Walt Disney World is no different. In fact, it is more challenging because of the myriad of excellent dining options available. Every trip to the World involves exploring new culinary options and finding new things to enjoy. On our most recent trip, my wife and decided to check out the newest ‘buzz’ restaurant located in the Animal Kingdom Lodge. But could Boma: Flavors of Africa compare to my favorite restaurant ‘Ohana? I discovered that while both offer all you can eat experiences at deluxe resorts that is where the comparisons end.

Nevertheless, since so many Disney travelers are curious as to how the two stack up against each other, we’ll look at these two fine dining options by comparing and contrasting them much like a couple of heavyweight fighters. This culinary ‘tale of the tape’ will include atmosphere, food, kid friendliness, and service. At the end, we’ll know, as they say on “Iron Chef”, which cuisine will reign supreme!

Atmosphere

Just as crucial to an excellent dining experience as the food, atmosphere is vital to an outstanding night out. While I wouldn’t call the buffet at Trail’s End located in the Fort Wilderness campgrounds to be the best food I’ve ever had, the atmosphere makes it a great place to rustle up some grub. Similarly, the atmosphere at both Boma and ‘Ohana add to the overall enjoyment of the meal.

Boma attempts to recreate the feel of an outdoor African market. Lights are low, the tables are scattered throughout the dining room, and the décor is what most Americans would call African. It does come across as a bit upscale, which I think works against the restaurant. Something about an upscale buffet just doesn’t work for me. It’s not that the atmosphere is bad, it just works against the type of restaurant that it is.

That’s not to say that the restaurant doesn’t have atmosphere. It does and it has it in bucket loads. The décor does add a certain ambiance from the decorations on the serving line to the iron tables and chairs. However, the overall feel is subdued. While this might please those looking for a reprise from the chaos of the Magic Kingdom, I felt that it was a little too calm for the number of families there.

‘Ohana on the other had makes no pretenses as to what it is. A family feast in the spirit of ‘Ohana, this restaurant works because from the moment your server greats you, you know the back story. Like much of Disney, ‘Ohana welcomes you with a question: “What does ‘Ohana mean?” ‘Ohana means family and we’re all invited for a fabulous family feast. From the moment you walk in, your new cousins remind you that family means you bring something to the feast and are handed a plate of sweet bread. The family theme carries over as your new cousins refer to you as cousin for the remainder of your meal.

However, as those of you with children will attest to, family often means chaos with children. Since ‘Ohana wants to keep the little ones occupied during the meal, children can participate in coconut races, hula hoop contests and various other activities during the meal. This means that kids are jumping up and all around during your dining experience. Some people don’t like this type of ‘fun’ with their dinner. I do.

Edge: For not trying to be something it’s not – ‘Ohana.

Food

Although atmosphere is important, food is the real reason we go out to eat. No matter how cool a restaurant is, if the food is bad, there is no sense going back. While diners won’t have to worry about getting bad food at either place, each has their own strength and weaknesses when it comes time to chow down.

Boma serves a wide variety of soups, salads, meats, and deserts prepared with an African flair. That means that while the food may not be exactly what turns up on a plate in Zimbabwe, it does mean that the average American palate will find exotic treats that they normally won’t find on Main Street USA.

Since it is a buffet, the menu does change periodically, but my general impression is that no matter what your tastes, you will find something to eat here. While some of the less adventurous types may not stray from the carved prime rib and the sweet and white potato casserole, others may find Moroccan Prepared fish, ground lamb pie, humus and flat bread quite a treat.

One nice thing about the buffet style of food, it allows you to sample many different dishes while not committing to one. While the soup I first picked didn’t tickle my taste buds, the one my wife chose was more up my alley. If I had wanted to, I wouldn’t have felt bad abandoning my first choice and grabbing something more my style.

Don't let the fact that this is "buffet food" fool you. The dishes are fresh and due to the high popularity of the restaurant, few things sit around for very long. Personally, I’m not the biggest fan of buffets for that very reason. Boma makes sure that the food you have is not only adventurous, but also well prepared and served with flair.

‘Ohana definitely feels like the family reunion back yard barbeque. After the sweet bread, a server brings a big tray filled with a variety of starters. Certainly, less exotic than Boma, these dishes have a certain comfort that is reminiscent of Sunday dinner at Grandma’s house (assuming your Grandma is Polynesian, of course). Fried green beans with bacon, chicken wings, fried rice, and wonderful shrimp won tons round out the starter set.

Then it’s on to the main course. Flame cooked beef, pork, turkey, and shrimp come on skewers done in a Brazilian open pit style. While the cooking method may not be Hawaiian, the story is all Disney. I won’t spoil it for you, but trust me it is enjoyable. Several sauces compliment the meat and add a certain robustness to the meal. If family meals include Uncle Fred serving up a lot of flame cooked meat with Aunt Betty making the sauces, you’ll feel right at home.

Both times we ate at ‘Ohana, we found the meats juicy and flavorful. Particularly good were the shrimp, something that is notoriously hard to cook on the grill. The sauces did compliment the meats well but didn’t take the spotlight away from the main star. The servers are not shy when placing the food on your plate as we asked for three shrimp and routinely got five or more (That’s how they count in the islands we were told).

The simplicity continues into desert mode. This is where Boma wins easily. While the fresh pineapple with hot caramel sauce is admittedly very good, the variety of deserts at Boma is a wonderful treat. Unfortunately, the coffee cannot receive the same complements. While I enjoyed the coffee at Boma, the coffee at ‘Ohana was incredible. While I didn’t ask, I assume it was a Kona blend of coffee which made it one of the best cups I’ve had in my life.

Edge: For exotic tastes – Boma
For comfort - Ohana
Overall – TIE

Kid Friendliness

While this is Disney World, some places are admittedly more kid friendly than others when it comes to dining. In this case, we’ll break it down into two sections: food and activities. As you might imagine, the two restaurants break down evenly in this category.

Boma definitely wins for food. With a buffet that includes such kid favorites as macaroni and cheese, chicken strips, and other kid favorites, the buffet certainly ensures that your fussy eater won’t go away hungry. ‘Ohana only officially offers the normal ‘family feast’. While I have witnessed servers bringing chicken strips to the young ones, it is certainly more intimidating to ask for something not on the menu than to just go over to the buffet and pile a plate high.

What ‘Ohana lacks in food friendliness, however, they make up for in activities. As I mentioned earlier, the good times for kids go far beyond the food with the aforementioned coconut races, hula-hoop dances and overall fun atmosphere. Kids really enjoy the ability to get up and run around during dinner (although maybe some parents might not like that as well). Boma, since it is a more subdued dining experience, doesn’t go much beyond the coloring pages.

Edge – For coconut races and hula-hoop contests – ‘Ohana

Service

Again, this is Disney. Sure, I’ve read reports from those who didn’t have the best service. Personally, I think they are too fussy. The service at both restaurants would make Walt proud. However, that is not to say that the service at both restaurants is perfect.

At ‘Ohana, in keeping with the theme, the servers will call you “cousin” or “cuz”. If sincere, this is a nice touch. If spoken in a rush, it can come across as annoying. One of our servers on our last trip kept calling us ‘cuz’ and it wore thin fairly soon. However, this was the only thing I found at fault with him, and told myself to stop being so ridiculous. Soon, I started calling him “cuz” and we were lamenting the fact we didn’t get a family photo.

Boma gave us the best of the best on our last trip. Professional and helpful, he understood that many of the diners at Boma would not have a lot of experience with the cuisine. Offering not only suggestions with the buffet, he also recommended a great hard cider. While the service is a notch above that of a standard buffet, it is still buffet service. You still need to get up and get your own food. This is wearying after a long day of park hopping and one that I found particularly annoying.

Edge: Even. Both live up to the high standards of Disney service.

Overall

Yes, both restaurants are as different as night and day. While both offer the coveted “all you care to eat” menus, it is difficult to compare beyond that. Boma, while more upscale and refined, suffers from many of the normal buffet maladies. ‘Ohana, on the other hand, is rowdier and rambunctious, but benefits from the servers bringing you your food.

By now, you’ve probably guessed that given a choice, I’d take ‘Ohana over Boma. That is not to say that I didn’t enjoy Boma. The deciding factor for me was the overall attitude. ‘Ohana feels more like Disney complete with story and activities for all while Boma, although serving very good food, is still just another buffet.