Pizzafari Restaurant Review

Alex Coleman

Mouseketeer
Joined
Nov 4, 2017


Introduction
Pizzafari is a medium-sized restaurant in the Discovery Island pavilion in Disney’s Animal Kingdom. This restaurant is one of several Quick Service options at Animal Kingdom. I think that Pizzafari is an above-average theme park pizza restaurant with several interesting options. Sarah and I visited during our November 2017 trip. There were a couple reasons why we chose Pizzafari on the first day of this trip. The first reason was because we had never been here before. We have this obsessive desire to try and review every restaurant at Walt Disney World, so this needed to be crossed off the list. The second reason is because Sarah really enjoys the flatbreads (pizzas) at Disney World.

I was incredibly surprised by how much Sarah and I enjoyed Pizzafari. I expected just another below-par pizza joint, but we both really enjoyed our experience. It would be untrue to state that it is the best restaurant at AK, but it is a perfectly suitable option.

Atmosphere


Disney’s Animal Kingdom may very well be the best themed park at Walt Disney World. From the macro to the micro, imagneers really worked hard to make sure guests richly experienced each pavilion. The theming at Pizzafari is… loud. There are bright colors that adorn every single wall of the inside and out. There are 6 distinct rooms: the Home Room, the Nocturnal Room, the Upside Down Room, the Camouflage Room, the Four Seasons Room, and the Bug Room. I do not think this is necessarily a bad thing, especially since it mirrors the rest of Discovery Island.



Not only is the theming loud, but so is the physical space. Sarah and I decided to sit outside because we could not hear ourselves think inside. I think most of these rooms are small so it makes the sound feel much louder than it actually may be. I tried to talk on the phone, but I quickly discovered that was not a reality. Once again, this may not bother most. It usually doesn’t bother us, but it felt excessive on this occasion and at this eatery.

Fortunately, Sarah and I discovered that the outside eating area at Pizzafari is one of our favorite people-watching spaces at Disney World. The restaurant sits at a very busy intersection between Discovery Island, Pandora, and Africa. This means that almost every person who is visiting Animal Kingdom passes by at any given time. Being that Sarah and I are expert people-watchers, this is a quality location.



This location also means that it can be incredibly busy. When Sarah and I visited, it took me a very long time to even get inside and then even longer to get my food. I sat at the front waiting for our order for an incredibly long time. Even though Mobile Ordering is now available, I would not count on it being a quick process. This system seems like it is overloaded.

Hot tip: if you want to avoid long lines at Quick Service restaurants, eat at abnormal hours. This is the only tried-and-true way to reduce wait times for food and increase likelihood of getting dining reservations. Sarah and I normally try to eat early lunch and dinner and then use a Snack credit for dessert to keep us full throughout the evening. Because dessert needs to be its own meal allotment at WDW!

Food


According to the Disney World website, Pizzafari is American Cuisine. Pizzafari serves, wait for it, pizza. I know, crazy! You can debate whether modern pizza is American food or Italian food, but for the sake of this review, just be aware that Pizzafari serves pizza.

I think that Walt Disney World flatbread is interesting. Overall, I think it is fairly average. Would I call it the best pizza in the world? No. Would I be happy with many of the flatbreads on most of the menus across the property? Probably. Am I being far to general and will I regret it? Of course!



Pizzafari walks an interesting line. I think it does it well. Pizzafari has an ambitious menu, but is also a safe option. I think that the diversity of flatbread options means that both parents and children can find an option that they enjoy.

When we ate here during our November 2017 trip, Sarah went for the ambitious order with the Shrimp Flatbread. I was far less ambitious and hedged our bets with a Pepperoni Flatbread. We also saw that there were Garlic Knots on the menu and we could not resist. Sarah insisted that I use a Snack credit to order the bundles of goodness.



We both really loved the food. Sarah and I agreed the pizza was a notch above other flatbreads on property. We both really liked the flavor and texture of the crust. Sarah is a die hard thin crust pizza person, so she was very happy. I prefer a thicker crust, but I still enjoyed this pizza.

The Shrimp Flatbread really stood out. The shrimp were excellent and the tomatoes were a really nice addition. The only downside is that they layered it with way too much arugula. I thought the pepperoni was good, but I would probably order the shrimp again.



The garlic knots were also really good. The serving size was really large for a Snack credit, but the sauce was unremarkable (warm, but unremarkable).

The meal came with a side salad, but we did not really see the point. It was small and just got in the way of us eating carbohydrates and fats.

Cost


According to the Disney World website, Pizzafari is classified with “$” which means adults should expect to pay roughly $14.99 and under, per person. This is a pretty good use of your money if you are not using the Disney Dining Plan. The amount of food means that most groups can split meals in half and add a snack to make it affordable.

For the Disney Dining Plan users, this restaurant requires one Quick Service credit per person. This is a good use of a credit, but not a great use of the Disney Dining Plan credit. The meal does come with a large amount of food, but there are places where you can go and feel as full as any Table Service restaurant on the property. Hot tip: If you are really looking for the best value at Animal Kingdom, try Flame Tree Barbecue. I have become a Flame Tree Barbecue apologist during my time touring Walt Disney World and I will shout its praises as long as I blog! For the Tables in Wonderland users, Pizzafari is not applicable.

Who Should Eat Here?


If you have paid attention so far, it would not be a surprise to you that I would strongly recommend Pizzafari to almost anyone. The major problem (the best kind of problem in the world) is that the Quick Service options at Disney’s Animal Kingdom are so great. Guests can eat a bowl of amazingness on Pandora at Satu'li Canteen or they can experience the true meaning of the word “full” at Flame Tree Barbecue. I would rank those two slightly higher than Pizzafari, but that is not a knock against this eatery.

Pizzafari stands out as a restaurant for families. I think the theming alone can occupy children for minutes a time. The not-so-hidden animal references are great for a game of I-spy. I know that I would have enjoyed that thoroughly as a child. Pizza is a fairly universal food and the entire family will be happy here.

I also think that the menu is adventurous enough that adults can enjoy something a little different. This will never make for a romantic dream dinner, but it will make for a quality meal. Just make sure you allot some extra time.

Have you eaten at Pizzafari? What what your experience? Share your thoughts in the comments section! For other reviews including resorts and other restaurants, check out our Reviews page!
 
Another nice review. Got to disagree with you on the food filling you up. Last time even my daughter made me take her to Flametree an hour after eating here because she was still hungry.
 


Another nice review. Got to disagree with you on the food filling you up. Last time even my daughter made me take her to Flametree an hour after eating here because she was still hungry.
Oh interesting! My wife and I were soo full after eating there. Adding the Garlic Knots really helped put us over the top.
 
Nice photos and review, Alex.

I am bitter about Pizzafari taking the delicious Italian sub off its menu. If I want QS while at AK, I will stick with Satuli Canteen. I wish I could try Flametree, but I can’t deal with all the birds there.
 
Nice photos and review, Alex.

I am bitter about Pizzafari taking the delicious Italian sub off its menu. If I want QS while at AK, I will stick with Satuli Canteen. I wish I could try Flametree, but I can’t deal with all the birds there.
Ha! My wife and I call them Floridian pigeons because they are EVERYWHERE. I have seen them roaming in and out of the gift shops, which is pretty funny.

I wish I could have tried that! It is one of my favorite meals. Satuli is a really awesome dining location. It feels so different to the rest of the WDW QS lineup.
 



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