When Pandora- The World of Avatar opened in Animal Kingdom in 2017, THE place to eat in all of Disney World was Satu‘li Canteen. This quick service gained a reputation for having the most innovative and unique menu options. I, too, enjoyed the curry vegetable steamed pods (no longer available) and the build-your-own tofu bowl. However, my past few visits there have been a disappointment.
The food here is still good. It’s just not great. One of the first things that I noticed at my most recent visit was how tough and chewy the tofu tasted. It also had a bit of a fishy flavor, which may be the result of a shared fryer or cross-contamination. I had to struggle to finish my tofu and that’s usually my favorite part of the dish. The potato hash was also a bit off. Some potatoes were crispy while others were raw. As far as the boba balls go, I’ve never been a fan of them, but they tasted more sour than usual. This could be the result of me wanting to find something wrong with them since I was already not enjoying the dish.
I’ve wanted to pass this off as a possible bad or off day for the food here, but this has been my third disappointing meal at Satu‘li Canteen. I wouldn’t tell anyone to not eat here. It’s still a unique experience and the food isn’t terrible, but I would recommend that visitors keep their expectations in check. Even though this restaurant is only four years old, I think it could use some changes or new options for the bowls that may help with maintaining quality in the food. For example, if it’s too hard to maintain fresh tofu without cross-contamination then maybe they could switch to another plant-based protein. I also wouldn’t shed any tears if boba balls were off the menu completely.
