Join us in saying “Jambo” to Guest Reviewer Katie Roth! In this review, Katie takes us to Yak & Yeti in Disney’s Animal Kingdom.
Until my recent trip, the only restaurant that I had dined in at Animal Kingdom was Rainforest Café – I decided to go out on a limb here and try something new.
As most of you know, when you get your “staple” restaurants at Disney World, it is really hard to throw something new in the mix; so it was tough for us to try Yak and Yeti!
Atmosphere
In my opinion the restaurant is easy to miss. Okay, sure – the building is purple, but in the colorful Asia area of Animal Kingdom EVERYTHING is colorful. Once you do find it and step into the unassuming building, you are transported to something that (we thought) felt like it was straight out of an Indiana Jones movie.
Yak and Yeti Restaurant
Dining Area
Beautifully themed
The building is adorned with dark, worn woods and accented with unique lanterns, trinkets, and treasures from old Asia.
Unique lighting!
Decor at Yak & Yeti!
Through the dim lighting, we decided on some deeee-licious food. 🙂
Eats
For his entrée, my husband ordered the Shaoxing Steak and Shrimp. The cut (skirt) of steak was served with tempura battered shrimp, jasmine rice, stir-fried vegetables and a chili plum dipping sauce.
He said that the steak was tender and flavorful and the shrimp’s light breading added a nice crispness but no significant flavor contribution. The veggies were really crisp and the dipping sauce was phenomenal (especially spread out over everything). His favorite part about this meal was the presentation of it.
Shaoxing Steak and Shrimp.
I was very upset that Le Cellier removed their Miso-Glazed Salmon from the menu, so I was thrilled that there was a Miso salmon on the menu here! This particular entrée was served with coconut-ginger rice and a baby bok choy and shiitake mushroom stir-fry.
I admit, this was better than what Le Cellier served! The salmon was wonderful – tender and flavorful without any cheap fishy taste. The vegetable stir-fry was very crisp with a savory (and non-salty) sauce. The rice was a grade above bland, but in general that is how I feel about all rice.
Seared Miso Salmon.
Even though we were full from our entrees, we still had to sample the desserts in this unexplored territory…
After reading about the Mango Pie on the Disney Food Blog, we just had to try it! OH MY GOSH —- it was like a silky mango cheesecake. It was incredible! – shortbread cookie crust filled with a tangy, sweet, mango filling. I wish I could have eaten ten of these.
Mango Pie
Also, being the cheesecake lover that I am, I decided to give this slice a try. It was silky and dreamy, yes …but didn’t hold a candle to that Mango Pie!
It was very good with its raspberry and mango coulis, but nothing extraordinary if I’m being completely honest.
New York Cheesecake.
Overall
We absolutely loved Yak & Yeti! The food was incredible and the service was speedy and friendly. This was one of our favorite meals of our entire trip. We liked it so much that we’re thinking about canceling our ADR (Advance Dining Reservation) for Be Our Guest and eating at Yak & Yeti instead. Looks like we need to extend our Disney trips to get all of these new favorite restaurants into the lineup… 😉
Katie works full-time as an engineer in Ohio and is currently pursuing her Master’s degree in mechanical engineering through Purdue University. Katie and her husband absolutely love everything Disney and try to work that special brand of magic into every aspect of their life including visiting Walt Disney World multiple times per year.
What’s your favorite dish at Yak & Yeti? Have you discovered a new-to-you Disney restaurant that had unexpectedly good eats? Share with us in the comments below!
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My sister surprised me with a stop here for lunch (not at all a place she would pick on her own!) for my birthday two years ago. It is one of the first places we make reservations for every trip now!
If you go here, try the duck. It is some of the best you will ever eat.
This was definitely one of my favourite restaurants on my last trip and I think I’ll be trying that Mango Pie when I go back next month.
It’s not a favorite for us, but we’ve always had decent meals here. So much to look at inside. I love the fried wontons for dessert, but never have enough room for them by the time dessert arrives.
My family LOVES Yak & Yeti.
My favorite dish is the Kobe Beef Burger with Asian Slaw. It is indescribable. Hands down the best burger I have ever had…in my life!
The wok-fired green beans are a family favorite as well!
The atmosphere is amazing…but it is always very cold. Be sure to bring a sweater especially if you are visiting after a trip on Kali River Rapids. Burrrrr!
We enjoyed Y&Y.
I can’t share the enthusiasm for the mango pie, however. It was like a poor cousin to key lime. A similar consistency, but none of the sweet-sour you get when you have a good key lime with sweet whipped cream. The mango pie was just blah.
THE dessert to get there is the fried wontons. Cream cheese filled wontons with pineapple on skewers, doused in a vanilla(?) sauce. Yumm…
I’ve had a lot of different food items here. The best dessert is hands down the pudding cake. I know it sounds simple, but the taste is a home run every time for die hard chocolate lovers!
Shout out to the wok green beans too!
I agree the restaurant is easy to miss, we had already an ADR here and we took several minutes to find it. We asked also multiple cast members to guide us as it is not easy to find. Very good and wonderful restaurant I would eat there anytime.
Another Yak & Yeti lover here! The salmon is phenomenal!! I don’t like mushrooms or coconut and they swapped them for a veggie stir fry and the jasmine rice for me. I went as part of a party of 4 and we all got different appetizers and different desserts and shared. We enjoyed all of them and now Y&Y is a must do for every trip.
Yak & Yeti is one of my favorites. I have to admit to never having strayed from the Fried Wontons for dessert — one of my very favorite desserts anywhere at Disney World. Maybe next time I’ll have to get a dessert as my entree’, too ;). (Only now I also want to try the salmon!)
I’ve been here twice and I loved it. I had the crispy Mahi Mahi both times; the first time it was absolutely delicious, overwhelmingly good. The second time, not so much. I’d love to try the salmon or steak. The wanton dessert wasn’t for me, but I’d get the mango pie anytime-delicious! I love this place; it has the best theming. You really feel like you’re traveling in a SE Asian country. It’s an adventure to eat here.
We went to Yak & Yeti on our last trip because we were able to get a last-minute ADR- it was wonderful! Tied with Brown Derby for my favorite meal of the trip. And yes, those dessert wontons were incredible! Definitely my favorite dessert I had.
THis used to be a favourite for us but have also had mixed service during our numerous visits but after the service we received on our last visit in August i am not sure i will be returning.
After being the second group in the restaurant we promptly ordered, our drinks come rather quickly but we went on to wait around 50 mins and still no food had arrived even after asking our waitress a couple of times. We eventually had enought and wanted to leave to make use of some fast pass we had and catch the Nemo show after telling this to our waitress she expected us to pay for our drinks and leave a tip. I was shocked!
After that visit I do not wish to return here again but will miss the great food.
I agree that the steak and shrimp and fried wontons are wonderful here. The lettuce wraps here are amazing, better than ones we had at PF Chang’s. Also the sticky wings are really good too.
We made ADRs here for the first time last year for lunch. It is definitely on our list of places to return this May! Sad to say though, after finishing our drinks, apps and entrees, we no longer had room for dessert. That mango pie is calling my name for next time though!
I have ordered the stir fried beef & broccoli and the fried wontons for dessert…both were absolutely fabulous! I can’t wait to eat there again!
Just finished lunch here during our visit to Animal Kingdom. We were excited to try it after reading the rave reviews on DFB. Our experience was unfortunately the exact opposite of what we expected. We waited 15 minutes despite having an ADR. My Korean beef was salty and poorly cooked, in fact basically inedible. My husband’s tacos were seasoned poorly and he was only able to eat enough to be polite to the server. We have never had an experience this bad anywhere in Disney before. Definitely won’t be back.