WATCH OUT: Tons of Restaurants Close EARLY Every Day in Disney’s Animal Kingdom

There are a lot of things that can happen that can derail a Disney World vacation.

Tree of Life in Animal Kingdom

Maybe not getting the advance dining reservation you want will leave you disappointed. Maybe a ride closure will change your plans for an entire day. Maybe you run into some transportation problems. But there’s one particular problem in Disney’s Animal Kingdom you may not be aware of, and it could affect your dining plans.

Although Disney’s Animal Kingdom is usually open until 8PM on most nights throughout the summer, if you’re looking to have dinner in the park, you might be out of luck. Why? Well, a LOT of the dining spots in Animal Kingdom actually close EARLY.

Restaurantosaurus in Animal Kingdom

This is especially true for many of the park’s quick-service locations. Here’s what we found when we looked at recent closing times for some restaurants in Animal Kingdom:

Restaurantosaurus closes at 5:15PM
Pizzafari closes at 4:30PM
Caravan Road closes 4PM
Eight Spoon Cafe closes at 5PM
Harambe Market closes at 3:15PM
The Smiling Crocodile closes at 3PM
Terra Treats closes at 3PM
Warung Outpost closes at 5PM

Harambe Market

So if you’re looking for a quick-service meal, you only have three options left if you plan on eating after 5PM: Flame Tree Barbecue, Yak and Yeti Local Food Cafes, and Satu’li Canteen. Table service restaurants are also open later, including Rainforest Cafe, Tiffins, Nomad Lounge, and Tusker House Restaurant.

Tusker House Restaurant

So if you find yourself in Animal Kingdom looking for dinner, be sure to keep that in mind — your choices will be more limited later in the day. We’ll let you know if that changes, though, so stay tuned to DFB for more.

With DOZENS of places to eat at Disney World, we know it can be tough to plan your meals. That’s why we wrote the DFB Guide to Dining at Walt Disney World. We have reviews, pictures, and details about every restaurant all in one digital download – along with ALL of our best tips and strategies from decades of Disney World trips. We’ve got a special discount code for DFB readers, too! Use WDW2023 at checkout for 25% off!

Here Are The Best Value Quick Service Restaurants for the Disney Dining Plan

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Where do you usually have dinner in Animal Kingdom? Let us know in the comments!