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You are here: Home / Blog / Jungle Crawl Booze Safari with Rhinoceroses and Dinner at Yak & Yeti

Jungle Crawl Booze Safari with Rhinoceroses and Dinner at Yak & Yeti

May 1, 2013 ~ 9 minutes read35 Comments

Disney celebrated its 15th Anniversary last Monday. T-shirts and hats are still available. You can still get Epcot 30th Anniversary merchandise for that matter.

In other merchandise news, Animal Kingdom has added this Jiminy Cricket Plush to the Buy More…Buy More offer. Monsters University merchandise is widely available:

Cute stuff.

The Dawa Bar, located in Africa to the left of Tusker House, should be your destination if you’re looking for just one drink at Animal Kingdom. Menu:

You’ve got some of Animal Kingdom’s best cocktails along with the widest selection of African beer and wine.

The African Margarita – Sauza Gold Tequila, Van der Hum Tangerine Liqueur from South Africa, Sweet-and-Sour, and Lime Juice – $8.75.

The Tangerine Liqueur is what makes the drink, adding some citrus notes to an otherwise standard margarita.

The Lost on Safari – Captain Morgan Original Spiced Rum, Bacardi Superior Rum, and our refreshing Pangani Punch – $7.75. This is fruity without being too sweet or artificial and it has more alcohol in it than most of the other drinks we’ll run into later. It’s also prepared fresh in front of you, unlike a lot of the other drinks that sit in vats most of the day.

The Dawa Colada – Bacardi Black Razz Rum blended with Pina Colada Mix and Raspberry Puree – $7.75. This is one of those pre-mixed cocktails, but it was creamy rather than that Slurpee texture that a lot of frozen drinks have. The raspberry puree is what carries the drink – another sweet drink that’s better than the competition. It was Lisa’s favorite drink of the day.

The Sugar Cane Mojito – Starr African Rum and Sugar Cane Syrup mixed with Fresh Mint, Lime, and a splash of Soda – $9.75. This had a nice minty flavor that seemed to mask the alcohol from the rum well. The addition of a chewable sugar cane was a nice touch. It wasn’t quite Bongos-mojito-quality, but I found it to be refreshing. Recommended.

Of the beers available, I like the Tusker House from Kenya, particularly on a hot afternoon. I would probably skip the Casa Lager, which is also available over in Morocco at Epcot. They recently removed my favorite, the Bedele Pilsner.

Yak & Yeti’s quick service arm has a drink window that you probably wouldn’t notice unless you headed back to the seating section.

They offer two specialty drinks along with an assortment of draft beer.

The Yak Attack – Mango Daiquiri, Bacardi Light Rum, and Wildberry Flavors- $7.99. Yak & Yeti may just be too cheap to reprint their menu, but I feel like these drinks have been eight bucks for 15 years.

They’re dispensed out of the Electric Freeze. The same drink is available inside the restaurant as well. The Yak Attack is mango-y sweet. There is no alcohol taste whatsoever and the drinks are on the large side. These tasted a lot better than the other various rum frozen drinks we’re going to run into later. Recommended.

We run into the Safari Amber here along with Shock Top, Kirin Ichiban, and Bud Light. Ichiban is one of my least favorite beers of all time. Of all time. Tastes like metal bread in my opinion. Pass the Natty Ice, please. Shock Top is brewed by Anheuser-Busch and it’s not bad with a distinct wheat flavor to it. We’ll get to Safari Amber later.

Now we find ourselves at Restaurantosaurus, which added two drinks in August 2012.

A Lychee Coconut Rum Lemonade and Wildberry Mango Rum Lemonade to be exact.

The Lychee Coconut Rum Lemonade is extremely sweet, not particularly boozy, and tasted like what I assume lychees taste like. It was tres refreshing. The coconut flavor comes from the rum, so if you’re coconut-adverse, I don’t think you have much to worry about. Coconut rum isn’t particularly alcoholic, so don’t expect to get drunk here. But I was happy with the portion and the flavor for the price, especially because “lychee lemonades” aren’t particularly common.  Recommended.

And a Wildberry Mango Rum Lemonade. This is the second or third time we’ve run into “wildberry.” I’m pretty sure they’re making it up. I don’t think they sell a lot of these as the cast member was having an awful time making it. This is also a sweet concoction and basically tastes like fruit punch with a hint of rum. On the plus side, it’s two to three dollars less expensive than just about any other drink you’ll find at Animal Kingdom and it’s a large size.

Also in DinoLand, you’ll find the Dino Diner, which is hilarious looking.

It offers a single alcoholic beverage.

The Frozen Bacardi Raspberry Rum Lemonade. Like most of Disney’s “frozen” beverages, it consists of less than an ounce of “Bacardi Black Razz” rum underneath the usual frozen lemonade. You’d be much better off putting some rum in a water bottle and ordering the $4 non-alcoholic version. It’s quite refreshing in the hot weather, but don’t expect much booziness. Not necessarily recommended.

Trilo-Bites, also in DinoLand, gets in on the action.

Here, we have a “Blueberry-Mango Rum Lemonade.”

Said lemonade. Lisa and I agreed that this tasted almost exactly like the Wildberry Lemonade from Restaurantosaurus, only in Slurpee form. This is another drink where the rum is added separately and it basically tastes like a Slurpee with an ounce of rum added. Because that’s what it is.

Upcountry Beverages sits next to Flights of Wonder in Asia.

Pre-made frozen margaritas.

A half Bali Hai Strawberry/Maharajah Lime Margarita on the left and the Maharajah Lime Margarita on the right (should memory serve). These were both pretty good for what they are – very cold, very refreshing, and moderately boozy. You’re familiar with these if you’ve ever had a frozen Margarita at the Mexico Pavilion or anywhere else for that matter, you slobbery drunk. I wouldn’t hesitate to order another when temperatures really start to get up there. They’re a nice choice if it’s what you’re looking for.

Kingfisher Premium is another common beer when Disney is trying to be “African.” This one originated in Bangalore, India, but as you can see from the bottle, is brewed in Saratoga Springs, New York. But still very Disney with the Saratoga Springs Resort on property! This 4.8% American Pale Lager is okay. It probably tastes better when it’s 95 degrees out and feels like 170. It sort of tastes like Old Englishe with added sweetness.

That’s almost all of the drinks available at the various stands around Animal Kingdom. You’ll run into Eppa Sangria at Pizzafari. It’s $8.50 for a few ounces or $11 for a bottle at the store. Tamu Tamu Refreshments in Africa offers some coffee drinks with liqueur added that are much too hot to drink this time of year. Maybe in December.

Dinner is at Yak & Yeti in the Asia section, which is located to the left of Kali River Rapids.

Menu. Readable: https://www.easywdw.com/reports7/yakmenu.jpg.

Yak & Yeti has a small bar area just inside the entrance. Securing a reservation shouldn’t be a problem, but it’s an option if you’re by yourself or just want to pop in. The full menu is available.

The restaurant is otherwise operated by Landry’s, which is the same outfit that runs Rainforest Cafe, T-Rex, Morton’s, Claim Jumper, and others.

We talked to four or five cast members over the course of the meal, each of whom pointed out that “all of the artifacts are authentic.” I’m not sure what this means as the keyboard I’m typing on is an “authentic artifact” as is just about anything else in the world. But the restaurant is neat. They let us know we were free to walk around and take pictures if you wanted to:

This is the restaurant where you can watch the 3:45pm Parade should you ask to be seated at the window that overlooks Asia.

Assuming they’re seating people on the second floor.

We were seated on the first floor near the windows. In the corner, which is where I’m generally placed.

Of course there is a story. Drink menu:

The Yak Attack is exactly what we saw outside at the drink window.

Lisa started with the 22-ounce Safari Amber, which is Anheuser-Busch’s “specialty beer” that they market under approximately 7,354 different names. It’s a lot better than your typical Bud Light and worth the extra 25 cents just on alcohol content.

I went with the Big Bamboo on the bartender’s recommendation – Malibu Coconut Rum, Bacardi Light Rum, DeKuyper Banana Liqueur, and Tropical Fruit Juices – $7.99. Okay. Fruity. They do make their cocktails fresh, which is a step in the right direction.

Whenever Lisa and I dine together, she always orders two drinks immediately. I don’t blame her. This is a Bonsai Blast – Skyy Vodka, DeKuyper Banana Liqueur, Peachtree Schanpps, Blue Curacao, and Sweet & Sour. This one had too much curacao and their glasses seem to thin out as you make your way down.

I always aim to give you the full Disney Food Blog experience, which consists of ordering one of everything and telling you how amazing it all was. This is the best I could do on short notice – the Wok Fried Green Beans – Battered green beans, sweet Thai dipping sauce – $8.99.  These were really good, served piping hot and perfectly crunchy.  The only problem was that the entrees came out “literally” four minutes after the beans were delivered.

Lisa took this picture of her Crispy Honey Chicken – Tempura Chicken, Broccoli, Carrots, Honey Sauce – $17.99.  I should also mention that the “Jimmy Buffett joke” in the last post was hers.  We don’t have Jimmy Buffett on the west coast, though I did have a Magaritaville for a short time in college.  It was too cumbersome to clean so I just took it back to Costco.

The Honey Chicken in the restaurant is similar to what’s served outside at the quick service, though I think you get your +$7 worth inside.  It’s lightly battered chicken deep fried with a sweet, honey sauce.  Your +$7 at least gets you out of the sun.

Because I’m a huge baller (and Lisa was paying), I ordered the Shaoxing Steak and Shrimp – Skirt steak, tempura-battered shrimp, jasmine rice, stir-fried vegetables, chili plum dipping sauce – $25.99.

Half eaten for your viewing pleasure.  This was what you could expect from the cut of beef – flavorful without being particularly tender.  The four tempura-battered shrimp were served alongside a similar/the same sauce as the green beans.

The side of vegetables were prepared well – piping hot and still crunchy.

Overall, the meal was above average and Yak & Yeti continues to be a good choice for those looking for relatively inexpensive table service food in a fun setting.  I would have liked more than four minutes with the green beans though, particularly with nobody being seated upstairs and half the restaurant empty on the bottom floor.

Last modified: December 12, 2015 Filed Under: Blog

Comments

  1. Melissa C says

    May 1, 2013 at 4:01 pm

    I can’t appreciate the alcohol review b/c I don’t drink! 🙂 But I enjoyed the YY food review. I plan to have a noon lunch there this June since we have never eaten there before. Lisa’s dish look delicious!! Thanks for the great review…as always!

    Reply
  2. Jimmy N says

    May 1, 2013 at 4:17 pm

    You must get a lot of brain freezes.

    Reply
  3. TriSeb says

    May 1, 2013 at 4:26 pm

    Dude, thanks I am finally moving from the outside seating (which I have no complaints) to the indoor just avoid the summer heat, looks like a win, thanks!… Also looks like the perfect place to drink courage juice before heading to EE.

    Reply
  4. N J Life says

    May 1, 2013 at 4:28 pm

    Luckily his camera doesn’t freeze.

    Reply
  5. tanya says

    May 1, 2013 at 4:36 pm

    I soooo wanted this to be my dinner with you a few weeks ago! Glad you got to enjoy it. The drinks look good. I shall make this meal someday…….

    Reply
  6. RebeccaMcK says

    May 1, 2013 at 5:00 pm

    The Dino Diner does seem to offer one other alcoholic beverage, if you can call Bud Light alcoholic. I assume any of the rum drinks can be made without the rum if one prefers? I have a rum allergy (well, instant headache whenever I try it so I’ll call it an allergy). I like slushy drinks that don’t taste too strong. That mango thing with the three ingredients….if I left out the rum it would just be mango daquiri flavor and wild berry I guess. Good enough for me. I liked the chicken lo mein at Yak&Yeti the one time I dined there. It was too hot at first but it at least stayed warm through the whole dinner and I couldn’t believe I ate it all.

    Reply
  7. Becky says

    May 1, 2013 at 5:15 pm

    Very professional like pics of those drinks at Dawa – rockin’ the depth of field. Nice.

    Reply
  8. Carol O says

    May 1, 2013 at 5:36 pm

    Did I miss the rhinoceroses? No matter. Love it anyway.

    Reply
  9. Debbie says

    May 1, 2013 at 5:40 pm

    No Fried Wontons for dessert?? What were you thinking??

    Reply
  10. Heather Jones says

    May 1, 2013 at 7:09 pm

    Finally, a blogger that has priorities! Thanks for helping me booze my way through Animal Kingdom! Really, I “literally” mean that.

    Reply
  11. RazIsland says

    May 1, 2013 at 7:09 pm

    Costco will literally take anything back

    Reply
  12. susan says

    May 1, 2013 at 7:46 pm

    : Jimmy BuffetT” not Jimmy Buffet. 🙂

    Reply
  13. Queenie says

    May 2, 2013 at 2:29 am

    I don’t drinks so kinda skipped over that part, but I loooooooove Yak n Yetti, sorry your steak was not melt in your mouth good, like it was for our family. I guess it is luck of the draw on who is chef that day. I had heard a lot of veterans speak lovingly of Yak N Yetti, but I always resisted because I would look at the menu and think “oh the kids will never eat that” well our 3rd or 4th trip, I finally gave in. Well much to my delighted shock, the kids loved it and so did we. The fried apple dumpling thingy(forget the official name) with ice cream was a fantastic finish…can not wait to get back to one of my top 3 restaurants in Disney! 🙂

    Reply
  14. Queenie says

    May 2, 2013 at 2:30 am

    oh yeah, and I was a “baller” too when we dined here…thanks to free dining. 🙂

    Reply
  15. Figaro says

    May 2, 2013 at 3:12 am

    Drinks are friends, not food! You can’t live off them.
    Intervention!

    Reply
  16. em says

    May 2, 2013 at 4:17 am

    Yak Attack – Yumm! I never pass by the Yak & Yeti without getting one 🙂

    Reply
  17. Drunk Rhino says

    May 2, 2013 at 5:27 am

    In that picture of the Dawa Bar, are those Dogfish Head bottles directly under the menu? If so, why would they tease with such things and then offer me a Michelob Ultra?

    Reply
  18. Sarah says

    May 2, 2013 at 5:34 am

    My husband made fun of me for suggesting we get bombed at AK next time we go. Looks like you and I are on the same page!

    Reply
  19. judy says

    May 2, 2013 at 5:44 am

    Yak & Yeti bar is a great walk in spot for 2 adults looking to dine without a reservations. It has AC, soft seats, drinks and food. A perfect way to spend an hour. Highly recommend!

    Reply
  20. neffernie says

    May 2, 2013 at 6:00 am

    I have a question about the lychee coconut rum lemonade. Since it seems like they add the rum there, do you think they would add the mango rum to the lychee lemonade instead of the coconut rum? I had a bad incident with coconut rum about 10 years ago and it still makes me sick just thinking about it. 🙂

    Reply
  21. Tracey H says

    May 2, 2013 at 6:24 am

    So if I am looking for the best fruity drink and the best beer at AK….which ones would they be 😉

    Reply
  22. Jana says

    May 2, 2013 at 10:39 am

    I love the look of the Dino Diner – cracked me up the first time I saw it and now I must take a picture of it every trip (even though it never changes, it’s my odd tradition). 😉

    Reply
  23. Chryste Madsen says

    May 2, 2013 at 10:50 am

    We love, love, love Yak & Yeti! Everyone we’ve taken there has loved it, too! Haven’t found a clunker on the menu yet. Those deep fried green beans go like hot cakes with the kids and we had a 9 year old that ate the entire order of the ribs…he pronounced them the best he’d ever had. Can’t wait for our October reservation! Thanks so much for the review. (How do I get the drool from between the keys???? Anybody???)

    Reply
  24. JasonMiller says

    May 2, 2013 at 1:27 pm

    Now I know how Wilson can sleep at night…it’s all the alcohol.

    Reply
  25. mike says

    May 2, 2013 at 3:43 pm

    I love me some disney but having to avoid the drinks is my only problem. Love the blog because it allows me to reminesce without messing up my clean time

    Reply
  26. Pam H. says

    May 3, 2013 at 8:32 am

    One of these days my husband & I will do a adult only trip to Disney, and we will try all of these drinks. When traveling with a kid, you have to limit yourself a bit. Don’t want the kid to have to get you back to the resort and tuck you in. It wouldn’t look good and that would be bad parenting 🙂

    Reply
  27. Ben says

    May 3, 2013 at 9:48 am

    I was looking throught the post trying to find the food menu–all i saw was the drink menu. Then I thought —eh and moved on.

    Reply
  28. josh says

    May 3, 2013 at 10:56 am

    https://www.easywdw.com/reports7/coolstory.jpg

    Reply
  29. Lucy says

    May 3, 2013 at 3:18 pm

    Last February I ordered a Bali Hai Strawberry and boy do I regret it. It was pure tequila with strawberry flavor and it ruined my afternoon at AK and my lunch reservations at Yak&Yeti, I was sleepy, grouchy and overall not happy. I had to leave early and go back to my room to sleep it off. Lesson learned, I gave up all alcohol beverages after that fiasco.

    Reply
  30. Anonymous says

    May 3, 2013 at 9:38 pm

    Lisa trained for this crawl, bravo to you both. I’d be napping on a bench after the first 2 drinks.

    Reply
  31. Brian says

    May 4, 2013 at 8:37 am

    I am a beer geek in that picture with the bottles lined up looks like DFH 90 and a Delirium Tremins? (Spelling might be wrong here) but that’s good stuff if they are serving that at Dawa bar.

    Reply
  32. Dee says

    May 4, 2013 at 3:23 pm

    I don’t drink, but that Bonsai Blast sure looks pretty.

    One of these days I will get around to trying Yak & Yeti, not so much for the food though…I just like the way the building looks. I’m strange like that.

    Reply
  33. Annie says

    May 5, 2013 at 10:17 pm

    And now I know where I can watch the 3:45 parade while having a Yak Attack or a Big Bamboo. Thanks!

    Reply
  34. RebeccaMcK says

    May 9, 2013 at 6:37 am

    Is the plural rhinoceroses or rhinoceri? And where are they?
    Also, did anyone go to the May 4th Star Wars festivities on Saturday? I’d love to read about how it went.

    Reply
  35. John says

    May 12, 2013 at 5:17 am

    OMG, what was your total bar bill for the day??? Excellent reporting. I almost want to leave the kids at home next year!

    Reply

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