Boma opinions...

HakunaMoscato

Earning My Ears
Joined
Aug 31, 2018
We've been to Boma for dinner on every Disney trip, but I've become increasingly disappointed with it recently. I feel like the variety has decreased and the interesting-ness of the food has been "dumbed-down" over the years. Less intriguing dishes, fewer ethnic options... I don't mean to complain- the food we had this time was indeed tasty- but I feel like it's lost its oomph. Of course there's the old stand-bys like their Mulligatawny Soup and the Watermelon Rind Salad, but there was no red meat at the carving station this time... weird. Anyone feeling the same way or have some insight?
 
I was last there in 2016, so I can't say how it's changed since then, but we were planning a different restaurant for our outside-the-park dinner on our next trip. I suppose that we're just a bit too used to it?
 
I really enjoy the food, the wide array of choices, we eat there every couple of years. The menu doesn’t change, the carving station options rotate, as do the soups etc. We were there in June, and had the roast beef, as well as all of their usual fare. Not a fan of Zebra Domes but I could eat my weight in their bread pudding drenched in custard and caramel sauce. Boma lived up to our expectations!
 
I was there a few weeks ago for dinner and we did have red meat at the carving station and it was really good. It's been years since I have been to Boma (before my last trip). This was probably my third time. I didn't care for it as much as previous times, but I can't put my finger on it. I guess there were a few things on the buffet that just didn't interest me.
 


We just ate there the other night and like others, didn’t think it was as good as it had been previously. There was a red meat station but it was bland/tough, I thought the turkey was pretty good - more flavorful than the chicken, and enjoyed the ribs (I love ribs and it had flavor).

I didnt think there was as much variety in the sides as in the past (and I probably hadn’t eaten there in 5 years so memory could be clouded).

There were three soups the night we were there, but not the chicken corn chowder. I was able to grab a bowl of it from Mara earlier in the week so I had my fix.

The best dessert was a little bite of bread pudding or something. It was very good.
 
We ate there for the 7th time in May and enjoyed it as much as we usually do although I was disappointed they didn't have their bread pudding.
 


There wasn't bread pudding when we were there, either! No chakalaka, no caramel sauce, no red meat, and two of the three soups available were curry-based. Perhaps you're right, Kazrak, maybe we're just too used to it now...

Thanks for your opinions, everyone!
 
I don't know...I've been going since they opened simply because I LOVE the atmosphere for some reason. I don't particularly care for the food there. Now I love a good buffet but for some reason with Boma I always get that, "I'm not sure what's in this" vibe and I can't quite enjoy myself. I also find that there isn't really that ONE thing where you try it and then go back 3 times because it's just THAT good that you have to load up on it. I don't want no watermelon rind salad! lol Gross! I have noticed the last couple of times that I have enjoyed the food there more than I used to. Either I'm getting old and my tastebuds are changing or maybe they ARE dumbing it down a bit but on a whole, I haven't noticed really any changes in the offerings there since they started. Nothing significant anyway. As for the bread pudding....now my best friend and I can eat that by the truck load at the breakfast buffet, but this last time we were so looking forward to it and on the dinner buffet it had chocolate in it...like dark chocolate chips or something that made it just too much. It was strong tasting or something and we both kept saying, "there's something different and it's not as good anymore??" I'm hoping they didn't change the breakfast version too.
 
When we were there a week ago for dinner (hi, HakunaMoscato!) there was no bread pudding. Instead it was an apple cobbler, which wasn't very good at all. I guess what I missed most on the meats was any kind of seasoning. The turkey was fine, but it was plain old roast turkey (same with the chicken), and the ribs were just like we'd make at home on the grill. Definitely not the Boma of old, when there was a definite "African" influence to the food. Soups were great, but 2 were curry-based- not that that's bad, but it's repetitive. At least we were there for peanut rice night, which is my DD's favorite! It makes me sad to feel this way, as Boma has always been one of our very favorite restaurants anywhere, not just at Disney. I'm sure we'll do it again, though... next trip is probably 2+ years away, so I'll be ready to give it a try again by then!

For the record, we also did breakfast and it was EXCELLENT, so I am thinking that the kitchen is still solid, it's changes in the seasonings on things that I'm noticing/missing.
 
We've dined at Boma for years and while it's still good, I don't think it's quite to the level it used to be. We've been enjoying lunch at Tusker House the past few trips and I think it edges out Boma (which one wouldn't expect from a character buffet.) What impresses me about TH is that the food seems fresher than some of the items at Boma. Buffet food deteriorates as the day wears on, the TH food just didn't seem as tired--but that could be our timing too. The character experience at TH is also very good. I'm sure we'll do Boma again (for dinner) and hope that the quality stabilizes. :earsboy:
 
Boma was a favorite, so I went back for a third time last September. The food just didn't seem as satisfying and the service was inattentive. I can't really put my finger on what it was about the food, but I left pretty disappointed. I do have a reservation coming up so I'm going to give it another shot. Hope I have a good meal.
 
Gotta say, this was the first time where I was at Boma that the thing I enjoyed most was the macaroni and cheese... I am an adventurous eater and will try anything once, so that's why I look forward to African food, the spices and flavor combinations are so intriguing. I think they're spicing/seasoning everything less and putting out more "safe" food that's enjoyed by a wider variety of people.
 
There wasn't bread pudding when we were there, either! No chakalaka, no caramel sauce, no red meat, and two of the three soups available were curry-based. Perhaps you're right, Kazrak, maybe we're just too used to it now...

Thanks for your opinions, everyone!

Bummer. We ate there last fall and had the bread pudding and the carving station. I think I'd be bummed if they hadn't been there as well.
 
Ate at Boma this week for our third time. Last time was about six years ago. Wouldn't do it again. The side dishes were good. Desserts were okay. But it seemed like the quality of the main meats has slipped.
 
There wasn't bread pudding when we were there, either! No chakalaka, no caramel sauce, no red meat, and two of the three soups available were curry-based. Perhaps you're right, Kazrak, maybe we're just too used to it now...

Thanks for your opinions, everyone!

Or maybe it is just time to try something new. I don't pretend to know why buffet restaurants make changes in their offerings, but when they do even a small exchange can make a difference in how people enjoy the overall meal. My family seems to be "traditionalists" in more wants than I care to admit. We go to the same restaurant the night before a trip because years ago we did this. We dine in many of the same restaurants wherever we travel because we ate there on the first trip. For us, even small changes to something very familiar can be a disappointment. Perhaps Boma made some of those changes for your family.
 
OP, it is so disappointing when a favorite slips, whether your tastes change or the restaurant is different or both.

Have you tried Sanaa? It may suit you better. We love it!

P.S. Your screen name is the best!
 
I've never been thrilled with their dinner, so I stopped many years ago. Now if they declined in breakfast quality, then I'd really be disappointed. I LOVE their breakfast buffet.
 

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