Usually we like to try new restaurants on our Disney adventures, but there are a few favorites that we love to visit again and again. Tusker House in Animal Kingdom was one of the first character meals we ever enjoyed, back when we weren’t sure what to expect from this place called Disney World. We loved it so much, we have gone back on every trip. The unique cuisine and the fantastic character interactions make this a must-do on your next trip. And the good news is: it’s one of the cheapest character meals on property!
For our last trip to Tusker House, we had a dining reservation for 10:40 am. This is my favorite pro tip: the restaurant changes over to lunch at 11:00 am, so you can start out with some breakfast offerings and then fill up on their awesome lunch buffet; all for the price of breakfast! The food is really varied here. There are some good old “American” standbys for the kids and then an array of cuisine from Asia and Africa for the more adventurous eaters. Whole salmon, pork loin, roasted chicken, regional salads, plantains, hummus, taboulleh, breads and various desserts are the highlights of the lunch menu. Breakfast is a bit heavier on the sweets, but also offers frittatas, potatoes, sliced ham with sauces, and corned beef hash. All meals here are all-you-can-eat buffets, which is a nice way to fill up for the long day ahead. You probably only need a snack later in the afternoon or a shared quick service meal to make it through to dinner.
As stated above, the other highlights of Tusker House are the characters. At this restaurant you will normally be meeting Mickey, Minnie, Daisy, Donald, and Goofy. They are all dressed in safari gear and I just love the theme of their outfits! It is a good conversation starter with the characters to comment on where they have been exploring, are they tired from their safari, etc. The server was very kind to fill us in on the path the characters would take to get to our table, so we could keep an eye out for when they were close. The Fab 5 are always up for clowning around at this meet and greet. My husband had a Donald Duck shirt on, which got quite the reaction from Mickey! Of course, Donald loved it. My husband loves messing around with Goofy and tried to help Goofy spell his name while signing his autograph. Goofy played along really well and had us all laughing.
For much less than Chef Mickey’s, you get a more creative menu, fantastic theming, and highly entertaining interactions with the Fab 5. Those are the main reasons we love Tusker House and will always fit a trip there into our itinerary.
Tusker House is located in Disney’s Animal Kingdom and is open for breakfast, lunch and dinner. Price varies according to season but ranges from $15.00-$34.99 per adult for breakfast, and $35-$59.99 per adult for lunch/dinner.
The Budget Disney Diva 