Review of Tiffins at Animal Kingdom
Nestled along the path to Pandora just before the bridge sits Tiffins, and it’s lounge area, Nomad Lounge. As a signature restaurant, Tiffins boasts a unique menu, which can be on the pricey side. But while pricey, the food here definitely makes a stop at this location worthwhile.
On this visit to Tiffins, we had a fantastic server who not only knew the menu inside and out, but also informed us that they have a new chef! I admit, I wasn’t thrilled at this news at first. Tiffins has been our go-to restaurant in Animal Kingdom since they first opened about seven years ago and I was worried that the food may change drastically. Although, to be fair, the food already has changed drastically from the early days of the restaurant.
My worries were soon eased however as the bread was served and was completely new and, frankly, much better than the previous bread course. I was already becoming a fan of this new chef!
The bread is now more hearty than the previous version which was very sweet. It is served with a creamy sauce, which pairs wonderfully with the bread. Please note, this is not the bread appetizer, but the bread that is served at the table to start the meal which is included in the price.
The menu itself has not changed much over the previous year or two. Our favorite appetizer, the octopus, was still on it, and we didn’t notice any changes in the entrees from previous visits. Missing however were the specials for the day. In the past there have typically been at least one entree special and an appetizer or two. This day the only offerings were what was on the menu.
We ended up ordering the octopus to start, and then the butter chicken, and the surf and turf for our entrees. For drinks we got the red wine flight.
The octopus was brought out fairly quickly, and while still very flavorful, it was missing the deep smoky flavor from previous iterations that we loved so much. I would still recommend it, but I do wish they would bring back the previous, more smoky, version.
Soon after finishing the octopus, our entrees were brought out.
The butter chicken was not at all what we expected. It is not the butter chicken you get at Indian restaurants with chunks of chicken in the sauce. At Tiffins, it was served as a chicken thigh with a spoonful of sauce over it, coupled with a spring salad and a potato.
While not what we were expecting, we both found this dish to be delicious! My one complaint was I wish there was more of the sauce.
The surf and turf was fantastic. Both the steak and the scallops were cooked to perfection. And while the serving size does look small (especially for $65!), I left the restaurant feeling very full!
The surf and turf was served with shaved carrots, peas, and potato cubes (which were fantastic!).
It was a great meal at one of our favorite restaurants on property, and while there have been changes to the menu to make it appeal more to the masses, the food is still prepared wonderfully and has the flavors of a true signature restaurant.
I do miss when they gave smalls gifts to returning guests. For years they would bring out a bag of candy or chocolate with a note thanking us for joining them again, but it seems that this extra service was eliminated during the pandemic. They do still present you with a card with a sketch by Joe Rhode at the end of the meal, so it’s nice they haven’t gotten rid of that!
Overall it was a great meal. The flavors of all the dishes were amazing, and the service was top notch.
While reservations are usually recommended for signature restaurants, we have found that we can often just do a walk-up at Tiffins, especially right at opening, and be seated immediately. It can get busy though, so if this is a must try for you, I recommend getting a reservation so you don’t miss out!
