By Devo CabDisney
I have to admit; finding a restaurant in Animal Kingdom can be somewhat difficult for us. At least it can be if you’re 
planning a trip with someone who has simple tastes or complicated preferences. If you’re not interested in burgers, pizza, or barbecue; you’re left with African or Asian cuisine. Of course there’s also Satu’li Canteen in the Pandora area of Animal Kingdom but while the food is very good, you may be put off by the appearance since the plating is somewhat unique amongst theme park dining.
For us, Asian is usually fairly safe. I heard good things about Yak & Yeti and wanted to give them a try! I made our reservations at our 180 day mark and looked forward to some great Asian food!
Flash forward to our second Animal Kingdom day and it was very hot and humid that day. I was ready for some of that famous “conditioned air” that they advertise. I have to admit, my first impression was not good. Sure, the place is very nicely decorated and there are so many details to gaze upon but if your staff is less than desirable, you can easily turn me off. We approached the host stand where we were “greeted” by their host who clearly didn’t want to be there. Not only did I find him to be rude in his approach, when I told him we had reservations, he acted like he didn’t believe me. Then when he did find the reservation, he said “well I guess I can find a table for you.” So yeah, we were off to a great start! I hadn’t read a menu yet but this place doesn’t seem so appealing after all.
So we get to our table and are met by a very friendly and personable waiter. I don’t get the impression that he’s been doing this for too long but if he’s friendly and get the job done, I’m good! Turns out, he was very good! It was good to see that the poor attitude was not found throughout their entire staff. In fact, that was the only rude cast member that we came across.
Very strangely for me, I wasn’t feeling very adventurous that day. I just wanted some good food. I ordered the Korean Beef which was beef, peppers, pineapple, and onions that are fried with Korean barbecue sauce. It’s served with your choice of jasmine or brown rice. I chose the jasmine, as I usually do. It was all very good. I can’t say I was blown away or impressed but it was good. I could potentially order it again but I think I would rather be more adventurous and try something totally different. I noticed lots of tasty looking food at other tables that made me wish I had ordered something different such as the Dim Sum Basket. But alas, I must wait until next time!
For dessert, we tried the Fried Wontons and the Chocolate Pudding Cake. The cake is just what it sounds like but is served with raspberry sauce. It’s very good and I recommend! The Fried Wontons came highly recommended so I couldn’t pass that up. It’s fresh pineapple and cream cheese filled wontons on skewers served with vanilla ice cream and a honey vanilla drizzle. It was very odd but very, very good! I would also recommend!
The décor throughout the restaurant blends right in with the Asian influence found throughout that area of Animal Kingdom. I highly recommend walking around and taking a look at all the fine details. There’s a lot of fine craftsmanship and their attention to details really puts this place over the top!
So while this experience started out on a sour note, I have to say that I would totally give this place another chance, and I would recommend that you give it change too! Yak & Yeti is open from 11:00 am to 3:30 pm for lunch and 4:00 pm to 9:00 pm for diner. Reservations are accepted and recommended. It’s also a part of the Disney Dining plan and counts as one table service credit!
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