Disney’s Animal Kingdom is sort of the red-headed stepchild of Disney parks, often dismissed as nothing more than a zoo. This is too bad, really, because of all the Disney parks, it has what is arguably one of loveliest themes and incredible attention to detail. But we’re not here to discuss the merits of DAK, we’re here to talk about the food. After all, it is a big park and you’re going to need some sustenance to get around it.
First of all, you’ll find two things missing from Disney’s Animal Kingdom: Plastic straws and lids for your drinks. It’s for the animals, so we willingly give those things up even if the paper straws feel a little, well, creepy. If you’re worried about your younger children spilling their drinks on themselves, bring a sippy cup/straw cup from home and pour the drink in it. Problem solved.
Ironically, DAK has the worst quick service options of any park for vegetarians. I wrote about it here, but if you want to save yourself the trouble of clicking I’ll simply tell you that your best choices are probably veggie burgers or Pizzafari. For the rest of you, here are my top five in no particular order:
Picnic in the Park is one of my favorite quick service options in Disney World and the abundance of quiet, pretty areas to enjoy your meal make it an especially nice choice for DAK. Order anything from healthy sandwiches to roasted chicken and sides. Feeds 2 – 6,depending on the price. For more information, check out this post on The Disney Food Blog (scroll down past the updates for the review).
Safari Turkey. Did I just recommend the turkey legs again? Yes. Yes, I did. I know they’re not for everyone, but they’re cheap, huge and filling. Oh, and they taste really good. Just can’t get into the turkey legs? They have chicken wings as well.
Yak and Yeti Counter Service. Asian style noodles, sweet and sour pork, egg rolls and the like. The chicken fried rice is pretty good. Nuggets and burgers for the kids.
Pizzafari. I believe Disney can do just about anything. They can take a stressed-out adult with a powerful job and too much responsibility and make him feel like a kid again. They can make you forget that the person in the mouse costume isn’t really Mickey Mouse, if only for a few minutes. And they can create rides that make it seem perfectly reasonable to wait over an hour to experience them. But they can’t make pizza, or at least not yet. I’m holding out hope for Via Napoli, but that’s another post. Pizzafari isn’t great pizza, but it’s probably the best quick service pizza you’ll get in any of the parks. Better yet, your kids will probably like it and there are salads and slightly addictive bread sticks. Bonus points for plenty of seating in cheerful rooms. As noted above, this is a good place to take your non-meat eating friends.
If I had to pick at favorite at DAK, I’d probably go with Flame Tree Barbecue. I live in the south, so I’m pretty particular about my BBQ, but this place surprised me, particularly the ribs, which were moist and delicious. Onion rings, chicken, fries and sandwiches. This place will make everyone in your party happy. Well, maybe not the vegetarians. Walk down toward the water for one of the nicest views in all of Disney World.
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