Jiko - The Cooking Place

• Braai'd wild boar tenderloin ($21): with creamy pap and tomato chakalaka.
• Diver scallop with pork belly ($19): corn cream and mustard caviar.
• From the Oak Grill ($62): bone marrow-crusted filet or braai bison strip, with four-cheese macaroni and a chocolate-red wine demi-glace. If you order one thing, order this.
• Short rib isitambu ($54): braised short rib, cracked hominy and masala.
• Injera basket ($41): plant-based stews with house-made injera, a full vegetarian main rather than a side plate.

For dessert, the malva pudding ($15) is infused with Amarula and served with caramel sea salt gelato. The melktert ($13), a South African milk custard, is the lighter choice. Skip the lacquered chicken ($41): it is the safest plate on the menu and the least reason to come here.

Disney highlights boutique South African wines, and that is the reason to order a bottle here rather than at any other Disney restaurant. Disney does not publish the list online, so we cannot quote bottle prices. Tell your server what you normally drink and a budget, and let them steer you to the South African equivalent. It is the one list on property where that conversation is worth having.

If you are not drinking, the desserts are the better splurge. At $13 to $17 they are priced like theme-park desserts and cooked like restaurant ones.

Book through Disney dining when your 60-day window opens. Jiko is easier to get than California Grill because there are no fireworks to fight over. An early table leaves time to look at the savanna from the lodge before it gets dark.

The catch is location. Animal Kingdom Lodge is off on its own, away from the other resorts. Disney buses run to it from EPCOT, Magic Kingdom and the other parks, but coming from another Disney hotel usually means changing buses at a park. Drive or take a rideshare if you can. It works best after a day at Animal Kingdom, the park that usually closes earliest.

Adults, and families with children who will try something new. Jiko is a quiet, low-lit room. If your group wants characters with dinner, look at Disney character dining instead and keep Jiko for a night without the kids.