Review of the New Yak & Yeti Restaurant at Disney’s Animal Kingdom
The new Yak & Yeti restaurant in Disney’s Animal Kingdom has been fully opened for about six weeks now (although previews started on Thanksgiving), and I finally had a chance to eat there yesterday. I took some pictures during my visit, which I’m including in this post (sorry I’m not the best photographer).
I wasn’t sure what to expect from the newest table service restaurant at Disney’s Animal Kingdom, but I left the Yak & Yeti very satisfied and very full!
As we entered the Yak & Yeti, we first noticed the beautiful decor. My one complaint is that the restaurant is very dark, but the decorations are exquisite. Since the Yak & Yeti is in the Asia section of Disney’s Animal Kingdom, the restaurant’s design is Asian-inspired. I noticed a great deal of elaborately carved woodwork and jeweled statues and urns. Below is a picture of one of the beautiful statues (for lack of a better word) found throughout the restaurant. This one is in the restaurant’s foyer.
When it was our turn to be seated (I highly recommend priority seating reservations as this restaurant gets very crowded), we were taken past a small bar and up an elevator to our table. My first impression was that this restaurant looks huge (it seats up to 443 people). The vast size has a tendency to make it feel less cozy than many of the other Disney restaurants, but that’s a very minor complaint. Here is a picture from the second floor looking down onto the first floor.
We were greeted by our server and handed our menus. Instantaneously, we realized we were in for a treat. Everything on the menu sounded completely mouthwatering. Of course, all of the menu items were Asian inspired. We tried the pork pot stickers and fried green beans with chili sauce as appetizers, and both were delicious. For the main course, I ordered the honey glazed chicken – phenomenal. My husband had the Pho, and my parents each ordered the Miso Salmon. We all absolutely loved our meals. Luckily, my 3-year old triplets were also satisfied with the kids menu that included hamburgers, chicken nuggets, lo mein and egg rolls.
Here is a picture showing some more of the decor on the second floor of the Yak & Yeti.
I should mention that since Disney’s Animal Kingdom closes fairly early most of the year (for example, 5:00 p.m.), the Yak & Yeti only offers one menu that is served for lunch and dinner.
Overall, I would highly recommend the Yak & Yeti restaurant at Disney’s Animal Kingdom. The prices were comparable to other table-service restaurants on Disney property, and the food was amazing. I can’t wait to go back again!
Tags: Disney’s Animal Kingdom, Walt Disney World, Disney vacation, Disney dining, Yak & Yeti, Disney restaurants
5 Comments
I need to stop reading your blog, Susan! Not only did this entry give me Disney-lust, but now I’m hungry, too. :p
Hi Hil!
That’s why I had to move to Florida. Not a day would go by that I wouldn’t think about Disney World, and now, I can go there everyday!
During week of July 4th, my 13 yr old son was sick for a whole day after we left the Yak & Yeti. He had a stomach bug from something he ate. He was out of commission for 24 hrs, (Yakking) in the hotel room with my wife. I think it probably was due to the steak he ordered, after I think about it, it did not look cooked. I would like to complain, where do I write? Has anyone else experienced this during that time period?
Thanks – John
Went to Yak & Yeti on week of 12/1/08 and it was wonderful. I have food sensitivities and the chef went out of his way to accomodate my needs and all was mouthwatering, and the decor wonderful. We would highly recommend the place.
This was by far the best meal we had last week at WDW. The food was great. The service was exceptional – thanks to Ethan. The atmosphere was entertaining. If this were a local restaurant, I would be a regular.