Eating in Disney World can be a little tricky right now.
Nomad Lounge
With limited capacities remaining in most Disney World restaurants and demand and capacities rising for the parks as a whole, tables in popular spots are in pretty high demand. This is true for restaurants with Advance Dining Reservations and even for some that are walk-up only. There’s even one restaurant in Disney World that you need to rope drop (in a manner of speaking) if you want to visit!
Nomad Lounge in Disney’s Animal Kingdom is one of the most popular lounges in Disney World. Located in the same building as Tiffins, this spot serves up amazing drinks and small plates in an atmosphere that you might have a hard time believing is in a theme park. It’s no wonder this place is so popular!
Nomad Lounge is one of our favorites — as a restaurant AND a place to relax!
And when we say it’s popular, we mean it. Typically, Nomad Lounge opens at 11AM and if you’re not at the restaurant right when it opens, you might have a hard time getting a seat! The tables fill within minutes of the lounge opening each morning.
Nomad Lounge
Now, this spot does use the Mobile Dine Walk-up Waitlist. So, if the tables are full (which is likely), you can attempt to get on the mobile waitlist through the My Disney Experience app. Here’s the catch though, that waitlist ALSO tends to fill up!
Look for this Walk-Up Waitlist sign!
Within those first few minutes of Nomad Lounge opening, it’s common to see a message noting that the “Walk-Up List is at capacity.” AND, it stays that way pretty much all day (Occasionally you can get a table in the late afternoon, but we wouldn’t count on it). So, with no Advance Dining Reservations, eating at this popular location is NOT easy.
My Disney Experience Screenshot
If you DO want to visit Nomad Lounge (which you should, since it’s amazing), there are a few ways that you can try to get in. The first is to “rope drop” the restaurant. Arrive at the entrance to Nomad Lounge, located on the Pandora-facing side of Discovery Island PRIOR to the opening time. If it’s 11AM, consider hanging around outside around 10:30AM.
Nomad Lounge
Similarly, you can attempt to “rope drop” the Walk-Up Waitlist. At or just before opening time, pull out that phone and get ready to hop on the waitlist as soon as it becomes available. It might not be quite as intense as trying to get a Rise of the Resistance Boarding Group, but Nomad Lounge tables are a HOT commodity!
Nomad Lounge
And if you can’t get to the restaurant or on the waitlist right at opening, don’t despair! You might still be able to snag a table by using a refresh method similar to how you might look for Fastpasses or dining reservations. Throughout your day, repeatedly tap the “Join Walk-Up List” button on the Nomad Loung page in the My Disney Experience app — even if the page is displaying the “Walk-Up List is at capacity” message.
Walk-Up Waitlist at Nomad Lounge
Remember, people are constantly being seated or bailing from the waitlist, so your goal here is to catch the moment a space opens up on the list. We’ve had a LOT of success getting into Nomad Lounge by tapping that join button over and over again until we get through. So, if you’ve got a long line, get tapping. The more that page refreshes, the more likely you are to catch a spot on the waitlist.
Nomad Lounge
Still, if Nomad Lounge is a priority for you, treat it that way! With the limited capacity in the lounge, this isn’t the kind of spot that you can fit into your plans whenever. Make sure you get there at opening or get ready to be flexible based on when you can get on that Waitlist. If and when you do get in, we recommend the churros. 😉
We NEED more of these churros.
As always, stay tuned to DFB for all the latest tips and tricks from Disney World!
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I blame the Disney Food Blog for this situation! Since it opened, Nomad Lounge has always been an easy walk-up situation with a mostly empty patio. I always thought it was one of the best kept secrets in Walt Disney World and no park location was better to sit, relax in a great setting and experience some great F&B. Unfortunately the Food Blog has constantly talked about how great it is for the past year and it appears that everyone is listening. Now yet another best kept secret is ruined! Thanks Food Blog.
How does the virtual wait list work? When a table becomes available how quickly do you have to be there? Would we essentially need to be waiting close by or could we be on an attraction?
Amanda, when you use My Disney Experience to request to join the waitlist, you’ll be given a window of time in which you will be seated. Sometimes seats open up sooner than the timeframe you’re given. In one teammate’s experience, her table became available when she was on an attraction, and when she explained that to the host(ess), she was still able to be seated.
You’re all welcome to the lounge. I just go to Tiffins == an underrated restaurant!
While the food options are very limited, Trader Sam’s Grog Grotto is a rope-drop worthy location.
Walked up and got two seats at the bar mid morning .
Place was full!
While the food is very good the really good the most enjoyable part of the experience was the great gal behind the bar who took great care of us and obviously enjoyed her job as bartender.
Really great memories of that experience.
While it would have been nice to sit and relax, I was more determined that I wanted to have some of the Gluten Free Churros…. so I was able to order them to go. It was a decent option, especially that was the main reason we wanted to go…. and they allowed me to do that. I waited at the bar for my order and left 🙂
You know, I love you guys for giving us all the info on great places to visit. I love the Nomad lounge since the first day it opened. I walked up on my birthday in March and they were wonderful. I even got a complimentary desert for my birthday which was lovely. Yes I had to wait outside to be seated but it’s always worth while to go. I’m happy that so many people enjoy it as it means it will be there for many more years to come 😁
I went in September and yes it was full but I only had to wait 10 minutes. Not sure why other seem “upset” that you recommend this spot so often but I’ve never had a problem walking up to this bar and getting a spot within 15 to 20 minutes MAX as it’s always acted as an overflow for Tiffins since the day it opened. I’ve know about this place for years and it’s great. I introduced my friend to it this year and she was pleasantly surprised as her husband and son ran around like crazy. She looked at me and said wow! It is a very citizen adult place to go and they still have boats going by with characters that I love. Go, you won’t regret it 🥰