Happy #tastytuesday friends!! Today’s restaurant review is Tusker House restaurant in Disney’s Animal Kingdom Theme Park! Tusker House is a table service restaurant and 1 table service credit for those who are on the Disney Dining Plan.
As I was going through the pictures I took at this restaurant, I realized that I did not take any pictures of the inside or outside of the restaurant (novice mistake!). I will be going back to the restaurant in March, so there will be an opportunity to take more pictures then.
Tusker House is located in the Africa section of Animal Kingdom and is very easy to get to. You walk through the front gates, walk towards the Tree of Life, take a left, and continue to follow the path down until you reach Africa. The restaurant is then right across the bridge connecting Discovery Island and Africa. Tusker House is an Indian/African inspired character buffet that also serves traditional options. Although open from breakfast, lunch, and dinner, I have dined at Tusker House for both breakfast and dinner, and my favorite pick is the breakfast option.
I had made an 8:00am reservation for Tusker House (as I usually do before park opening- you can check out a blog post I have on this strategy on my blog as well under Perks of Early Morning ADRs). We entered the park with those who had early morning reservations as well and made our way over to Tusker House to formally check in for our reservation. We waited about 5 minutes and were one of the first families seated for the day.
When we were seated and the cast member asked if we wanted coffee, I also took that time to task for an allergy friendly menu (and some soy milk for my coffee!), as I normally do. Unlike other table service restaurants, but like many of the buffets on Walt Disney World property, I was given a food allergen guide instead of a menu. Each item in the buffet is listed as well as the common allergens that may be in the food, such as gluten, eggs, fish, dairy, selfish, and soy, and each item has a vegetarian label.
Even though it is not listed on the menu, at every breakfast buffet, you have the opportunity to ask for allergy friendly waffles, and so I made sure to do so. Additionally, I was able to pick up several items from the actual buffet, including potato puffs, sausage, salmon with red onions and capers, fresh salsa, and plantains. I actually quite enjoyed the food, but I will be honest, the buffets around Walt Disney World all offer very similar options, with just a few differences here or there. However, I have never been disappointed at any buffet at Walt Disney World, and I can always find food that fits my food allergies and sensitivities.
And of course, we can’t forget the character interactions!! Of course, we met Mickey,
Goofy,
and Donald!
In the past, we have also had the opportunity to meet Daisy, but she was not around for us to take pictures with this trip. I like that the characters are in their safari gear, which gives you a unique picture opportunity.
My coworker said it best that Tusker House is a hidden gem in Walt Disney World that not a lot of people know about, and I agree! The food and allergy friendly options are great, plus the character interactions are so cute. On our last trip, Goofy even tried to steal my cousin’s boyfriend’s seat from him and eat dinner with us! I would highly consider Tusker House if you are looking for places to eat at Walt Disney World.
Here’s to living out best and most delicious Disney lives! <3
~ Meagan
Meagan has been living with many food allergies and sensitivities since she was 19 years old. She is currently a Personal Vacation Advisor for Magical Vacation Planner, specializing in helping her guests book trips to Walt Disney World and Universal Orlando Resort. Meagan enjoys researching fitness and nutrition and has taken a special interest in finding allergy friendly options at Walt Disney World.
Interested in having Meagan help you plan your next trip? Send her an email at m.slone@magicalvacationplanner.com or get a free quote at https://magicalvacationplanner.com/staff/meagan-slone/!
