We were hosted by Kalahari Resorts for two nights to make this article about Kalahari Resort Restaurants possible. To have your resort featured on Jersey Family Fun, please contact [email protected].
One of the great things about Kalahari Resorts is that it really is a resort. When you arrive, you won’t want to leave the property, and with all the amenities they offer you won’t need to. This recent Phase II expansion has brought (family friendly) fine dining to Kalahari Resorts in the Poconos, while expanding the other options for fast dining and grab and go. During our recent visit, we were hosted for two meals that we need to tell you about, along with the other varied Kalahari Resort restaurants available to all guests!
Get all the details on Kalahari’s new waterpark expansion here!
Kalahari Resort Restaurants Character Meals
Kenya’s Birthday Bash
Kids love characters, right? Kalahari Resorts has their own with two elephants, a monkey and a lion who walk the resort for meet and greets and read bedtime stories on select nights. For some more interaction with Kenya, Kya, Benny and Lou, at the Kalahari Resort restaurants, there’s the Kenya’s Birthday Bash breakfast at Brandberg restaurant.
Seating is limited and starts at 9 am, so make your reservation and get there early to start the fun! Party music plays and once the characters start coming out for the Kalahari character breakfast, the dance party begins! Sing happy birthday, take some fun pictures and of course, EAT! We were so appreciative of the food on the table when we were seated. The kids dug into the bagels and fruit right away! After our drink orders were taken (coffee, tea, milk, juices and the smoothie of the day), our family style food came out quickly. With eggs, hash browns, bacon, sausage, pancakes, waffles and toast there was something for even the pickiest eaters. Our servers were attentive and brought out more as we needed, even accommodating our request for some extra crispy bacon.
The Kalahari Resort Character Breakfast is about an hour long and ends with cupcakes. Yum! Our kids even got cool Adventurer’s Club drawstring bags to remember their experience. Whether you’re visiting for your own special occasion, celebrating a birthday at Kalahari, or just want to fuel up before a day of waterpark fun, a Kalahari character breakfast gives your trip an extra special element.
Fast food, or Grab and Go Instead?
Kalahari Resort Fast Food Restaurants
Not ready to sit in a restaurant? Want to get into the Kalahari waterpark quickly? Heading home and want something for the road or to take back to the room? Kalahari has thought of that of course, and there are dining options for you both inside and outside the waterpark.
Inside the Kalahari waterpark there’s the Zulu Grille, one of the fast food Kalahari Resort restaurants, with made to order pizzas, burgers, salads and more and in the nearby arcade, Cafe Mirage offers more variety. If you’re looking for a hot meal or feeding some hungry family, those options will give you what you are looking for. For some sandwiches and salads and other prepackaged items, you must try the new Marrakesh Market! Fresh brewed African coffees, a wine dispenser (!), gourmet sandwiches, salads, even a cheese board are ready for purchase to take into the waterpark, back to your room or to eat at the tables at the Market. I couldn’t resist the pastries myself, and indulged in a yummy blueberry muffin.
Okay, that’s not as indulgent as it gets by any means when it comes to Kalahari Resort restaurants. Just a few steps away in the lobby is The Last Bite – which offers a full candy display of chocolate covered everything (all made on site) and ice cream from Wisconsin. The ice cream is amazing and just try to resist one of those chocolate concoctions in Kalahari’s candy shop!
Also in the lobby is the Great Karoo Marketplace restaurant which offers a full breakfast and dinner buffet, Ivory Coast restaurant and the more upscale Brandberg. Both Kalahari Resort restaurants offer kids menus which is appealing to families like mine with picky kids, yet the restaurants offer unique dishes for the adults. There’s room service too, which can be quite a treat for the kids (and seemed to be priced equivalent to eating in the restaurants).
Go Upscale with Two New Kalahari Resort Restaurants
Double Cut Charcoal Grill
New with the expansion, and more chic than any other restaurant on property are the new Sortino Italian restaurant, and the Double Cut Charcoal Grill. Walking into both of these restaurants during our tour I immediately thought of those gourmet restaurants you’d find in a casino. Great menu, classy decor, and high quality food that should be included in your family getaway. However, if you have children like mine – none of that impresses them! My husband and I were determined to dine at Double Cut though, and could not have been happier to see the kids menu (see photo). It had exactly what we needed! We were ready to enjoy a meal that the adults could indulge in, without leaving our picky kids starving.
What I also loved about Kalahari’s Double Cut restaurant before even tasting the food is the atmosphere. Their website describes it better than I can – “The décor is modern, but not pretentious. The ambiance is sophisticated and multisensory, yet comfortable.” So important for families who’ve been in the waterpark all day! We didn’t worry about a dress code (though we didn’t arrive in bathing suits), or have to tell our kids to keep it down. Our 5:00 pm reservation came at a time the restaurant wasn’t busy, but later in the evening it appeared busier. (Reservations are easy to make with a table right in the lobby.)
We had great service, as one would expect in a steakhouse. Our server was knowledgeable about the cuts of beef, and the multiple questions we had about the sides available. Multiple staff members came to our table to check on us and clear our plates, and we even had Todd Nelson, owner of Kalahari Resorts checking on our meals in the kitchen for us. Yes, we were invited guests there but don’t be surprised if you see him during your visit, as the Nelson family is very involved in all the resort operations!
You have your choice of 6 steak varieties as well as 8 types of seafood and plenty of sides, salads and more. Our kids ordered their safe meals of a bacon cheeseburger and chicken tenders, while my husband and I split a Porterhouse steak. We couldn’t resist some garlic mashed potatoes for the side, and of course we had to try some seafood! An add on of lobster mac and cheese satisfied that. All meals were cooked as requested, and the sides and steak were certainly enough for two. I thought the one small burger wouldn’t be enough for my son, but he didn’t complain. We were so full we skipped dessert but I had sampled the chocolate volcano cake at an earlier event and that won’t let you down!
Sortino’s Italian Kitchen
If we’d stayed one more night we would have definitely tried Sortino’s Italian Kitchen, another one of the Kalahari Resort restaurants. The pizzas coming out of their oven smelled amazing and they also have a friendly kids menu. If you go, make sure you look at the neat ceiling fan system. The attention to detail in the Kalahari Resorts decor is everywhere, especially in the food, decor, and menus at their food establishments.
For more photos from our trip to Kalahari Resorts, check out our Facebook Album.
https://www.facebook.com/pg/JerseyFamilyFun/photos/?tab=album&album_id=10154488214455745
Every time we visit Kalahari we have fun! Read about all our visits to Kalahari Resorts with Kids. To make your reservation for Kalahari Resorts in the Poconos, click over to their site at www.kalahariresorts.com/pennsylvania.
In full disclosure we were hosted by Kalahari Resorts for two nights to make this post possible. We appreciate their support of Jersey Family Fun and our efforts to share fun family attractions with our readers. As always our opinions are our own.