Satu’li Canteen Review at Animal Kingdom

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Animal Kingdom has some great dining options as a whole, including two of my favorite Quick Service restaurants. Satu’li Canteen is a restaurant with unique offerings you will not find in any of the other parks (updated March 11, 2023).

In addition to all of that, the cost of the meal is VERY reasonable, theming of the restaurant is spot on, and it offers great options for those who have special dietary needs.

Satu’li Canteen General Information

Satu’li Canteen is a Quick Service Restaurant located in the Pandora area of Animal Kingdom. A quick service restaurant is one where you order the food at the counter (or in the app) and bring it to your table yourself. Think like fast food, only better.

It uses 1 Quick Service credit if you are on the Disney Dining Plan. At this time there are no discounts for Annual Passholders or Disney Vacation Club Members.

You can also use the mobile ordering system on the My Disney Experience app on your smartphone. Using mobile ordering will drastically cut down on the amount of time it takes to get your food.

This is especially true for people with food allergies who typically have to wait longer for their food.

In order to reduce your wait time even more, go into your My Disney Experience app and ask for your food to be prepared while you are still walking to the restaurant.

Since the reopening, Disney has encouraged people to use mobile ordering whenever possible, and it really it much more convenient. However, you can still enter the restaurant and order in person if that is your preference.

Satu’li Canteen Hours

Satu’li Canteen is open for lunch and dinner only. There is no Satu’li Canteen breakfast menu at this time, though there was one briefly. At one time Disney mentioned the possibility of it coming back seasonally during busy times of year, but it hasn’t so far.

Lunch service begins at 10:00am and stays open until park closing.

Satu’li Canteen Atmosphere and Theme

It should come as no surprise that the theming of Satu’li Canteen is just as good as the rest of Pandora. The general story is that the building is a former RDA mess hall which now serves the same purpose for Alpha Centauri Expeditions.

The leaders of Alpha Centauri Expeditions have allowed the building to embrace the Na’vi culture. This is evident in the artifacts of the Na’vi culture interspersed around what is essentially an old warehouse style mess hall.

Disney was smart when they designed the building to be so large. It has the capacity to fit a large number of people, both inside and out. Some of the indoor tables are quite large, perfect for large groups or families, or allowing multiple families to share.

I love the outdoor seating options that Satu’li Canteen provides. Most of the outdoor seating is covered, allowing a great spot to rest in the shade. There are also fans to help cool the space in the hot weather and heaters to warm it during cool weather. The heaters throw out a surprising amount of heat.

Satu’li Canteen Menu

One of the things that sets Satu’li Canteen apart from other Quick Service restaurants at Disney World is the uniqueness of the menu. While most other Quick Service restaurants tend to lean more towards a “fast food” type of experience, Satu’li Canteen does not.

The Satu’li Canteen menu also provides some of the healthiest foods to be found at a Quick Service restaurant. This makes it a great option for people who are looking to support a healthier lifestyle.

The menu at Satu’li Canteen also includes a couple of dessert options and an extensive list of both alcoholic and non-alcoholic beverages.

As always, Disney restaurants periodically change their menus. Before your trip, make sure you check Disney’s official Satu’li Canteen menu for the most up to date offerings.

Create Your Own Bowl at Satu’li Canteen

The basic idea of the menu options at Satu’li Canteen is to create your own bowl. You are prompted to choose one option from each of the categories, though of course you can pick from only 1 or 2 categories if that is your choice.   ​

As you can see the number of options in each category gives you many different combinations to try. I mean, just look at all the Satu’li Canteen bases and sauces, let alone the various protein options.

All of these options are a good thing, because I promise you, you will want to come back to Satu’li Canteen.

In addition to these customizable bowls, there’s a new offering that comes as is:

• Ocean Moon Bowl: Blue Noodles, Tuna, Watermelon Radish, Pickled Daikon, Rainbow Carrots, Avocado, Cucumbers, and Red Cabbage with Miso and Sweet Soy Drizzle topped with Micro Cilantro.

Cheeseburger Steamed Pods – Bao Buns

The final menu is one that disappeared for a while but is now back. This was a very popular menu item and I never quite understood why it went away. But many people are happy to see it again.

• Cheeseburger Steamed Pods – Bao Buns: Steamed Cheeseburger Pod stuffed with Ground Beef, Ketchup, Mustard, Pickle, and Cheddar Cheese served with Crunchy Vegetable Slaw and Vegetable Chips

Kids’ Menu at Satu’li Canteen

The kids’ menu at Satu’li Canteen actually provides more variety than the adult menu. I am assuming this is due to the fact that most kids just aren’t going to be as interested in the create your own bowl options.

• Slow Roasted Sliced Grilled Beef Bowl: Slow-Roasted Sliced Grilled Beef marinated in a blend of Garlic, Herbs, Red Pepper Spice and Red Wine Vinegar topped with Crunchy Vegetable Slaw and served with your choice of base
• Chopped Wood Grilled Chicken Bowl: Wood-Grilled Chicken marinated with Garlic and Olive Oil topped with Crunchy Vegetable Slaw and served with your choice of Base
• Chili-Spiced Crispy Fried Tofu Bowl: Crispy Fried Tofu seasoned with Chili-Spice topped with Crunchy Vegetable Slaw and served with your choice of Base
• Cheeseburger Steamed Pod: Steamed Cheeseburger Pod stuffed with Ground Beef, Ketchup, Mustard, Pickle, and Cheddar served with Vegetable Chips and a Cuties® Mandarin
• “Teylu” All Beef Hot Dog Wrapped in Dough: All-Beef Hot Dog wrapped in a Parker House Dough served with Vegetable Chips and a Cuties® Mandarin
• Cheese Quesadilla: Cheddar and Mozzarella in a Tortilla served with Vegetable Chips and a Cuties® Mandarin

The kids’ menu bowls function the same way as the adult menu bowls. They choose their protein and their base, choosing from the same ones offered to adults. However, kids’ meals don’t come with a sauce choice.

In addition to the listed sides, or their bowl, kids also get a beverage.

Dessert Menu

• Metkayina Mousse: Flourless Chocolate Cake, Chocolate Mousse, Raspberry Gelée, Mango Coulis, Boba Pearls, and a Milk and White Chocolate Garnish
• Blueberry Cream Cheese Mousse: Blueberry Cream Cheese Mousse with Passion Fruit Curd

Satu’li Canteen Allergy Menu

A bonus of Satu’li Canteen being a newer restaurant is they seem to have planned the menu with food allergies in mind. Because of this, there are several options that are available to people with various food allergies.

The allergy menu for the standard 8 most common food allergies is also included on the Disney website, making it easy to plan ahead for anyone in your party who has an allergy.

With the emphasis on mobile ordering, you can now see the allergy friendly options listed directly on the mobile ordering menu. This makes it even easier to place an allergy friendly order at Satu’li Canteen.

By ordering an allergy friendly menu item, the restaurant automatically then follows all of the standard Disney allergy friendly protocols.

But of course, if you prefer to speak to a real live person about your order, you can still do that by ordering directly at the counter.

Gluten Free Satu’li Canteen Menu

If you have a gluten allergy, Satu’li Canteen is a great place to eat. Any of the proteins are made with gluten free marinades and seasonings. Of the bases, the noodles are the the only option that cannot be considered. And finally, the black bean vinaigrette is the only sauce which contains gluten.

This gives you so many different combinations to try with the knowledge they are all safe to eat!

Satu’li Canteen Price

As I mentioned, the price of your overall dish is determined by the protein you select. At the time of this update, the prices range from $12.99 for the chicken or tofu, up to $17.49 for the beef and chicken combination bowl and ocean mood bowl. Drinks are not included in the cost of the meal.

The Cheeseburger Steamed Pods currently come in at $13.29.

For the price, you actually receive a rather large portion of food. Coming from someone with a massive appetite, this is a pretty big deal. It is so much food that even I struggle to finish all of it sometimes.

From that perspective, Satu’li Canteen is a great value for your money at Disney World.

Satu’li Canteen Review

I have now been to Satu’li Canteen many times, sometimes even twice in the same trip. That fact right there probably tells you how much my family enjoys the food at Satu’li Canteen.

In that sense, the overwhelmingly positve nature of this Satu’li Canteen review shouldn’t come as much of a shocker. But I’m sure you would like to know more details than that!

Between myself, Doug, and my sister, we have now tried several different variations, though all of us tend to lean towards preferring the chicken. I don’t know whether it has to do with living together for so many years, but Doug and I have extremely similar tastes in food.

This leads to us ordering the same meals a lot of the time, which doesn’t work as well for blogging but gives us happy bellies.

Chopped Wood-Grilled Chicken Bowl

For Doug and I, our favorite combination so far is the Chopped Wood Grilled Chicken bowl with red and sweet potato hash base and creamy herb sauce. The flavors of this combination just seem to blend together to perfection.

My sister is also a big fan of the food at Satu’li Canteen. Her endorsement is made that much more significant by the fact that she’s a very picky eater. Trust me, I’ve been making fun of her food choices for years.

She chose the grilled chicken with the rice base and the creamy herb sauce (check out the first picture in this post to see what it looks like). When I asked her what she thought of her meal, this was her reply:  

From someone who doesn’t like mixing their food, I found it to be delightful. There was a variety of flavors in my dish that I never expected to like. Rice is one of my staples so I knew I’d at least like that, but it soaked up all of the flavors and made the whole dish delicious

~Tracey, picky eating sister of The Disney Journey

So, even if you are a picky eater, I encourage you to give it a try. You just might surprise yourself.

Slow Roasted Sliced Grilled Beef Bowl

I also tried the beef bowl with the red and sweet potato hash base, and the creamy herb sauce. Honestly, I don’t know if I will ever try one of the other bases. I LOVE the red and sweet potato hash base, so why mess with a good thing?

I can promise you that I will never try the hearty salad base. Not that I have anything against salad, because I don’t. I just like more substance to my meals and a salad on the side.

However, the hearty salad base is perfect for those who don’t want a heavier meal or are trying to keep their nutrition on point.

Even though we prefer the chicken, the beef is also surprisingly good. I will say, the best part of the beef is in the preparation. The meat is tender and red, which is how I prefer my beef.

Honestly, I didn’t expect beef from what is essentially a fast food restaurant to be this good. You should ask Doug about my feelings towards Arby’s…

Tip: If you typically don’t like a lot of sauce, ask for your sauce to be served on the side. They are very generous with their sauce and this could potentially overwhelm the dish if you are someone who likes less sauce.

Chili-Garlic Shrimp Bowl

Getting the Chili-Garlic Shrimp bowl was my latest effort in eating my way through the menu. Once again I got my potato base and creamy herb dressing. I promise to one day try another sauce. Maybe…

I enjoy shrimp in general, so I was intrigued to try this one. As is normal with any dish that contains shrimp, there was not a lot of actual shrimp. There were 5 shrimp, to be exact.

As far as I’m concerned, this isn’t nearly enough protein. Honestly, I’d rather that they charge a little bit more and give you a more substantial serving of shrimp.

I proceeded to cut the shrimp in half to try to fool myself into thinking there was enough.

In terms of flavor, the dish met the expectations I’ve come to have at Satu’li Canteen. It was a good dish overall.

However, this was the first time I was able to easily finish the whole meal. Perhaps it was the scant amount of shrimp, or maybe they are dishing out smaller portions.

Or maybe I was just really hungry that. Actually, I was really hungry that day, so the ease of finishing off the whole serving might be my fault…

Either way, while I enjoyed the overall meal, I still think that the chicken bowl reigns supreme.

“Teylu” All Beef Hot Dog Wrapped in Dough

Both of my kids were also big fans of the meal here, which is no small accomplishment. They both opted to have the dough wrapped hot dogs.

Nolan was very interested in the hamburger steam pods, but does not like pickles or anything else other than cheese on his burger. We never did ask if it could be ordered plain, but we were concerned they were pre-made with everything inside.

IF this is the case with the hamburger steam pods, I think it’s a mistake on Disney’s part. How many kids actually like to have a bunch of condiments and pickles on their burger? Most kids want them plain. But hopefully they can be custom ordered.  

But both kids really enjoyed the hot dogs. I think they mostly enjoyed the novelty of the delivery, with the hot dog wrapped in a nice golden dough. But whatever it was they liked about it, both of the kids ate the whole thing, so that’s a win in my book.

Instead of the typical side of fries, the kids’ meals come with a side of homemade chips. The chips are made from a variety of different potatoes. This gave the plate more visual interest but freaked my kids out a bit.

I sampled them, for the sake of blogging of course, and liked them well enough. I found them to be a little soggy one of the times we went, which is disappointing. However, when they are done right, they are delicious.

Blueberry Cream Cheese Mousse

Before we even went to Satu’li Canteen, I had determined my family would order the Blueberry Cream Cheese Mousse. I mean, look at it? Doesn’t it look awesome and intriguing?

I knew going into it that it wasn’t gluten free and therefore off limits to me. The only obvious thing that contained wheat was a thin sliver of cake at the very bottom of the mousse. This is disappointing to me and a bit of a missed opportunity, I think.

With one simple change, more people would be able to try this dessert. Of course, there could be flour in the mousse, cross contamination risk with other components, and so on. I guess I’m just bitter I didn’t get to try it!

But how does it actually taste? Well, my family as a whole seemed pretty underwhelmed by it. In fact, Doug’s favorite part of the whole dessert was the passion fruit curd. Probably not the best recommendation when your favorite part is the curd.

So, perhaps I shouldn’t be so disappointed that I couldn’t eat it? No, I’m still disappointed because I think I would enjoy it very much.

Metkayina Mousse

After not being able to eat the Blueberry Cream Cheese Mousse for so many years, you can imagine my excitement when a gluten friendly dessert was added.

And like it’s predecessor, it is visually stunning:

The care that was put into coming up with the design for the Satu’li Canteen desserts is crazy. These are so visually appealing and very Instagram friendly.

Seriously, it’s so colorful and happy, I’d order it just for that.

It always seems like the default gluten free dessert involves flourless chocolate cake, which is a bummer as I’m not the biggest fan of flourless chocolate cake. Mainly because it’s just so rich.

As a result, going into this dessert I was concerned it would be too rich for my palette. Notice how that didn’t stop me though…I do love dessert.

And yes, the Metkayina Mousse is very rich and chocolatey. My son would absolutely love this since he is a chocolate fiend. He has yet to find a chocolate dessert that is “too rich”.

It was perhaps a touch too rich for me, but this was balanced out with the raspberry gelee. Without the hit of raspberry in there for contrast, I wouldn’t have liked this dessert very much.

Likewise, the mango coulis and the boba pearls were a necessary punch of flavor. I’m not really the biggest fan of boba pearls, it’s a texture thing, I think.

And they proved impossible to actually eat with the fork full of dessert. So I wound up just smashing them to get the juice on the plate.

I would have liked a larger ratio of mango coulis on the plate to help with balancing the richness of the chocolate.

On the whole, I enjoyed the Metkayina Mousse enough that I will order it again, but it certainly doesn’t rank up there as one of my favorites.

Final Verdict for Satu’li Canteen

I think by this point it is pretty clear that I like Satu’li Canteen a whole lot. Even though the menu can look intimidating to pickier eaters, it somehow manages to work for everyone.

On the whole, the Chopped Wood-Grilled Chicken Bowl is the best option to go with on the Satu’li Canteen menu. It provides you the biggest bang for your buck, which is important. On top of that, it’s truly delicious and filling. You simply can’t go wrong with it.

Aside from the delicious food, the greatest advantage to a meal at Satu’li Canteen is the price point combined with the sheer quantity of food you get. This is a great value for your money if you are not using the Disney Dining Plan.

The fact that you can use Mobile Ordering at Satu’li Canteen, even with the allergy menu, is icing on the cake. Why wait in line to order, then wait some more for your food to be prepared? You can simply let them know you are ready through the app and roll up to get your food.

Finally, if you are gluten free, or have other types of food allergies, Satu’li Canteen is a great choice for you in terms of options and overall price. It was one of my favorite restaurants when trying to figure out how to eat gluten free at Disney World for less money.

Your Thoughts

Have you tried Satu’li Canteen? Do you love it as much as I do or just don’t get the hype? Let me know your opinion below.

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