ZestW

• My party of two dined at Tiffins, located at Discovery Island in Disney's Animal Kingdom.
• After applying my 10% annual-passholder discount, we spent $166 on our dinner.
• Although the meal was pricey, I was very impressed with the restaurant's immersive decor.

Tiffins is located at Disney's Animal Kingdom.

Tiffins is a table-service restaurant at Animal Kingdom in Disney World that serves African-, Asian-, and Latin-inspired cuisine.

It's located near the Discovery Island trails, which are to the left of the park's prominent Tree of Life.

We arrived at the restaurant an hour before our reservation in hopes of getting seated early.

My sister and I had made a reservation in advance, but we were pretty hungry after a full day in the parks. I wasn't sure if we'd be able to get seated early since Tiffins, which is more of a fine-dining establishment, is sometimes crowded. But I figured it was worth a shot. 

Luckily, the host was accommodating and was able to check us in early for our reservation, which I appreciated.

We only had to wait 15 minutes for our table.

Since we only had to wait 15 minutes for our table, I passed the time by exploring the outside of the restaurant. 

I noticed the ground had engravings of animal footprints. Although it was a tiny detail, it mightily added to the restaurant's overall aesthetic.

We were seated in the Grand Gallery dining room.

Tiffins has three dining rooms, and I was happy to be seated in the Grand Gallery. I liked its décor and ambiance. The room felt lively yet relaxing and made for a pleasant space to enjoy a meal.

I also loved the restaurant's attention to detail — especially the embellished napkins.

The menu had many options to choose from.

Once seated, our server asked if we had any allergy-related requests or questions about the menu.

I was pleasantly surprised by the many menu offerings and especially liked the several appetizer and main-course options.

We ordered the spiced-chickpea falafel for our first appetizer.

Falafel is one of my favorite foods, so I knew I wanted to order the $10 spiced-chickpea falafel as soon as I saw it on the appetizer menu. 

The dish came with three falafel balls with mint-pistachio pesto, cumin-scented garlic raita, and pickled vegetables, which I thought enhanced the falafel's flavor. I didn't find the dish to be overly spicy, but it did offer a little, flavorful kick that I enjoyed.

I liked this falafel dish more than the one I had at Skipper Canteen, and it cost one dollar less. 

I had to try the signature bread service.

Since I'm a big fan of the bread service at Sanaa, I wanted to try Tiffins' signature bread service for $14 to see how the two compared. 

This appetizer came with three plates of various kinds of bread and sauces, including coconut-curry sauce, guava sauce, and ginger-pear chutney.

The Brazilian pão de queijo, or cheese bread, and guava jam pairing was my favorite. I loved the contrasting flavors of the sweet jam and the savory, cheesy bread. 

The Indian pappadam and ginger-pear chutney pairing was also delicious. The bread-like chips were evenly crisp and seasoned.

The Thai milk bread and coconut sauce was my least favorite pairing of the three. I didn't like the texture of the bread or the flavor of the sauce, but I was glad I tried it.

For my entrée, I ordered the butter chicken.

For my entrée, I ordered the butter chicken with chickpea-rice croquette, peas, squash, and pickled onion for $39. The chicken was some of the best I've ever had at Disney World, even though it was served on a bone, which I don't typically prefer. 

The chicken was extremely moist and the spiced butter and tomato sauce were very flavorful.

The chickpea-rice croquette was unique and felt similar to a falafel ball, with additional texture from the rice. I was thoroughly impressed with this dish. 

The lobster macaroni and cheese may be my new favorite at Disney World.

Since I don't generally eat lobster, I was hesitant to try the lobster macaroni and cheese for $24, but my sister insisted on ordering it.

I prefer macaroni and cheese that's more savory and less creamy — and this one hit the mark. If I ever dine at Tiffins again, I may order this as my main course since I liked it so much. 

Although the lobster was good, I left most of it for my sister since she enjoys it more.  

For dessert, we shared the chocolate tres leches.

For dessert, we opted for the chocolate tres-leches cake for $14.

Although I liked the cake, it had a strong coffee flavor, and I wish it tasted more like chocolate. But overall, I was impressed with the dessert's artistic presentation and made sure to take many photos.

I thoroughly enjoyed the room's ambiance.

Although the thought of dining nearby statues of bees and insects may be off-putting, I enjoyed the decorative wall, especially the butterflies.

The Grand Gallery also had animal-shaped lanterns that really added to the room's warm lighting and overall ambiance. Among the animal lanterns, the elephant was my favorite.

After eating, I took a look around the Safari Gallery dining room.

The Safari Gallery dining room is inspired by Eastern and Southern Africa and had collections of three-dimensional art hanging from the walls.

Although this room was very beautiful, I preferred the Grand Gallery room.

An exhibit with various trees stood out to me in the Safari Gallery room.

Among the art in the Safari Gallery dining room was a miniature tree sculpture surrounded by small paintings of trees. This was my first time seeing such an exhibit, and I was blown away by its detail and beauty.

While we were leaving, an employee showed us some of Joe Rohde's sketches.

Joe Rohde is a well-known former executive of the division that designs and builds Disney World's theme parks and resort hotels. He contributed immensely to the design of Animal Kingdom and Pandora: The World of Avatar. 

As a big Disney fan, I was happy the employee pointed out Rohde's sketches on display as I never thought I'd have the opportunity to see them in person.

We paid about $166 to dine at Tiffins, and it was worth every penny.

For two adults, the bill came out to $138.60. After I applied my 10% annual-passholder discount and added in the tip, it was $165.60. 

Being that Tiffins is one of Disney World's signature dining locations, I knew this experience would be more expensive than a regular meal. But out of all of the signature restaurants I've dined at in the parks, this was one of the most beautiful, especially inside the Grand Gallery room. 

The food was flavorful and the timing of the meal was excellent — our dinner only took about an hour and a half. 

If you're looking for a restaurant with delicious food and amazing theming at Animal Kingdom, Tiffins is an excellent choice if you have room in your budget.

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