Out of Walt Disney World’s 4 theme parks, Animal Kingdom is the one the place it makes probably the most sense to eat breakfast. DAK routinely opens at 8 a.m. with Early Entry at 7:30 a.m., which implies arriving in the course of the six o’clock hour if you wish to rope drop Pandora and be the primary to trip Avatar Flight of Passage and Na’vi River Journey.
There have been mornings I’ve left my lodge room at round 5:50 a.m. on Animal Kingdom days, which is absurdly early and means I’m, at finest, grabbing a cup of espresso and protein bar on the best way out the door. There have additionally been mornings after I’m no less than a half-dozen points of interest deep into my DAK plan of assault by the point 9 a.m. rolls round–and “finished” with the entire tough ones.
Suffice to say, while you’re on hour 4 of being awake by that time and feeling a way of accomplishment with a profitable rope drop run, it’s time to modify gears and gas up. And all of that’s exactly why Animal Kingdom is the very best park for breakfast at Walt Disney World. I’ve had some very satisfying morning meals right here through the years, together with ones that most likely weren’t that nice–I used to be only a bizarre combination of drained, hungry, and exhilarated from knocking out so many rides.
Till lately, my “favourite” breakfasts at Animal Kingdom have included the next:
- Kusafiri Bakery – Breakfast Totchos, Colossal Cinnamon Roll & In a single day Oats
- Tamu Tamu Refreshments – Colossal Cinnamon Roll
- Pongu Pongu – Pongu Lumpia
That’s it. Other than these, Tusker Home is the plain high choice for breakfast, however it’s now $49 per grownup and I used to be underwhelmed when it was solely $21 (that was solely a few decade in the past–not historical historical past!). I’d a lot fairly do lunch or dinner there for a extra formidable unfold and higher bang for buck.
There are additionally breakfast sandwiches at a couple of of the short service spots, however I’ve usually have hit and miss success with them–too many cases of stale biscuits or rubbery bagels, and subpar high quality toppings. I’m additionally averse to hitting Starbucks very first thing, as the road is interminably lengthy.
Other than the breakfast totchos at Kusafiri–which has been the very best location for no less than 5 years and has cycled out some nice short-term dishes, too–there actually isn’t a lot in the best way of savory dishes which can be reliably good. I’ve had way more terrible ones than superior ones, and that’s even when grading on a curve after I’m actually drained and hungry.
Alternatively, Animal Kingdom’s pastry recreation is powerful, and there are extra good-to-great choices on that entrance than what I’ve listed. However I can’t survive on a Pistachio Honey Croissant or Guava and Cream Cheese Danish.
Fortunately, there’s a incredible “new” choice for counter service breakfast at Animal Kingdom…
Walt Disney World has lastly restored the breakfast menu at Satu’li Canteen in Pandora – World of Avatar. That is already the #1 counter service restaurant in Animal Kingdom (sorry, Flame Tree BBQ, however you misplaced me with the cost-cutting measures and smaller parts), and that unsurprisingly stays true for breakfast.
Breakfast at Satu’li Canteen was truly discontinued just a few quick months after Pandora debuted. The meal service launched with Avatar land in Might 2017, and was passed by the beginning of the 2017 low season. Its heyday was a summer season when Animal Kingdom had very aggressive hours, and was attempting–and succeeding–at getting company to remain after darkish. It might’ve returned in the course of the holidays as soon as demand returned, however that didn’t occur.
Quick-forward to January 2025, and breakfast at Satu’li Canteen is at present supplied each day from 8 a.m. till 10 a.m. We now have but to see a 9 a.m. opening date for the reason that meal service returned, so it’s unknown whether or not breakfast is just supplied for an hour on these days, or the top time would get pushed again for one more 30-60 minutes.
My breakfast at Animal Kingdom got here on the finish of Early Entry and cord drop testing.
On a traditional day in DAK, I might attempt to knock out each single trip in your entire park as a part of a rope drop run. That’s truly pretty straightforward to do, with the proper plan specified by Animal Kingdom Park Opening & Early Entry Journey Technique. There’s a purpose DAK is the park the place I do the least Early Entry and cord drop testing: it’s the simplest. (Nicely, that and never desirous to stand up so early.)
Nonetheless, I additionally don’t thoughts logging 30,000 steps in a day. Now that I’ve a toddler, I’m lastly having the “epiphany” that perhaps not everyone seems to be keen or in a position to zig-zag all throughout the park and ‘shut these rings’ by 10 a.m. Who knew?!
My objective for this morning was to see how a lot I might do in Pandora – World of Avatar earlier than the crowds constructed.
To not spoil a future photograph report, however it was a combined bag, with two rides on Avatar Flight of Passage however just one on Na’vi River Journey. I most likely might’ve pushed it and finished a second boat trip, however I didn’t need to get caught within the wave of crowds and find yourself ready ~45 minutes or extra.
So after bouncing over to Kilimanjaro Safaris and doing that with a minimal wait, I headed again to Pandora for breakfast at Satu’li Canteen. When you actually need to reduce backtracking, you most likely might do Kilimanjaro Safaris after a fast breakfast and nonetheless be simply effective on most mornings. However I didn’t take a look at that–I headed over to the opposite facet of the park, which was additionally nonetheless simply effective.
For my breakfast at Satu’li Canteen, I began with the Gradual-roasted Pork Shoulder Potato Hash served with Chorizo Sausage and Charred Onion Sauce for $13.29.
That is incredible. The chorizo sausage has a little bit of a char to it, and a crispy exterior that provides option to a tasty sausage with a slight bit of warmth. Not sufficient that it ought to scare you away–simply the correct quantity for taste.
My solely criticism in regards to the chorizo is that there wasn’t extra of it. That’s going to be a recurring theme with this dish.
Beneath the sausage is an honest slathering of charred onion sauce–which is loads like chimichurri–that works properly with the whole lot. It’s particularly good for rounding out the flavour of the potato hash and stopping it from being too dry. However that’s good even by itself. I do want there have been extra of the sauce, although.
Then there’s the slow-roasted pork shoulder, which is nearly arduous to see in my photographs. This additionally tasted nice, and when paired with the potatoes and sauce, each chunk was flavorful and scrumptious. There simply wasn’t practically sufficient of it.
In the long run, my largest criticism about this dish is the portion sizes. It left me wanting extra, and questioning whether or not I might’ve been higher served by ordering certainly one of my two favourite lunch bowls, that are a few greenback costlier however (final I had them) fairly a bit bigger.
Actually, I want this have been priced at $14.99 and about 20% bigger. That is proper up there as certainly one of my favourite entrees in Animal Kingdom, and I’d fortunately order it for lunch or dinner–there’s nothing about it that screams “breakfast” to me, particularly since I’m ordering that very same potato hash base with the entire bowls I get at Satu’li Canteen.
Subsequent up, the Cinnamon French Toast served with Blueberry Cream Cheese, Ardour Fruit Anglaise, and Sausage for $12.99.
This isn’t simply simple sugar-rush french toast. The bread is thick and has some heft to it, making what looks as if a reasonably small portion pack a strong punch. It tastes recent, with the cinnamon coming via and dealing properly with the powdered sugar. The inside has simply the correct quantity of doughiness. In any other case, the french toast itself is usually what you see is what you get.
What actually elevates this dish is the Blueberry Cream Cheese and Ardour Fruit Anglaise. There’s greater than sufficient of each, and these take well-executed however pretty commonplace french toast to the following degree. The fruity flavors are pronounced and, no less than for me, made this dish an all-star.
In addition they made this a really heavy, very candy, and really overwhelming dish.
After ending the breakfast bowl with no drawback, I checked out this french toast and figured I’d nonetheless be hungry after consuming it. That was very improper. I did eat all of it, however the second piece of french toast was my knockout punch. It’s an excellent factor I’d be spending the remainder of the day zig-zagging round Walt Disney World’s largest park!
My sturdy recommendation right here can be to both order this french toast “for the desk” and have it serve 2-3 adults, or order from the children’ menu. That model of this dish is strictly the identical when it comes to high quality and preparation, however with a single piece of french toast versus two. You additionally get a drink and it prices $5 much less. That is so clearly the answer that I actually want I might’ve finished it. The drink alone may be price choosing this (even occasions two) versus getting the traditional french toast to share.
Talking of drinks, Satu’li Canteen is likely one of the uncommon eating places with a self-service beverage station.
This additionally makes it an distinctive choice for breakfast–or actually any meal–in the event you’re in want of caffeination or hydration (or each!) and don’t need to accept a single cup.
For that reason alone, we frequently discover ourselves eating at Satu’li Canteen. Even when it’s only for water–this beats having to repeatedly go to the counter for small cups, and even refilling our personal bottles.
Lastly, the opposite two objects I didn’t get to are the Frittata & Beef with Vegetable-Goat Cheese Frittata with Wooden-fired Beef tossed in Chimichurri for $14.29, and the Tropical Pandoran Forest Fruits served with Recent Yogurt, Muesli, and Honey for $11.99. The primary of those appears to be like good from what I noticed on close by tables, and I debated ready to assessment breakfast at Satu’li Canteen till attempting that.
Then I informed myself that if I simply publish the assessment now, I cannot fear about it and proceed ordering the Gradual-roasted Pork Shoulder Potato Hash and kid-sized Cinnamon French Toast going ahead. I’m not large on frittata within the first place, so I can’t think about that surpassing the breakfast bowl for me. As you possibly can see, the latter strategy gained out.
At a complete value of ~$20, that will likely be a really expensive breakfast by counter service requirements. But it surely’s glorious, and while you’ve been up since 5:30 or 6 a.m., a breakfast at 10 a.m. is absolutely extra like an early lunch. (On this explicit day, I didn’t eat once more till like 3 or 4 p.m.)
In the end, breakfast at Satu’li Canteen is great and earns a simple suggestion from me. Each of the dishes I ordered have been scrumptious and prime quality–precisely what you’d count on from Satu’li Canteen.
Which is exactly the “drawback.” Satu’li Canteen is absolutely good all day lengthy, so do you have to do breakfast right here, or save the abdomen house for lunch or dinner? I’m inclined to suppose there’s an strategy that may mean you can breakfast right here in addition to lunch and dinner elsewhere–maybe some mixture of Nomad Lounge, Tiffins, Flame Tree BBQ, and/or Yak & Yeti. Maybe what actually wants area testing at Animal Kingdom is a meals itinerary!
Both means, it’s an excellent drawback to have. And it’s actually arduous to complain about Animal Kingdom getting higher at breakfast, which was beforehand the weakest meal (by far) at this otherwise-excellent meals park.
We’d even be remiss if we didn’t give Walt Disney World kudos for bringing again this fan-favorite breakfast at Satu’li Canteen. This can be a minor factor–nobody is reserving a visit upon listening to information a few counter service breakfast being again–however the minor issues matter! Sitting there, completely stuffed on the finish of my breakfast feast in a peaceable seating space after knocking out Early Entry in Pandora was a satisfying–and memorable–expertise.
It’s a majority of these quiet moments and minor issues which have an outsized impression on the visitor expertise. This can be a drum we’ve been banging on repeatedly–that it’s the lacking “massive little issues” that make a BIG distinction at Walt Disney World. We’ve been stressing for the final couple of years that Walt Disney World must relearn how a lot consideration to element and plussing the visitor expertise like this issues. Foolish because it sounds, it’s what makes individuals followers within the first place, and retains us coming again. And we’ll completely be returning for extra breakfasts at Satu’li Canteen!
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YOUR THOUGHTS
Excited to attempt any of those dishes once more–or for the primary time? Have you ever dined at Satu’li Canteen lately? Which dishes do you want or dislike throughout breakfast, lunch or dinner? Would you select to do breakfast or lunch/dinner right here? Do you agree that Satu’li Canteen has claimed the throne because the #1 counter service restaurant in Animal Kingdom? Suppose that Animal Kingdom “quietly” has the most effective restaurant scenes at Walt Disney World? Do you agree or disagree with our assessment? Any questions we may help you reply? Listening to your suggestions–even while you disagree with us–is each fascinating to us and useful to different readers, so please share your ideas beneath within the feedback!
