Happy #tastytuesday friends!! Today’s foodie review brings us to a far away land where you can…uh…fly! (My Flight of Passage people will get me on that one!) Satu’li Canteen in Pandora: The World of Avatar is one of my favorite quick service spots to grab a hearty and healthy meal in Disney’s Animal Kingdom Park. All meals for this restaurant count for 1 quick service credit on the Disney Dining Plan.
If you were not already aware of Satu’li Canteen, you may not notice this restaurant right away. It’s all the way in the back right of Pandora by the exit to Flight of Passage. It’s designed to look like a mess hall, and conceals well into the background of the land. As with almost all quick service locations right now, the signs on the ground in front of Satu’li Canteen to remind guests to use the mobile order function. I placed a mobile order on my phone (https://allergyfriendlydisney.com/2019/03/18/mobile-ordering-at-wdw/ in case you need a refresher) and waited for my order to be ready before I approached the cast member at the entrance.
At this time, you can only enter quick service locations if your order is ready, if you need to pay in cash, or if you need to speak to someone about your food allergies. I have eaten here before on a VIP tour and was already aware of what I could eat (all of the bowls/salads are good to go for me), but it’s nice that there is still the option to enter the eatery to talk to someone if you need to. You can see that there is a pathway blocked off with social distance markers that directs you throughout the eatery in one direction. I didn’t take a picture of it, but even the drink stations are blocked off and there is a cast member there serving drinks so that there aren’t too many people touching the drink machines.
Once I made it through the guided path, a cast member asked me which window number that my order was prepared in. I showed her my app and said #5, and so I was sent to window #5 and waited until the person in front of me had gotten their food and left. You can see here that only 1 party at a time is allowed up to the window and that there is plastic there top protect the guests and cast members. When it was my turn, I showed my order number to the cast member in the window and was handed my tray: Combination Bowl: Grilled Beef & Chicken on a hearty salad with charred green onion vinaigrette and a water.
I have ordered this combination bowl several times before, and I am never disappointed. The chicken and the beef are cooked incredibly well and are tender and flavorful. The slaw and boba look a little funny on the salad, but they give a nice tang to the mix, and the quinoa is cooked perfectly. But, the star of the show is the charred green onion vinaigrette. I honestly want to bottle it up and take it home to put on everything because IT’S JUST THAT GOOD. If you don’t like the taste of onions, you may not enjoy this dressing, but I love that it’s flavorful and adds a nice punch to an already delicious salad.
My only complaint based on my current experience was the lack of seating. Even though I ate at an off time (around 2:00pm), I had trouble finding a table both inside and outside. Most of the outside tables were not under the covering, and as it was raining that day, it limited the tables to choose from. I was able to find one table close to the edge of the canopy near the entrance, but since it was raining, several families were crowding around the entrance to stay dry and complete their mobile orders, which made me uncomfortable because they were so close to me. I am curious to see what my experience will be like in a few days when it is not raining. Overall, my experience was great, other than this one note.
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/!
