Quick Service Dining at Disney’s Animal Kingdom

Disney's Animal Kingdom has a great variety of counter service dining options from the always popular Flame Tree Barbecue to the fun and quirky Restaurantosaurus. And with the recent addition of the Harambe Market it's quickly becoming a park where you want to plan a quick service meal.

What's your favorite Animal Kingdom quick service spot?

If you find yourself walking into Disney's Animal Kingdom and you haven't had breakfast yet, you'll want to fuel up for the day. This is one park that you don't want to tour while hungry as you'll quickly find yourself 'hangry.'

We love stopping at the Kusafiri Coffee Shop and Bakery for breakfast as it is home to the colossal cinnamon roll and we're suckers for cinnamon rolls. The cinnamon roll here is big enough to share (it is the size of a plate!). Other breakfast treats include a hot breakfast wrap, yogurt, muffins, and real coffee!

The colossal cinnamon roll!

Speaking of coffee, you'll also find some great options for breakfast (or snacks throughout the day) at Creature Comforts, the Starbucks location at Disney's Animal Kingdom.

At Creature Comforts you'll find the traditional Starbucks items including coffees, lattes, cappuccinos, and more in addition to Starbucks brand pastries and even some Disney cupcakes. And yes, cupcakes are an acceptable breakfast item when you're on vacation!

But breakfast isn't the only meal you'll need to eat while at the Animal Kingdom! There are so many great options for a quick lunch or dinner that there's no way you'll go hungry.

We love the new Harambe Market area at the Animal Kingdom not only for the authentic food choices but because the themeing is so incredible.

The Harambe Market has great food options

Inside the Harambe Market you'll find four serving stations that are offering guests dishes based on African street food. At Famous Sausages you'll find the Boerewors Sausage Fried in Curried Corn Batter. It's an interesting and very delicious take on the standard corn dog. At the Kitamu Grill you can choose from two entrees: the Grilled Chicken Skewer or the Ground Beef Kabob Flatbread.

Chef Mwanga's is home to the spice-rubbed Karubi Ribs topped with a green papaya carrot slaw and served with a side of chickpea, cucumber, and tomato salad. Dessert at each window is the African Milk Tart. And make sure you stop by the Wanjohi Refreshment window for beverages including the frozen Starr of Harambe.

Chef Mwangas spiced-rubbed karubi ribs

Of course no discussion of counter service spots at the Animal Kingdom would be complete without mentioning the Flame Tree Barbecue. This fan-favorite spot recently reopened after a refurbishment and it is still serving up some great ribs with amazing views.

Take a few minutes to check out the decor the next time you're at Flame Tree Barbecue and you'll notice that the theme is the circle of life. Predators and their prey are on full display. You also can't beat the views whether you choose to sit by the reflecting pool or in the shaded area with a great view of Expedition Everest.

Can't go wrong at Flame Tree Barbecue

The menu here includes St. Louis Ribs, chicken, pulled pork sandwiches, a smoked turkey breast sandwich, a turkey leg meal (!!), and a Jamaican Jerk Chicken Salad. This quick service spot is a fan-favorite for good reason: the food is consistently good. It's one of our favorite spots for lunch or dinner.

If you happen to be craving pizza while at the Animal Kingdom we recommend stopping by Pizzafari. This counter service spot is probably best known for its amazing decor, rather than the standard Disney World pizza it serves up.

One of the colorful murals at Pizzafari

That's not to say you should avoid eating here. The pizza is good (it's no Via Napoli). However, when you're looking for a quick bite at lunch or dinner or when the kids really want pizza, this is a good place to visit. The pizza is just like the pizza you'll find at Pizza Planet in Disney's Hollywood Studios which is to say a lot of crust and not a lot of toppings.

The menu includes a meat lover's pizza, pepperoni pizza, cheese pizza, vegetarian pizza, meatball sub, pasta Bolognese, and a hearts of Romaine salad. Kids can choose from cheese pizza, mac and cheese, peanut butter & jelly sandwich, or pasta with turkey marinara sauce.

Pizza and a side salad at Pizzafari

And at some point during your meal you'll want to check out each dining room at the restaurant and see if you can figure out the theme. (Hint: the animals are grouped by what they have in common).

Over at the Anandapur Local Food Cafes (better known as the Yak and Yeti counter service) you'll find a satisfying selection of pan-Asian dishes including beef teriyaki and sweet and sour chicken. Some of the dishes are even served up in Chinese take-out containers which adds to the fun (in our opinion). The food here is filling and a nice departure from the norm.

Teriyaki beef bowl from Yak and Yeti counter service

But perhaps our favorite spot to grab a quick meal at the Animal Kingdom is Restaurantosaurus. The name might be (really) long but this fun spot is truly one of the best quick service spots in the park.

The backstory here is that the restaurant started out as the cafeteria for the college students who were participating in the dino dig. And, since the students were strapped for cash, they decided to open the Restaurant and the 'osaurus' was added as a joke at a later date. If you look closely at the decor inside you'll see 'osaurus' added to other names too.

The menu here features an Angus Bacon Cheeseburger, the unique Macaroni and Cheese Hot Dog, a Grilled Chicken Sandwich, Chicken Nuggets, and even a vegetarian Black Bean Burger. Kids can choose from two "Mickey Check" meals (a Turkey Wrap or an Uncrustable sandwich) or a Cheeseburger or Corn Dog Nuggets.

Mac and cheese hot dog at Restaurantosaurus

After you're done with your meal at Restaurantosaurus make sure you check out the other dining rooms including the Air Stream trailer!

Whether you're looking for a great cheeseburger, delicious barbecue, pizza, or some authentic African street food you won't go hungry at Disney's Animal Kingdom. The quick service options really do offer something for everyone.

What is your favorite quick service spot at Disney's Animal Kingdom? Let us know in the comments.

Many thanks to the Disney Food Blog for use of their photos.