Saturday, July 21, 2018

Nomad Lounge - Disney's Animal Kingdom

Three times during our July trip to Disney World, we had lunch at Nomad Lounge in Disney's Animal Kingdom.


Nomad Lounge, which does not accept advance dining reservations, serves small plates and drinks from around the world. It is located next to Tiffins, right outside of Pandora.


Nomad Lounge has outdoor and indoor seating, and it is a great place to kick back and relax in the midst of your day at Animal Kingdom.


We love to dine outside during out trips to Disney World in November, but it is usually too hot for us in the summer, so we always chose a table inside to take advantage of the air conditioning.


We have dined at Nomad Lounge many times since it opened, and they have never had an allergy-friendly menu, so I was surprised when our server offered me one on our first visit, when I asked about gluten free options. I am sure more small plates on the menu can be modified to be gluten free, like the charcuterie board, selection of artisanal cheeses, and the Tiffins bread service, which I have had at both Nomad Lounge and Tiffins on past visits.


Our server also brought me Tiffins' allergy-friendly menu, and told me that I could order any of their appetizers and enhancements.


My daughters and I always order the non-alcoholic Balinese Breeze when we stop at Nomad Lounge. It contains Mountain Berry Tea, simple syrup, and lemon juice. It is my favorite non-alcoholic drink at Disney World.


I also ordered a Hightower Rocks with Casa Dragones Blanco Tequila, watermelon, sweet-and-sour, and lime juice on our first visit. It was a little too strong for me, so I asked the bartender to add some more watermelon juice after I drank some of my cocktail.


The honey-glazed, coriander-spiced pork ribs were incredible the first time we had them on this trip. Don't get me wrong, they are always amazing, but they were especially good on our first visit. They were so flavorful and tender, and much better than the version I make at home. I think I need to add way more coriander the next time I make them.


I love chicken satay, so I was excited to see this new addition to the menu.


We asked for extra peanut sauce on the side to dip it in. Overall, I liked this dish a lot, but I wish the peanut sauce was just a little bit sweeter.


My husband and I shared a Peaches and Cream from Tiffins, which included peaches, buratta cheese, heirloom tomatoes, peach-maple reduction, and salted-pecan brittle.


There was nothing not to love about this appetizer. I had to order the brittle on the side on our first visit, because of my husband's aversion to pecans. He was not with us the other times we dined at Nomad Lounge, so I could have the salted-pecan brittle on my Peaches and Cream.


No meal at Nomad Lounge is complete without their incredible gluten free churros, which might rank as my favorite dessert at Disney World. I was never a huge fan of churros before I was diagnosed with celiac, but these churros are life changing....no joke!


I have been told they are made with Cup4Cup flour, and they are incredibly light. Dipped in vanilla and chili-strawberry sauces at the same time, they are absolute perfection. There are other restaurants we enjoy at Disney's Animal Kingdom, but we can never seem to pull ourselves away from Nomad Lounge now that they serve gluten free churros. My whole gluten-eating family loves them.


The only meals we had at Disney World on this trip that rivaled the meals we had at Nomad Lounge were our dinners at Sanaa at Disney's Animal Kingdom Lodge and STK in Disney Springs.

You can read more about Nomad Lounge on Disney's website here.

What are your favorite gluten free dishes at Nomad Lounge in Disney's Animal Kingdom?



4 comments:

  1. Love this review of Nomad Lounge! You have me salivating. We ate there for the first time this past April, and the only thing I had that you also had were the pork ribs. I agree, they are delicious! Can't wait to try those gluten free churros!!!

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    1. They are amazing! If we still lived in Orlando, I would want to go every weekend!

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  2. Loved your review of Nomad Lounge. We are looking forward to eating there during our December trip. I agree the churros are life changing!!

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