Summary
Jambo, friends! In our review, we’ll be dishing out all the info you’ll want to know about Tusker House in Animal Kingdom such as the location, atmosphere, meal and menu offerings and character interactions. Plus, we're giving you our tips for booking your reservations and tricks to help to make the most out of your experience. I hope you’ve come hungry because you’re going to need a big appetite for this post!
Overview of Tusker House Restaurant
Tusker House is located in Disney’s Animal Kingdom Theme Park. Specifically, you’ll find it in the heart of Harambe in the Africa section of the park. In order to get to the actual restaurant, you’ll have to pass by the Dawa Bar. Look out for this sign and covered patio area. For reference, this is across from Tamu Tamu Refreshments. If you’re new to Disney, you can use the map and directions features found in the My Disney Experience app to help guide your way. Also, don’t be shy. You can ask any cast member and they will be more than hoppy to point you in the right direction.
Once you pass under the covered patio area at the Dawa Bar, you'll see the host stand. You’ll need to check in here prior to being seated. Or you can use the My Disney Experience app to do a virtual check-in. On the day of our visit, we didn’t end up waiting too long for our table. But if we would have, we’d surely grab a cool drink and a table from the Dawa Bar to help pass the time (may we recommend the Safari Amber or a Ngumu Jungle Juice — made with Tusker's famous Jungle Juice and vodka!). This waiting area is outside, but it’s a bonus that it’s covered and shaded.
When our table was ready, we got a text notification to return to the host stand. From there, we were escorted around the corner to what kind of felt like the back area of the restaurant but was actually the entrance. Once we made our way around the corner, we found ourselves in a super immersive courtyard made with a stone pathway filled with African architecture, decor and artifacts. We really felt like we have stumbled across an African eatery in the heart of Harambe!
Tusker House's Atmosphere
Upon entering the restaurant, we were greeted by a friendly cast member, and we were swiftly escorted to our table. On our way, we just so hoppened to bump into Donald Duck! He was busy greeting other guests, but he gave us a big ‘ol wave as we passed by. He, of course, made his way to visit us a little later, and we got to spend more time with him then. But keep reading because we’ve got all the details about the characters further down in this post!
The interior of the restaurant was warm and inviting. We noticed a lot of earth tones in the paint, flooring and decor. The tables and chairs were finished in a rich espresso stain, and we felt like we had arrived at an African open-air market. Beautiful artifacts were hanging on the walls and ceiling, and every room of the restaurant had its own unique vibe. Animal Kingdom gets one of our top spots for the best theming in all of Walt Disney World, and Tusker House Restaurant fits right in regarding the atmosphere and theming. There are so many details to take in and you just won’t be able to see it all in one trip. (All the reason to book another Disney trip, right?) The interior is unique and beautiful but casual — no need to dress up here. You’ll fit right in with a T-shirt, shorts and mouse ears!
Dining Information at Tusker House
Tusker House Restaurant is practically open all day! It currently offers character dining for breakfast, lunch and dinner. This is the only character meal at Animal Kingdom and is one of the 13 character meals available now at Disney World.
The menu is a prix-fixe, meaning that you’ll pay a fixed price for your buffet-style meal. Alcoholic beverages are an additional charge. For breakfast, the prices of the meals are $49 for adults and $33 for children. Lunch and dinner prices are the same: $64 for adults and $42 for children. Gratuity is not included in the cost, so you’ll need to account for that.
We love the food options at Tusker House. The food is delicious, but the menu also includes foods that are unique and different. The dishes are African- and Indian-inspired. You’ll find dishes that include curry, Moroccan spices and Berbere. If you’ve got picky eaters, there is no need to stress. The food options include enough family favorites to keep most hoppy such as pastries and bread, Mickey (and Simba!) waffles, macaroni and cheese, plus meat and veggies.
Tusker House for Breakfast
Breakfast Buffet Offerings:
- Shakshuka
- Bobotie
- South African French Toast Bulkas
- Cooked-to-order Omelets
- Scrambled Eggs
- Potatoes
- Bacon
- Pork and Turkey Sausage
- Rotisserie Ham
- Mickey-shaped Waffles and Simba Waffles
- Pancakes
- South African French Toast Bulkas
- Macerated Berries
- Mango-Apricot Jam Cake
- Chai-spiced Croissant
- Guava Danish
- Chocolate Chip Muffin
- Bagels
- Fresh Fruits
Breakfast Cocktails (for additional charge):
- African Bloody Mary
- Island Fusion Punch
- Blackberry-Orange Spritz
- Cold Brew Martini
- Pink Spritzer
- Sunrise Margarita
- Legacy Mimosa
There's a major list of regular cocktails also available for purchase during your breakfast!
Nonalcoholic Specialty Beverages
There are about 10 nonalcoholic specialty drinks as well such as a pomegranate lemonade, a sparkling no-jito and a lava smoothie. The So Many Wishes (pomegranate green tea, hibiscus, lemon and a dash of star dust) and the specialty character drink (lemonade with flavors of cotton candy served in a souvenir character cup) looked so cute!
Tusker House Lunch and Dinner
For our visit, we went for dinner, but the lunch and dinner menus are actually the same! Our meal started with the bread. This included assorted house-made naan, curries and blatjangs. This is similar to the bread service that you can get at either Sanaa or the Nomad Lounge. But let us be the first time to point out that it’s bottomless when you get it here! You can enjoy all the bread service you want while at Tusker House, and of course, our two tadpoles took up that offer. We’d usually encourage them not to fill up with bread before a meal, but hey, we’re on vacation!
There is also an assortment of salads to get you started on your meal. The lentil salad, couscous salad, watermelon-feta salad and carrot-olive-raisin salad all looked amazing, but the watermelon-feta was the winner for us.
Now, for the main course! Let’s just say that Tusker House delivers in the protein department. There is a spit-roasted tandoori chicken, berbere-marinated pork, green curry shrimp, doro wat and braised beef tajinewe. We thought the beef was cooked to perfection and we had several rounds!
For plant based froggies there is North African pilau, South African-spiced cauliflower, couscous salad, potato and pea curry and carrot-ginger soup. Tusker House is most definitely one of the top character dining spots for vegetarians and vegans!
For picky tadpoles (and adults!) you'll find meatballs, macaroni & cheese, chicken strips, broccoli and potatoes.
The side items include North African pilau, spiced broccoli, South African-spiced cauliflower curry and red red. You better run (don’t walk) and make your Tusker House reservation STAT!
Desserts and Drinks at Tusker House
I know it seems like an impossible feat, but we did save a little bit of room for dessert. And I’m so glad that we did because the desserts did not disappoint. The menu lists the seasonal desserts, which include cheesecakes, blondies, verrines, mousses and a plant-based dessert.
There are a number of wines from South Africa (the best wines on the planet!), seltzers and beers to choose from, as well as a long list of signature cocktails for an additional charge. Cocktails include a chocolate martini, sangrias, a spicy poblano margarita, Jungle Juice and a smoked-turkey. Plus, the same nonalcoholic concoctions from breakfast are served at dinner as well.
Characters at Tusker House
Now onto the most exciting part of our meal — THE CHARACTERS! We love being able to interact with Disney characters and having personal experiences with them while dining over a delicious meal. It almost doesn’t get any better! At Tusker House, you’ll be able to visit with Donald (the host) and his friends, Daisy, Mickey and Goofy. All of the characters are decked out in their safari gear. It looks like they’ve just returned from a safari, and we can’t get enough of their cuteness!
Keep in mind that you’ll want to have your camera ready. There aren't any Disney PhotoPass photographers here to take your photo. If you’d like a family photo, you may ask the character attendant. They may be able to snap a photo or two for you. Just ask nicely. During the time of our meal, we felt like we had plenty of time to visit with the characters. A few of the characters stopped by our table at least twice, and we also saw the characters perform a fun dance throughout the restaurant.
Our Final Thoughts About Tusker House
We loved our experience at Tusker House and highly recommend it to anyone who loves character meals, likes to try unique and different foods or has a big appetite and is looking for generous portion sizes. On the flip side, Tusker House might not be the best fit if you’re on a tight budget, have super picky eaters and are not looking to spend an hour or two for a sit-down meal.
Tusker House is a very popular dining location, and reservations can fill up quickly. You can make dining reservations 60 days in advance, and we highly recommend that you do just that.
If you are unable to score a reservation, don’t stress about it too much. You can keep trying! Many times, other parties cancel and you’ll be able to snag an open reservation closer to your trip. If you’re willing to be flexible, we’ve been able to snag reservations a day or two before our visit. You can also try to join the walk-up list. You can join this as soon as you enter the park by joining on the app, or by stopping by the restaurant early on in the day and asking if they have any walk-up availability. The earlier in the day you do this, the better your chances.
Tusker House does honor DVC and passholder discounts, which will score you 10 percent off your meal.
In sharing our experience, it’s no secret that we are big fans of the Tusker House Restaurant. We think the food offerings are really tasty and unique. We also like how this character meal offers food much different from any of the other character meals on Walt Disney World property. Our character interactions were fantastic and allowed us special time and photo opportunities without having to spend time in long lines at the parks. It’s also great that we can see characters here at breakfast, lunch and dinner! Overall, we think you’ll have an enjoyable dining experience here, with delicious offerings that appeal to every member of your squad — and once you have hoppy bellies, you can hop right over to the Kilimanjaro Safaris to continue your adventure!
So, do you plan on adding Tusker House to your Disney World itinerary? What questions do you still have? Drop them down in the comments below. We love to help you plan your most magical vacation. Until next time, Kwaherini! Go well, froggy friends!
Related: Ranking the Frog Family's Favorite Disney World Character Dining Experiences
Hoppy planning!
