By Eating at Disney’s Animal Kingdom matters more than at the other Disney parks.
We say this because you’re likely to burn more calories at Animal Kingdom than anywhere else.
This park covers 580 acres, and while you won’t have access to all of it – the animals need their space! – you’ll still walk a ton.
So, picking the wrong meal will all but ensure that you’re hangry throughout your park visit.
Thankfully, a few of the dining options at Animal Kingdom will pleasure your palate. We just wish there were a few more of them.
Let’s start with the Quick Service restaurants in order of our preferences.
Quick Service Restaurants
Most Disney analysts agree that Satu’li Canteen provides the best Quick Service meal at Animal Kingdom…by a lot.
You’ll find this restaurant at Pandora – The World of Avatar, and so it possesses an Avatar theme.
You’re dining at what used to be a giant mess hall that has since been converted for tourists.
The meals here are relatively inexpensive yet shockingly tasty and fulfilling. Satu’li Canteen sells protein bowls and Cheeseburger Steamed Pods with Bao Buns.
These are masterful culinary creations, and every meal ends – or at least it should – with the decadent dessert here, Blueberry Cream Cheese Mousse. It looks as good as it tastes, which ain’t easy.
After Satu’li Canteen, the next-most popular Quick Service option is Flame Tree Barbecue.
We jokingly say that this place is for the birds, but we mean it in the best possible way.
You’ll devour delicious barbecue while sitting outside and admiring the beauty of nature. And you won’t be alone.
The birds who aren’t supposed to live at Animal Kingdom have figured out that they can get free barbecue if they hang out here.
We’d suggest that you not feed them, as the Cast Members request that, but we also know that some of you will. The birds know how to manipulate humans to get what they want.
You’ll find Flame Tree Barbecue at Discovery Island, making it an excellent choice no matter where you are in the park.
You’ll find an underrated but incredible Quick Service restaurant in the Asia themed land. It’s Yak & Yeti Local Food Cafes, which has a twin sibling next door.
Local Food Cafes sells the Quick Service version of the same entrees, which means they taste the same but are cheaper.
We’re about to sell you on its twin and get angry with you if you ignore us. But this side of Yak & Yeti provides better value. We’ll get to the menu in the Table Service section.
Another popular eatery, almost by default, is Harambe Market, which is the place to go when you want pitas and/or rice bowls.
Since you’ll find this place at the Africa themed land, you’re likely to eat here.
We say this because Africa is a kind of action spot for park traffic, and you’re likely to be hungry when you’re here.
If you don’t want a full meal yet, we kindly suggest that you stop at the nearby Harambe Food Market instead.
This place sometimes serves Street Corn, and it might be the single most flavorful dish at Disney. David doesn’t do spices as a rule, but he makes an exception here.
Speaking of kiosk dining, you’ll want to find Tamu Tamu on the map and target it for when you need a snack.
This restaurant is the only place at Animal Kingdom that sells Dole Whips. And we’re here to tell you that a Dole Whip will never be tastier or more refreshing than when you’re at Animal Kingdom.
If you’d rather try something off the beaten path instead, the Anandapur Ice Cream Truck in Asia can make all the difference on a hot day. Try the Yeti Sundae!
Also, we’re saving snack shacks for a different section, but we’ll throw in the fact that Terra Treats has saved us more than once. This place sells pizza by the slice.
We’re not saying it’s as tasty Blaze Pizza, much less something from the Italy pavilion, but it’s still pretty good!
Until recently, we would have listed a couple of other restaurants, but Animal Kingdom will remain in flux for a while.
So, the eateries at DinoLand USA have closed, and we don’t know their replacements yet.
That fact limits your dining options at Animal Kingdom, but this is a “less is more” situation.
For example, nobody is gonna miss Restaurantosaurus…except for us. It had sentimental value, which somehow happens a lot when you dine at Disney.
The other topic you’ll want to know is that you can get STARBUCKS® coffee at this park.
You’ll need to visit Creature Comforts at Discovery Island to get your coffee fix, at least if you’re loyal to a single brand of coffee.
More open-minded connoisseurs should check out Isle of Java, which serves Cappuccino, Espresso, and Joffrey’s Coffee™ Cold Brew.
Yes, there’s a coffee turf war at Discovery Island. If you want to sidestep the conflict, head to Kusafiri Coffee Shop & Bakery in Africa instead.
Sure, this place is Joffrey’s territory, but you can just say that you’re there for the crunchable Breakfast Totchos.
In our opinion, the counter service decision tree at Animal Kingdom is the easiest of any Disney theme park.
Do you want protein bowls? If yes, go to Satu’li Canteen. And just generally speaking, go to Satu’li Canteen.
We do have one caveat in combination with our Rope Drop recommendations. When you prioritize Pandora at the start of the day, you probably won’t be there at lunchtime unless something’s gone horribly wrong.
In that scenario, you’ll backtrack from one of the other locations in the park, which isn’t ideal as the park is expansive. Still, Satu’li Canteen is good enough to justify the walk.
Otherwise, pick Flame Tree Barbecue if you want barbecue, Harambe Market if it’s right by you, or Yak & Yeti if you prefer something splashier.
Table Service
Honestly, the Table Service side of the conversation isn’t much harder. You’ll discover a clean division of dining options here.
Let’s start with our favorite, Yak & Yeti™ Restaurant. It’s one of two Table Service dining options that Disney doesn’t own.
Landry’s Inc., probably best known as the owner of the Bubba Gump Shrimp Co. franchise, owns and operates Yak & Yeti, along with its Quick Service twin.
Before we get into personal opinions, we’ll tell you that at the time of publication, Yak & Yeti is ranked around 50th out of more than 3,000 Central Florida restaurants.
That should speak for itself, but we’ll gush a bit more anyway. This place may offer the best and deepest menu on the entire Disney campus.
Landry’s took the location of the restaurant seriously, populating the menu with countless Asian delicacies.
You wouldn’t expect to find Bhaktapur Duck or Kalbi Ribeye Fajitas down the street from Expedition Everest, but here we are.
As a personal anecdote, we once ate here as a party of five. On a lark, all of us ordered appetizers and desserts with our meal. It was a comical amount of food.
By the end of the meal, every possible plate was empty. It’s the only time in our relationship we’ve ever done anything like that, but the kitchen could do no wrong that day.
We think of Yak & Yeti as theme park ambrosia, with the TripAdvisor reviews supporting our opinion.
Foodies should enter Animal Kingdom and walk straight to Yak & Yeti. It’ll be like fulfilling your life’s purpose.
We’ll happily toss in a pro tip for you. Sign up for Landry’s Select, a membership club, before your trip.
You’ll pay a one-time fee of $25 to join, but you’ll immediately receive a $25 restaurant credit you can spend at Yak & Yeti. So, you’re not really out any money.
Landry’s will also give you an annual $25 gift credit during your birthday month.
If the vacation dates align with one member of your traveling party, it’ll be like Landry’s paying you to go.
Once you arrive, present your membership at the check-in desk. You’ll receive priority treatment, moving ahead of other guests waiting for tables.
Then, once you’re seated, the staff will treat you like royalty. Landry’s takes its Select Club membership seriously!
In totality, the preferential treatment makes the meal feel even more special.
Then again, maybe you’re not big on Bhaktapur Duck. Well, we’d tell you to get the Dragon Roll Bowl instead, but that’s not the point.
You want to know about the other fine dining options at Animal Kingdom. So, let’s discuss the most expensive one.
Tiffins Restaurant is the newest option of the quartet, although it’s nearly a decade old now.
You’ll find this place near but not technically in Pandora. It’s on the outskirts of Discovery Island.
Disney doesn’t classify this meal as Table Service but rather Signature Dining. And you’ll know it’s special when you enter the building.
Imagineers had a hand in designing and theming the rooms here, with a style that pays tribute to the opening of Animal Kingdom.
This place doubles as an art gallery, with fascinating pieces blanketing the walls. You’ll want to pay attention to everything, including the chandeliers on the ceiling.
Also, don’t miss the light-up animals that adorn some of the walls. This place is beautiful.
As for the food, it’s…exotic. And expensive. Disney may have overshot on this one, although the dining reviews have remained glowingly positive throughout the years.
The consensus opinion is that you’ll never regret dining here, but the bill may give you heart palpitations. Yak & Yeti is objectively better for half the price.
Still, Tiffins strikes us as tremendous value compared to Rainforest Café. You may have eaten at one of these places at some tourist trap.
Landry’s technically owns Rainforest Café as well, but the effort just isn’t the same.
This place serves what we consider the most generic food at Disney World, and we swore after our last meal that we’d never go back.
That’s just our opinion, though. You’ll like the fact that it’s the easiest restaurant to find at Animal Kingdom, residing just past the park entrance.
So, you can grab a bite here when you’re on your way in or out of the park, and there is value in that sort of convenience.
You’ll also find a shockingly deep menu here, which makes Rainforest Café an excellent compromise choice for larger traveling parties.
Everyone in your group can enjoy a thoroughly mediocre meal while staring at some beautiful fish.
Finally, we have the restaurant that places us squarely in opposition to the overwhelming majority of Disney fans.
Tusker House Restaurant has charmed guests in Africa for many years now. It’s a delightful character meal featuring an appearance by Mickey Mouse.
Regardless of what we’re about to say, Mickey’s outfit is just about the most adorable thing at Animal Kingdom…and this park hosts a Dug character greeting!
Mickey wears adventurer gear, and it’s so cute you’ll instinctively grab your camera.
Goofy joins Daisy and Donald Duck here, making it a quartet of your favorite Disney characters. They come to your table and entertain you, and it’s soooo endearing.
Also, the food here is great. The menu here is closer to Boma at Disney’s Animal Kingdom Lodge than to Chef Mickey’s. In other words, it’s edible!
Okay, we kid, but there’s a world of difference between this buffet and most of the rest. The menu items here express a bit of bravado overflowing from the kitchen.
African dishes will delight your palate, while Mickey and friends charm you with your shenanigans.
So, why don’t we love Tusker House? Well, in our experience, this place is cursed.
Like, we need a priest to exorcise the place. Two of the worst moments we’ve ever had at Disney occurred at Tusker House. It’s not the restaurant’s fault, just bad luck.
That’s why we warmly recommend it to you as a wonderful, albeit fairly expensive meal. Disney charges more for character meals, but they’re worth it.
Personally, we will never ever ever enter this building again, though. It may break the Seventh Seal.