This review reflects our experience from March 2018.
Pandora — The World of Avatar has been an incredible new area in Disney’s Animal Kingdom. With this new area we have been gifted a great quick service restaurant with an even better vegan option! Within the last month Satu’li Canteen has updated its menu, removing some of the previously vegan bases and changing others. Here is what we found out on our recent dining experience.
Satu’li Canteen has several bowl options with various meats and a Chili-Spiced Crispy Fried Tofu! When you order the bowls you pick a base and a sauce. There are four bases to choose from, Red and Sweet Potato Hash, Rice and Black Beans, Mixed Whole Grains and Rice, and Hearty Salad. We checked the allergy menu and noticed only the Red and Sweet Potato Hash and Rice and Black Beans were listed as safe for milk allergy. This obviously concerned us because previously all four of the bases were vegan. We’ll dive into this more further down. After you decide on a base you will pick a sauce. There are three sauces, Charred Green Onion Vinaigrette, Black Bean Vinaigrette, and Creamy Herb Dressing. The only vegan sauce option is the Charred Green Onion Vinaigrette.* The Black Bean Vinaigrette contains fish according to the allergy menu. Lastly, the menu says that the dish comes with “Yogurt Boba Balls.”
*We have been informed that the onion is grilled on a shared grill in the morning.
So after seeing the allergy menu and the change to the bases we asked to speak with a coordinator when we went to place our order. The coordinator came out quickly with the new allergy binder, which is actually an iPad. We asked him about the new changes and he was surprised to hear that the Whole Mixed Grains were not listed as safe. He showed us the allergy page for it and it was in fact vegan. Then we asked about the Hearty Salad, as I had previously enjoyed the kale and romain base they offered. The Hearty Salad can be made vegan by omitting the quinoa they put on it as it contains both feta and honey. He said they would just double the greens to replace it.
Lastly we asked him about the boba balls as we had seen a few weeks ago that they changed them to vegan friendly bobas. He informed us that they don’t order them often enough and that they just keep getting different ones. He said if you want them you should ask what they’re made of when you’re there since it changes so often. So really it’s just best to assume they’re not vegan and skip them. The balls on the Pongu Pongu are vegan, they are different balls.
So after clearing all of this up we ordered our bowls. I got the new Rice and Black Beans base and Bridget got the Red and Sweet Potato Hash. We both obviously ordered the Charred Green Onion Vinaigrette, which used to be a chimichurri. You can also order a kids side of this dish it just comes without a sauce.
The tofu in this dish is excellent. It’s a firm tofu and it is super crispy and has just a hint of spice to it. The new rice and bean base was great. The dish is super hearty and full of protein, which sometimes can be hard to come by on vacation. There wasn’t too much flavor to the rice and beans, it pretty much just soaked up the Charred Green Onion Vinaigrette. On top of the dish is a crunchy slaw that is just cabbage and carrot in an oil dressing.
Bridget’s Red and Sweet Potato Hash is her go to. Which obviously means it’s great. She mentioned that they are always cooked perfectly, never too hard or too soft. No one likes mushy potatoes. The potatoes are flavorful and pairs well with the crispy tofu.
We love this new addition to Animal Kingdom. This is one of the best quick service options on Disney property. This dish is super filling and is all real, actual, food! We highly recommend planning a meal here. In case you’re wondering, the Vegetable Curry Pod is not vegan friendly.
Would we go back?
Yes! We love eating here. Lots of great flavors and a hearty meal.
Price?
$
Melissa & Bridget
The quick reference for ordering at Satu’li Canteen
Vegan Bases
Red and Sweet Potato Hash
Rice and Black Beans
Whole Grains and Rice
Hearty Salad WITHOUT quinoa
Vegan Sauces
Charred Green Onion Vinaigrette
Ask for no Boba Balls – unless confirmed not yogurt based with coordinator
5 thoughts