Satu’li Canteen is a large eatery inside the Pandora – The World of Avatar area of Disney’s Animal Kingdom. This large restaurant is one of the many Quick Service options at AK. I think Satu’li Canteen is an amazing theme park restaurant. When we visited in June 2017, we both really enjoyed what we ordered. When we visited in September 2017, we switched dressings and it was even better!
Sarah and I ate here during our June 2017 trip mostly because it was new. We both were visiting Pandora for the first time and we were anxious to try this new eatery. We were also drawn by how different this Quick Service option was to the rest of the choices at Walt Disney World. Rather than heavy food that requires you take a nap after eating it, this menu appears to be light and energy-giving. Though it feels lighter, it is still plenty of food. I don’t think Sarah or I have completely finished our meals any time we have visited.
The restaurant is open for lunch and dinner. There are multiple seating areas. There is an large dining hall-style area inside and a smaller, shaded dining area outside. Satu’li Canteen, according to Disney, was a former RDA mess hall that has been reclaimed with Na’vi art. Both the inside and the outside areas can be very crowded and loud. I would choose to be outside on most days. The shaded areas are perfectly comfortable, even in June.
The Walt Disney World website classifies this restaurant as “American Cuisine”. Like I said before, this food is different than most of the other Disney options. Most of the time when we get Quick Service food at WDW, we find ourselves overwhelmed a little bit. The food, for the most part, is decent to good. The only problem is that eating it is usually an ordeal. The options are normally so heavy. Maybe that is just because I cannot resist mac and cheese and ribs :).
Satu’li Canteen takes a different approach and I think this is Disney finally moving into the 21st Century food services. Instead of processed cheese and frozen shrimp, they have chosen potato hash and meats you can see them cooking in the restaurant.
When you approach the register, you have several options. You can choose a bowl or pods. If you choose a bowl, you can choose your base and sauce. Bases include: Quinoa and Vegetable Salad, Mixed Grains and Rice, or Red and Sweet Potato Has. Sauces include: Charred Onion Chimichurri, Black Bean Vinaigrette, or Creamy Herb Dressing. The meats are beef, chicken, fish, or tofu, which isn’t technically a meat.
Sarah and I have split opinions about what is the best here. We both agree that the Red and Sweet Potato Hash is the best base. I think the Black Bean Vinaigrette is the best sauce, but Sarah prefers the Creamy Herb Dressing. In my opinion, the dressing overwhelmed the rest of the dish and drowned it in creamy herbiness (that is definitely a word :)). I prefer the steak and Sarah prefers the chicken. Honestly, I would be perfectly happy with either beef or chicken.
As a note, we have also both ordered the Pandoran Sunrise both times we have eaten here. It is a crisp, refreshing drink. It is that perfect “I am so sweaty from walking around all day in 90% humidity” drink to bring you right back.
What was awesome was our experience with a Cast Member during our June 2017 trip. Sarah was wearing her birthday pin and they gave us a free dessert! We have tried both the Blueberry Cream Cheese Mousse and the Chocolate Cake. I think I prefer the blueberry treat. It was like nothing I had ever eaten before. The texture was so interesting. I love how artistically it is presented and it explodes with berry flavor. Also, we always love that extra customer service!
According to the Disney World website, Satu’li Canteen is classified with “$” which means adults should expect to pay roughly $14.99 and under, per person. For the Disney Dining Plan users, this restaurant requires one Quick Service credit per person. This is a great use of the Disney Dining Plan credit. The amount of food is decent, but we are both astonished with how full we feel after eating here. Hot tip: If you are really looking for the best value at Animal Kingdom, try Flame Tree Barbecue. This is an excellent use of a credit, but the bang-for-your-buck value of Flame Tree is un-matchable at AK. For the Tables in Wonderland users, Satu’li Canteen is not applicable.
It may be too easy to say everyone, but everyone! I think this would go in my top-5 Quick Service restaurants fairly easily. I think this restaurant is significant for several reasons. The first is that the food is really good and it is a good value.
The less talked about reason for eating here is because I think this may be an eatery that signals a change in the way theme park food is presented at Disney parks. I think this is the first step into fresh, wholesome Quick Service dining. There will always be hamburgers, pizza, and fried chicken, but it is encouraging to see Disney continue to go away from this model. I also think it is interesting to see Disney deviate from plastic containers and cutlery at Satu’li. I am curious to see if that trend continues.
