Good Morning from Sanaa!

And I don’t say that lightly. I think any morning is a good one when you’re starting it at Animal Kingdom Lodge. And last fall, Sanaa — located in the Resort’s Kidani Village — started offering guests one more way to do that with the arrival of the Kuamsha Breakfast.

Sanaa operates as a Table Service restaurant for lunch and dinner. Breakfast, though, is a different story. Featuring Quick Service entrees as well as Grab-and-Go options (hot and cold items), breakfast is a pretty casual affair.

But that doesn’t mean it’s not a unique experience.

Upon approaching Cast Members at the check-in desk (where you would typically mention your Advance Dining Reservation for lunch or dinner), you’ll receive a menu listing your breakfast options.

A Cast Member is available in case you’d like to order one of the full breakfast entrees like the Safari Waffle (topped with Chai Whipped Cream!) or the Savanna Platter.

But the small space that serves as an impromptu Counter Service location also has plenty of serve-yourself selections as listed under Grab-and-Go.

So I went ahead and grabbed a couple of those dishes! The Bobotie (African Style Quiche) is kept warm on hot trays.

The Banana Bread was placed on a top shelf above the Yogurt Parfaits.

Even though these items are technically grab-and-GO, you are more than welcome to gather some utensils and head on into the restaurant to enjoy your food (hence, the title of this post 🙂 ). Now, the way the spot is set up, you can’t actually see the whole of the restaurant until after you pay at the cash register.

Next, you’ll pass the serve-yourself drink options so you can pick up your coffee, tea or cocoa, if you ordered one (bottled juices and milk are also available). It’s good to know that ice water and cups are at the ready here, too, since you can’t see those from the ordering area.

And next is the reveal of the restaurant! I was really hoping to land one of Sanaa’s famous floor-to-ceiling window seats, which reveal the Kidani Village Savanna and its animal residents.

Turns out, it wasn’t a problem! HOORAY!!

Now, the space wasn’t quite so empty the entire time 😉 .

However, even at the height of guests, there was always at least one or two window tables available.

I can’t stress this enough — these are PREMIUM SPOTS for lunch and dinner, and people will wait extra lengths of time for their availability. So to just stroll right in and find this perfect table for two — still among other empty tables — was an awesome treat!

Of course, any given day can vary (for what it’s worth, I was there from about 8:30 – 9:30 am on a Sunday), but given that Kidani is a lot more off the beaten path than Jambo House (the main part of the Lodge), it probably won’t ever be anywhere near as packed as breakfast at The Mara, from what I’ve seen.

Back to the food! You might already be familiar with Bobotie from a meal at Boma or Animal Kingdom’s Tusker House. At Sanaa, this savory African-style quiche is packaged with plenty of sausage and peppers, along with some cheese.

Though it’s small, for the $3.79 price tag it is surprisingly filling thanks to the hearty ingredients, and I really liked the mild hint of heat from the sausage and peppers.

That said, if you’ve got only that $3.79 (umm, plus tax 😉 ) burning a hole in your pocket, I’d recommend spending it on the next option over the Bobotie: it’s the Banana Bread with House-made African Chocolate Hazelnut Spread.

Four slices of Banana Bread are packaged together with a small condiment dish of the spread.

The banana bread slices are again, on the small side. But they are soft, moist, just-dense-enough, and VERY fresh, with great banana flavor. But what really makes this little dish — of course — is the opportunity to smear that House-made African Chocolate Hazelnut Spread all over it, to enjoy with every bite!

As to how this differs from store-bought Nutella, I didn’t notice a huge difference from a flavor perspective. The consistency wasn’t quite as thick, and the chocolate perhaps a little lighter. But that yummy chocolate and hazelnut flavor combo was ALL THERE.

I really enjoyed it, alongside those savanna views. The morning traffic on the savanna was pretty quiet, until the feeding truck arrived.

Then things picked up a bit!

The morning sun streaming through the windows, the view of the animals, some tasty and unique breakfast options, and the peaceful atmosphere make the Kuamsha Breakfast at Sanaa a really wonderful — and even memorable — Counter Service experience, and one that comes highly recommended.

Would you like to start your day at Sanaa? Please let us know with a comment!