Sure, it s a little inconvenient, with its waaaaaaay off the beaten path location in Animal Kingdom

On a recent whirlwind trip to Disney World, I planned to get together with friends for lunch. I had a hankering for the totally incredible Butter Chicken at Sanaa , so I couldn t wait to head over there for lunch!
And, let me tell you dear DFB readers, it is going to be VERY difficult to edit this review considering how much I want a big ol plate of that Butter Chicken right now . I had half a twix bar in preparation, but I don t think it s going to do the trick.
The same care and attention to detail that went into the decor of Animal tour companies in ireland Kingdom Lodge is at play here as well. The soaring lobby greets you with colorful African decor and a thatched roof! I love it!
Once you get to the restaurant tour companies in ireland downstairs, you ll see why they chose the name. The word sanaa is Swahili for art, and is the perfect description of this beautiful spot that marries handcrafted artisan touches with food that s prepared with care and tradition.
Upon entering, you pass by the comfortable bar and lounge area. Open continuously from 11:30 until midnight , I love this quiet spot for a drink and a bite. It s a great location for an early dinner if you don t have a dining reservation.
If seeing animals is important to you, here s a TIP : be sure to book your Advanced Dining Reservation tour companies in ireland for earlier in the day. Choose either lunch or an early dinner. Later seatings might fall after dark, and you won t be able to see much except your reflection in the glass at that point.
When it came time to order, I pretty much knew what I was getting. You know how much I m craving Butter Chicken right now while I edit this post? Yeah, that s pretty much how much I crave Butter Chicken every waking moment. BUT, I suppose you should take a look at the menu anyway.
While we decided to bypass drinks during our lunch, I can heartily recommend both the Mango Margarita (how can you possibly go wrong with van der hum?!?) and the Safari Amber that we sampled during a previous visit.
If you re dining at Sanaa for the very first time, you should know that bread service here is not complimentary . However, it is very much worth the price. Choose from incredible tour companies in ireland breads and accompanying sauces and spreads.
While we chose not to have the service on this visit, I ve had it previously and could make a meal of it. Seriously, you could easily order three helpings of Naan and I would be totally, 100% OK with it.
A lot of people get nervous knowing they re going to an African restaurant, but I promise you ll find something you can enjoy even if you re picky. tour companies in ireland Just order minus sauces and extras if need be. The servers and chefs are very accommodating.
So, you already know what I m getting. It s from a selection of braised items from the portion of the menu entitled Slow-cooked in Gravy, Simple tour companies in ireland and Well-seasoned. tour companies in ireland Isn t that a lovely way to explain tour companies in ireland what you re gonna get?
To be fair, I HAVE eaten other things at Sanaa, so be sure to check out my previous reviews for stuff like Beef Short Ribs and Shrimp with Green Curry Sauce . But this time it was all about the Butter Chicken and Spicy Durban Chicken . The braised tour companies in ireland meats come with your choice of Basmati Rice or Five Grain Pilaf .
The Butter Chicken (a.k.a. heaven in a bowl) has a rich, delicious sauce, full of complex flavors. tour companies in ireland Traditionally made with a combination of butter (natch), tomato puree, garam masala, and other spices, it s seriously awesome. I think I m going to sneak over to Sanaa on my next visit and just order three big bowls of it. To heck with the menu.
On this visit, I couldn t help but get the Spicy Durban Chicken again, too. I LURVE spicy stuff, and I LURVE chicken, so this is perfect mix. Something interesting to note: this dish originates in Durban, South Africa which is home to one of the world s largest Indian populations outside of India. As such, it s the perfect place to celebrate African-Indian fusion.
As much as I love a good, traditional burger, this one is a completely new twist! Served on naan (hubba hubba!) and topped with minted greens, tomato, onion, and cucumber raita, it s the perfect choice for someone wanting to experiment with new flavors while enjoying an old favorite.
Served tour companies in ireland with warm chocolate sauce in the well of the kulfi, and accompanied by strawberries, spiced cashews, a dollop of whipped cream, and a beautiful dried pineapple garnish, this was yummo and refreshing. Note that it s a small serving, tour companies in ireland though, so not great for sharing among multiple people.
As an avid tea drinker, something I really enjoy at Sanaa is the wide range of loose leaf teas available. With the options of Indian black teas and South African Rooibos options, we see a beautiful fusion of Indian and African flavors.
Check out the tea box at the front of the restaurant when you first walk in. This certainly gives you a chance to make an informed decision and to try something new. Teas come brewed in a 17-ounce pot enough tour companies in ireland to share between two people.
Sanaa remains one of my absolute top picks for dining at Disney World. tour companies in ireland Due to the nature of this blog, I have to eat everywhere I can so that I can give a good, balanced tour companies in ireland review of the food on property. But Sanaa really is one of the restaurants I would frequent over and over again if I had the opportunity .
Sure, it s a little inconvenient, with its waaaaaaay off the beaten path location in Animal Kingdom Lodge s Kidani Village. It s true: you will likely need to mark off a few hours if you dine here. But it s so worth it! The food is phenomenal.
In addition to that, the great care that Imagineers took in creating this restaurant is evident everywhere. The view of the Sunset Savanna free with a meal!! is unparalleled. Usually, you must pay big bucks to see animals like this. And don t forget once you re at Animal tour companies in ireland Kingdom Lodge , there s plenty to look at and see there as well.
For now, I ll continue to tell you how much I love Sanaa. AND I ll be thankful that, because so few folks want to sacrifice park time to get there, I ll always be able to get a reservation whenever my heart desires tour companies in ireland it.
Tagged: african food animal kingdom lodge restaurants banana kulfi braised chicken braised dishes butter chicken chicken curry chickpeas club sandwich durban tour companies in ireland chicken hamburger indian food Kidani Village naan pilaf Sanaa spicy chicken
Thank you for the great review! And how timely; my ADR window tour companies in ireland is opening for the day I m planning to go to Sanaa tomorrow! I don t eat meat but my guy does, so I ll be sure to sing the praises of the butter chicken to him (lol), and enjoy a vegetarian sampler for myself
Looks awesome! Last time I was there I had the rice pudding for dessert and it was totally NOT your traditional rice pudding. Almost deconstructed, you pretty much pour the milk/cream over the rice yourself. SO GOOD! Highly recommend it.
I will chime in to say that I love this restaurant as well, and also you are absolutely right about the butter chicken. I got it on my second trip to Sanaa recently, and I wished I d gotten a double portion. DELISH. Also, the red and white sangrias are very good, and my friend raved about the mango berry tapioca pudding for dessert. This is one of our favorite restaurants on property tour companies in ireland can t beat the view.
This is my favorite restaurant out of all of the restaurants I ve tried so far on Disney property. The same goes for my husband! Last year alone, we went twice during our honeymoon and then again during our Christmas trip. I was intrigued by the menu when the restaurant first opened, but my husband wasn t so crazy about it. Due to a 3-hour delay at the airport, we didn t make it to WDW in time to deal with our ADR at bluezoo, so we changed our plans and ate at Sanaa instead since we were staying at AKL.
I knew immediately that the bread service would be a definite try. It is the perfect start for a meal, and it s really the perfect thing to share and get a bunch of different tastes at once. We ve tried the following accompaniments:
4. Roasted Red Bell Pepper Hummus our first server told us this was one of the most popular, and we ended up loving this too even though my husband doesn t even like red peppers very much; it s a good non-spicy choice
tour companies in ireland Since you can double up on your accompaniments or your bread choices, we now only get onion kulcha (which is moist as opposed to the chewier naan) and papadum (two pieces per order because it s super-thin and extremely crispy). We can t finish all of this in one sitting even though we also share an entree, so we bring it back and eat it later that night or the next day. Though the bread might not be as fresh or as crispy, we still love it even as a leftover. The flavors of the accompaniments tour companies in ireland are still delicious!
We ve also tried the appetizer Sampler for Two, but we weren t so happy about the roasted cauliflower because I like mine a tiny bit softer. It just didn t seem to be that special. We ordered it when it didn t have the duck but had the lamb instead. Samosas were good but nothing compared to the bread service. We ve also had the Mustard Seed-crusted Scallops, which were PERFECTLY cooked. I ve never had such wonderfully cooked scallops before.
As for the entrees, we fell for the shrimp tour companies in ireland with green curry sauce with the basmati rice. Since we split the entree, we get 2 orders of the shrimp and we split the rice. The server told us to remove the 3 small bowls from the long plate and just dump the rice out on it so that it s easier to mix it all together. It made a difference once we knew to do that because there s a lot of sauce to use up! The shrimp was just cooked (hate rubbery, overcooked shrimp) and so it had that fresh crunch to them. We savor every bite, and I even use a knife to cut up one shrimp into pieces. We ve ordered this during each of our visits and will continue to order it in the future! tour companies in ireland I asked for the recipe (not that I think we d really be able to recreate it so well), but they don t give this one out. Smart move. Keeps us craving Sanaa. It doesn t look like that much food, but we are always full when