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Animal Kingdom in general never seems to get as much love as the other parks. Unfortunately, the dining at Animal Kingdom is similarly given the shaft. However, the Animal Kingdom quick service restaurants give you some of the best options at Disney World.
This post will first look at all of the quick service at Animal Kingdom before we narrow down the best quick service at Animal Kingdom.
On a side note, there are some Animal Kingdom quick service restaurants which give you great options if you are looking to dine at Disney on a budget. Some of the menu items are big enough for sharing.
List of Animal Kingdom Quick Service Restaurants
First off, what exactly does Quick Service mean? A quick service restaurant, or counter service to use the other phrase, is essentially Disney’s answer to fast food. You order your food from a cashier and pick it up from the counter.
So let’s get right to it! In my list I’m including the quick service at Animal Kingdom which are actual restaurants. I’m not including that many kiosks. Most of those have snack food items and I am looking more at meals instead of snacks.
Africa
Harambe Market
Harambe Market is designed to replicate an African street market. It is actually 4 separate “restaurants” in one communal area.
- Kitamu Grill
- Famous Sausages
- Wanjohi Refreshments
- Chef Mwanga’s
Seating for Harambe Market is outdoors, enhancing the street food vibe. Make sure you check out the details of this market while you sit here enjoying your meal. It is an area where the thoroughness of the Imagineers can be truly appreciated.
The main focus of the menu for Harambe Market is meat. Lots and lots of meat. There are five meat based entrees and one plant based entree. All of them have an African twist to them, of course. There are no additional sides offered other than what the entree comes with.
Mobile ordering can be used at Harambe Market, including allergy menu. It is important to note the Harambe Market is only open from 11:00a through 4:00p.
Asia
Yak & Yeti Local Food Cafes
This is the Yak and Yeti quick service restaurant, not to be confused with Yak & Yeti the table service restaurant. Yak & Yeti Local Food Cafes is a good option for people who want something other than the usual line-up. Sure you can still get a burger or hot dog, but you could also get Sweet and Sour Tempura Shrimp. There is actually a pretty good variety of options to be found here for all meals.
Yak & Yeti Local Food Cafes offers food for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. In general, the restaurant hours run from park opening into the evening.
DinoLand U.S.A.
Restaurantosaurus
Restaurantosaurus is where you will find your basic “fast food” type of menu. So if you have picky kids who will only eat a plain cheeseburger and french fries, this just might be the spot for you. The food itself is not really anything to write home about, but kids will like it just fine.
The theme of the restaurant is that a bunch of paleontology students turned their dorm into an eatery. They like to serve up their food with a “side order of humor”. The interior decor is on point and kitschy, really what we’ve come to expect from a well designed Disney space.
However, Restaurantosaurus is generally viewed as one of the worst meal offerings at Animal Kingdom, with one little caveat. But more on that below.
Restaurantosaurus serves lunch and dinner. Consequently it opens at 11:00a and closes about a half hour before park closing. You can use Disney mobile ordering at Restaurantosaurus.
Restaurantosaurus Burgers and Sundaes
Restaurantosaurus Burgers and Sundaes is kind of a quick service meal at Animal Kingdom, and kind of not. In a nutshell, it’s an enhanced offering from Restaurantosaurus which focuses on, you guessed it, burgers and sundaes.
This offering flew way under the radar as Disney never seemed to really announce much about it. It seems like it’s been offered in a beta testing kind of way to see if there was interest. There must have been good feedback because you can now book a Disney dining reservation here through July 2020.
Yes, you read that right, you can make an Advance Dining Reservation for this dining experience. The whole meal also uses only 1 quick service credit on the dining plan, making it a good use of a credit. Out of pocket this meal costs $22.99 per adult and $14.99 per child.
With this meal, you sit in a cordoned off section of the restaurant and choose from a menu of gourmet burgers. This is key, these are not the same burgers offered at “regular” Restaurantosaurus. At the end of your meal you get to make your own dessert at a sundae bar.
Restaurantosaurus Burgers and Sundaes is only open for dinner, beginning at 4:30p. Dining reservations are offered but there may be walk up availability as well.
Discovery Island
Discovery Island has more Animal Kingdom quick service options than any of the other lands. Two of them are probably some of the most popular offerings. I’m going to stress that just because it’s popular doesn’t mean you should go there…
Eight Spoon Cafe
Okay, I’m breaking my own rule here to include a kiosk. But that is mainly because it’s a kiosk that serves macaroni and cheese. And who doesn’t love macaroni and cheese? The menu offers 3 different mac n cheese “snacks”. You can find a standard mac n cheese, mac n cheese with pulled pork, and mac n cheese with shrimp and sweet chili sauce.
With price tags ranging between $4.50 and $7, these make great lunch/dinner offerings for those with smaller appetites or a shoestring budget.
Eight Spoon Cafe is only open from 11:00a through approximately 5:00p.
Flame Tree Barbecue
This is probably the most famous quick service Animal Kingdom restaurant. This is the original carnivore’s delight at Animal Kingdom. As the name implies, the food centers around traditional barbecue meat options. You can smell the deliciousness all around Discovery Island when they are preparing the meat.
The food is yummy and the portion sizes are generous. Flame Tree has some meals which are good for 2 adults to split, making it a popular place to eat at Disney on a budget. The dining plan is accepted here as well. In addition, if you have the Tables in Wonderland card, this is one of the few quick service restaurants you can use it at.
Flame Tree is open for lunch and dinner. They begin serving food at 11:00am and close about a half hour before park closing.
Pizzafari
With a name like Pizzafari, I think you can figure out what this restaurant serves. This menu focuses on pizza, salads, and a lone flatbread offering. The menu is fairly basic and the flavors fall in line with that.
Pizzafari is one of the busiest, and loudest, Animal Kingdom quick service restaurants. It is one of the only quick service restaurants at Animal Kingdom which boasts indoor seating. This factor may be huge on a rainy, cold, or very hot day.
This restaurant is also very popular since kids gravitate towards preferring people so families can tend to default to it. Pizzafari is open for lunch and dinner. It is also eligible for Disney mobile ordering.
Pizzafari Family Style Dining
Similar to Restaurantosaurus Burgers and Sundaes, Pizzafari offers a family style dining option. The menu for this is different from standard Pizzafari fare. As the name implies, meals are served family style choosing between various pasta or pizza options. The meal is also served with an appetizer salad and dessert.
You can make dining reservations for Pizzafari Family Style Dining. It costs $22.99 per adult and $12.99 per child. It is only offered for dinner between 5:00pm and 7:00pm.
Pandora
Satu’li Canteen
The lone quick service dining offering in Pandora packs a pretty big punch. Satu’li Canteen is very unique in the type of food it offers. The structure of the “create your own bowl” idea allows for a lot of possible meal combinations. You choose from a protein, a carbohydrate base, and a sauce. I haven’t done the actual math on how many combos you could come up with, but it’s more than enough to suit most people.
And don’t worry, they do have some standard types of food for the kids.
Satu’li Canteen accepts the Disney Dining Plan and is also eligible for mobile ordering. It is open for lunch and dinner. In general it opens at 10:30am and closes at 8:00pm.
Best Animal Kingdom Quick Service Restaurants
Now that we’ve looked at ALL of your options, let’s take a look at which of these Animal Kingdom counter service restaurants are worth your while. Because let’s face it, not all Animal Kingdom quick service is created equal.
In all seriousness, if you have one day at Animal Kingdom (assuming 2 meals) just choose from these three. They are the best quick service restaurants at Animal Kingdom, hands down.
Clearly this list is entirely subjective, and frankly you could probably interchange the top 2 depending on your own personal tastes. But really, the top 2 are the top 2. The other options just can’t rival them.
3. Restaurantosaurus Burgers and Sundaes
Please notice that I’m specifying that this is Restaurantosaurus Burgers and Sundaes and not regular old Restaurantosaurus. Because there’s a big difference there. Restaurantosaurus Burgers and Sunaes provides you with an extra special quick service experience that the other restaurants just don’t offer.
The gourmet burgers are made by the same chef who created the burgers for D-Luxe Burger in Disney Springs. That is a significant upgrade from the standard burger. And what kid (or grown-up) doesn’t appreciate having a build your own sundae bar?
Between the quality of the food and the fun setting of Restaurantosaurus, Burgers and Sundaes is a great option for any family.
In terms of value for quick service dining credit, this is a phenomenal one, and that certainly helps cement the number 3 position on my best Animal Kingdom quick service dining list.
2. Satu’li Canteen
If you are looking for a unique meal which is filling and also doesn’t cost an arm and a leg, then Satu’li Canteen is right for you. With their build your own bowl concept, this is a meal that can’t be found anywhere else at Disney World.
Not only is it unique, but the food is really delicious. In my mind, this is a quick service type setting with more elevated quality than some other options. And did I mention how filling it is? The portions are very generous, especially considering they only cost around $13 a bowl. And, this meal can keep me full for quite a while. If you know how often I’m hungry, this is a huge deal!
The seating area is very generously sized and includes both indoor and outdoor seating. The outdoor seating is covered to protect from the elements and also has fans and heaters depending on the needs of the day. CLICK HERE FOR A FULL REVIEW OF SATU’LI CANTEEN
1. Flame Tree Barbecue
Aside from the absolutely delicious food to be found here, what really pushes Flame Tree Barbecue past Satu’li Canteen is the setting. Hands down, Flame Tree BBQ has one of the nicest settings and seating areas in all of Disney World.
Not only do you get to enjoy a carnivore’s delight, but you can do so while sitting under a pagoda overlooking the lake with Expedition Everest in the distance. And did I mention the fountain, lush foliage, and wildlife that roam this area?
Flame Tree Barbecue is not just a meal, it’s a bit more of an experience. And for a quick service restaurant, this is a huge bonus. That is why, for me, Flame Tree Barbecue is the best Animal Kingdom quick service restaurant. CLICK HERE FOR A FULL REVIEW OF FLAME TREE BBQ
Final Thoughts on Animal Kingdom Quick Service Dining
So there you have it, the complete list of Animal Kingdom quick service restaurants. I of course recognize that my opinions on the best may vary from yours, and that’s ok! However, I do strongly believe that if you have only one day at Animal Kingdom and you’ve never been before, you are best served by going to one of my top three.
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Your Thoughts
Which one of these is your favorite Animal Kingdom quick service restaurants? Do you agree or disagree with my top three? Let me know in the comments below!
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