This review reflects our experience in May of 2015.
Animal Kingdom Lodge boasts views of a Savannah and African inspired lodging. Animal Kingdom Lodge is split up into two main buildings, Jambo House and Kidani Village. Each building offers a unique view of the savannah as well as different dining experiences. Sanaa is an African inspired restaurant found in Kidani Village. This small restaurant makes you feel like you are dining under tree canopies while you sit level with the savannah.
Sanaa offers a full vegan menu, you just need to ask your host or server when you are seated. The menu features multiple appetizers, the bread service (although it is slightly modified), multiple entrees and desserts. This is a great option for vegans traveling with non-vegans or who are just looking to eat a whole lot of delicious food!
We decided to indulge and get an appetizer with our meal. We opted for the Chana Tikki over Samosas. The dish came with three small patties with a sauce. The chickpea patties were pretty good, they weren’t overly flavorful, but we really enjoyed the coriander chutney that came with it.
Next we opted for the bread service. We had been told from many people that one of the best parts of Sanaa was the bread service. The bread service for vegans is a little different.For starters Sanaa’s bread isn’t vegan, to replace the bread we get falafel chips. Additionally the standard plateĀ comes with 9 sauces, the vegan version is only 8 as the 9th is a yogurt based dip. The dips included hummus, chutneys, pickled garlic and more. We were given a 9th dip that was just super spicy, which is typically cooled down the yogurt based dip.
When we picked our entrees for dinner I asked the server what the seasonal greens were. She told us that they were the same as the vegetable wat. That being said we opted to both try a different chickpea dish. Corey went with the Goan Curry and I went with the Chickpea Wat. The Goan Curry was our favorite, with a mild coconut curry flavor.
The Chickpea Wat was really good. It was full of vegetables, tomato sauce and had a nice spicy kick to it. Not anything like some of the dips during bread service, but enough heat to warm you up.
The Vegetable Wat was the same as the chickpea but, surprise, without chickpeas. The vegetables in it included onions, zucchini and leafy greens. The basmati rice had a lot of lemon zest on it, a little too much for my liking.
We really enjoyed Sanaa. We also ate way too much. Everything we had was delicious and it was reasonably priced for the amount of food we got. We highly recommend this restaurant to vegans and pretty much anyone, it’s that good.
Would we go back?
Yes! Lots of vegan options, great atmosphere, delicious food!
Price
$$
Melissa & Corey
