Came in here and there was no line so I assumed it would be a quick order. After ordering a corn dog with fries we ended up waiting close to 15 minutes for food. We asked the only person that seemed to be working here how much longer and she said she had no clue. I saw some lady (who probably ordered before us, definitely not after) get her sad order of fries at least 5 minutes after we got there. Food was edible but not worth the hassle.
Bryan C.
The chicken tenders and the French fries here are so insanely good that I would go and say they are better than Raising Canes. The food preparation time was a bit slow but I found that they cook their food from scratch and they aren't just warming it up. This is a plus when it's not busy but a huge problem if they are. The park could do a better job than go purposely understaff the location.The fudge was also insanely good and super sweet. I highly recommend the rocky road and the peanut butter one! Super rich super satisfying.Huge thank you to our cashier and service fam Brandt. People like him is why I patron specific places. Excellent service, super helpful, and always helped when he could!TL;DR Eat here if you have some time and it's not too busy. Brandt is awesome. Fudge is great!
Dorothy C.
Food was a lot better than I remember it pre-pandemic. Everything was made fresh.Chicken Tenders: The largest and meatiest I've ever had. Makes Raising Cane's look bad. The batter was light and crispy and the bbq sauce and ranch were perfect condiments. Chicken Salad: Southwestern style with pico, black beans, and roasted corn. Came topped with perfectly crisp fried onions and a broken up chicken tender. I think the dressing was a chipotle mayo.Bacon Cheeseburger: Perfectly cooked but the beef patties they used are thin, tiny, and not great. If they could just upgrade it to a higher quality quarter lb patty, I think everyone would benefit.The Fries: What the heck! Why would a safari park have some of the best fries anywhere?! Crispy, thick, hot and soft in the center, and so well seasoned. They came with the burger and the tenders in a large mound so our meals were super filling.Staff-wise, Brant was amazingly friendly. He turned us onto the tiger tail fudge (peanut butter and white chocolate) and we ended up buying some of that and the rocky road fudge to take home and enjoy.
Mike L.
Looking for a place that had cheeseburgers for our kids, we landed at this place. It took nearly 20 minutes for our 2 kids meal, 1 blue cheese burger and Chicken wrap. Unfortunately the wait was not worth it. The burgers were dry and tasted like cardboard. The buns tasted like it was made of paper and the Pattie's were worst than microwaved frozen variants. Yes it's park food but this was even below standards for park food. Advise to zoo patrons, try a different place in the park and thank me later
Karelle T.
The Mombasa Cooker is a great place to stop for traditional American fare and to dine alongside the colorful birds that frequent the Safari Park's Lagoon Loop, just outside its doors. The kid's meals (cheeseburger, chicken tenders, etc.) here hold more than enough yummy goodness to satisfy young zoo fans and the young at heart. They're served with baby carrots, jungle crackers, and your choice of milk, juice, or soda. For an additional $3, you can add a generous serving of seasoned fries that are more than enough to feed two. Service here is friendly and efficient but busy. Restaurant pagers free guests to settle into their preferred outdoor dining spots while waiting.Fun fact: Did you know the San Diego Zoo Safari Park is home to the only two platypuses living outside Australia? After several failed attempts, we were extremely fortunate this visit to catch glimpses of both elusive platypuses at Walkabout Australia, so you can imagine how excited our kiddos were when they discovered that their meals came in lunch totes and drink cups featuring a friendly platypus on one side and a playful, hirsute mystery animal (that we're leaving for you to discover!) on the other. What terrific souvenirs! Tip: Show your current San Diego Zoo membership pass for an additional 5-15% off food and merchandise. The Wildlife Protector pass netted us 10% off our entire order.
Minn L.
Skip. I paid $14 for HALF a soggy "wrap" (more like a roll, it wasn't even put together) which had 3 pieces of chicken in it, half a slice of cheese, and 5 pieces of romaine, including the stem??? Fries were decent for $5, and the draft .394 IPA but for $14 I expect to be full. Oasis deli was much better
Xernan L.
Post pandemic customer service can be balanced out a little better to match the quality of the food. Distracted cashiers with personal conversations caused an error in my order; however, I wanted to trust their process. 10 minutes go by and our pager doesn't go off (we're seated outside). After patiently waiting near the food pickup for 15-20 minutes, I started noticing customers who came in after us receive their order before my family's, so I inquired about my pager number and receipt ticket number. They realized how badly my order was messed up but didn't really do much to incentivize going back. The cashier didn't align the pager number to the ticket number on our receipt. This caused confusion on our order between us and those working the line.I politely took my order and made a mental note to spend my money on dining OUTSIDE of the Safari Park. It's a waste of calories to get worked up over non-motivated workers.I'm optimistic this could get better, under better management. The eatery was a shell of a restaurant compared to pre-pandemic days; both in staffing levels and quality of service. Unfortunate the establishment has to pay the required minimum wage, for less than satisfactory service. The dollar isn't worked hard for over there.
Mike Honcho
Horrible food and high prices. Worst combination
Laura O.
Definitely took away our hunger but I definitely do not recommend. Unfortunately very slow service even without any clientele. However, very nice employees and clean area. Food was definitely not great. Something you can make at home.
Long lines, food took over an hour, service staff was nice but overwhelmed. On top of all that, it was overpriced.
Darryl W.
Food is better than typical theme park fast food. It is pricey, but everything made to order, so food is fresh. You get a buzzer to let you know that the food is ready. Hand breaded chicken tenders. Hot chicken sandwich. Caesar salad with chicken. Fries and tater tots. Good portion size. Refillable drinks for $1 for zoo members.
Victor C.
Avoid this place at all cost.... waited 40 plus minutes for a chicken sandwich and a corn dog... wait of time, it's not even organic... how difficult is it to get fast food right
Ron Jaenisch
Frys were good... but the meat for the 14 dollar burger was worse than the smallest burger at McDonald's. Staff was too slow...line was very long.
Came in here and there was no line so I assumed it would be a quick order. After ordering a corn dog with fries we ended up waiting close to 15 minutes for food. We asked the only person that seemed to be working here how much longer and she said she had no clue. I saw some lady (who probably ordered before us, definitely not after) get her sad order of fries at least 5 minutes after we got there. Food was edible but not worth the hassle.
The chicken tenders and the French fries here are so insanely good that I would go and say they are better than Raising Canes. The food preparation time was a bit slow but I found that they cook their food from scratch and they aren't just warming it up. This is a plus when it's not busy but a huge problem if they are. The park could do a better job than go purposely understaff the location.The fudge was also insanely good and super sweet. I highly recommend the rocky road and the peanut butter one! Super rich super satisfying.Huge thank you to our cashier and service fam Brandt. People like him is why I patron specific places. Excellent service, super helpful, and always helped when he could!TL;DR Eat here if you have some time and it's not too busy. Brandt is awesome. Fudge is great!
Food was a lot better than I remember it pre-pandemic. Everything was made fresh.Chicken Tenders: The largest and meatiest I've ever had. Makes Raising Cane's look bad. The batter was light and crispy and the bbq sauce and ranch were perfect condiments. Chicken Salad: Southwestern style with pico, black beans, and roasted corn. Came topped with perfectly crisp fried onions and a broken up chicken tender. I think the dressing was a chipotle mayo.Bacon Cheeseburger: Perfectly cooked but the beef patties they used are thin, tiny, and not great. If they could just upgrade it to a higher quality quarter lb patty, I think everyone would benefit.The Fries: What the heck! Why would a safari park have some of the best fries anywhere?! Crispy, thick, hot and soft in the center, and so well seasoned. They came with the burger and the tenders in a large mound so our meals were super filling.Staff-wise, Brant was amazingly friendly. He turned us onto the tiger tail fudge (peanut butter and white chocolate) and we ended up buying some of that and the rocky road fudge to take home and enjoy.
Looking for a place that had cheeseburgers for our kids, we landed at this place. It took nearly 20 minutes for our 2 kids meal, 1 blue cheese burger and Chicken wrap. Unfortunately the wait was not worth it. The burgers were dry and tasted like cardboard. The buns tasted like it was made of paper and the Pattie's were worst than microwaved frozen variants. Yes it's park food but this was even below standards for park food. Advise to zoo patrons, try a different place in the park and thank me later
The Mombasa Cooker is a great place to stop for traditional American fare and to dine alongside the colorful birds that frequent the Safari Park's Lagoon Loop, just outside its doors. The kid's meals (cheeseburger, chicken tenders, etc.) here hold more than enough yummy goodness to satisfy young zoo fans and the young at heart. They're served with baby carrots, jungle crackers, and your choice of milk, juice, or soda. For an additional $3, you can add a generous serving of seasoned fries that are more than enough to feed two. Service here is friendly and efficient but busy. Restaurant pagers free guests to settle into their preferred outdoor dining spots while waiting.Fun fact: Did you know the San Diego Zoo Safari Park is home to the only two platypuses living outside Australia? After several failed attempts, we were extremely fortunate this visit to catch glimpses of both elusive platypuses at Walkabout Australia, so you can imagine how excited our kiddos were when they discovered that their meals came in lunch totes and drink cups featuring a friendly platypus on one side and a playful, hirsute mystery animal (that we're leaving for you to discover!) on the other. What terrific souvenirs! Tip: Show your current San Diego Zoo membership pass for an additional 5-15% off food and merchandise. The Wildlife Protector pass netted us 10% off our entire order.
Skip. I paid $14 for HALF a soggy "wrap" (more like a roll, it wasn't even put together) which had 3 pieces of chicken in it, half a slice of cheese, and 5 pieces of romaine, including the stem??? Fries were decent for $5, and the draft .394 IPA but for $14 I expect to be full. Oasis deli was much better
Post pandemic customer service can be balanced out a little better to match the quality of the food. Distracted cashiers with personal conversations caused an error in my order; however, I wanted to trust their process. 10 minutes go by and our pager doesn't go off (we're seated outside). After patiently waiting near the food pickup for 15-20 minutes, I started noticing customers who came in after us receive their order before my family's, so I inquired about my pager number and receipt ticket number. They realized how badly my order was messed up but didn't really do much to incentivize going back. The cashier didn't align the pager number to the ticket number on our receipt. This caused confusion on our order between us and those working the line.I politely took my order and made a mental note to spend my money on dining OUTSIDE of the Safari Park. It's a waste of calories to get worked up over non-motivated workers.I'm optimistic this could get better, under better management. The eatery was a shell of a restaurant compared to pre-pandemic days; both in staffing levels and quality of service. Unfortunate the establishment has to pay the required minimum wage, for less than satisfactory service. The dollar isn't worked hard for over there.
Horrible food and high prices. Worst combination
Definitely took away our hunger but I definitely do not recommend. Unfortunately very slow service even without any clientele. However, very nice employees and clean area. Food was definitely not great. Something you can make at home.
Slowest line and service in the whole park.
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Yummy lamb bowl
Long lines, food took over an hour, service staff was nice but overwhelmed. On top of all that, it was overpriced.
Food is better than typical theme park fast food. It is pricey, but everything made to order, so food is fresh. You get a buzzer to let you know that the food is ready. Hand breaded chicken tenders. Hot chicken sandwich. Caesar salad with chicken. Fries and tater tots. Good portion size. Refillable drinks for $1 for zoo members.
Avoid this place at all cost.... waited 40 plus minutes for a chicken sandwich and a corn dog... wait of time, it's not even organic... how difficult is it to get fast food right
Frys were good... but the meat for the 14 dollar burger was worse than the smallest burger at McDonald's. Staff was too slow...line was very long.