Sanaa is an African-inspired restaurant with Indian flavors inside Kidani Village at Disney’s Animal Kingdom Lodge in Disney World. Over the years this dining spot at Disney World has become a fan favorite. It serves up savory food options and has stunning savannah views. Plus there is a little something called bread service that keeps people drooling. Sanaa is well out-of-the-way of the normal hustle and bustle as it's tucked back in this already quiet Disney Vacation Club resort. So let's take a dive into our Sanaa Dining Review.
Sanaa has some adventurous food options and can scare away the pickier eaters but do not let this deter you. The descriptions may leave you mystified as to what you are going to get. But fear not, talk to your server they will guide you through the best option for your particular taste. For example, spicy food and I don't agree and I have been able to find plenty of non-spicy items on the menu.
Sanaa Breakdown
- Service: Table-Service
- Type of Food: Chicken, Seafood, Vegetarian-Friendly, Allergy Options
- Price: $$$
- Location: Kadani Village Lodge
- Disney Dining Plan: Yes, 1 Credit
- Discounts: Annual Passholder, Tables in Wonderland
- Features: Reservations, Alcohol, Full Bar
- Good For: Atmosphere, Romance
- Menu: Official Disney Dinner Menu
Pictures of Sanaa
As you can see the restaurant looks directly out onto the savannah and the animals. If you are lucky you can capture some real up-close animal moments when eating here.
In order to get to this restaurant, you need to head to Animal Kingdom Villas - Kidani Village. This is the DVC portion of the resort and has a separate lobby from the main Animal Kingdom Lodge. When you enter Kidani's lobby you will want to head all the way straight back where you will find a stair case. At the bottom of the stair case will be the restaurant, Sanaa.
Beautiful lanterns are scattered around the restaurant and provide a romantic ambiance. You will notice the big windows on the left those look directly out on the Savannah at Kadani Village.
When you are seated further back in the restaurant it looks like you are dining under the African tree canopy. Be sure that you take a moment to look up while eating here.
Sanaa Menu
Sanaa Dishes
The following is a couple of dishes we got to try out from their menu.
Mango Lassi Smoothie
I decided to branch out and order a drink at Sanaa this one is Mango Lassi Smoothie. The drink is a traditional frozen blend of Mango Purée with Nonfat Yogurt. It wasn't too sweet and was the perfect pairing with our meal.
Mega-Berry Smoothie
In my opinion, this smoothie was a hard pass it was overly sweet and almost taste fake fruit-like. The smoothie consists of a Raspberry Purée and Nonfat Yogurt blended with Simply™ Smoothie Orchard Berry.
Salad Sampler
The three salads you get to taste are - Berbere Black-eyed Peas, Watermelon and Pickled Fennel, and Tunisian Beet Chermoula (Plant-based). The first two were great and interesting new flavors to try. I did discover that beets were not my thing after getting this appetizer.
Bread Service
Everyone raves about the Bread Service at Sanaa hence we had to order it. Some of the sauces I stayed away from since they were marked as extra spicy. Overall it was great to test out the various options and see which ones we liked best.
The full bread service comes with Traditional Naan, Garlic-Ginger Naan, Spiced Naan, Onion Kulcha, or Paneer Paratha. Accompaniments (the sauces) include - Cucumber Raita, Roasted Red Pepper Hummus, Mango Chutney, Tomato-Date Jam, Tamarind Chutney, Coriander Chutney, Garlic Pickle, Red Chile Sambal, or Spicy Jalapeño-Lime Pickle.
Lunch Options at Sanaa
YUM! This got two thumbs up from me. The dish is served Open-faced on Naan Bread with Roasted Chicken, Rocket, Pickled Onion, Tomato, and Sambal Mayonnaise. Note that this is a lunch option. The chicken was perfect and that special mayonnaise made this unique sandwich quickly disappear. Plus I got some more Naan bread which you can never go wrong with.
Up next was the Kenya Coffee Barbecue Sandwich. My husband loves BBQ but was worried about the coffee. It came and he was very happy that it wasn't an overwhelming coffee flavor since he isn't a big coffee fan. His only complaint was it was a little dry and wished he had some extra sauce. Which of course they were happy to bring out more of.
Sanaa Dinner Dishes
Sustainable Fish
This dish was amazing. The fish was cooked to perfection it was melting in my mouth. As if it couldn't get any better, the sauce it was paired with also was a perfect complement. I was thoroughly surprised as this dish was made as a special allergy-free (no dairy) dish.
Butter Chicken and Paneer Tikka
This was the winner out of the two selections we choose from the part of the menu labeled Potjie Inspired. I selected the Butter Chicken and Paneer Tikka.
So to break it down since I had to look up the whole menu to figure out what to eat. The butter chicken was an amazing stewed chicken thigh with Indian spiced sauce. The Paneer Tikka is basically a cubed cheese. The cheese does have the texture of almost like tofu, it sorta looks like it too!
Below is another view of the butter chicken just this time I paired it with the stewed Cilantro-Coconut Vegetables.
Braised Beef
My husband went with the Braised Beef. Again this was very good and packed with lots of amazing flavors. Though we still both agreed afterward that the butter chicken was the way to go.
African-inspired Biryani with Chicken
This dish is filled with Fragrant Rice with Seasonal Vegetables influenced by the Cape of Good Hope. I was surprised to find that I actually like this one more than the butter chicken I used to get. All the flavors blend perfectly together and I felt like I got more chicken with this dish.
African-inspired Biryani with Shrimp
This shrimp dish is served with fragrant rice with seasonal vegetables influenced by the Cape of Good Hope. the shrimp was cooked perfectly super tender and not dried out. Again the flavors mixed in this dish were a great combo.
Grilled New York Strip
For the non-adventerous eaters in your family is the steak! This dish comes with Mukimo, Harvest Vegetables, Herbed Emulsion, and Fig Sauce. All the flavors were very tame in this dish but if anything is a concern to you, you can ask to get it left off. The Mukimo was a cool twist on mashed potatoes and tasted very good.
Zanzibari Vegetable Curry with Chicken
The vegetables do change with this one according to the time of year you are visiting. If you are a curry fan you will love this dish.
Sanaa Recommendation
Overall we love Sanaa and we keep it high on the come back to list. We often bring friends and family from out-of-town as it offers such a unique experience. I consider Sanaa a triple threat, it combines great cuisine with great prices and great views. If you haven't ventured out to this section of the Walt Disney World Resort do it! You will not be disappointed.
If you are interested in booking a reservation for Sanaa you can do so through My Disney Experience. Let us know if you have eaten here at Sanaa. We would love to hear your review in the comment section below.
Want more dining tips? Check out our Best Disney World Restaurants recommendations along with Worst Disney Dining Sit Down Restaurants. If you are visiting with young ones read our Best Places to Eat with Kids at Disney World.
I have been visiting the parks annually since my parents first brought me at just a year old. Recently I was able to fulfill my life long dream of being a Florida local and moved from the wintery Northeast to the sunshine and fun of central Florida. Now I am hoping to share my Disney knowledge with you so you can have the best vacation possible!
