Review: Sanaa at Animal Kingdom Lodge

Learn About:Sanaa

Animal Kingdom Lodge
Disney World Restaurants

Found at Disney World’s Animal Kingdom Lodge, Sanaa is a full-service restaurant offering fantastic meals with Indian and African influences.

From the floor-to-ceiling windows of the restaurant, guests have a fantastic view of the safari animals on the Sunset Savanna, meaning you’ll have a stellar show of zebra, giraffe, African birds, and several other breathtaking animals.

And while the animal viewing is a great draw for Sanaa’s guests, the interesting menu, food quality, and great service will surely bring them back time and time again. And the new test-phase of the Dine with an Animal Specialist program is surely going to bring plenty of folks to Sanaa!

Atmosphere

Sanaa is located in Kidani Village, which is the Disney Vacation Club Villas section of Animal Kingdom Lodge. It sits next door to Jambo House, the main and original part of the Lodge.

Outside of Sanaa

A major complaint about Sanaa is its distance from the parks and other resort hotels in Disney World — you will have to use a Disney Transport bus, your own car, or a taxi to get here — but with all of the great [Read more…]

Dining in Disneyland: New Belle Caramel Apples

By Heather 19 Comments

A brand new caramel apple has debuted in Disneyland, and our Dining in Disneyland columnist, Heather Sievers, has the details!

Went on a little dinner/movie outing to Downtown Disney last night and had to stop by Marceline’s for a quick inventory check and a caramel apple to go. We went for the standard “Minnie” apple, but upon check-out I noticed these adorable new “Belle” caramel apples.

$14.95 Each, Wow.

At $14.95 a pop, I was not willing to take one for the team. I did however ask the cast member to take an up close shot to share here on the blog. The cast member also told me that yesterday was the very first day they were being offered. So ladies and gentlemen, I give you the brand new [Read more…]

Disney Food Post Round-Up: August 7, 2011

By AJ Leave a Comment

Kevin Kidney's WDW ceramic paper cup

Two words sum up this past week: Free Dining! It’s now available for the rest of 2011 and Spring 2012! See more details below.

After you book your vacation package, make sure to reserve your ADRs early! Any time free dining is offered, table service restaurants tend to be in high demand and often fill to capacity.

Latest Disney Food News

Kevin Kidney has designed nostalgic merchandise for WDW’s 40th anniversary!
It’s back! Free Dining packages are available for select dates from 10/2/2011 to 3/31/2012.
Raglan Road is going green on September 17th! It’s a Half-Way to St. Paddy’s Day celebration, and you’re invited!
The official website for Epcot’s 2011 Food and Wine Festival is starting to reflect this year’s themes. Check it out!
There’s plenty of beer at the upcoming Food and Wine Festival! Take a look at some of the 2011 Epcot Food and Wine Festival brews!

Reminder: The DFB Mini-Guide to Magic Kingdom Snacks e-Book Now Available!

Our friends over at Walt Disney World For Grown-Ups were inspired to create a list of their top five Magic Kingdom snacks after checking out our newest e-Book, the Disney Food Blog Mini-Guide to Magic Kingdom Snacks! Many thanks, WDWFG!

You can get your own inspirational copy of our new mini-guide here! 😉

On to the Round-Up!

Progress City, U.S.A.

shows us a coaster from World Showcase! Hint: It’s not a thrill ride.

Studios Central helps us stay cool with refreshing beverages at Hollywood Studios. Bottoms up!

Bonnet Creek Blog shows Florida’s largest cupcake created during Cupcake Lovers Weekend at the Hilton Bonnet Creek Resort!

Eating (and Drinking) Around the World salutes National Tequila Day!

Main Street Gazette visits the Anandapur Local Foods Cafe this week!

The AllEars Blog takes us up close to the new restaurant complex at Disney California Adventure. Boardwalk Pizza and Pasta and Paradise Garden Grill serve up yummy eats at Paradise Pier!

All Fare’s Food Blog shares a personal experience with obtaining Disney’s Advance Dining Reservations for dining. And she even uses The DFB Guide to Walt Disney World Dining for guidance! Woo-hoo!

Star Wars Kitchen Accessories

By AJ 14 Comments

Every once in a while we have a little fun posting some interesting Disney-related kitchen products, and our recent trip over to Think Geek has me thinking it’s time for a little Christmas in August post. 😉

Stock your kitchen with this exclusive Star Wars stuff!

Star Wars Cookbook
Outlines Galactic recipes to make in your own Cantina! The whole family will enjoy making out of this world cuisine such as Wookiee Cookies, Jedi Juice Bars, and Twin Sun Toast.

I wonder what Tusken Raider Taters are… Get the Wookiee Cookbook here!

Death Star Giant Cookie Jar
Place your cookies inside the Death Star to protect them from outside forces. Everyone will join the Dark Side in order to reach in for a tempting treat!

The best part is, half the people who come to your house won’t even know what it is, so they’ll just think you’re all post-modern. Get yours here.

Darth Vader Cookie Jar
If the Death Star doesn’t do it for you, maybe Darth himself will! He’s sporting his Lightsaber, so you can always pretend to win a duel to get your cookie, therefore deserving it that much more. Darth Vader Cookie Jar here (cookies not included).

Star Wars Vader’s Dark Side Roast Coffee
Don’t let a day in your universe begin without coffee manufactured by Stormtroopers. We can’t vouch for the taste, but surely it has to be better than Nescafe.

Have a cup while raiding your Death Star cookie jar. Get yours here.

Star Wars 10 oz. Glasses
Let the Force flow through you when enjoying your favorite Jedi Juice in these [Read more…]

Foodie T-Shirts Take Over Disney!

By Erin 9 Comments

If you’ve got a love of food and want to wear your heart on your sleeve, or rather your stomach on your chest, then Disney has a way to make that happen.

We saw the launch of food-themed clothing a while back with these fun cupcake patterns and, of course, the Turkey Leg T-shirt:

But the trend continues! The recently retooled merchandise shop at Epcot’s America pavilion now stocks a selection of non-Disney food-themed tee shirts and baseball caps. These items evoke Americana nostalgia, much like the shop’s new candy selection. Take a look:

Buckeye Donuts.

Joe's Cable Car Restaurant.

Otto's Sausage Kitchen and Meat Market.

Fuggedaboutit Pizzaria.

Gino's Deep Dish.

Loveless Cafe.

Capone's Root Beer.

Chicago Style Hot Dog.

Superdawg Drive In.

Manny's Cafeteria and Deli.

Over in the Germany pavilion, they’ve also got a collection of German food-themed [Read more…]

Review: Ariel’s Grotto in Disney California Adventure

By AJ 16 Comments

Disneyland’s Princess meal takes place in Disney California Adventure at Ariel’s Grotto, a lovely little restaurant full of windows and under-the-sea themeing perfectly fitting for the princess from The Little Mermaid.

Ariel’s Grotto lunch at Disney’s California Adventure in Disneyland Resort begins with an impressive-looking first course followed by your choice of entrees. Go ahead and skip ahead to the dessert platter. It’s worth a quick peek now, but be sure to return here to finish our full review!

Restaurant Entrance

Atmosphere

The princess vibe hits you before you even walk into the restaurant. Well, at least it did for us! We were required to walk past a merchandise kiosk selling princess dresses in order to get to the front door. Can you imagine walking by all of those dresses with your little girl on your way to a princess character meal? You’ll have to keep your wits about you, because I’m guessing she won’t! 😉

Princess Dress Kiosk

Passing the princess dresses, we walked under a sign welcoming us (and the Merfolk), and headed into the reception area for Ariel’s.

Ariel's Entrance

Here, we checked in at the podium and checked out a display of celebration cakes. These were prominent throughout Disneyland during our last visit. They’re available for order when [Read more…]

Treats From the Mini-Guide: Casey’s Cup of Chili

By AJ 3 Comments

The new Disney Food Blog Mini-Guide to Magic Kingdom Snacks lets you know what snacks are available for a Disney Dining Plan snack credit — including snacks that aren’t found on the menu!

Let me share this little tidbit with you — while it’s not listed on every menu, you can use your snack credit for a bowl of chili at Casey’s Corner. Oh, yes you can!

Casey's Corner Chili

Take your chili to the indoor bleachers where you can watch classic Disney film shorts, or sit under an umbrella-shaded table outside. Either way, you’ll know you’ve hit a snack-credit home run!

Don’t miss other delicious snack items in the Magic Kingdom! We’ve included over 70 photos and reviews of our favorite snacks throughout the Magic Kingdom theme park in the new DFB Mini-Guide to Magic Kingdom Snacks!

As bonus items, we’ve also included custom snack crawls, an index of snacks by location and snack credit, and even a list of great snack pairings! The colorful photos will show you just what you’ll get for your vacation dollars or snack credits!

Discover it all here in The Disney Food Blog Mini-Guide to Magic Kingdom Snacks!

Don’t forget to use code “MAGIC” for 20% off your Mini-Guide!

Do you know of other unpublicized snack credit options? Let us know in the comments below!

Epcot Food and Wine Festival Official Website Taking Shape

By AJ 6 Comments

The 2011 Epcot Food and Wine Festival official website is finally starting to take shape!

Click to see larger image

You’ll see all of the colors and textures mentioned in our Food and Wine Festival Preview review. But it seems as though the content on the site is still from the 2010 Festival. We’ve been told that the site will be updated fully by [Read more…]

The Battle of the Apple Pie Caramel Apples

By AJ 14 Comments

So, while my eyes were bugging out at Pooh Corner in Disneyland last year over all of the incredible sweets, I happened upon this interesting caramel apple: The Apple Pie Apple. This is a granny smith apple covered in caramel, doused in white chocolate, then sprinkled with cinnamon-sugar and dipped in pie crust crumbs. Perfectly lovely!

Disneyland Apple Pie Apple

I didn’t buy one that day, but I couldn’t forget it! So on a recent trip to Walt Disney World, I bought two Apple Pie Apples — one at a standard Disney candy store, and one at the Werther’s Karamell Küche shop in Epcot’s World Showcase. I thought it might be fun to see which version was better…

Karamell Küche Apple Pie Apple

The apple pie apples at Karamell Küche in Epcot are slightly different than the one I found in Disneyland and the others in Disney World. These are granny smith apples covered in Werther’s caramel, encased in white chocolate, then dipped in brown sugar and pie crust crumbs. They are truly glorious to look at:

Werther's Apple Pie Apple

The kind cast members at the store [Read more…]

2011 Epcot Food and Wine Festival Brews

By Kim LaPaglia 26 Comments

Can you have a festival without beer? I think not. At the 2011 Epcot Food and Wine Festival, brews will be available in many locations. Get your thirst quenched at the Craft Beer Booth, Brewer’s Collection, and the Hops and Barley Marketplace. Many individual countries will also be serving up their own beer, and there will likely be beer seminars on the docket in the Festival Center.

That said, many beer enthusiasts are less than thrilled with the offerings at this year’s Festival, mentioning the lack of more obscure and unique craft beers. We’d love to hear your thoughts in the comments section below!

Craft Beers will have their own booth at the 2011 Food and Wine Festival

Craft Beer Booth Bar Menu

Full Sail IPA
Sierra Nevada
Abita — Purple Haze
Red Hook Pilsner
Blue Moon
Leinenkugal
Key West Sunset Ale
Widmer Hefeweizen

Brewer’s Collection Bar Menu

[Read more…]

Looking for something?

STAY CONNECTED