Celebrate The Lion King at Jiko at Disney’s Animal Kingdom Lodge

Walt Disney World is known for amazing dining, and if you’re headed to Jiko- The Cooking Place this summer you’re in for a wild time!

Disney’s Animal Kingdom Lodge is a dining oasis with three fantastic choices at Jambo House alone! The resort’s signature dining restaurant, Jiko- The Cooking Place is debuting a limited-time prix fixe menu that tells the story of Disney’s The Lion King through food. This new menu is in addition to the already fantastic menu in place at Jiko.

Starting June 30, guests can dine on a three-course meal as a musicians join you through your meal to bring beautiful African song and live performances of the soundtrack to The Lion King. Disney says, “The menu will feature dishes inspired bu The Circle of Life: Nants’ Ingonyama, a story celebrating Simba’s joinery through life.”

So what exactly is on the menu? To start guests will dine on the “I Just Can’t Wait to be King” starter, which features Young Cedar Creek clam malata, potatoes, pomegranate, and a bone marrow finish. The playful dish symbolizes Simba’s childhood as he desires to become king one day.

Guests can choose from two “Be Prepared” entrees, both of which sound incredible! The first option is a bone-in ribeye with hibiscus, nettles, and fregula. The second option is a lobster sosatie with red shrimp, squid, mussels, and fragrant rice. Both dishes are inspired by the elephant boneyard Simba and Nala visit and Sibma’s courage to persevere through trials.

Dessert is a real show stopper inspired by the classic Disney song “Hakuna Matata.” The dessert features caramelized orange, chocolate choux, and playful foliage. While you’re eating this dessert there really will be no worries!

JIKO–THE COOKING PLACE At DisneyÕs Animal Kingdom Lodge, JikoÕs artful interior, the work of noted restaurant designer Jeffrey Beers, is inspired by DisneyÕs ‘The Lion King,’ with muted earth tones and stylistic white birds gracefully suspended from the ceiling. (Copyright 2001. THE WALT DISNEY COMPANY.)

You won’t want to leave Jiko until you reflect on the amazing meal with the “Can You Feel the Love Tonight?” which is a selection of friandeses and tea.

The meal sounds pretty fantastic, and it’s a great value at $65 per person. For the same amount of courses at Jiko you could easily spend over $80 per person.

If you’re interested in adding wine to your meal, there are two up-charge wine pairing options. The wine selections at Jiko are abundant, in fact, Jiko houses the largest collection of South African wines outside of South Africa!

Have you ever dined at Jiko? Do you want to try the new Lion King dining experience? Let us know in the comments!