Animal Kingdom Beer: What's Their Favorite Brew?

Disney's Animal Kingdom has a variety of alcoholic drinks on offer for visitors. The Dawa Bar in Harambe, the park's Africa-themed land, offers draft beer, wine, and cocktails. The Thirsty River Bar and Trek Snacks, located near Expedition Everest, serves refreshing cocktails, draft beer, wine, and light snacks. Pongu Pongu, an outpost in Pandora – World of Avatar, offers specialty craft beers and frozen alcoholic beverages. Nomad Lounge, located on Discovery Island, has a wide range of beers, wines, and cocktails. Other locations in the park, such as Tamu Tamu Refreshments, Warung Outpost, and Drinkwallah, also offer unique alcoholic beverages.

Nomad Lounge is Animal Kingdom's best bar

Nomad Lounge is known for its signature cocktails and wide variety of comfortable chairs. The bartenders are excellent, making recommendations based on your specific tastes and preferences, and ensuring you can enjoy any drink you want, even if you prefer it to be non-alcoholic. The menu features a wide range of beers, wines, and specialty cocktails, and what you see online or in the app is only a portion of what's available. In addition to that, there's a list of specials on each table. The drinks are strong, and four out of five are stunningly good.

The food at Nomad Lounge is also excellent, with small plates ranging from $10 to $16. The Cuban Sliders and the Tuna Poke Bowl are particularly good. If you're visiting with kids, there's a secret off-menu kids' meal that anyone can order: the best chicken nuggets you'll find anywhere in Orlando, for only $11.

Nomad Lounge doesn't accept reservations, but it can still get very popular on crowded days or any time between lunch and midafternoon. It is open from 10:30 am until the park closes, so the best times to arrive are before 11:30 am or after 5 pm. You can also join the virtual walk-up list from the My Disney Experience app, which will display an approximate wait time based on your party size.

Dawa Bar has a good selection of mixed drinks

The name "Dawa Bar" likely comes from the Kenyan cocktail "Dawa", or the Arabic word "da'wah", meaning "invitation". The cocktail "Dawa" means "medicine" or "magic potion" in Swahili and is said to be so potent that it will cure whatever ails you. The recipe is based on a famous Brazilian drink that was introduced to Kenya. It is made with vodka, muddled limes, ice, and Kenyan honey.

Thirsty River Bar has the second-largest beer collection in the park

Thirsty River Bar is a large structure with large, open counters, creating a bright and open environment. At night, it is even more prominent, and lines often form. Thirsty River Bar has the second-largest collection of beers in Disney's Animal Kingdom, after Nomad Lounge. They also offer specialty beverages like the Himalayan Ghost (vodka, guava, Odwalla lemonade) and the Khumbu Icefall (a blend of guava rum, coconut, and raspberry puree).

The bar is located in the Asia section of the park, on the way to Expedition Everest. It is built from the structure where the old Fastpass machines used to distribute paper Fastpasses for Expedition Everest. Thirsty River Bar is a brilliant spot to grab a refreshing drink and some fruity cocktails, draft beer, wine, or light snacks. There is no dedicated seating area, but guests can enjoy the unused Rivers of Light amphitheater, which has plenty of seating and waterside views.

Nomad Lounge, located on Discovery Island, is arguably the best bar in Animal Kingdom and one of the top bars in all of Walt Disney World. It is a full-service bar with a wide range of beers, wines, and specialty cocktails. The lounge is themed around the adventures and lessons of travel and is meant to be a space for conversation, particularly about travel.

Other places to grab a beer in Animal Kingdom include Dawa Bar in Harambe, Pongu Pongu in Pandora, and various small beer carts throughout the park.

Pongu Pongu serves breakfast beer and frozen adult beverages

Pongu Pongu, located in Pandora – World of Avatar, is a snack stand that serves breakfast beer and frozen adult beverages. The stand is situated between Pandora's store, Windtraders, and the main restaurant, Satu'li Canteen.

Pongu Pongu offers two specialty craft beers exclusive to Pandora, Mo'ara High Country Ale and Hawkes' Grog Ale, the latter being the famous "green beer". They also serve two specialty cocktails, the Rum Blossom (rum with layers of apple and desert pear limeade topped with passionfruit boba balls) and the Mo'ara Margarita (topped with strawberry boba balls).

In addition to Pongu Pongu, there are several other places to grab a drink in Disney's Animal Kingdom. Dawa Bar, located in the park's Africa-themed land, offers draft beer, wine, and cocktails. Thirsty River Bar and Trek Snacks, built from the structure of the old Fastpass machines, serves refreshing cocktails, draft beer, wine, and light snacks. Nomad Lounge, located on Discovery Island, is another popular spot, offering a wide range of beers, wines, and specialty cocktails.

Safari Amber is a mediocre beer

Safari Amber is said to be specially brewed for Animal Kingdom, but this is a bit of a stretch. It is actually specially branded for the park. The beer is similar to the "Red" or "Amber" beer that appears in restaurants serving only Bud and Bud Lite, with a cute name that directly references the tacky ambiance of the location. For example, it would taste like Kingdom Red Ale in the Kansas City Chief's stadium or Thirsty Frog Red Ale "brewed exclusively" for Carnival Cruise Lines. If you've had one of these mystery "Red Ales" before, you've tasted the mediocre Safari Amber.

The beer is ubiquitous in Animal Kingdom and will cost you $6.95. It also makes an appearance at the Dawa Bar in Harambe, Africa, alongside seasonal beers that are better than average choices, though not particularly exotic.

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