Dining Review-Satu’li Canteen
Satu’li Canteen is located in Pandora: The World of Avatar, which is a new land inside Disney’s Animal Kingdom Park. It is a quick service restaurant that serves international-inspired food with health conscious options: ‘fresh vegetables, wholesome grains, and hearty proteins.’ Quick service is the Disney equivalent of fast food in the real world. Disney markets this particular restaurant as fast casual, so maybe this is a new direction for food options in the parks. They do not take reservations but there is plenty of seating available inside and out.
After spending the morning at other parts of Animal Kingdom we headed to Pandora with anticipation of our FastPass for Flight of Passage and lunch at Satu’li Canteen. Walking through Pandora was badass, the sights and sounds make it feel like you are transported to another world. Disney set a new bar with Flight of Passage, in my opinion. It’s exhilarating and visually amazing. After our Flight, my wife and I were excited to try the new canteen restaurant.
Tucked away in the corner of the land is a hut like structure that houses the restaurant with outdoor seating. It’s very deceptive because once inside it is a big ass space that holds over 300 people. The walls and ceilings are filled with artifacts from the people of Pandora, the Na’vi. The dining area was once a mess hall used by RDA that Alpha Centauri Expeditions turned into a dining area for guests of Pandora.
We were handed an allergen menu at the ordering station. We were most interested in the bowl entrees that were offered. The only items that contained our allergen (gluten/wheat) was the sustainable fish and black bean vinaigrette sauce. None of the “pods” were GF, which didn’t bother us because basically the whole damn menu was allergy friendly. The bowl option allows you to pick a protein, base, and a sauce. And they use real bowls and silverware, none of that cheap plastic shit. I ordered slow-roasted sliced grilled beef with romaine and kale salad and creamy herb dressing. My wife ordered chopped wood-grilled chicken with mixed whole grain rice and charred onion chimichurri sauce. My bowl was delicious. The meat was cooked properly, the greens were fresh, and the dressing was fantastic. My wife said the meal was very unassuming. You wouldn’t think something so simple as chicken, rice, and dressing would be ‘that good.’ But she was pleasantly surprised. “It was amazing.” We also ordered two drinks that were refillable- which is a rare find in the parks.
The Satu’li Canteen is one of the best damn quick services Walt Disney World has to offer. The bowls have endless combinations so you can keep going back and not tire of it. The proteins are good, the vegetables are fresh, and the sauces are delightful. The free refills, grownup bowls, and silverware are a welcomed bonus. I definitely recommend that you do not miss this restaurant when visiting Pandora.
