The Rainforest Cafe: Restaurant Review

There are two Rainforest Cafes on the Disney property, one at Downtown Disney, and the other at the entrance of Animal Kingdom. I've been to both, and since they are both very similar and have the same menu, I decided to condense them into one post.

Name: The Rainforest Cafe
Location: Animal Kingdom, near the gate (there are two entrances to the restaurant, one inside the park and one out, so technically, you can eat here even without theme park admission) and Downtown Disney, in the Marketplace section.
Cuisine: American
Type: Table Service
Good for those who: Want to watch animatronic gorillas and fake rainstorms while they eat. Also, this place is good for people who want a lot of menu options (it has more than any other eatery at Animal Kingdom).
Price Range:  Disney lists this in the $$ range, which technically means $15-$35.99 per person. Entrees prices here vary greatly depending on what you order, but average is around $20.
Times: Downtown Disney location serves lunch 11:00am to 4:00pm, and dinner from 5:00pm to 10:30 pm. The Animal Kingdom location serves lunch 10:15am to 4:45pm, and dinner from 5:00pm to 7:50pm. This location also serves breakfast, from 8:30am to 10:00am.

Reservations: I highly recommend you make them, because tables go fast, especially at prime lunch and dinner hours (you can make reservations online at the WDW website). If you go for the earlier lunchtimes or the later ones, you may be able to get in without one, but at other times, be prepared to wait.
My Recommendation: I like the Rasta Pasta (which is a pasta dish with chicken and vegetables in a creamy sauce. If you've read my other posts, you'll start to sense that there is a theme with my favorite dishes. That is, almost all involve some type of chicken, or pasta, or creamy sauce, or all three) and the China Island Chicken Salad, which is great too.
Healthier Option: The China Island Salad isn't too bad, and the veggie burger is also a good option, provided you get it with something besides fries, and almost all of the seafood dishes seem relatively light.

Yes, the Rainforest cafe is gimicky, but I love it anyway. If you are not familiar with the concept, basically, the restaurant is made to look like a rainforest, with fake trees all over the place, and animatronic animals tucked around. Every now and then, it "storms", which means that the lights dim, they pipe in rain sounds, and some water falls onto the animal displays (you won't get wet, though, promise). It is definitely not the place to go for a relaxing dining experience, it is quite loud, in fact. But it is a lot of fun, and the detail they put into the restaurant is very cool. And the food is pretty tasty, too, and as I mentioned before, they have more selections than most other Disney restaurants.

Although both the locations are pretty much the same, there are some differences. They are both great, but if you have a choice, I recommend the Downtown Disney one. I don't know, I just think the way they do the storms is better or something. Hard to explain, haha.

xoxo, Lily

*Note: Food prices and menu options are subject to change at any time, so I can't guarantee my information will always be accurate.

**Also, the "healthier options" I give are simply based on my knowledge of healthy eating and nutrition. I am not a doctor! For specific information regarding calories and such, I suggest contacting the individual restaurants via the Disney World website.