10 NEW Snacks Announced for Disney World

Disney World restaurants get revamps all the time, but we’ve seen a whole bunch of menu overhauls and new eats (and drinks) recently.

From seasonal treats to new snacks that become permanent additions, there’s a lot to check out on upcoming trips even if you’ve eaten at Disney a million times before. And soon there will be even more NEW snacks to try!

9 NEW eats (and 1 new drink — we’ll count that as a “snack” for purposes of this post!) are coming to a popular Disney World resort hotel — Disney’s Animal Kingdom Lodge! Let’s take a look at everything new:

Maji Pool Bar

Maji Pool bar will be “refreshing” its menu starting December 8th. Here you’ll find some “poolside snacks with an African twist.” Here’s what you can expect:

Shrimp Bakuli (which means bowl in Swahili) — chilled poached shrimp, pickled carrots, and Basmati rice with a flavorful soy-ginger dressing and berbere aïoli. The dish is inspired by the open-air food markets in Zanzibar (which is the home of Chef Sahib Bhatti).
Multigrain Tabbouleh (plant-based) — salad with protein-rich grains, fresh herbs, and grilled vegetables
Spiced Pork Nachos — topped with spiced pork, beans, herbed crema, and kachumbari. The spiced pork used here is pork vindaloo (prepared with paprika, garlic, tomato, vinegar, and a house-made spice blend)
Short Rib Grilled Cheese — The ribs are slow-cooked with a house-made spice blend, tamarind, and red wine. Then, they use brioche bread and top it with short ribs, gouda cheese, and pickled onion.

The Mara

Next, we hop to The Mara which will be adding some new items to the menu on December 8th as well. Here’s a look at what will be available:

Marinated Sun-dried Tomato and Herbed Ricotta Flatbread — sun-dried tomatoes, fresh herb ricotta, tomato sauce, four-cheese blend, and arugula

Three new bowls will also be on the menu:

Chermoula-spiced Shrimp Bowl — grilled shrimp, pilau rice, kale slaw, cucumber-tomato salad, and chermoula sour cream. (Disney notes that “Pilau rice is similar to rice pilaf.” This particular pilau rice is “simmered with The Mara’s unique spice blend and utilized as the base for all three bowls.”)
Oak-grilled Chicken Bowl — marinated chicken thighs, slow-roasted over the oak-fired spit

South African Vegetable Bowl (plant-based) — curried vegetable stew, pilau rice, kale slaw, dried fruit achar, and avocado-tahini sauce

Jiko: The Cooking Place

Over at Jiko, there will be a NEW appetizer joining the group — the Sweet Potato-Groundnut Soup. It’s made with spiced groundnuts, finger lime, pickled red chilies, and sorrel.

If you’re wondering what a groundnut is, Disney explains that it is popular in African cuisine and is what you’d know as a peanut!

New Drink

Finally, there will be a specialty drink available to celebrate Avatar: The Way of Water‘s release on December 16th. This signature drink will be available for those over 21 and you’ll find it at Boma: Flavors of Africa, Sanaa, and Victoria Falls Lounge.

The drink is called the Way of Water and is a blend of African Starr Rum, BACARDÍ Raspberry Rum, Bols Blue Curaçao, and lemonade garnished with a glowing lotus flower and mint.