Yak and Yeti Restaurant 😍

[Gojira ゴジラ]

It's me again. My quick takeaway on the Yak and Yeti Restaurant at the Animal Kingdom.

TLDR; They are
In our extremely subjective opinion, one of the best restaurants and certainly the best Asian offering in WDW.
In comparison, TripAdvisor only gives 4 stars with just okay food.

A quick background about us: We're Asian, but we're not picky eaters. However if given a chance, we'll try the Asian stuff first on the menu

Here we go:

• Yak & Yeti have always been our favorite whether it's their quick service or the restaurant.
• The service can sometimes be a hit or miss, but we always dine for the food.
• The last time we visited was a couple of months ago.
• The entrance is always chaotic, but plenty of space inside.
• We were pleasantly surprised to find out they have a new additional menu (they aren't available online or via app, see a blurry pic below)
• We ordered two from the regular menu and one from the new menu
• Ahi Tuna Nachos, Lobster Garlic Noodles, Bang Bang Calamari Appetizer
• They are all fantastic
• The garlic in the garlic noodles is quite subdued. It's not strong. Less so than the actual Japanese-style garlic noodles, but it is still delicious.
• Quite generous on the lobster.
• While Ahi Tuna Nachos and the Calamari are delicious, the flavor is very identical, I'd suggest ordering one or the other, not both.
• Ahi Tuna Nachos is a two-person meal.

Overall: an A.
A solid meal. Various and excellent Asian options with a chaotic entrance.

Photos
The new menu

Plenty of options. The Calamari is the only appetizer in the menu below (reg menu still has the usual appetizer)

The Bang Bang Calamari.

The Lobster Garlic Noodles. Plenty of spinach goodness.

The Ahi Tuna Nachos. Good for two.

Disclaimer: This is just a personal opinion, if yours is different than mine, it's absolutely okay.

 

[westie]

I found it to be a little bland. I like my food on the spicy side. You nailed it on the entrance. We literally had to push past people to get inside. And with reservations it was still quite a wait. Speaking of ressies, it's weird at WDW how some places text you, others scream your name and some still use the pager.

 

[Chi84]

Yak and Yeti is a Landry's restaurant, so you can expect a similar vibe/ambiance/experience as Rainforest and T-Rex. We weren't aware of this the first time we visited and thought it would be more authentic, like Tiffins. (My fault for not doing enough research.) But we've been back several times and have always had good food and service. The nice thing is if you have a Landry's card, you can get priority seating.

 

[JIMINYCR]

We’ve been dining at Y&Y for years and it never fails us. In fact it’s one dining spot where we will make an ADR at the beginning of our trip and again towards the end. ( 2 week trips ) Service has always been exemplary, seating both downstairs and in the upper level. My meals have always been just spicy enough to be flavorful and not overpowering. I’ll grade it a solid A.

 

[Club Cooloholic]

Yak and Yeti is a Landry's restaurant, so you can expect a similar vibe/ambiance/experience as Rainforest and T-Rex. We weren't aware of this the first time we visited and thought it would be more authentic, like Tiffins. (My fault for not doing enough research.) But we've been back several times and have always had good food and service. The nice thing is if you have a Landry's card, you can get priority seating.

Eh I think it is a bit more subdued than those places, when it first opened I really liked it but last few times were just meh. Remember Morton's is also a Landry's.

 

[Weather_Lady]

Glad you had a good experience, OP! Y&Y is one of my family's favorite restaurants in all of WDW, and we start with the Ahi Tuna Nachos every time (which means we're too full to finish our entrees, and end up getting 2 meals for one price by eating the leftovers for the next day's lunch).

If you plan to make it a regular on your rotation, you might consider getting a Landry's Select Club card: we have one, and I love how it makes our AK day a stress-free one, knowing we can just show up whenever we want to eat due to the "priority seating" benefit that you get by being a member (or, if we really feel we need an ADR, you can call the restaurant with your Landry's member number and they'll make a reservation for you, even if their Disney-ADR-system reservation quota is full.)

 

[Gojira ゴジラ]

I found it to be a little bland. I like my food on the spicy side. You nailed it on the entrance. We literally had to push past people to get inside. And with reservations it was still quite a wait. Speaking of ressies, it's weird at WDW how some places text you, others scream your name and some still use the pager.

I can definitely understand. The garlic noodle as I mentioned above isn't as strong as the authentic ones. It isn't completely bland, but it almost makes me reach out for salt.

 

[Gojira ゴジラ]

We’ve been dining at Y&Y for years and it never fails us. In fact it’s one dining spot where we will make an ADR at the beginning of our trip and again towards the end. ( 2 week trips ) Service has always been exemplary, seating both downstairs and in the upper level. My meals have always been just spicy enough to be flavorful and not overpowering. I’ll grade it a solid A.

In full agreement. When is your trip?

Glad you had a good experience, OP! Y&Y is one of my family's favorite restaurants in all of WDW, and we start with the Ahi Tuna Nachos every time (which means we're too full to finish our entrees, and end up getting 2 meals for one price by eating the leftovers for the next day's lunch).

If you plan to make it a regular on your rotation, you might consider getting a Landry's Select Club card: we have one, and I love how it makes our AK day a stress-free one, knowing we can just show up whenever we want to eat due to the "priority seating" benefit that you get by being a member (or, if we really feel we need an ADR, you can call the restaurant with your Landry's member number and they'll make a reservation for you, even if their Disney-ADR-system reservation quota is full.)

Wow, as a frequent diner I'd definitely do that! Thanks for the tips!

 

[Gojira ゴジラ]

Eh I think it is a bit more subdued than those places, when it first opened I really liked it but last few times were just meh. Remember Morton's is also a Landry's.

It can be subdued for sure, the garlic noodle is a prime example. However, I also think that maybe they're trying to adjust it here so it doesn't feel as strong. I also dined at Tiffins quite a bit, their butter chicken is pretty much on par with Yak and Yeti. The flavor is prominent but not as strong as an authentic butter chicken, which makes me think it's intentional.

 

[Club Cooloholic]

It can be subdued for sure, the garlic noodle is a prime example. However, I also think that maybe they're trying to adjust it here so it doesn't feel as strong. I also dined at Tiffins quite a bit, their butter chicken is pretty much on par with Yak and Yeti. The flavor is prominent but not as strong as an authentic butter chicken, which makes me think it's intentional.

There is an Indian buffet about 15 minutes from my house that is amazing and $15 bucks(and they never charged my kids full price) it has amazing butter chicken, and my daughter adores the tandoori chicken. I have been buying butter chicken sauce from the grocery store(it tends to be less oily and probably way healthier than the restaurants) and making my own at home. It's fun, you can add chickpeas, can of diced tomatoes, lentils whatever veggies and I grill my chicken thighs to make it a bit healthier.

 

[larryz]

OP, I go just for the Ahi Tuna Nachos which I enjoy as an entree.

 

[nolawave]

Are the Tuna Nachos big enough for two people to split as an entree or only an app? Looks huge

 

[Club Cooloholic]

There is an Indian buffet about 15 minutes from my house that is amazing and $15 bucks(and they never charged my kids full price) it has amazing butter chicken, and my daughter adores the tandoori chicken. I have been buying butter chicken sauce from the grocery store(it tends to be less oily and probably way healthier than the restaurants) and making my own at home. It's fun, you can add chickpeas, can of diced tomatoes, lentils whatever veggies and I grill my chicken thighs to make it a bit healthier.

I just realized I should have ended that with...

Baby, you got a stew goin'.

Arrested Development (2003) - S01E12 Marta Complex clip with quote Baby, you got a stew goin'. Yarn is the best search for video clips by quote. Find the exact moment in a TV show, movie, or music video you want to share. Easily move forward or backward to get to the perfect clip.

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[LittleMerman]

I've eaten at the Local Food Cafe numerous times and enjoyed it. It was basically like mall food court Chinese food but I really like that and when I was tired and hungry in the park I didn't mind it, especially for the lower price point. I've been wanting to try the table service restaurant for a long time and may try it during my trip in Dec. The atmosphere looks cool and I love Chinese food! Cool to read this article!

 

[Gojira ゴジラ]

OP, I go just for the Ahi Tuna Nachos which I enjoy as an entree.

You can't go wrong with the nachos. It's spectacular.

Are the Tuna Nachos big enough for two people to split as an entree or only an app? Looks huge

It's an entree and it depends on the eating portion but yes it's quite a lot.

There is an Indian buffet about 15 minutes from my house that is amazing and $15 bucks(and they never charged my kids full price) it has amazing butter chicken, and my daughter adores the tandoori chicken. I have been buying butter chicken sauce from the grocery store(it tends to be less oily and probably way healthier than the restaurants) and making my own at home. It's fun, you can add chickpeas, can of diced tomatoes, lentils whatever veggies and I grill my chicken thighs to make it a bit healthier.

What's the name of the sauce if you don't mind.. and the recipe
Also, have you ever had a butter chicken pizza?
I'm about to post my thought on the Tika Masala Pizza over at the Connections Eatery, which is Have you tried that?

 

[Gojira ゴジラ]

I've eaten at the Local Food Cafe numerous times and enjoyed it. It was basically like mall food court Chinese food but I really like that and when I was tired and hungry in the park I didn't mind it, especially for the lower price point. I've been wanting to try the table service restaurant for a long time and may try it during my trip in Dec. The atmosphere looks cool and I love Chinese food! Cool to read this article!

Oh, that's really cool. And I'm glad you enjoy the review .
Which food court are you talking about, by the way?

 

[LittleMerman]

Oh, that's really cool. And I'm glad you enjoy the review .
Which food court are you talking about, by the way?

Just in general. Usually, Chinese food in mall food courts is cheap and not the best quality. I still enjoy it though.

 

[Imhere]

It's me again. My quick takeaway on the Yak and Yeti Restaurant at the Animal Kingdom.

Great review!!

We eat at the Yak on most trips.

 

[Club Cooloholic]

You can't go wrong with the nachos. It's spectacular.


It's an entree and it depends on the eating portion but yes it's quite a lot.


What's the name of the sauce if you don't mind.. and the recipe
Also, have you ever had a butter chicken pizza?
I'm about to post my thought on the Tika Masala Pizza over at the Connections Eatery, which is Have you tried that?

The last sauce I used was from Aldi's lol. I put a bottle of that in, a can of diced tomatoes and whatever veggies i like. I might add some curry powder. I grill my chicken after marinating on Jamaican jerk spices.

 

[DfromATX]

I've never eaten there before, but we are planning a trip. For anyone who feels like answering, would you rather eat at Yak & Yeti or Tusker House? We are bringing 2 first-timers and we want to show them the best possible time. One is a 12 year old boy and one is a 75 year old lady. (The 75 year old may be more of a picky eater than the boy...)