EDITOR’S UPDATE: Satu’li Canteen has discontinued its regular breakfast service. It may still be an occasional option during peak crowd seasons for Disney World. Kaltxi
from Satu’li Canteen!
(That’s “Hello” in the Na’vi language!)
We’re back at the fast-casual restaurant in Animal Kingdom’s brand new land, Pandora — The World of AVATAR (despite the seriously crazy lines that still plague the land since its opening)!
Officially open at long last, guests are able to visit the moon of Pandora, as the story goes, thanks to ACE: Alpha Centauri Expeditions. Now that humans and the Na’vi coexist in peace, we are all welcome to explore the gorgeous landscape, and experience two new attractions with the Na’vi River Journey and Avatar Flight of Passage.
And the Satu’li Canteen is available to serve breakfast, lunch, and dinner to all the interplanetary travelers on expeditions of their own! We’ve already explored the options on the Lunch and Dinner menu, and now we’re back for a bit (or a lot!) of Breakfast.
So, let’s see what Satu’li Canteen has to offer for the most important meal of the day!
Atmosphere
We took a full tour of Satu’li Canteen during our previous visit, and you can see it in motion through the video below. Or watch all of our Pandora videos on our Pandora Playlist!
Even so, let’s take another quick look around since it’s such a new — and cool — space!
The story here is that Alpha Centauri Expeditions has taken what was once the mess hall of the RDA (Resource Development Administration) and, once peace in the land of Pandora had been established, turned it into a dining establishment for visiting travelers.
In addition to offering food, Satu’li Canteen is also a museum of sorts, featuring Na’vi cultural items and artwork which surround and hang high above guests as they dine.
If you are enjoying Pandora in the cooler morning hours or just a pretty day, outdoor seating is also available.
While the culture of the Na’vi are honored in the seating areas, the industrial nature of the former RDA (Resource Development Administration) can still be seen in the ordering queues.
But don’t forget: Satu’li Canteen is the first counter service restaurant to offer Mobile Order, which allows guests to pre-order and pre-pay for their meal, thereby bypassing the ordering queue.
Be sure to read our step-by-step Mobile Order How-To, as this brand new ordering option will roll out via the My Disney Experience app to several additional Counter Service locations all over Disney World in the coming months. We were so impressed by the streamlined process that we decided to use it again for breakfast.
We also chose to use it because, in this opening week of a brand new land, lines entering Pandora (and inside the land itself) looked a little somethin’ like THIS.
Soooo, yeah. Mobile Order, it is!
And here’s what we picked up with it…
Eats
For Lunch and Dinner, options at Satu’li Canteen focus on better-for-you fare with an emphasis on proteins, grains, and produce. While Breakfast has its own unique offerings, you’ll find that focus echoed in items like the Vegetable-Goat Cheese Frittata with Wood-fired Beef, Slow-Roasted Pork Shoulder Potato Hash with Chorizo Sausage, and the Tropical Pandoran Forest Fruits with fresh yogurt-muesli and vanilla maple syrup.
Twists on tradition include the Cinnamon French Toast and the Scrambled Egg, Bacon, and Spinach Steamed “Pods.” And finally, the Steel Cut Oats can only be ordered by guests 21-and-over (as designated by the tiny asterisk on the menu). That’s because — in addition to caramelized brown sugar, Marcona almonds, and Gogi berries —the final topper is whiskey-soaked raisins.
Speaking of adults-only, a Bloody Mary featuring Absolut Peppar Vodka is also up for grabs.
Of course, the kiddos haven’t been forgotten! Pint-sized versions of the Breakfast Pods and the Cinnamon French Toast are offered alongside popular cereals.
We started our first feast of the day with the Cinnamon French Toast.
Topping the toast is a dusting of powdered sugar and a blueberry cheesecake dollop.
This is all placed atop a passion fruit anglaise and served with sausage.
The French Toast has a nice, light and spongy texture (though those who prefer their French Toast on the crispy side probably won’t enjoy it as much).
Personally, I really liked the berry topping! Even though it didn’t come close to the “blueberry cheesecake dollop” that I envisioned (it’s more of a compote and only slightly creamy), the berry boost delivered some terrific flavor to an otherwise staple dish.
My one complaint is that I thought the portion was a tad small, even as one of the lesser cost items on the menu, coming in at $7.99. But for a sweet option, this is a nice one. FYI — this does not come with butter or syrup, but syrup is available at the condiment counter. We asked about butter and couldn’t find any, anywhere.
Portion size, though, was not remotely a concern with the Vegetable-Goat Cheese Frittata with Wood-fired Herb-crusted Beef and Chimichurri (also called “Steak and Eggs”). A helping of arugula finishes off the plate.
It features that same tender, rare beef and flavorful Chimichurri sauce as the Create Your Own Satu’li Bowl served at lunch and dinner.
I thought that would be my favorite part, but what actually stood out the most was the Vegetable-Goat Cheese Frittata.
I can be picky about texture with a frittata, but this one was on point, and the baked in veggies tasted great.
This is the choice if you’re hoping to tackle a LOT of the park right after breakfast, as it is incredibly filling to boot.
Remember the Cheeseburger and Vegetable Curry Steamed “Pods” from our lunch and dinner review? (To refresh your memory: the Cheeseburger Pods are a hit; the Vegetable Curry… not so much unless you LURVE curry.) The breakfast version is the Scrambled Egg, Bacon, and Spinach Steamed “Pods.”
These are served with pickled vegetables.
The pods are, of course, simply steamed bao buns, filled with the scrambled and diced ingredients mentioned above, along with just a bit of cheese.
They weren’t bad, but I do think they could’ve used more of that cheese to help this dish along.
And while I still really liked how the bao was prepared, I also thought these weren’t stuffed quite full enough. If you’d really like to try the bao buns, I would stick with lunch or dinner.
I saved my personal favorite — hands down — for last: the Slow-Roasted Pork Shoulder Potato Hash with Chorizo Sausage.
The chorizo sausage tops the hash along with a natural jus — which was sort of like a pork broth.
Packed with flavor and hearty, this is a great savory option. I loved the roasted peppers and potatoes in combination with the plentiful pork.
That natural jus helps to create a dish that’s not at all dry, either. And I always appreciate that bit of kick from the chorizo!
I would love to see the Hash available on its own as a side with any of the other dishes so more people could enjoy it. It’s a real winner!
Overall
Satu’li Canteen isn’t just a great counter service breakfast offering for Pandora; it’s a great breakfast offering even considering your other options in Disney World for those who are looking to step outside the regular Bounty Platter and Mickey Waffles (not that we don’t LOVE our Mickey Waffles — you know we do!). Unique and — better yet — well-prepared dishes in a cool setting are a terrific way to start the day.
And if you’re facing any lines that even come close to this throughout the summer…
… you’re gonna need some serious sustenance!
Signing off once more from Pandora! (But not for long…. there’s still more where this came from, so stay tuned!)
Nosh or Not?
Breakfast at Satu’li Canteen Could Be Right For You If:
- You’re hitting Pandora early and aren’t planning a big lunch
- You’re up for experimenting a bit with your standard breakfast dishes
Breakfast at Satu’li Canteen Might Be a Pass For You If:
- Your family is a Mickey-Waffles-Or-Nothing kind of breakfast crew
- You’re not a big breakfast eater
- You have super picky eaters or not-so-adventurous eaters in your group. Even the kids’ meals are out of the ordinary, featuring the blueberry cheesecake sauce and passion fruit anglaise, and the goat cheese and spinach steamed pods. Note, however, that you can get the sauces taken off of anything you order, and there is regular cereal available.
Would you like to start your day at Satu’li Canteen? Please let us know with a comment!
Has anyone tried the oatmeal? We’re vegetarians, but more importantly, we’ll be traveling with a niece who’s extremely allergic to eggs, to the point where we can’t accidentally breath on her after eating eggs. But steel cut oatmeal is a go-to breakfast for us! Would be interested in any feedback on that, as well as vegetarian modifications they might offer for breakfast. Thanks!
Could you please tell me how late they serve breakfast. Do ant say anywhere on the menu. Thanks. The hash looks delicious.
Is it me or is Disney in full force alcohol mode as of late? I mean you have to be 21 to order oatmeal now as they contain Whiskey infused raisins? And chase it down with a bloody mary? Starting the alcohol at 8 am is only gonna add to more and more belligerent guests by the end of the day like the one who was arrested drinking at the resort bar while his 3 yo burnt in the stroller. C’mon Iger, you KNOW Walt had not envisioned this direction with alcohol, forget the bottom line, resist the urge!
Julie — When we visited, you could mobile order breakfast until 10:00 AM and you could order it in line until 10:30 AM.
I totally agree with Dave. Not only do you have to watch for people paying more attention to their cell phones than where they are walking and strollers coming at you from all directions, you now have to watch for the loud groups of intoxicated guests paying more attention to their beer than their children. I too hope Disney is taking note and starts thinking about the guests who don’t wish to spend their vacation time feeling like they are in a bar rather than a family theme park.
Dave and Debbie are both right. Looking at your photos I see almost half the people are looking down at their phones. If I were in lines like Avartar Land has you can bet your FAST Pass+ I’m not looking at my phone. Like the Food Blog reminds us.
Food Blog reminds us to LOOK UP!
I agree with your review about the breakfast pod. I ordered the children’s portion just to try them and as a quick snack and was very disappointed. The filling was dry and bland and I didn’t notice much bacon or cheese either. The pod itself had a texture that my friend described as squished white bread. We eat at many varied restaurants and are used to these types of foods and were simply disappointed.
I also tried the Dreamwalker Sangria even though it was at breakfast because I knew it was the only time on my trip that I would have to try it. I found it way too sweet for my liking. But, I don’t see a problem offering adult beverages to those who wish to try them, regardless of the time of day. After all, I am on vacation and splurge on other things such as ice cream that I don’t normally eat either. I would also expect Disney to be responsible and not serve anyone who is intoxicated.
Glad we didn’t try the pod. I did enjoy the frittata and thought the portion was large. Others tried the pork shoulder potato hash and enjoyed it but thought it might be a little heavy for breakfast. One in our group also go the bloody mary and thought it was just ok but not great.
I’m not sure why some tried to turn this into whether or not there should be alcohol served. Honestly if it doesn’t personally affect you then it shouldn’t concern you. What consenting adults over the age of 21 do with their time is up to them. Can some get carried away with their consumption? Well certainly they can, but it doesn’t happen often and can happen at any location not just Disney. I wish people would worry about themselves instead of whether or not someone else is consuming alcohol at 9am. For the record I do not drink at all, however I don’t have any issues with others consuming an adult beverage.
Are they still serving breakfast at Satu’li Canteen? I looked on Disney’s website and there wasn’t a breakfast menu.
Sally, unfortunately Satu’li Canteen discontinued breakfast service in September of last year. We would love to see it come back, even if only during peak seasons.