Restaurant Review: Nomad Lounge

Welcome back readers to Muting and The Mouse. We have been super busy and getting ready to share some news in the coming weeks, so stay tuned! For now we are going to dive right back into the magic of Disney dining! We are headed over to Disney’s Animal Kingdom for the next restaurant review. This is one that was a last minute add on to our last trip in September and I was very pleased. The Nomad Lounge is located right next to the restaurant Tiffins at Animal Kingdom. The restaurant is a nice little spot to take a load off, enjoy a drink, and have some small plates to satisfy that mid day hunger. The restaurant is open from 11 am to 8 pm. Lets dive into our experience and recommendations but keep in mind, some menu items can change!

Booking and Arrival

We decided we wanted to try the Nomad Lounge earlier in the trip. They do not offer reservations so we were able to make sure we could try and join the walk up list. On the My Disney Experience App on our phones, we tried to join the walk up list. To do this, we looked up Nomad Lounge and then selected “Join Walk Up List”. After this, we filled out the information it had asked for and our names were added to the list. From here, the app notifies you when you are called. We had decided to walk on over because it gave us an estimated wait time of 15 minutes. By the time we arrived, it was time to check in. We checked in at the front counter and they had asked us if we wanted to sit outside or inside (this is not always the case) and we decided outside. The tables are set up around the building and there are a lot of patio furniture for you to sit on. It really does have a nice lounge feel. I loved the seating arrangements as it added to the ambiance. Our waitress came to the table and we were then looking for what we would enjoy for our lunch.

Drinks We Ordered

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We each ordered two drinks over the duration of our lunch. First up I had ordered the “Tempting Tigress” (first photo above). This consisted of Russell’s Reserve 10yr Bourbon, St. Elizabeth Allspice Dram, Tamarind Syrup, and Lime Juice. I like a good bourbon drink and this one did not disappoint. The drink was super smooth and not too heavy. The perfect combination for a bourbon drinker like myself. If you like bourbon, I highly recommend it. Abby ordered the Annapurna Zing (second photo above). This was made up of Bombay Sapphire Gin, Passion Fruit Purée, Mint, Simple Syrup, and Lime Juice topped with Ginger Beer and a glowing Lotus Flower. The drink was a very tropical type drink. A crowd favorite and is one that was easy to drink. Abby really enjoyed it. The second drink I had ordered after our lunch had come was the Mustang Coffee (fourth photo above). This was an interesting drink but one I very much enjoyed. It was made of Crown Royal, Brown Sugar, and Butter with hot Coffee. If you like coffee, you will like this drink. Tough to drink on a warm day, but was still good. The second drink Abby chose was the Dalang’s Delight (fifth photo above). She chose this for the tea element. The waitress had mentioned it was not what you would think it was. It is more of an earthy tea flavor. Abby said it was not bad but not something she would order again. Overall, the drinks were all good and we were glad we were able to try some different ones.

Food Choices

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We had decided to split a couple of small plates for our lunch as we had planned to try another new place later that evening. We chose the Tiffin’s Bread Service. We like Sanaa’s Bread Service so much we wanted to try another one just for kicks. This consisted of some naan and assorted pita chips and crackers. it was accompanied by Red Pepper Hummus, Spicy Coriander Yogurt, Ginger-Pear Chutney. This was a nice little appetizer. The hummus was good and the chutney and yogurt also paired nicely. In my opinion, I liked the Ginger-Pear Chutney the best. From there we also ordered the beef sliders. This came with two sliders and some fries. The fries were the star of the dish. They were so crispy and unique. The sliders were good. Nothing to special about them but I would order them again. It was just enough food for the two of us and we really enjoyed them both. We would recommend both as they are easy to eat and did not fill us up to much.

Final Thoughts

Overall, I really enjoyed the lounge. It provided a nice get away from the hot sun and had some nice refreshing drinks and bites. We were not 100% lucky with sitting outside. Sitting outside you might get a water view and it is a sure way to get to see the flotillas that pass by with your favorite characters. We were just behind a tree so we could not get a for sure view but had enough of a view to see a glimpse. The seating outside was worth it even with that. My only thing I would knock it on is it did get a little expensive. We knew what we were getting into but the price for the sliders did seem a bit much. The drink prices were standard and we did not have to get two each, which would have made it more doable. I would go here again and I do recommend it for those looking for a nice break at Animal Kingdom. Have you been to the Nomad Lounge? If you have, leave your thoughts below in the comments and remember to keep escaping into the magic, no matter how far!