My favorite location in all of Walt Disney World is Nomad Lounge. It is a must for me every time I visit Walt Disney World Resorts for several reasons. Nomad Lounge is in Disney’s Animal Kingdom on Discovery Island. It is in the same building as Tiffins and overlooks the water.
Churros!
Nomad Lounge has the best churros on Walt Disney World property, and many people sleep on them. They are crispy, completely covered in cinnamon sugar, and have 2 dipping sauces that are chef’s kiss. There is a vanilla crema sauce that is sweet and classic perfect vanilla flavoring. The once had a strawberry chili sauce that was sweet with a kick, however, they recently changed this on over to a new favorite: Coffee Crème Anglaise. Whether you wanting to mix these together, or eat them apart, this churro plate must be ordered. Trust me! There are some other tasty menu items if you are also wanting something savory, or even some small plates for lunch.
Drinks!
This is a lounge after all with some amazing house cocktails, and a full-service bar. The beverages are beautiful, and all have the Animal Kingdom vibe. I personally like to Lamu Libation or the Leaping Lizard. Neil prefers to try different beers available here. If you prefer non-alcoholic beverages or have children with you, they have those too! Believe me your kids are also going to love it here.
Atmosphere
Nomad Lounge has both an indoor and outdoor section. This may sound crazy coming from me while in Florida, but you will want to sit outside. The outdoor deck has some small 2 person tables as well as big patio couches that wrap around. The big couches are great for our girls, and extremely comfortable. We have had them crawl around on the couches to get some energy out when Emilia was so little, she wasn’t walking yet. There have even been naps had both in the stroller and on the couch here while mom and dad enjoyed a break with some drinks. Everyone enjoys the Disney World churros and some time to sit and relax. Animal Kingdom was meant to be a park for you to take slower and enjoy the world around you. Once you do that, you find so many animals and beautiful scenery you would normally walk right past. You should take time to sit, relax, and just take in the beauty of Animal Kingdom. There are fans to keep even more air flowing, so I never feel the heat once I am sitting on the deck.
Characters
While this is not a character dining, it does have some of my favorite character interactions that very few people know about. When you are sitting outside you will see the flotillas of Animal Kingdom float by! When reopening post COVID, Animal Kingdom began doing flotillas through the rivers. They are still my favorite change since COVID, and I hope they are here to stay. Our girls get very personal waves or gestures from the characters from the deck of Nomad Lounge. They have seen: Pocahontas and Meeko; Daisy, Donald, and Launchpad McQuack; Mickey and Minnie; Goofy, Dinosaur Chip, and Dale; Timone and Rafiki; and my personal favorite the Discovery Island Drummers!
Getting a seat
Nomad Lounge does not take reservations 60 days in advance, so you can usually decide that day if you are wanting to visit Nomad Lounge, believe me you do! When you are about 30 minutes to an hour from wanting to get a seat, head over and get on the waiting list. You can do this through the My Disney Experience App on your phone. They will notify you when your table is ready, and you are ready to go! The waitlist will typically fill up towards the end of the day, so be sure to get on the waitlist sometime in the morning or after lunch.
On your next Walt Disney World vacation, be sure to try the churros, drinks, and private flotilla views. Make sure when you are visiting Magic Kingdom to visit our favorite secret lunch spot!
