Welcome to our latest roundup of What’s New at Disney’s Animal Kingdom Lodge.

Animal Kingdom Lodge

We have a bunch of menu changes and merchandise updates to tell you about, so let’s get started!

Animal Kingdom Lodge Food Update

Jiko…The Cooking Place

For starters, we noticed a few changes on the menu at Jiko…The Cooking Place.

Jiko Sign

Kids’ meals are now set up as Create-Your-Own, though none of the selections are new. Kiddos now choose an entree and two selections for their dinner.

Jiko Kid’s Menu

Elsewhere on Jiko’s menu, several items have been removed since our last visit. The Spice Route-inspired Squash Soup appetizer, Mauritius Poached Shrimp appetizer, Charcuterie and Cheese, Elk Confit Flatbread, Mrouzia Style Moroccan Lamb Tagine entree, Chermoula Chicken entree, Bo Kaap Malay Seafood Curry entree, and the Botswana-style Seswaa Beef Short Rib entree are no longer on the menu.

Also, Peri Peri Chicken ($35) has been added to the menu, and the Bobotie Mac and Cheese now comes with Wagyu instead of elk.

Jiko Menu

The Lion King specialty menu that debuted on June 30th was still available during our visit.

Lion King Menu at Jiko

Learn more about The Lion King specialty menu here!

The Mara

When we stopped by The Mara, we saw that they were offering The Lion King version of the Kudu Cookie Sandwich in addition to the regular version.

Lion King Kudu Cookie Sandwich

Read more about the Kudu Cookie Sandwich here!

Regular Kudu Cookie Sandwich

The Mara’s current cupcake offerings include the Zebra Cupcake ($5.49), African Sunshine Cupcake ($4.99), and Minnie Cupcake ($5.49). All three are Disney Dining Plan snack credit-eligible!

Zebra Cupcakes

The Zebra Cupcake consists of chocolate cake and chocolate filling, while the African Sunshine Cupcake features chocolate-chip cake and chocolate icing, while the Minnie Cupcake is made of white cake and vanilla filling.

African Sunshine Cupcakes

Read our full review of the African Sunshine Cupcake here!

Minnie Cupcakes

We’re not sure how long this has been there, but we noticed a new dessert case we hadn’t seen before. It’s a closed refrigerated case at the same station as the grab-and-go dessert case. This is where we found the celebration cakes, cupcakes, and regular and gluten-free Zebra Domes.

The Mara Dessert Case

We also noticed a designated Mobile Order pickup area at The Mara. For now, it’s just a small ledge near the grab-and-go snacks and dessert case.

The Mara Mobile Order Pickup Area

Learn more about Disney World’s Mobile Order system here!

The Mara Mobile Order Pickup Area

On The Mara’s beverage menu, they’ve added a boozy version of the Jungle Juice Slushy in addition to a Strawberry Lemonade with Snow Leopard Vodka.

The Mara Beverage Menu

They’ve also added more selections to the list of syrups for coffee!

The Mara Coffee Syrups

Animal Kingdom Lodge Merchandise Update

In Zawadi Marketplace, we found a huge selection of Lion King merchandise! We didn’t spot anything we hadn’t seen before, but we were impressed by the sheer amount of stuff they had.

The Lion King Merchandise

The Lion King Merchandise

Explore more Lion King merchandise here!

Before we left Animal Kingdom Lodge, we snapped a few quick photos of the resort activities for the month of August.

Animal Kingdom Lodge Resort Activities

Animal Kingdom Lodge Resort Activities

Animal Kingdom Lodge Resort Activities

Well, friends, that wraps up our tour of Disney’s Animal Kingdom Lodge — thanks for joining us! Stay tuned to Disney Food Blog for even more news from the Disney parks and resorts.

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Have you ever stayed at Disney’s Animal Kingdom Lodge? Let us know in the comments below!