While Animal Kingdom’s quick service options are fewer in number than the other major theme parks, they are all above average in the grand scheme of things. With an update to the mundane menu at Restaurantosaurus in August 2012, even it offers a few interesting options. Let’s have a look:
Most Unique Menu
- Yak & Yeti (Anandupar Local Foods Café)
- Flame Tree Barbecue
- Tamu Tamu Refreshments
- Restaurantosaurus
- Pizzafari
Owned and operating by Landry’s rather than Disney, Yak & Yeti offers a diverse menu of Asian favorites along with a cold salad or sandwich if you prefer. Over at Flame Tree, you can order St. Louis Style Ribs along with a fruit plate, smoked chicken salad, or smoked turkey breast sandwich with cranberry mayonnaise along with barbecued favorites. While Tamu Tamu Refreshments only has four entrees on the menu, each can’t be found anywhere else, with the exception of the Fruit Salad that is also available at the Bradley Falls Kiosk near Flights of Wonder. Restaurantosaurus now offers a unique Grilled Chicken Sandwich, in addition to the Vegetable Subosaurus and Chicken BLT Salad. Rounding out the choices is Pizzafari, which mostly serves the usual Disney pizza. But it also offers the unique and very good Chicken & Vegetable Pasta Salad.
Best “Value” AKA Most Expensive Meal on the Dining Plan
- Flame Tree Barbeque ($9.73, $11.99)
- Yak & Yeti (Average entrée $9.99, most expensive $10.99)
- Restaurantosaurus ($9.35, $9.99)
- Pizzafari ($8.99, $9.49)
- Tamu Tamu Refreshments ($8.79, $8.99)
Coming in at $11.99, the most expensive quick service entree is Flame Tree Barbecue’s Ribs and Chicken Combo. Over at Yak & Yeti, their most expensive item is the $10.99 Beef Lo Mein. Restaurantosaurus’s most expensive entree is a Bacon Cheeseburger, while Pizzafari’s are the Vegetable or Pepperoni Pizzas. Finally, Tamu Tamu adds three entrees for $8.99.
Best Value Out of Pocket
- Flame Tree Barbeque
- Yak & Yeti
- Tamu Tamu Refreshments
- Restaurantosaurus
- Pizzafari
The Flame Tree serves the best quick service barbecue in all of Disney World. Portions are large and less expensive than Fairfax Fare or Cosmic Ray’s Starlight Cafe. Although Yak & Yeti is the most expensive quick service at the Animal Kingdom by average entree cost, the portions are large and if you add a $4 side of egg rolls or chicken fried rice then you should have plenty of food for two people to share (and possibly enough even without the additional side). The quality is also high and the food tastes better than either of the Asian counter services at Epcot. Tamu Tamu Refreshments is a little less expensive than the other options and the food is quite good. It’s also largely unpopular, causing nonexistent lines most of the time. Restaurantosaurus has seen an improvement recently, but you’ll still find the basic burgers, nuggets, and salad on the menu. Finally, Pizzafari sells your standard Disney pizza along with the better Hot Italian Sandwich and Pasta Salad.
Best Seating
- Restaurantosaurus
- Pizzafari
- Flame Tree BBQ
- Tamu Tamu Refreshments
- Yak & Yeti
Restaurantosaurus wins here, offering plentiful indoor, air-conditioned seating in a richly themed environment. If you prefer, there’s outdoor seating as well. Pizzafari has ample indoor, air-conditioned seating. It’s also an excellent spot to get off your feet and enjoy a treat from one of the outdoor vendors, especially during off-peak meal times. Flame Tree BBQ has a pleasant outdoor seating area, but you may have to deal with the birds that are common in the area. They can be annoying as they swoop in to steal your food, walk around eating food off the ground, and poop as necessary. If it isn’t too hot out, the tables overlooking Expedition Everest across the water are among the most serene at Disney World. At Tamu Tamu, your options are to sit outside across the street at the Dawa Bar or off to the side, where there are additional tables. It’s mostly covered, but still hot in the summer. Yak and Yeti’s biggest detraction is its complete lack of indoor seating. Not only is all of the seating outdoors, but there is no covering other than small umbrellas over some of the tables. This can make for an unpleasant dining experience, especially in the summer heat and rain.
Best Food
- Flame Tree Barbeque
- Yak & Yeti
- Tamu Tamu Refreshments
- Pizzafari
- Restaurantosaurus
For whatever reason, Disney executes their barbecue options at Flame Tree better than anywhere else. The chicken, ribs, salad, and even the barbecued pork are better than other locations. And you can add a refreshing fruit plate to a meal or opt for the cold turkey sandwich. Yak & Yeti is also quite good and some of the best quick service Asian food you’ll find on property. Tamu Tamu Refreshments features just four items, but they’re all above average. And the homemade chips are also prepared better than any other quick service location, including Tomorrowland Terrace and Diamond Horseshoe. Pizzafari serves the usual Disney pizza, which isn’t anything to write home about. On the plus side, the Hot Italian Sandwich and Pasta Salad are well above average and come recommended. While it did add a couple of interesting options in August 2012, Restaurantosaurus still serves up the usual, average-at-best Disney burgers, nuggets, and hot dogs.
Overall Best Counter Service at the Animal Kingdom
- Flame Tree Barbecue
- Yak & Yeti
- Tamu Tamu Refreshments
- Pizzafari
- Restaurantosaurus
The possibility of running into some birds isn’t enough to keep Flame Tree out of the top spot. Quality barbecue and pleasant surroundings make it an easy number one selection. It’s also in the top five best counter service locations in all of Disney World, so be sure to give it a try if the menu sounds appealing. Despite potentially uncomfortable seating, Yak & Yeti is an excellent choice as well. It’s also a good opportunity to order a type of food that you won’t find at the Magic Kingdom or Hollywood Studios. While the menu is limited to just a few selections and the seating is all outdoors, what Tamu Tamu does do is very good. The Slow Roasted Pulled Beef Sandwich in particular is a quality item that you won’t find elsewhere. Pizzafari beats out Restaurantosaurus because of its slightly more interesting menu and a similar seating arrangement. Restaurantosaurus does offer a much larger menu, so be sure everyone is in the mood for pizza, salad, or an Italian sandwich if you choose to visit Pizzafari over Restaurantosaurus. If a burger or chicken nuggets sound better than pizza, then you’re better off at Restaurantosaurus.
Overall, the Animal Kingdom has the strongest quick service locations of any of Disney World’s theme parks. There’s plenty of variety and the quality is higher than most other locations.
{ 9 comments… read them below or add one }
The last time I tried Flame Tree was 2005. We usually eat TS. I remember not caring for it then and was planning to try Pizzafari.. We’re paying OOP so now I have doubts. We’re from SC and are used to good BBQ. Will FT disappoint us too much? We will also need to cool down-another reason I planned pizza. There will be 10 of us in early August. Thanks.
Where do you all usually find a place to sit when you get to-go food from Yak & Yeti? We will be going to WDW in September, and sitting out in the hot sun doesn’t really sound like a great idea.
Love Flame Tree! The food is great, the value is good, and if we are doing OOP my daughter and I share. It’s still enough. My favorite in AK!
Yak & Yeti was GREAT! My super-picky daughter even enjoyed the Honey Chicken. Definitely one of the best CS meals we had all week.
Flame Tree is our lunch for every AK visit. We enjoy the food, value and covered seating down by the lake. Kids love the birds.
Another vote for Flame Tree. Get a big ol’ plate of ribs and enjoy them down by the water while watching everyone having fun on Everest across the way – magic!
We really liked both Flametree BBQ and Restaurantosaurus. The birds did not bother us while we were dining. The heat though really did and indoor air-conditioned dining is a plus for Restaurantosaurus and offsets the fact it is just your average burger, fries, and chicken. Portions were large at both places and I would return to either. I can’t wait to try Yak & Yeti now too! It sounds delish.
Food was good at Yak & Yeti but outdoor seating is a HUGE detriment, especially in August. In addition to unbearable mid-day heat, the trash containers stink and attract a large number of yellowjacket hornets. NOT a pleasant experience for many reasons.
Yeah found the same problem at flametree first time I didn’t enjoy My meal there