The Yak and Yeti serves up pan Asian cuisine at the Animal Kingdom in Walt Disney World. You will find this restaurant in Asia at the back of Animal Kingdom near Kali River Rapids. Once again Disney has a fantastic backstory (which you can read on the menus) for Yak and Yeti. To summarize, a wealthy merchant from Anandapur, Arjun, has fallen on hard times. As a result, he’s turned his regal home into a hotel and restaurant. Throughout Arjun’s extensive travels, he’s amassed an impressive art collection which he displays throughout the restaurant.
Quick Breakdown
- Service: Table-Service
- Type of Food: Steak, Chicken, Allergy Options
- Price: $$
- Location: Animal Kingdom, Asia
- Disney Dining Plan: Yes, 1 Credits
- Discounts: Annual Passholder, Landry’s Select Club
- Features: Reservations, Alcohol
- Good For: Casual Dining
- Menu: Official Disney Dinner Menu
A Tour Around Yak and Yeti
You can’t miss the Yak and Yeti Restaurant. It sits right at the start of Asia. If you are taking the bridge from the front of the park you will pretty much end up outside here. The story goes that a rich merchant, Arjun, has fallen on hard times and has turned his large home into the Yak & Yeti Hotel. The hotel is the kind of boutique hotel that wealthier adventure travelers might seek out in India. While travelers rest at the hotel, the owner and other families reside there. The décor, as well as the furniture, at Yak & Yeti is an amalgamation of mismatched artifacts Arjun has collected through his years of travel in Southeast Asia.
This two-story restaurant can be found in Asia right next to the Bird Adventure show. When dining here you are going to want to keep a close on everything since there are endless details inside and out of the Yak and Yeti. If you look around the restaurant you will find little treasures like the ones pictured below.
Check in area is right inside the front doors we showed above. You can sometimes sneak a walk-up spot at the restaurant even if you aren’t seeing any open reservations in the My Disney Experience app.
There is lots of seating inside the restaurant. With tables on both the first and second stories, there is a lot of hustle and bustle happening inside this restaurant. I love all the artifacts that are scattered inside every room. That is the other thing to help with noise there are lots of offshoot rooms so it isn’t one large completely open area.
Yak and Yeti Dishes
The following are a few of the dishes we have tried from their menu.
Ahi Tuna Nachos
First off let’s pause and share a little bit about this appetizer from Yak and Yeti, the Ahi Tuna nachos. It’s Sushi-grade ahi, Asian slaw, crispy fried wontons, wasabi aïoli, and a sweet soy glaze. From my experience, this is the MOST raved-about menu item. This app is so big it’s perfect for sharing or well you could always keep all the delicious ahi to yourself and have it as a meal!
Lo Mein Chicken
I have gotten the Lo Mein Chicken a couple of times at Yak and Yeti, I just can’t seem to get enough of it. Everything is fresh and so full of flavor. I was most surprised when I first had this dish that the chicken is fried and packed with awesome flavor. The chicken is mixed in with lo mein noodles, carrots, cabbage, green onions, and bean sprouts.
Teriyaki Chicken
My husband went with the waiter’s recommendation when picking out this dish and he just loved it. Chicken and rice you just can’t go wrong, right? The teriyaki chicken is served on pineapple-onion-pepper skewers then topped with Teriyaki Glaze, Coconut-Ginger Rice, Stir-fried Vegetables.
Sweet & Sour Chicken Wok
Another generous portion, this time it was a mix of Tempura chicken, ginger, garlic, bell peppers, pineapple. The flavor was perfect and not overly spicy. This is another go-to dish here at Yak and Yeti we have opted to get on several occasions.
Hibachi Steak and Shrimp Tempura
This was a special of the day that wasn’t listed on the menu the night we went. It was a ton of food and all super delicious. It includes a 10oz flat iron with Jasmine rice (I upgraded to fried rice), house stir-fried vegetables, and Yum Yum Sauce. I was surprised that there was so much steak and five tempura shrimp! It was easily a dinner I could have split and there was plenty left over when I was done.
Landry’s Select Club
So insider information this is not actually a Disney-run restaurant, it’s owned by Landrys and that means you can use the Landry’s Select Club here. The membership does cost $25 to join but once you are in you receive:
- $25 Welcome Reward
- $25 Birthday Reward
- $25 Reward for Every $250 You Spend
- Priority Seating
- Exclusive Offers
- Retail Benefits
For more information, you can find it all here. Also, keep in mind this would work at Rainforest Cafe, and Restaurantoraus in Disney World as well.
Pros and Cons of Yak and Yeti
Yak and Yeti Pros:
- Great spot to cool off in air conditioning
- If you love Pan-Asian cuisine
Cons of Yak and Yeti:
- Not a budget friendly option
- Not for picky eaters
- Not for those in a rush, it is a sit down meal and you should expect to spend at least an hour here
Yak and Yeti Recommendation
The Animal Kingdom has limited sit-down dining options and Yak and Yeti is one of the better options. The spot serves your traditional Asian dishes that some of us have dubbed as our comfort foods. If you are worried about trying this spot because you have a picky eater, the burger here is fantastic and a great backup option.
Our main complaint here was the portion sizes were so big we should have split a meal, or prepared to take it immediately back home instead of spending a few more hours in the park enjoying the rides.
If you are interested in booking a reservation for Yak and Yeti you can do so through My Disney Experience. We find reservations are moderately easy to make here you should think about booking this location in advance.
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!