The Fairest Trip Report Of All: The Nomad Lounge Review

The trip report proper is over, but we're not done yet - I've still got lots of thoughts, including food reviews and photos! You can see all the posts in this report here. Onward!

The Nomad Lounge in Disney's Animal Kingdom worries me, and here's why: positioned at the mouth of the new Pandora land, I fear it will soon cease to be a hidden gem, a la the sudden rush on Sanaa. Can nothing remain secret?!

Nevertheless, I would never be so oppressive as to demand this wonderful bar hide its proverbial light under a proverbial bushel. But I made sure to take Pat there in April just in case it becomes impossible to breach later.

Presented with the option of seating inside or outside, we went with a small two-person table on the patio next to the railing. It was a nice view of the lake that I'm sure is now a fantastic view of the bridge to Pandora, although I do wish it wasn't obstructed by the slats of the patio railing.

As I famously crowed, the Nomad Lounge features a drink named after me! It's called the Jenn's Tattoo and I will never be less enchanted by that fact. Unfortunately, if you recall from my review, that particular drink is a bit too sweet to be in my regular rotation. So I was on the menu hunt for something new.

It wasn't too hard to make a call - I went for the Hightower Rocks, a simple mixture of tequila, watermelon juice, lime, and sweet-and-sour. Pat very wisely went for the same.

I say very wisely because this drink is AWESOME. The ingredient proportions are spot on, but more importantly, it comes with a full wedge of watermelon! AMAZING. We wound up doing two rounds of the same. It was that good.

We also picked up what the menu calls African-spiced Wagyu beef sliders. These were good, but the patties were pretty small and I don't recall detecting anything African-spicy about them. The potatoes on the side were interesting, with an almost plantain-esque texture. There's nothing wrong with these but nothing excellent about them either.

Overall, though, the Nomad Lounge is glorious. PLEASE DON'T TELL ANYONE.

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While we're in the neighborhood, here are a few more notes about the state of dining in the Animal Kingdom that don't warrant a full post but might be of interest:

Kusafiri Coffee Shop & Bakery no longer carries paw print brownies and our hearts are BROKEN. Their chocolate chip cookie is undistinguished and NOT THE SAME. However, their breakfast burrito is solid.

Dawa Bar in Harambe is another great place to drink because you can do it while listening to Burudika! I love Burudika!

Thirsty River Bar in Serka Zong is a wonderful thing. I highly recommend taking a Fireball shot or two and then riding Everest or Dinosaur.

That's all from from the DAK food scene for this trip. I can't wait to see how Pandora has added to the mix!

Don't forget, you can follow us on Twitter @fairestrunofall. If you have any questions for us, leave a comment or email us at fairestrunofall@gmail.com. See ya real soon!