Besides the World Showcase in EPCOT, the best Disney food can be found inside Animal Kingdom. Food options range from exotic to well-known and delicious. Here are the best Animal Kingdom restaurants ranked.
What Type of Food Will You Find at Animal Kingdom?
When it comes to Walt Disney World Dining in Animal Kingdom, you will find everything from barbecue to exotic culinary treats, and even some food from an entirely different world.
Overall, most food features an Asian or African flair with exotic notes and nods to traditional dishes from those areas.
With so many diverse food options, our list of Animal Kingdom restaurants ranked will be split into categories based on dining experience.
Best Counter Service Restaurants at Animal Kingdom
Sa’tuli Canteen
Sa’tuli Canteen can be found in the heart of Pandora adjacent to the exit of Flight of Passage. Sa’tuli Canteen is a counter service restaurant specializing in fast service and food made with seasonal favorites from Pandora’s bounty.
For those of us from Earth, the food is reminiscent of rice bowls with fresh veggie slaw and your choice of meat and sauce. If you prefer something other than rice, additional bases for the bowls include sweet potato hash, noodles, and beans.
The atmosphere of the restaurant can get a bit loud inside the large building. But the amazing Pandora artwork and chandeliers are worth seeing.
Exterior seating is available and offers a more private experience if the weather is nice.
Flame Tree Barbecue
Flame Tree Barbecue obviously serves barbecue, some of the best barbecue we have ever had in fact. The delicious aroma wafting out from the restaurant will draw you in as you walk by.
Flame Tree Barbecue is a quick service restaurant which serves many different traditional barbecue options. The menu features half BBQ chicken, St. Louis ribs, pulled pork sandwiches, mac and cheese with pulled pork and combo plates offering more than one meat choice.
The atmosphere in the seating areas is quite and private. Many small outdoor pavilions offer seating for diners with views of the Discovery River.
This is one of the most strangely themed Disney restaurants. The seating is Asian inspired, while the food is not. That being said, the views of Expedition Everest are spectacular, particularly at sunset.
Harambe Market
Harambe Market is a marketplace located inside Africa in Animal Kingdom. It is considered one of our best Animal Kingdom restaurants because it is multiple restaurants in one.
The market offers a few food kiosks with different options. Food choices include large salads and different rice bowls with ribs, chicken, or both.
Harambe Market also serves many fun beverages. The Frozen Flamingo drink is a non-alcoholic beverage made with strawberry and passion fruit. Additionally, the watermelon lemonade is a must have.
If you are looking for a fun alcoholic beverage, Harambe Market has plenty of options from more traditional, to fruity and fun like the Leopard’s Eye, made with vodka and different fruit juices.
Harambe Market is an outdoor, open air dining experience. Tables are plentiful, but those in the shade fill up fast on warm days. This restaurant is not known for being too loud, but can be during crowded times.
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Best Sit-Down Restaurants at Animal Kingdom
Yak and Yeti
No best Animal Kingdom restaurants list would be complete without Yak and Yeti. While Yak and Yeti does have a counter service kiosk that essentially sells snacks, there is a sit down, table service restaurant with the same name in the park.
Yak and Yeti is located in the Asia section of Animal Kingdom near the Feathered Friends in Flight show and the Anadapur Tea Company. The restaurant is unique in that it has two floors for restaurant seating. We were seated at a window table on the second floor and enjoyed the views and people watching opportunities.
Yak and Yeti has friendly staff, in depth theming and delicious food. Food offerings include American Asian fusion food such as Lo Mein noodle bowls, miso salmon, chicken tikka masala, Bhaktapur duck, and coconut shrimp.
Additionally, the large menu features various flavors of wok cooked stir fries, teriyaki chicken, a kobe beef burger, and ribs in Korean BBQ sauce.
When we ate at the Yak and Yeti, every member of our group thoroughly enjoyed our meals. The food is full of flavor and comes in large portions which can easily be shared. Meal prices range from $18 to $30 a person.
Yak and Yeti is also known for its many nonalcoholic and alcoholic cocktails.
Yak and Yeti is filled to the brim with Asian artifacts and offers a relaxing atmosphere that is perfect for stepping out of the heat for a bit.
Tiffins
Many food connoisseurs would put Tiffins on the top of the list of best Animal Kingdom restaurants ranked. But, we just cannot. The first reason would have to be cost.
Tiffins is fine dining at its best, with an emphasis on adventurous food choices as well. Offerings are full of Asian, African, and Latin flair, with the typical small portions you would expect of fine dining.
Appetizers range from $10 to $17 per person. Entrees come in at $35-$65 per person.
Another reason we cannot officially add Tiffins to our best Animal Kingdom restaurants list is because we have not personally tried it. Our typical visit to the Disney Parks consists of a party of at least five.
For each person to order an appetizer and entrée, you are looking at $45-$82 per person before drinks, (depending on what they order.) This brings us to a total of $225-$410 for a family of five to dine here. If you are on a budget, Tiffins may not be the restaurant for you.
All this being said, Tiffins does have a cult following of those who love to splurge on their Disney dining. Tiffins fanatics rave about the craft cocktails and flavorful food. Additionally, Tiffins is all about presentation, meaning every plate and drink are Instagram worthy.
Best Ideas for Snacking at Animal Kingdom
When we visit the park, we tend to skip snacks and save our stomachs for the best Animal Kingdom restaurants. If you are feeling snacky in the Kingdom, there are a few must try options.
Tamu Tamu Refreshments in Africa not only has Dole Whips, but the picture worthy Simba Sunset Dole Whip. This sweet treat is made of Dole Whip pineapple soft serve with watermelon, strawberry and coconut flavored syrups.
Pongu Pongu in Pandora has two cult favorite snacks. The first is a nonalcoholic boba slushie called the Night Blossom. This drink is apple and dessert pear limeade and passion fruit boba balls.
Another favorite from Pongu Pongu is the Pongu Lumpia. The Lumpia is a pineapple cream cheese roll dusted in sugar.
Dino Bites in Dinoland has to be on the list for the best Animal Kingdom restaurants when it comes to snacks. Dino Bites offers seasonal desserts. Currently it’s the 50th Celebration Ice Cream Sandwich. This dessert is huge, with huge taste.
Character Dining at Animal Kingdom
It’s fairly easy to pick the best Animal Kingdom restaurant for character dining, because there is only one! Despite this, Tusker House has quickly become one of our favorite restaurants, not for the characters, but for the food.
Tusker house serves American foods with African influence in an all you care to eat buffet. Tusker House serves breakfast, lunch and dinner. Breakfast options include pastry baskets, fresh fruit, eggs, waffles, Durban chicken, curry eggs with jasmine rice, bacon, sausage and exotically-seasoned potatoes.
Lunch and dinner features breads, various salads, Morrocon spiced beef, herb chicken, green curry shrimp, berber marinated pork and many sides.
While you are dining, Disney characters in safari gear such as Donald Duck, Daisy Duck, and Mickey come and visit your tables for photos and signatures.
Tusker House is located in Africa in Animal Kingdom.
What Animal Kingdom Restaurants Are Open?
Disney World has slowly been reopening restaurants since its initial reopening following Covid-19 closures. Now, in 2022, all Animal Kingdom restaurants have reopened, including everything on our best Animal Kingdom restaurants list ranking.
It seems, the only restaurants that have not reopened are a few snack kiosks that operate seasonally.
