While we find Disney’s Animal Kingdom to have some of the best dining options in the parks (like Tiffin’s!), on our last visit we decided to try something a little different: a pizza joint. Pizzafari is located in Discovery Isle and offers a dinner option that is a cross between quick service and table service. We were in the mood for carbs and the price seemed reasonable so we ventured over to try out this spot. Read on for a full review of the Family-Style Dining offering…

About Pizzafari

Pizzafari is located on the corner between the path to Pandora and the path to Africa, and right across from the Island Mercantile. While Pizzafari is a simple quick service restaurant we were impressed with the decor. The walls featured vibrant painted murals and there was a lot of fun animal theming. This restaurant has a fairly simple menu of items such as pizzas, salads, and pasta. In the evenings there is an additional offering of a family-style seated dinner.

The simple quick service style restauant is dressed up with bold paintings.

Brightly painted masks adorn some walls.

Family-Style Dining

The Cost

The dinner option is a flat rate per guest:

$22.99 per adult – plus tax (gratuity not included or required)
$12.99 per child – plus tax (gratuity not included or required)

(It’s good to note that while Tables in Wonderland discounts are available at Pizzafari, they cannot be applied to Family-Style Dining.)

The Details

The Family-Style Dining is offered every night, but only from 5-7pm
Since it is a smaller window of availability compared to other restaurants reservations are recommended. However the particular evening we were dining it did not seem to be very busy.
Upon arrival check in at the podium. You will be given a table number card. You place your order at the regular quick service window but then are taken to your specific table.
You don’t have a server, as items are ready a cast member will run it to your table (very quickly we may add!)

The Menu

The menu has some set items, while others require a choice. (As a dining party you make selections together). The size of your group will determine the amount of each dish you receive. Here is what is included:

A non-alcoholic beverage per person
Two types of salad to share: Caprese and Caesar
A pizza to share (choose one of four toppings)
Two of the following dishes:
- Baked Ziti
- Creamy Pesto with Chicken
- Meatballs with Marinara
- Garlic Knots
and Mini Cannolis for dessert

Pizzafari Family-Style Dining Menu Front (Click to enlarge)

Pizzafari Family-Style Dining Menu Back (Click to enlarge)

Our Dinner

Drinks
We were each able to order a non-alcoholic beverage. Julie went for a simple unsweetened tea and was shocked when it came out in a jumbo sized cup. (We believe this is to avoid having to do refills since there are no servers.) But honestly it was hard to get through that size drink alone and without a lid to take it to go it seemed a bit wasteful. Next time she might opt for a Smart Water instead. Andrew tried a signature drink here called “Mandarin Orange Lemonade”. It was really good, on the sweet side, but he loves orange. When he did need a refill a cast member was able to bring one by for him.

Salad: Caesar
We love a simple Caesar but we have to admit this was the one disappointing dish of the night. It seems the salad may have been mixed too early and seemed pretty soggy.

Salad: Caprese
This was a great option with big pieces of mozzarella, tomatoes, basil, and balsamic. It was refreshing before all the heavy stuff to come. It was also surprising the amount that came for two people.

Main: Pepperoni and Sausage Pizza
This was a huge pizza for two people to share. While we can’t say it was the best pizza we have ever had, it was still really good. The crust was delicious and the toppings plentiful.

Side: Garlic Knots
Every order includes one per person. We wish there were more. They were so good. Buttery and garlicy. Yum.

Side: Meatballs with Marinara
We each received one meatball that was fairly large. They were a good flavor and moist.

Dessert: Mini Cannolis
These little treats were great, and we were glad they were mini after all that food! (We thought 5 was a funny number for 2 of us though!)

Overall Thoughts

Family-style dining at Pizzafari ended up being an amazing value for us. The price wasn’t much more than a standard quick service meal and we got way more to try. For a little more than $20 each, not only did we get a ton of food but we were able to avoid the standard waiting in line and finding a table that usually comes hand in hand with choosing quick serve. While the food wasn’t exceptional it was good old comfort food and truly hit the spot. We think this family dining was probably created with larger parties in mind, it seems as a party of two we made out even better than most. While certain things are portioned out per person (one meatball, one garlic knot, etc.) other items were harder to split down for our smaller party. We noticed the family of four behind us got the same size pizza to share, where we ended up with half a pie to take home. (We believe the caprese salad was the same size too.) That is another good note, this meal could have felt really wasteful in the middle of the park day, but being the end of the day we were easily able to take home for lunch the next day. So our words of wisdom come hungry and plan accordingly for the mountains of food!