Sanaa at Disney’s Kidani Village (Your Questions Answered)
Sanna is a table service restaurant that serves lunch and dinner at Kidani Village, the Disney Vacation Club Resort at Disney’s Animal Kingdom Lodge. Sanaa offers a quick service menu where guests can order a casual breakfast. Sanaa is the only location that offers breakfast at Kidani Village. However, other breakfast options are available nearby at Jambo House, like the buffet at Boma, Flavors of Africa, and The Mara quick service restaurant.
Below, we’ve provided links to the menus, dining plan credits, discounts, and answers to frequently asked questions about Sanaa. We’ve enjoyed lunch and dinner at Sanaa multiple times and consider it a must-do for adventurous eaters. However, it’s important to note that the menu offers a few things for those who tend to be on the more picky side. For example, the lunch menu has a Sanaa burger that you can customize to your liking. Then, my son usually orders the New York Strip Steak, another standard option for dinner. Kid’s meals are also available for children ages 3-9.
| Sanaa | Kidani Village |
|---|---|
| Breakfast | View Breakfast Menu |
| Lunch | View Lunch Menu |
| Dinner | View Dinner Menu |
| Disney Dining Plan | Lunch (1 Credit), Dinner (1 Credit) |
| Annual Pass Discount | 10% off |
| Disney Visa Cardmember | 10% off |
An Overview of Sanaa
Sanaa is popular for several reasons, one of which is its location. Sanna is on the lower level of Disney’s Kidani Village. You’ll take the stairs or elevator down to the ground floor when you enter the lobby. This is where you’ll find the resort’s primary outdoor savanna viewing area and Sanaa. That’s pretty much it. You shouldn’t have difficulty finding the restaurant.
Kidani Village and Jambo House share savannas that are home to over 200 birds and hoofed animals comprised of 30 species. So you’ll likely want to spend some time enjoying the viewing area during your visit. If you are fortunate, you might also get a seat near the window at Sanaa. The entire front wall of the restaurant is made up of sizeable floor-to-ceiling cove windows that look out to the savanna. Those with a window seat will have a nice view. We were seated near a window once and enjoyed views of zebras grazing nearby while we ate. On other visits, we’ve had okay views but nothing spectacular. It’s really just the roll of the dice as to where you’re seated.
Do You Need Reservations for Sanaa?
Yes, you will likely need reservations if you’re dining for lunch or dinner at Sanaa. However, they do take walk-ups based on availability and offer the option to join the walk-up list in the My Disney Experience app. Sanaa is often busy during peak dining hours. On a recent visit, I stopped in for lunch at 1:30 p.m. and was told they had no availability. I then asked if I could dine in the lounge, and they said yes. The restaurant was packed, but the lounge was pretty quiet. (We would not go out of our way to dine here if we did not have a reservation.)
Is Sanaa Worth Visiting?
Sanaa will be a little out of the way, but we think it’s worth it. We love to visit Kidani Village and find the lobby charming, especially at night. If we visit during the daytime, we enjoy exploring the savannas off the lobby and the one near the pool while we’re there. We’ll often walk or take the shuttle to Jambo House and tour the lodge before we leave.
Can You See Animals From Sanaa?
You may or may not get a good view of the animals from your table. As mentioned above, we’ve had both experiences. We would not book this reservation with the hope of securing a window seat. But you can plan to spend some time checking out the savanna before and after your meal. From our experience, the best time to see animals on the savanna is between 5:00 and 7:00 p.m., depending on the time of year. If it gets dark earlier, you might prefer a late lunch. However, when it’s hot, you might not see as many animals during midday. Both the photos below were taken around 6:00 p.m. on an evening in July.
How to Get to Sanaa?
If you’re staying at a Disney Resort Hotel, you can usually take a bus to Disney’s Animal Kingdom theme park and then transfer to a bus to Animal Kingdom Lodge. However, the Animal Kingdom closes earlier than the other parks. So you could always take transportation to the nearest theme park or Disney Springs and then take a bus to Animal Kingdom Lodge.
For example, if we were staying at Caribbean Beach, we would take the Skyliner to Disney’s Hollywood Studios and board a bus to Animal Kingdom Lodge. Important: When you get to the resort, Kidani Village is the first stop (except on buses coming from Disney Springs). So you’ll want to exit at the Kidani Village stop for reservations at Sanaa.
Sanaa’s Claim to Fame
Sanaa’s claim to fame is its Indian-style bread service, a favorite of many guests who dine at the restaurant. Here’s what you get:
Five Naan Breads: Traditional Naan Bread, Garlic-Ginger Naan, Sliced Naan, Onion Kulcha, or Paneer Paratha
Nine Accompaniments: 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
The bread service is outstanding. We don’t order it on every visit because it’s a lot, especially on top of entrees and desserts. If you plan on ordering a few desserts while at Disney World, Sanaa would be the place to do so. They have several exceptional desserts on the menu.
Related: Sanna Review with Mouth-Watering Bread Service
Review
On my last visit to Sanaa, I ordered the seasonal sustainable fish dish. We typically eat at Sanaa 1-2 times per year, and I almost always order sustainable fish. You likely won’t get the same exact version that’s shown below because the type of fish and vegetables typically change with the seasons. That said, every version I’ve ordered has been memorable in the most positive way.
Samaki Wa Kupaka: Turmeric marinated sustainable fish with roasted cauliflower, Yuca Katlesi, and coconut gravy.
If you enjoy tea, they have an option to order a loose-leaf teapot. This was something new I tried on our last visit, and I enjoyed it so much. I drank the entire pot of tea over the course of the meal. It was refreshing.
Loose Leaf Teapot: Organic Rooibos, Vanilla Rooibos, Thunderbolt Darjeeling, Herbal Spice Chai, Organic Assam
Here is a photo of another sustainable fish I tried on a previous visit. This version was salmon, and it was delicious. I remember it coming out piping hot, and I was afraid it would be overcooked, but it wasn’t.
Sustainable Fish: Seasonal Sustainable Fish, Savory Indian Upma, Charred Corn Relish, Peri Peri, Chickpea Crisp, and Spring Greens
Other popular items at Sanaa include the Potjie-inspired selection. Per the menu, you get to choose one journey:
- Goan Seafood Curry
- Butter Chicken
- Braised Beef
- Pork Vindaloo
Then you choose one of the following Harvest sides:
- Rajma Masala
- Chickpea Wat
- Sukuma Wiki
- Lentil Daal
Each dish comes with scented Basmati Rice. We haven’t tried any of these dishes, but the butter chicken is almost always recommended when we are first seated. Maybe one of these days, I’ll have an opportunity to try it. But after having so many tremendous fish dishes and dinners of bread service, it’s hard not to order either of those!
The Final Verdict on Sanaa
We love Sanaa and have enjoyed every meal we’ve tried here over the years. If you’re planning a resort day or more, this would be an excellent place to have dinner. But don’t forget to make enough time to do a little exploring while you’re here. We love Disney’s Animal Kingdom Lodge and find it one of the most relaxing places on the property.
For more information on dining, try our Disney World Dining Handbook. It contains an overview of every type of dining available at Walt Disney World. You might also like some of the following reviews:
- Disney’s Animal Kingdom Lodge Restaurants Guide
- The Mara Quick Service Restaurant at Jambo House
- Boma, Flavors of Africa Breakfast Review
- Jiko, The Cooking Place Review
We hope this guide answered your questions about dining at Sanaa! If you have any more, leave them in the comments section below or share your thoughts on dining here.
