There are a lot of things about Disney’s Animal Kingdom Park that make it unlike any other theme park at Walt Disney World. Of course there are animals at every turn, more adventurous food offerings, and abundant savannas. It seems the entire vibe at the park is just different. I personally think it is one of the more chill parks on property where everyone is just more laid back. With that being the case, it was even more surprising to find an enclave within Animal Kingdom that seemed even more relaxing!
There are plenty of options when it comes to eating at Disney’s Animal Kingdom. There are table service restaurants like Tiffins Restaurant, character meals at Tusker House, and a wide variety of quick service spots such as Satu’li Canteen. However, I recently had the pleasure of dining at a lounge that is so inconspicuous that you’d pass right by if you weren’t looking for it.
Nomad Lounge is the lounge counterpart of Tiffins Restaurant at Disney’s Animal Kingdom Park. Nomad Lounge is literally right next to Tiffins and shares a kitchen with the signature dining restaurant. More specifically, you can find it on the walkway between Discovery Island and Pandora – The World of Avatar.
There are two seating areas you can choose from when dining at Nomad Lounge. One area is indoors, while the other area is outdoors on a covered patio area. The host asked me which area I wanted to sit at, as there was immediate seating indoors at the bar. I opted to wait for an outdoor seat, as the weather was decent.
It didn’t take long for my table to be ready. I was walked to my table and provided a menu to review. I took some time to review the offerings, then made my order. As I awaited my food, I couldn’t help but notice how relaxing this lounge was. I felt like I could sit there all day (which, to be fair, would be quite rude… so I didn’t). My table was right next to the railing, yet the chairs and tables are low to the ground. That makes it hard to actually see over the railing unless you look up towards the trees and the sky. Somehow, this seems to add to the relaxed ambiance.
For inquiring minds, I started with a couple of items. My initial order consisted of Bangkok Crispy Chicken Wings and a Lilly Gorill-ie. This requires a bit of explaining.
Bangkok Crispy Chicken Wings
The Bangkok Crispy Chicken Wings was a recommendation from Lance, my server. He guaranteed that they would taste unlike anything I had ever tasted before. He was right! These wings are described as crispy chicken wings with fish sauce caramel, sprinkled with peanuts and cilantro. I didn’t know what to expect from this mashup of flavors, but wow! While messy, they were the best wings I’ve ever tasted. It reminded me of an Asian-inspired dish with the fish sauce caramel and peanuts. Then the cilantro added yet another element to the palette. The star of the dish, however, was the crunch! I don’t know how they managed to get such a thin, yet crisp shell on a chicken wing, but they have succeeded! You get five nice-sized wings and a wet-nap to wipe your sticky fingers after you demolish the wings. Honestly, I can’t stand chicken wings because I don’t think the level of effort is worth the little bit of meat you get from each wing. I now have to say that I love wings… as long as they are the Bangkok Crispy Chicken Wings from Nomad Lounge! You can love these wings as well for the low price of $16.00 at the time of publishing.
Lilly Gorill-ie
The Lilly Gorill-ie is a unique alcohol-free drink that consists of strawberry and Sprite. It was nice and sweet, as expected. It was also a nice compliment to those wings and a refreshing drink on a warmer afternoon. Grab this drink for $6.75.
When I first ordered, I told Lance that I would like an order of churros if I still had room in my stomach. Luckily for everyone, I did have room, so I requested that he send that order to the kitchen. He was happy to oblige, which allowed me extra time to soak in the relaxing vibes. That’s right, the churros are made to order. When they finally arrived, I was impressed by the sight.
Churros
The churros are served piping hot in a group of five. There were two dipping sauces. One was a vanilla crema. According to the menu, the other sauce rotates depending on the day. The day I visited, there was a chocolate sauce as well. These churros were really decent: the dough was crisp on the outside, but melt-in-your-mouth soft on the inside. Definitely the softest churros I’ve had at Walt Disney World. There was ample cinnamon sugar topping as well. At a price of $10, you must get these churros if you are dining at Nomad Lounge.
My suggestion is that if you are at Disney’s Animal Kingdom and hunger strikes, be sure to consider Nomad Lounge. However, if you want to dine at Nomad Lounge, you’ll have to be flexible. There are no advance reservations to be had here, as this location is strictly walk-up wait list. You can get on the list either by visiting the host stand on-site or by reserving your spot in the My Disney Experience app. Due to this situation, you’ll want to plan ahead and try getting on the wait list before you get too hungry. The day I dined, I got on the walk-up wait list via the My Disney Experience app at 10:08 AM. I received a text confirming my request and stating that there was a 30-minute estimated wait time. About 13 minutes later, I received a 15-minute warning asking me to head back to the restaurant if I wasn’t already nearby. Surprisingly, another text 3 minutes after that told me that my table is ready and that I needed to return to the host stand within the next 10 minutes.
I’ll definitely return to Nomad Lounge soon. Everything I tried was a hit, and I absolutely loved the atmosphere there. I can’t wait to go back! Stay tuned to MouseHouseNews.net for more reviews you can use as you plan your next Disney Adult getaway!
