The Mara Lunch Review

*This gluten free dining experience took place in December 2019 and includes information about dairy free options too.

Lunch at The Mara

The Mara, located at Disney's Animal Kingdom Lodge Jambo House, is a quick service restaurant that serves classic fast food fare with an African twist. It's long been one of my favorite resort quick service restaurants on Disney property. Recently, I had lunch at The Mara while my family was staying at the Animal Kingdom Lodge on vacation.

Atmosphere

The Mara is named for a river flowing through Kenya and Tanzania. And, you'll see decor in the restaurant that follows this theme. In fact, as you enter the restaurant, you'll see touches of an African reserve, which leads you to the resort's pool area.

The Mara - Sign / Photo Taken by Gluten Free & Dairy Free at WDW

I do love how charming the restaurant's interior is with wooden beams and light fixtures resembling trees.

The Mara - Interior / Photo Taken by Gluten Free & Dairy Free at WDW

On this visit, I did not spend a lot of time in the restaurant because I took my lunch to-go back to my family's DVC villa. As you can see from the photo, the restaurant has a lot of theming, even in the ordering area.

The Mara - To Go Area / Photo Taken by Gluten Free & Dairy Free at WDW

Because it was December, there were quite a few holiday decorations up too. I love this holiday wreath near the to-go station.

The Food

Like many Disney owned restaurants, The Mara does have an allergy-friendly lunch and dinner menu. You can also speak directly to a manager or chef trained to accommodate special dietary needs orders. I always recommend this if you have additional questions, multiple dietary needs, or want to see if items can be easily customized. On this visit, I spoke with one of the managers and also looked at the allergy-friendly menu.

The Mara - Allergy Ticket / Photo Taken by Gluten Free & Dairy Free at WDW

On this visit, I didn't want anything too heavy, because my family was heading to the Magic Kingdom after lunch. With this in mind, I ordered the Mara Salad which is marked gluten free on the allergy-friendly menu. Once I ordered this with the manager, she gave me a pager and an allergy order form to take with me to the cash register.

Because I have been able to reintroduce dairy back into my diet, you'll notice I only had gluten listed. But, if you have multiple dietary needs, they will each be marked on the order form.

The Mara / Photo Taken by Gluten Free & Dairy Free at WDW

On this visit, I opted for the Mara Salad which is marked gluten free on the allergy-friendly menu. I believe it could easily be made dairy free by omitting the feta cheese and possibly adjusting the dressing.

The Mara Salad was really excellent. It came with House-grilled Chicken Breast sliced over a bed of Mixed Greens with Red Onions, Lentils, Chickpeas, Cucumbers, Tomatoes and Feta served with Chili-Cilantro Vinaigrette Dressing on the side. I found the salad extremely hearty and very flavorful, and I would definitely get it again.

If you're dairy free, I recommend talking to a chef about options at The Mara. The restaurant does carry allergy-friendly chicken tenders which are both gluten free and dairy free, as well as sandwiches that can be easily made gluten free and dairy free too. On my most recent previous visit, I ordered the turkey and avocado club sandwich which was made gluten free and dairy free by swapping out the bun.

Overall

While it wasn't anything fancy, I really enjoyed the Mara Salad at The Mara. It was much heartier than I expected and a great lunch or light dinner option. The dressing was extremely flavorful, and I really loved all of the components together. I would definitely get this and many of the other unique quick service options at The Mara. It's a great go-to restaurant, especially if you're staying at the Animal Kingdom Lodge.

Have you been to The Mara? What did you enjoy when you dined there?

The Mara Dinner Review

*This post contains a gluten free and dairy free dinner review. It also includes information about fish/shellfish free, peanut free, and chicken & turkey free options too.

Dinner at The Mara

The Mara, located at Disney's Animal Kingdom Lodge Jambo House, is the resort's quick service restaurant that serves breakfast, lunch, and dinner. Recently, we had dinner there with friends the night before Star Wars: Galaxy's Edge opened at Disney's Hollywood Studios as we had a mini staycation booked there for the weekend.

Atmosphere

Because we were with friends, neither one of us did a very good job of getting photos. You can see more photos of the restaurant's interior and ingredients for the gluten free Zebra Domes in the last review we did of dinner at The Mara.

The Mara - Sign / Photo Taken by Gluten Free & Dairy Free at WDW

One of the things that I do love about the themes at the Animal Kingdom Lodge restaurants is that they reflect where they are located in the resort. The Mara, for instance, is located near the pool and several water features. The restaurant is named for a river flowing through Kenya and Tanzania -- so being located near the water is definitely fitting.

The Food

Because we were getting up extremely early for the opening of Galaxy's Edge, we all wanted something fairly filling but nothing fancy. The Mara has a variety of options and offers an allergy-friendly lunch and dinner menu.

Guests with special dietary needs can also speak to a chef or a manager about additional options too. On this visit, we did speak to a manager about modifying a dish to be gluten free and about the allergy-friendly fryers for Brandon's chicken & turkey allergy.

The Mara / Photo Taken by Gluten Free & Dairy Free at WDW

While there are quite a few gluten free options on the allergy-friendly menu, I had my eye on the Hand-carved Turkey and Avocado Club Sandwich. The manager told me the only modification needed was to swap the bread.

The sandwich was served on a Local Oven bun and came with Hand-carved Slow-roasted Turkey Breast, Berbere-spiced Bacon, Pickled Red Onions, Arugula and a Chunky Avocado-Mayo Spread and French Fries. This was made gluten free and dairy free and the allergy-friendly menu also indicated that it was fish/shellfish free and peanut/tree nut free. The fries were also made in the dedicated allergy-friendly fryer.

The sandwich itself was really good. The only exception to this was the gluten free and dairy free bun, which was very poorly heated. Parts of it were rock hard and other parts fell completely apart. I have found that the Local Oven buns don't hold up the best, but this was entirely an issue of poor heating on this occasion. Still, all of the components of the sandwich were outstanding, and I loved the chunky avocado-mayo spread. I would definitely get this again, despite the poorly heated bun.

The Mara / Photo Taken by Gluten Free & Dairy Free at WDW

Brandon ordered the Black Angus Cheeseburger which included a Grilled 1/3 lb Black Angus Burger topped with Sharp Cheddar on a Brioche Bun served with French Fries. The burger was safe for fish/shellfish, peanut, and chicken & turkey allergies.

The only challenge was the cooking of the French Fries. Unfortunately, the allergy-friendly fryer is used for cooking allergy-friendly chicken tenders. The manager on hand said that they did not have a vegan fryer on hand at the time. With this in mind, she ended up baking Brandon French Fries so that he could have them as a safe option. The chicken & turkey allergies can be a challenge with the allergy-friendly fryers, we have found. So, we always double-check with a chef or manager to ensure he has safe options.

Brandon said the cheeseburger was pretty good. And, he was really impressed with how good the baked French Fries were. He said he'd definitely eat them again and wasn't at all disappointed that the couldn't get them fried.

Overall

While nothing fancy, we both agreed that the special dietary needs options at The Mara are not only pretty plentiful, but that they're very tasty too. We both appreciate that the managers and chefs at the Animal Kingdom Lodge restaurants go above and beyond to accommodate as much as they can for guests with special dietary needs. This meal was a great example of that. We both agreed we'd order the dishes we got again too!

Have you been to The Mara? What did you order when you dined there?

The Mara Dinner Review

*This gluten free dining experience took place in October 2018. It includes information about dairy free options. 

Dinner at The Mara

The Mara, located at Disney's Animal Kingdom Lodge Jambo House, is a restaurant that serves classic quick service-style fare along with African inspired meals. Although I have not been to The Mara in a while, I always appreciate the options and flexibility that the chefs there provide guests. On this visit, we decided to stop by in the evening after work for a quick meal. We were getting ready to leave on a Disney Cruise soon, so neither Brandon or I were feeling like cooking as we got ready for vacation.

Atmosphere

The Mara is named for a river flowing through Kenya and Tanzania. And, it's theming reflects an African savannah. You'll see lots of light fixtures and beams that are made to resemble trees and leaves.

The Mara Restaurant Interior / Photo Taken by Gluten Free & Dairy Free at WDW

In the ample seating area, you'll also find a lot of gorgeous murals surrounding the restaurant's exterior walls that features various African animals.

The Mara Mural / Photo Taken by Gluten Free & Dairy Free at WDW

I have to admit that I'm always charmed by the artwork on these walls. And, with that in mind, I usually find a seat against the walls so I can look at the artwork more closely.

The Food

Like most Disney owned restaurants, The Mara has an allergy-friendly lunch and dinner menu. When you arrive at The Mara, ask for the allergy-friendly menu and to speak with a chef or manager. They will take your order and help ensure whatever you get is both safe and delicious.On this visit, both Brandon and I were craving allergy-friendly chicken tenders, so we both ordered those. If you're both gluten free and dairy free, you can also find the following listed on the allergy-friendly menu as safe options:

• Black Angus Burger served with French Fries

• African Potjie served with Basmati Rice and Allergy-Friendly Bread

Do ask a chef for additional options, as we saw several menu items that we thought could easily be made gluten free or gluten free and dairy free with slight modifications. So, it's definitely worth asking.

The Mara - Food Pager / Photo Taken by Gluten Free & Dairy Free at WDW

Once we ordered, we were given a pager and told we could find a seat. I would say the overall wait for our chicken tenders was about 10 minutes from ordering to pick-up.

The Mara - Allergy-Friendly Chicken Tenders / Photo Taken by Gluten Free & Dairy Free at WDW

Our Allergy-Friendly Chicken Tenders were served in to-go boxes, which was a nice touch. We did, however, opt to eat in the restaurant since we didn't want our food to get cold. As you can see, the chicken tenders here are still the Ian's brand of allergy-chicken tenders versus the new brand being served at Columbia Harbour House. As always, these were delicious and a great dinner option that we both enjoy.

Zebra Domes Ingredients / Photo Taken by Gluten Free & Dairy Free at WDW

In addition to the allergy-friendly chicken tenders, the manager encouraged us to try the Gluten Free Zebra Domes. Believe it or not, I had never had these! Since I was dairy free for so many years, they were not an option and also have never appealed to me now that I reintroduced dairy back into my diet. But, we decided to give them a try. As you can see, they do contain egg, soy, and dairy.

Zebra Domes - The Mara / Photo Taken by Gluten Free & Dairy Free at WDW

With 4 Zebra Domes in a package, I was glad we each had a chance to try these. I found them to be just a little too sweet for my taste, but Brandon loved them. These are definitely one we'd pick up for him anytime we're at The Mara. In fact, we were just talking about getting dinner there again soon, and Brandon mentioned we should get them! So, they definitely are a winner for him.

Overall

The Mara provides several delicious quick service special diets friendly options for guests visiting the resort. I always recommend speaking to a chef about additional options beyond what's listed in the allergy-friendly menu, as I have found them to be an excellent quick service restaurant for customization. Of course, if something simple like allergy-friendly chicken tenders is what you're craving, you can find that at The Mara too.

Have you been to The Mara? What did you order when you dined there?