Still craving the Asian cuisine after the disappointment that was the last experience, I decided to take on the Yak and Yeti restaurant in Disney’s Animal Kingdom. Animal Kingdom back in 1998 had many issues developing an audience for a multitude of reasons---and lack of fine dining was amongst the biggest grudges. So, they made a deal with the Landry’s Restaurants company and before you know it Landry has a place within the park borders; a restaurant with heavy heavy Asian influence.
The Yak and Yeti has been a decent success in the Animal Kingdom partially because just like Hollywood Studios, there aren’t that many options and they aren’t that varied. The institution has a quick service section, and a sit-down area right next door. The place is just full of style and ambiance, much more so than your typical eatery. With quirky details left and right, the place was fun to look at. And with the background music you felt like you were in some distant land. This also helps:
It’s this Disney touch that always gives sit-down restaurants within the vicinity an extra layer of quality.
The menu is quite diverse and quantity-wise, bigger than that of your usual Disney dining spot. A few classics, a few hybrids, and a few unique entries makes up the menu here. I decided to try out their tuna ahi, the sweet and sour pork, while combining that with one of their signature drinks known as the big bamboo. The pricing of all this is a little on the upwards side, so now time will tell if the quantity and quality matches it.
The big bamboo is like a tropical punch with a special alcoholic kick. It is refreshing without being too watery, while also being not too strong yet has a nice alcoholic dab. Good start. The ahi tuna arrived on a bid of chili slaw and came with wasabi aioli. The tuna was fantastic as it tasted fresh and had that nice seafood bite to it. Sadly, the slaw was more for presentation than for taste, because it did not contribute much to the dish at all.
After a brief wait, the main dish arrives. The sweet and sour pork arrives. It is a decent-sized dish with a small helping of rice, several pieces of pork drenched in sweet and sour sauce, while pineapples and carrots decorated the rest of the plate. The jasmine rice was decently done, but was missing some flair, like butter or salt or olive oil even. The pork chunks themselves were very good, as each bite was the right amount of meat and never too much batter or coating. The sauce engulfed the entire bottom of the plate and mixed well with the rice and fruit. The pineapple chunks were an odd choice for such the Asian dish, but they added a little variety to the meal.
If there was anything to gripe about though, it’s the price tag. At nearly $20 for a dish that I have received at a much smaller price and with more food to boot, the sweet and sour pork is a meal whose quality is hindered by the knowledge of how much you paid. You are paying more for the experience and for the escape from the heat—because Animal Kingdom can get quite hot sometimes. Good food, but still mildly difficult to justify the price. At five bucks more I could have gotten the always-expensive mahi-mahi with rice and vegetables. Just saying.
Bottom Line: What saves Yak and Yeti is the nice combo of ambiance and nice service---and because there aren’t that many options in the park to begin with. Trust me; I would take this over Tusker House any day. And that’s just it---you don’t have anything else to pick from sit-down wise. At least the food is good, even if it’s hefty in price. While it is leagues above the average Asian spot in Central Florida, it will cost a pretty penny to receive such an experience.
Final Verdict: Lightly Recommend---by default.
Yak and Yeti
Disney’s Animal Kingdom
Lake Buena Vista, Fl
407-WDW-DINE
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