September 2024
The restaurants theming is spectacular, but other then that there is nothing special about it. The foods average as well as the service. However, after visiting animal kingdom the decor is fitting and a good way to complete your day.
Rainforest Cafe is as close as you will get to a neighborhood chain restaurant at Walt Disney World - think Chili's, TGI and Applebees. The menu is large, covering all the bases from chicken, pasta, steaks, ribs, burgers, salads, sandwiches and huge desserts. The food isn't gourmet by any stretch, but it's a safe option with something for everyone in the party, especially for the not-so-adventurous eaters. Watch out for high priced speciality drinks with no price on the menu - there is a definite hint of being a tourist trap here. The servers push huge appetizers, $15 non-alochoclic drinks, and large desserts - be warned. The decor is different and interesting - lots to look at and listen to, great for kids. The restaurant is loud and noisy, and quite dark in places. The restaurant has two entrances, one from inside the park, and one from outside the park - so admission to the park is not required to eat here. If there is a wait for your table, a very large gift shop and aquariums can help pass the time. Overall, I can recommend Rainforest Cafe if it meets your needs - large capacity, air conditioning, lots to see, and a varied menu of reasonable quality.
I have had excellent experiences at both of the Rainforest Cafes on Disney property. This time we visited for lunch at the Animal Kingdom location. I had a delicious barbeque bacon burger and fries. My wife had the pita quesadillas and liked them as well. This was one of our cheaper meals at Disney for this trip, probably because she just had an appetizer as her meal, but still. We enjoyed our time in the restaurant and got to see the storm at least three times. The Disney locations are always better than the Las Vegas location at the MGM Grand, which sat us at a table outside the restaurant but inside the gift shop last time!
Enough said in the summary.
Rainforest Cafe is a table service restaurant located just outside the main entrance of Disney's Animal Kingdom. Park admission is not required.
