Snackability Rankings: Animal Kingdom Lands

All good things must come to an end – even snacks! After ranking the lands throughout Magic Kingdom, EPCOT, and Hollywood Studios the past few weeks, based solely on their snackability, I have finally arrived at Walt Disney World’s fourth and final theme park: Animal Kingdom.

I believe Animal Kingdom is, overall, the most detailed and visually stunning WDW theme park, so I expected their snack game to be on-par with the rest of the park in terms of quality and theme. Did the snacks found throughout different Animal Kingdom lands live up to my expectations? Let’s take a look.

Here’s a quick reminder of the factors I’ve been using to decide a land’s overall snackability:

1. Quantity – number of snacks, or snack locations, located within that land
2. Quality – not just having snacks, but having good snacks
3. Variety – having different types of snacks within that land, not just lots of the same thing
4. Uniqueness – classic snack foods are classic for a reason, but having some unique options you won’t find anywhere else is important as well
5. Theming – how well the snacks relate to the theme of that particular land

1) Discovery Island

A plethora of snack locations surround the majestic Tree of Life, offering a wide variety of savory and sweet to choose from.

No matter what you’re in the mood for – from fresh baked goods (Isle of Java, Creature Comforts) to delicious barbecue (Flame Tree BBQ, Eight Spoon Café), from crowd-pleasing items like pizza (Terra Treats, Pizzafari) and tacos (Smiling Crocodile) to foodie-favorite small plates (Nomad Lounge) – you’ll “discover” it here!

You can also enjoy several unique items on Discovery Island, that you won’t find elsewhere, like the Tiger Tail Chocolate Twist at Isle of Java, the pulled pork jelly donut sandwich at Eight Spoon Café, and Tiffins Bread Service at the Nomad Lounge.

While Discovery Island might be a difficult theme to base snacks on, there really is a good option here for everyone, which earns it the top spot.

2) Africa

Coming in second is the fictional African village of Harambe, and all the delicious snacks it has to offer.

For a morning snack, try either Kusafiri Coffee Shop & Bakery or Tamu Tamu Refreshments for unique pastries like the pistachio honey croissant, guava and cream cheese danish, or Colossal Mickey Cinnamon Roll (yes, it’s actually called that!), as well as more traditional options.

Find classic snacks like popcorn (Mahindi), Dole Whip (Tamu Tamu), hot dogs, Mickey pretzels, and churros (Harambe Fruit Market) throughout this land, as well as some healthy options like grilled corn on the cob, fruit, and trail mix (Harambe Fruit Market).

Lastly, satisfy your sweet tooth with caramel apples, cookies, fudge, and more at Zuri’s Sweets Shop.

Again, not a lot of theming in these snacks, but definitely a great variety!

3) Asia

Next up is Animal Kingdom’s fictional Asian town of Anandapur. There is a little less variety here, but still several good options to tide you over.

For Asian-influenced items, try the chicken dumplings at Mr. Kamal’s or egg rolls and fried rice at Yak & Yeti Local Food Cafes. The latter also serves many great breakfast snacks like yogurt parfaits and hash brown bites.

Other grab & go options include the unique glazed nuts from Drinkwallah, as well as the more traditional soft serve and floats from the Anandapur Ice Cream Truck and pastries from Joffrey’s.

4) Pandora

For a snack that’s a bit more out of this world, and definitely unique, look no further than Pandora.

Satu’li Canteen serves the very Instagram-able blueberry cream cheese mousse, while Pongu Pongu features the popular pineapple cream cheese spring roll, as well as French toast sticks for breakfast and soft pretzels later on.

While it has a few good items, Pandora really doesn’t offer a lot of snack options, so you should only plan a snack break here if you have your heart set on a Na’vi creation.

5) Dinoland, U.S.A.

You’d think it would be pretty easy to come up with some dinosaur-themed snacks, but they’re really nowhere to be found in Dinoland.

You will find a variety of both savory and sweet snacks here. The savory options are a bit more unique, with buffalo chicken chips at Trilo-Bites and Walt’s chili served atop corn chips or hot dogs at Dino Diner. Sweet options include ice cream cookie sandwiches and sundaes at Dino-Bite Snacks, as well as soft serve and floats at Trilo-Bites.

These snacks are still good, if a little uninspired.

6) Oasis

In last place (by far) is this land most people just hustle through on their way to the rest of the park.

There’s only one place here to get a snack, and that’s Joffrey’s, which is neither unique, nor themed, nor does it offer a wide variety.

So just keeping hustling through to get to the good stuff!

 

Overall, I was a bit disappointed with the snacks at Animal Kingdom, especially when it came to theme. I’d love to see more authentic African and Asian snacks served in their respective areas of the park, as well as more animal and dinosaur-themed items throughout Discovery Island and Dinoland.

However, there is certainly no shortage of snacking locations, so you’ll never go hungry while admiring this beautiful park!

 

What are your favorite places to snack at Animal Kingdom? Let us know in the comments!