There’s a lot of restaurants at Walt Disney World that fly under the radar, going unnoticed while more undeserving places (cough, 50’S PRIME TIME, cough) get praised. One of those restaurants that deserves far more recognition than it gets is Sanaa, at The Animal Kingdom Lodge. Sanaa is located at Kidani Village, which is majority DVC villas. Sanaa’s location is one of the reason’s it has remained relatively unheralded. We’ve never had a hard time getting a reservation, even when we waited until the last minute. Sanaa also has really low price points, especially for the quality of food you receive.
Sanaa is perfectly themed, and the only restaurant at The Animal Kingdom Lodge with views of the savannah. Sanaa actually means ‘work of art’, and the restaurant truly is that. The ceiling of Sanaa resembles a tree, stretched out over the restaurant, shading the tables. Lights hang from the ceiling, made from baskets and pots, giving the restaurant even more detail and charm.
The menu at Sanaa is inspired, a fusion of African and Indian that is different but still mild enough for most palates. They have a fantastic wine menu, including several reasonably priced flights. Sanaa is well known for their bread service, with multiple kinds of naan breads, and sauce accompaniments to dip the bread in. They’re also known for their famous butter chicken, which it would be a mistake to make a trip to Sanaa and not order. If you aren’t feeling as adventurous, they have an amazing coffee pulled pork sandwich, which has less ethnic spices in it and a much milder flavor. For dessert, we highly recommend the chocolate mouse, which is one of the best desserts we’ve had at Disney World.
All in all, our experience at Sanaa was phenomenal. I have nothing but positive things to say about the food, the atmosphere, and the price points. We think you should do yourself a favor and have your next Disney reservation be for Sanaa (you can send thank you notes to us later!).