May 27, 2017, marks the opening day of an entire new land in Disney’s Animal Kingdom: Pandora – The World of AVATAR!
Pandora Concept Art ©Disney
Of course, that also means that the land’s main restaurant, Satu’li Canteen, and drink station, Pongu Pongu, will open on May 27th as well. And today, we have new details regarding these upcoming dining and drinking experiences!
Satu’li Canteen Concept Art ©Disney
Pongu Pongu Concept Art ©Disney
Let’s start with Satu’li Canteen, which – according to the restaurant’s brand new page on the Disney website – will be a “Fast Casual” location.
Satu’li Canteen Page Screenshot from Disney World website
A few other restaurants (including D-Luxe Burger and Be Our Guest Restaurant) receive the Fast Casual label from Disney World, so we’re guessing that Satu’li Canteen will be the “order your stuffs at a counter and they’ll bring it to your table” kind of place. (And I’d say pay no mind to the “Dining Plans Not Accepted” note just yet; this isn’t unusual when a page is newly listed. We’re pretty sure this spot will take quick service dining credits eventually.)
The setting of Satu’li Canteen is a former RDA (Resources Development Administration) Mess Hall located inside a Quonset-hut structure. These days, the Canteen offers a peaceful dining experience for travelers to Pandora and is run by Alpha Centauri Expeditions (ACE).
Satu’li Canteen Page Screenshot from Disney World website
Though a full menu does not appear on the website yet, it states that guests will “discover healthful dishes and familiar flavors from another world—wholesome grains, fresh vegetables and hearty proteins.” And Disney specifically mentions “international-inspired cuisine, vegetarian options and specialty libations.”
We have known for some time that Pongu Pongu – Pandora’s upcoming drink stand – is said to be run by an expatriot who paid a visit to Pandora and decided to stay.
Pongu Pongu Page Screenshot from Disney World website
From the language on Disney’s website, it seems you may even be able to meet this expat on your visit! “Hike to the corner of Windtraders (Editor’s Note: a shop in Pandora) where you’ll find Pongu Pongu—when you spot a friendly expat serving out-of-this-world drinks, you’ve come to the right place.”
Pongu Pongu Page Screenshot from Disney World website
Pongu Pongu, which means “Party, Party” in the Na’vi language, will feature a “bioluminescent frozen cocktail” (read: $4.99 light-up ice cube) and “indigenous beers,” along with a bite of something sweet that will be exclusive to the location. We seem to get a tiny glimpse of the treat from the thumbnail image in the screenshot above. Again, no menu yet, but that sounds pretty promising to me!
So, which location are YOU most excited about? I don’t think I can decide just yet, but you know DFB will be there as soon as they open!
Pandora Construction signs
How about you?
Will you be visiting Satu’li Canteen, Pongu Pongu, or BOTH when Pandora opens? Please let us know with a comment!
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The blue thing looks interesting, and I can’t wait to see a full menu, especially since the blurb specifies that there will be vegetarian options.
I sure hope it is vegetarian options, and not vegetarian option
No trip presently planned, big surgery coming, but when I can get to WDW, I’ll be very anxious to see Pandora and it’s shops and restaurant!
This is dumb. Avatar wasn’t a very good movie and it came out 8 years ago. (Yeah, I know, there are a bazillion sequels planned, but that ship has sailed, my friends.) And it’s science fiction! Sure, so is Star Wars, but it’s a beloved institution, with two very strong movies after three dismal sequels. And what sense does it make to have Avatar-themed eating and drinking places? You’re eating and drinking food and drink grown and made here on Earth, not Pandora! Because Pandora doesn’t exist!
This will be a sad failure, soon to be shuttered.
LOL no Peter, this land will be extremely popular. Your whole “failure, soon to be shuttered” decree is laughable!
So happy to see that “vegetarian options” is mentioned! It’s always sad when something neat opens up and my family and I aren’t able to eat anything there, I never want to miss out on something – especially when it’s so heavily themed and a lot of thought has been put into it. Looking forward to this, thank you as always for posting!
Will they take reservations???
Ana — We don’t know yet for sure. While Be Our Guest is considered fast casual and does take advance dining reservations, it’s the only spot classified as quickservice that operates that way, mostly due to overwhelming demand. We’ll have to wait and see. We’ll let you know soon!
We have a family trip planned and reserved for this November and have been watching the videos
available on Pandora. We cannot wait to see this amazing place that the Disney creators
have made for us and imagination come to life.