. She was so nice and so incredibly knowledgeable about what went into every single thing on the buffet. After walking through the buffet with her, I felt very confident that I could do it on my own.
Boma Gluten Free Buffet
As this is a buffet, there are no menus but Disney does hand out the usual paper allergy menu so I’ve included that here. When I went through the buffet with Chef Lieu, I brought the paper menu with me and referenced it. The green checks in the first column denoted those items were gluten free.
My Appetizer
I made a beeline for the soup pod right away because I remembered the carrot ginger soup being so good the last visit.
Not being a fan of carrots (I’ll eat them, but they’re my least favorite vegetable), I never thought I’d like a soup made predominantly with carrots. But I have to tell you that this soup is absolutely delicious! It’s silky and a little bit sweet with a perfect amount of ginger.
The Entrees
I headed over to the carving station after I finished my soup because, let’s be honest, that’s what I was really there for. I remembered from years ago the meats being so good with such unique flavors from rubs and marinades.
I’m not ashamed that my plate was FILLED with mainly proteins. Haha! Durban chicken, whole roasted salmon with an orange cream sauce and almonds, and spice-crusted beef sirloin. I threw a little bit of rice in there for good measure. Lol!!
Whole roasted Durban style chicken was juicy and flavorful. It was marinated with spices such as ginger, turmeric, cinnamon, and black pepper (just to name a few). I dipped it in some tamarind BBQ sauce, which is sweet and tangy.
The whole roasted salmon with orange cream sauce and almonds was perfectly cooked. The sauce was creamy and the toasted almonds on top made a crunchy bite that elevated the fish to a whole new level.
The star of the show, at least for me, was the spice-crusted beef sirloin. My slice was perfectly rare and beautifully tender! I got just a hint of the spice rub on the crust of my slice and it was heavenly. I ate every last bite of the sirloin and enjoyed every single one 🙂
Dessert
Chef Lieu had already returned to our table to see if we needed anything else. I mentioned that I heard about the gluten free zebra domes (one of Boma’s signature bite-sized desserts) and asked if she could bring me a few. She brought me a few all right!
On my “platter,” I first enjoyed three gluten free zebra domes, which were absolutely delicious! I had had the original zebra domes years ago, which consist of a sponge cake on the bottom. The gluten free ones removed the cake and set the milk chocolate coffee mousse atop a thin piece of chocolate. In my opinion, the gluten free version is better because, well, it’s chocolate!
I also ate a few bites of the other wonderful desserts on my platter. The little tart in the front was a coconut mango chocolate tart. It was very good as well. The coconut panna cotta was creamy and smooth. I’m pretty sure the brownie bite (or mini chocolate cupcake in the middle) was from Erin McKenna’s Bakery. I’ve had them before and they’re very moist and yummy with a smooth and creamy frosting.
There was no way I was finishing the entire platter, but I truly enjoyed the raspberry sorbet. It was by far the best sorbet I’ve ever had. So fresh and smooth!
We asked Chef Lieu if she would mind taking a picture with us. Most chefs at Disney are very accommodating, but I feel that Chef Lieu went above and beyond for both myself and my daughter. I told her how thankful I was for everything she did for us!
If you have a chance to make the trek over to Animal Kingdom Lodge on your next Disney vacation, you MUST check out Boma! It was truly a wonderful meal, one of my favorites of our nearly two-week stay at Disney!! And if you run into Chef Lieu, tell her I said Hi 😉
Looks like such good food & sounds like a good time!
It was one of my favorite places, Barb! If you ever get a chance to go, you’ll love it 🙂
Great review. Everything looks great, love that the chef was so wonderful. I’ve had nothing but great chefs as well. We haven’t been to Boma dinner since pre-GF, will have to try it again.
It was so good, Pam! One of my faves 🙂
WOW it all looks yummy! I was last at Disney World pre GF but I know I could eat myself beyond full from what you’ve shown on the blog! But I have to say the Panna Cotta would be my favorite. It’s one of my favorites. Thanks again for the mouth watering review of another great meal.
Thanks, Cyndi! I wish I was back there eating all that wonderful food again 🙂