Disney’s Jiko, The Cooking Place Review

Jiko, The Cooking Place is a culinary dining experience consistently receiving rave reviews. This signature restaurant is located at Disney’s Animal Kingdom Lodge. This review will focus on the menu, location, and overall dining experience. We’ll also discuss a few tips for touring the lodge during your visit.

Jiko is often referred to as one of the best places to eat at Walt Disney World. In our signature dining guide, the restaurant is listed as one of our top five choices. Its atmosphere provides a subtle African vibe combined with class and sophistication. Jiko’s menu reflects a variety of African, Mediterranean, and Indian cuisines.

Jiko is the resort’s only signature dining restaurant. It’s located on the lower level of Jambo House, past Boma, Flavors of Africa. One of the restaurant’s strongest attributes is its calming ambiance. While this is a fine dining experience, the restaurant still provides a casual resort feel. It never feels too formal or stuffy.

Here is a photo of Jiko’s interior. It’s stunning.

Guests commonly ask if Jiko has a dress code. The answer is yes. All signature dining locations at Disney World have a dress code. Fortunately, the dress code isn’t stringent, but it’s not uncommon to see guests dress up for dinner—the dress code states: No tank tops, swimsuits, or cover-ups. Gentlemen’s hats, cut-offs, or torn clothing are also prohibited.

To reach Jiko from the resort lobby, you must take the staircase or elevator to the lower level. Along the way down, there’s a landing home to Victoria Falls, which is the resort’s lounge. The lounge is a fun place to grab a cocktail if you arrive early for your reservation.

At the bottom of the stairs, Boma, Flavors of Africa, is directly in front of you. Take a right here and continue straight to Jiko, The Cooking Place. (Boma, Flavors of Africa Breakfast Review) A set of elevators is available on the right-hand side of the lobby before you reach the stairs. Once you reach the lower level, Jiko is right around the corner.

Jiko has a private bar called Capetown Lounge and Wine Bar at the front of the restaurant. The area provides a place to sit and have a cocktail while waiting for your reservation.

The view below is outside the restaurant on the walkway that circles the resort’s pool area.

Jiko has a large chef’s bar where food is prepared in front of you. You can request to sit at the Chef’s Bar and interact with the chef during your meal.

I would imagine this would be an exciting and enlightening dining experience. This evening, I was invited to sit at the chef’s bar. Unfortunately, I elected to sit at a private table because I had my camera and a larger backpack. Looking back, I wish I had chosen to sit at the bar. Upon arrival, the hostess presented me with a hot towel on a plate to refresh my hands. It was a warm and welcome touch.

I was then given a menu to review and a small glass of tea. Jiko has a separate menu offering specialty tea. That night, I tried the Moroccan Mint.

This Moroccan Mint was a classic blend of Chinese gunpowder tea and mint. The gunpowder’s earthiness and vegetal notes anchor the mint’s brightness. I enjoyed this tea, and it was a great start to the meal. Bread service is provided at the beginning of the meal. These soft, fluffy rolls are divine, with a spread of soft butter next to them.

The wine for this meal was ordered by the glass, but the server left the bottle for the picture.

One of the things Jiko prides itself on is its impressive wine list and number of offerings. I went with the Painted Wolf “Guillermo” Pinotage, Swartland. The wine cost $16 for a glass, which was a little high, given that a bottle retails at about $20. However, it was a nice pour and an excellent start to the meal.

For appetizers, I had an order of mushroom flatbread that fell into the “From the Cooking Place” category of the menu. Being a fan of mushrooms, I knew this would be my first selection after reviewing the menu.

Per the menu: Mushroom Flatbread–Mushrooms, Duxelle, Maize-rusted Pickled Mushrooms, Curried Ricotta, Midnight Moon Goat Cheese

The flatbread was an excellent choice, but it was a colossal appetizer. The server warned me of its size before I ordered. Since I had also chosen an entree, I ate only half of the flatbread and had the remainder boxed for takeout.

There were some tough choices when it came to deciding on an entree. Everything on the menu looked favorable. I had difficulty deciding between the sustainable Vulcan-spiced fish, Mrouzia-style Moroccan lamb shank, and the cocoa-crusted bison. Ultimately, I went with the cocoa-crusted bison.

When my entree arrived, I was pleased with my selection.

Per the menu: Cocoa-crusted Bison with Butternut Gnopi, Glazed Root Vegetables, Bain’s Whisky-Poached Peaches, Saffron Crema, Ghana Chocolate Demi-glace. That orange item to the side of the above plate is the poached peach with saffron crema. It was delicious. Below, we have a better look at the butternut Gnopi and demi-glace on the side of the plate.

Even though the menu mentions chocolate, that is not the flavor you get with this pairing. The bison was buttery with a hint of sweetness that left your taste buds lingering for another bite. Jiko also offers a fine selection of dessert items if you have room at the end of your meal.

Here is a look at the dessert offerings on the menu during my visit.

After having such a large meal already, there was no room left for dessert. However, the chef was kind enough to bring two chocolate truffles to sample at the end of the meal.

It was the perfect ending to the entire culinary experience.

Overall, Jiko is one of the best restaurants at Walt Disney World. And I doubt if you ask around that anyone will argue.

If you decide to make a reservation at Jiko, take at least an hour to tour the Animal Kingdom Lodge during your visit. The resort has multiple viewing areas where you can see the animals on the savanna.

Additionally, there’s art on display in the lobby and throughout the resort’s interior. You might find a spot around the fireplace in the lobby and relax a bit. Just outside Jiko, there’s a walkway that leads to one of the savanna viewing areas. It’s a pleasant area and quite beautiful at sunset.

There are quite a few things to see from time to time. These flamingos are usually out in this area on the backside of the pool. A little past the flamingos, there’s an open viewing area. You might find a few baby giraffes out in the area. I’ve been lucky enough to see them a few times. After dark, a cultural representative is often out with a pair of night-viewing goggles. So, if it’s already dark, don’t let that stop you from stopping by.

The interior of the Animal Kingdom Lodge is worth exploring. The lobby has a good deal to see. For more information about Disney’s Animal Kingdom Lodge, you might enjoy:

• Disney’s Animal Kingdom Lodge Review
• The Pools at Disney’s Animal Kingdom Lodge
• Animal Kingdom Lodge Transportation Options
• Kidani Village Review

Or you might enjoy a few individual Disney World Restaurant Reviews:

• Grand Floridian Cafe Review
• Ale & Compass Breakfast Review
• Steakhouse 71 Breakfast Review
• Roundup Rodeo BBQ Review 

You might also enjoy our Disney World Dining Guide. It includes an overview of each and every type of dining experience available at Walt Disney World.

In the Comments

What do you think of this review of Jiko, The Cooking Place? Have you had the opportunity to dine here? Will you plan a reservation?