Happy #tastytuesday friends! Today’s blog post is taking us to the continent of Asia…located in Disney’s Animal Kingdom park! During our past trip this weekend, my husband and I could not pass up eating at one of our favorite table service restaurants, Yak & Yeti. This restaurant is one of 4 table service restaurants in Animal Kingdom, and hands down our favorite. As mentioned, you can find Yak and Yeti in the Asia section of the park on your way to ride Expedition Everest.
Yak & Yeti is an eclectic restaurant that specializes in pan-Asian cuisine. It’s also decorated with fun Southeast Asian artifacts that give the restaurant a unique vibe.
My husband and I had made a same day advanced dining reservation through the My Disney Experience (MDE) app for 4:15pm. We checked in at the hostess station behind a crowd of people (not pictured), and the hostess checked our reservation in the MDE app and confirmed that we would be seated closer to our 4:15 reservation time. Our name was called around the time the hostess had indicated and we were brought upstairs to our table.
A cool thing about Yak & Yeti is that it’s split into an upstairs and a downstairs section. I much prefer to sit in the upstairs section because it’s fun to watch everyone around you and to look down on the big staircase, but there really isn’t a bad seat in the restaurant.
As we were seated, we were handed the regular menu for the restaurant. I had put my food allergies in the reservation, but noticed that I was not given an allergy friendly menu, so I asked the hostess for one. She told our waitress, Devyn, about my allergies, who then brought me a gluten free menu and let me know that the chef would come out to speak with about what I would like to eat. Both menus are pictured below.
Once we had gotten our menus, Kyle and I decided we wanted to see if the chef could make the Big Island Tuna Poke Bowl (under Shareables) allergy friendly. When the chef came to the table, I listed off my main food allergies (dairy, eggs, and wheat), and he let me know that he could make the poke bowl allergy friendly except for the chips, which do contain egg. However, everything else was good to go!
The poke bowl was nothing short of delicious. It was so fresh and light, and the tuna was some of the best I’ve had recently. It did not disappoint in the slightest! I also really enjoyed the avocado mousse on the plate, which had a slight spicy kick to the end of it.
For my main course, I decided to order the orange chicken off of the gluten free menu. The chef mentioned that I would need to have the grilled chicken and not the breaded chicken, which I had anticipated, as usually breaded chicken is made using egg as a part of the dredge.
The chicken was super tender, which can sometimes be a concern with grilled chicken, as it can dry out quickly. I am also a sucker for a good sweet and sour sauce, which was the exact sauce on this plate. Not too sweet, not too sour, but the perfect mix! The veggies were also fresh, as well as the pineapple, and the rice was made super tender. Win-win all around! Kyle ordered the Chicken Tikka Masala (not pictured) off of the regular menu and greatly enjoyed it as well.
I have been to Yak & Yeti 3 times in the last 2 years, and each time it does not disappoint. One of the things I really enjoy about this restaurant is that they automatically send the chef out to your table instead of you having to ask, which is great for an introvert like me. Speaking to the chef ensures that all of your food items are allergy friendly, and it gives you the opportunity to ask for items on the menu to be made allergy friendly because the chef knows the exact ingredients that go into every dish, unlike your waiter or waitress who may not be as aware. We highly recommend eating at Yak & Yeti, especially since you can use your Disney Dining Plan (DDP) to pay for your meal here as well! It’s 1 Table Service credit on the DDP.
Here’s to living our best and most delicious (Disney) lives! <3
~ Meagan
Meagan has been living with many food allergies and sensitivities since she was 19 years old. She is currently a Personal Vacation Advisor for Magical Vacation Planner, specializing in helping her guests book trips to Walt Disney World and Universal Orlando Resort. Meagan enjoys researching fitness and nutrition and has taken a special interest in finding allergy friendly options at Walt Disney World.
Interested in having Meagan help you plan your next trip? Send her an email at m.slone@magicalvacationplanner.com or get a free quote at https://magicalvacationplanner.com/staff/meagan-slone/!
