Disney World reopened almost a year ago, and we’ve seen a TON of changes since then!

Here at DFB, we’re all about the food, and that’s why we’re glad SO many Disney World restaurants have reopened recently! We’ve visited Chef Mickey’s for dinner and the newly reopened Cape May Cafe, but today a fan-favorite restaurant has reopened at Disney’s Animal Kingdom!

That’s right, we’re at Tusker House Restaurant checking out the new character dining experience here! We’ve seen a modified character meal at several other Disney World restaurants, but let’s see what it’s like at Tusker House. We were there for both breakfast AND lunch!

Check-In

Tusker House has been closed for a longggg time, so it was SO nice to walk back into this restaurant! We started by pulling up our reservation on the My Disney Experience app and checking in!

Once checked in, we received a message that we would be notified when our table was ready.

We also received a text message that we were checked in and our wait was relatively short — we soon received a message that our table was ready!

And soon we were checking in with a Cast Member at the restaurant.

We were then taken into the restaurant for the first time in a LONG time!

Atmosphere

Seating is at tables and chairs.

Tables are still slightly spread out to allow for some social distancing between groups.

And as you can see, the dining space here is super bright and airy!

Breakfast Food

Tusker House used to be a buffet-style meal, but with new health and safety measures in place, the meal is now family-style. The menu features African-inspired flavors, and is served on a big platter for the whole table to share!

We dined at Tusker House for breakfast, so here’s a look at what we got! Breakfast is served in courses, and the first course is Jungle Juice, Fruit with Yogurt Dip, and Breads (Zebra Bread, Cornbread, and Multigrain Croissants with Butter, Strawberry Preserves, and Chocolate Hazelnut Spread).

All we can say is YUM!

Starting off at Tusker House with Jungle Juice, Fruit with Honey Yogurt sauce and Safari Bread, Multigrain Croissants and Cornbread served with Whipped Butter, Chocolate-Hazelnut Spread, and Strawberry Preserves! pic.twitter.com/CciEQCqfId

— AJ Wolfe (@DisneyFoodBlog) June 20, 2021

Before the second course, we decided to order something to drink with a little more kick. We chose the Africa Mimosa.

Getting the African Mimosa from Tusker House! pic.twitter.com/4mnxRxkbEo

— AJ Wolfe (@DisneyFoodBlog) June 20, 2021

Then more food came out! We got the Skillet with Sausage, Bacon, Eggs, Breakfast Potatoes, and Mickey and Simba Waffles with Syrup. 

Next up at Tusker House is Scrambled Eggs, Mickey & Simba Waffles, Sausage, Bacon and Roasted Potatoes. pic.twitter.com/7DjIuKACXt

— AJ Wolfe (@DisneyFoodBlog) June 20, 2021

We also got the Curry, which is Curried Chicken with Rice, along with Hard Boiled Eggs and Pickled Onions.

Also for Tusker House breakfast, there’s Durban Chicken & Egg Curry with Jasmine Rice. pic.twitter.com/OmQ8S6r2O5

— AJ Wolfe (@DisneyFoodBlog) June 20, 2021

Look at all that food!

Stay tuned — we’ll be doing a full review of our breakfast, too!

Lunch Food

For lunch, we ordered off the drink menu, and our server recommended the Lost On Safari.

Then our first course came out. We got a Salad with a Lemon Zest Vinaigrette and Breads with Chimichurri, Red Pepper Hummus, and Mango Chutney.

You really can’t go wrong with salad and bread (and we’re ALL about the bread!).

Starting off with salad and breads at Tusker House! pic.twitter.com/UGgb2KkaZI

— AJ Wolfe (@DisneyFoodBlog) June 20, 2021

For our Main Course, we were served Roasted Pork, Flank Steak, Rotisserie Chicken, Veggies (Green Beans, Carrots, Corn, Rice, and Potatoes), Green Shrimp Curry, and Mac and Cheese (and seriously, we LOVE that Mac and Cheese).

Just look at how delicious everything looks!

Next up at Tusker House lunch – Berber-marinated Pork, Moroccan-spiced Beef, Spit-roasted Herb Chicken and Cape Malay Green Curry Shrimp with veggies, rice, potatoes and mac and cheese! pic.twitter.com/88l466gM5l

— AJ Wolfe (@DisneyFoodBlog) June 20, 2021

For dessert, we had a Safari cupcake (with Vanilla Buttercream Frosting), a Tree of Life Brownie, and a Flourless Honeybee Cake!

We really liked the presentation of these desserts!

Desserts at Tusker House lunch! pic.twitter.com/9jxa9SffWm

— AJ Wolfe (@DisneyFoodBlog) June 20, 2021

We’ll be doing a full review of the lunch/dinner here, too — so keep checking back for that!

Characters

One of the hardest things to find in Disney World right now is a character meal! There are a few that have returned, but this one features some of our favorite friends, which we saw at both breakfast and lunch!

We saw Daisy…

Daisy at Tusker House! pic.twitter.com/uq4YswITwC

— AJ Wolfe (@DisneyFoodBlog) June 20, 2021

…Donald…

Donald at Tusker House! pic.twitter.com/3n8qRzHd5L

— AJ Wolfe (@DisneyFoodBlog) June 20, 2021

…Goofy…

Hi Goofy!! pic.twitter.com/Jeb88B0fPV

— AJ Wolfe (@DisneyFoodBlog) June 20, 2021

…and Mickey!

We’re back at Tusker House for lunch! Here comes Mickey! pic.twitter.com/YbSPge9SWh

— AJ Wolfe (@DisneyFoodBlog) June 20, 2021

And check it out! At the end of the meal, you get a charming little postcard!

AND it has all the characters’ autographs!

As we said, stay tuned for FULL reviews of both breakfast and dinner here, but in the meantime, we hope you enjoyed this first look at a reopened Tusker House in Disney’s Animal Kingdom!

REVIEW: We Ate Two Meals in One Day at Cape May Cafe in Disney World and We’re Not Mad About It

Have you been to Tusker House in Disney’s Animal Kingdom? Let us know in the comments!