Sunday, August 26, 2018

Sanaa Breakfast at Disney's Animal Kingdom Villas - Kidani Village

Last updated December 19, 2018

If I had to pick a favorite restaurant at Disney World, I would choose Sanaa at Disney's Animal Kingdom Villas - Kidani Village.


Sanaa features African cooking with Indian flavors, and has long been a favorite of ours for lunch and dinner, so we were excited to try their breakfast service for the first time in July.


For lunch and dinner, Sanaa is a table service restaurant, but it turns into a casual quick service restaurant for breakfast.


There are grab 'n' go items, like the bobotie pie, which my gluten-eating daughters loved, but you can also place an order with a cast member at the register for casual dining options. Sanaa does not have an allergy-friendly breakfast menu, but my friend Sarah and I spoke to a chef about gluten free options before placing our order. We were told that most of the items on the casual dining options menu can be modified to be gluten free. You can read Sarah's review of her breakfast at Sanaa on her website Gluten-Free & Dairy-Free at WDW.


We were each given a numbered animal, so a cast member could drop off our food when it was ready. If a table near the windows is available, I recommend choosing one, so you can see the animals on the Sunset Savanna.


The chefs at Disney's Animal Kingdom Lodge make the best gluten free waffles at Disney World. Allergy-friendly Mickey waffles are available at Boma and The Mara at Jambo House, and Sanaa serves gluten free Simba waffles, which I was so excited to try. Disney uses dedicated waffle irons for allergy orders to prevent cross contamination.


My waffles were so delicious topped with seasonal berries and syrup. I always miss having fresh fruit when I am at Disney World, so I was happy to have raspberries, blackberries, and blueberries with my waffles.


I love that the restaurants at Disney's Animal Kingdom Lodge are not making allergy-friendly waffles with New Carbon's Golden Malted gluten free waffle & pancake mix, which many Disney restaurants are now using. I had waffles made with this mix at the Grand Floridian Cafe in November, and at Kona Cafe in July. The waffles I had at the Grand Floridian Cafe were the worst Mickey waffles I have ever had at Disney World, and shortly after dining there, I learned that the Golden Malted gluten free waffle mix is made on shared lines with wheat, milk, and egg, which the manufacturer does not disclose on their website or on their packaging. I confirmed this information with New Carbon in January, and I have contacted Disney World Special Diets about this issue twice. I even emailed the head of Special Diets after our trip to Disney World in July after one of my blog readers was mistakenly told by a Disney chef that the Golden Malted gluten free waffle mix is safe, because it is made in an allergy-free facility. I have attempted to post a review of the waffle mix on Golden Malted's website three times, but they will not publish it. I guess they don't want people to easily find out that their gluten free mix is made on shared equipment. I highly suggest you ask what mix Disney restaurants are using before you order gluten free waffles. Boma, The Mara, and Sanaa use a mix of Bob's Red Mill and Namaste Waffle & Pancake Mix. The Golden Malted gluten free waffle mix contains soy, but even if restaurants are using it, they still might have Namaste on hand, which is free of the top 8 allergens.


My daughters are already asking me if we are having breakfast at Sanaa in November. When we return, I definitely plan on ordering waffles again, and a side of their house-made sausage, which came with Sarah's meal, and looked incredible. We have advance dining reservations for Thanksgiving dinner at Sanaa, because we had an amazing holiday meal there last year.

December 19, 2018 Update 


Over Thanksgiving Break, we ate at Sanaa three times - twice for breakfast, and once for dinner.


Both times we stopped in for breakfast, there was no line, and we were able to snag a table with a view of Sunset Savanna.


I ordered safari waffles served with seasonal berries and chai whipped cream, with a side of house-made Boerewors sausage twice, because they were so good.


The chai whipped cream at Sanaa is one of my favorite waffle toppings at Disney World. They must have forgotten it when we had breakfast at Sanaa in July.


Their sausage is incredible too, especially when it is dipped in syrup, my favorite way to eat bacon and sausage. 


The last day of our trip, we had breakfast at Sanaa before heading to the airport. On this visit, my seasonal berries and chai whipped cream were served on top of my waffles, which were a little underdone in the middle. After speaking to a chef, I received a second plate of waffles that were cooked much better than the first batch.


The gluten free Simba waffles and house-made sausage at Sanaa have become one of my favorite breakfasts at Disney World, only rivaled by the gluten free beignets at Port Orleans-French Quarter.


Sanaa still does not have an allergy-friendly menu for breakfast, but I was able to order easily without talking to a chef over Thanksgiving Break.


You can read more about Sanaa, view their menus and hours, and make advance dining reservations for lunch and dinner on Disney's website.

What are your favorite gluten free options at Sanaa?


P.S. I have managed to recreate my favorite Sanaa breakfast at home with Gluten Free Bellegem Waffle Mix from Williams-Sonoma, fresh berries, and homemade chai whipped cream. I made the chai whipped cream in my NutriBullet with 1 cup of heavy whipping cream, 1/4 cup of powdered sugar, and 1 1/2 teaspoons of chai tea spice that I purchased from Amazon. 



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