Just back - thoughts on 3 days of eating

SuzaBanana

Mouseketeer
Joined
Nov 24, 2014
Reviews of: Sanaa, Cantina de San Angel, Spice Road Table, BOG, Pinocchio Village Haus, The Wave, Satuli Canteen and Nomad Lounge.

Just back from our 12/16-12/19 trip to WDW. We were last there in April 2016 and chose some repeats and new options. Our family agrees that our favorite in-park dining is in AK (it's also our favorite park in general). We are a family of 4 (kids are 10 and 7) who really enjoy all types of food and like trying new things. Kids are a little picky, but can always find something they like. On to our quick reviews...

Sanaa - Delicious as last time, despite having a 15 mins wait past our ADR. Bread service was fantastic, kids both had the butter chicken, husband had the lamb shank and I had the Potjie (butter chicken and cilantro-coconut veg). All yummy, happy bellies! I will always recommend Sanaa :)

Cantina de San Angel - Mediocre Mexican QS. I was disappointed that all the cheese was of the "cheese sauce" variety. Not much flavor and the salsa verde they had available was terrible. We ordered the chips and guacamole (fairly flavorless and very diluted with sour cream), empanadas con queso, tacos pescado and nachos. It was food and no one got sick, but I wouldn't eat there again. I don't live in a place that has amazing Mexican food (Boston isn't exactly a mecca of authentic Mexican cuisine) but I eat far better for far less at my corner burrito shop.

Spice Road Table - Really great! In contrast to lunch above, this was fantastic :) I couldn't believe how empty it was and it never got full while we were there. Sat out on the patio despite the cold, and they turned on the heat lamps which made it perfect. We shared a bunch of things: hummus fries, garlic shrimp, stuffed grape leaves, hummus and olives etc. Surprised not to see more salads, but overall everything was delicious! The baklava was the only miss - dry and lacking the delicious dripping honey that makes this dessert luscious.

BOG - Got the last-minute PPO ADR I was hoping for. Pre-ordered online the night before, saving us a good chunk of time. Didn't realize it was an EMM day until we got there and it was already crowded with people! Oh well. Food was just as mediocre as last time, but we really eat there to beat the crowds in the morning. Kids both got the crepes which they liked. I got the kids French toast as I'm not much of a breakfast eater - it was ok. Husband got the vegetable quiche, which was ok. The quiche and French toast were warm - not cold or hot. The crepes were cold, which was fine. Coffee was disgusting - weak, stale, gross. I opted for tea after tasting my husband's coffee. Got out of there and got on PP for a 10 mins standby line which ballooned to a 60 mins time by the time we were out!

Pinocchio Village Haus - Not good. Should have gone to Sleepy Hollow but the kids wanted pizza. I should have insisted on Sleepy Hollow. Ordered cheese flatbread pizza for the kids, which was ok - tough and dry. They didn't complain. Husband ordered the Antipasto salad and ate it with no comment which typically means it wasn't good, but it's fuel, so whatever. I made the HUGE mistake of ordering the Chicken Parmesan Sandwich. Looked ok, but it was not. It was bad. So bad. As in, I can't believe I paid to eat that, bad. The texture of the chicken was like biting into styrofoam but denser. My teeth squeaked biting into it. I spit it out and was convinced I'd be ill. I threw it out and ordered a cheese pizza. Never again, Pinocchio.

The Wave - This was one of our favorite dinners in 2016 and since MK was closing early for a Xmas party it made sense to walk over for dinner this time. While waiting for our ADR, husband went to the bar for a drink and bartender really didn't have basic knowledge of making cocktails. Husband had to walk the bartender through making a Manhattan. Bar patrons were loud and rowdy for 6pm. For dinner apps we ordered Bacon & Eggs (yum!), PEI Mussels and kids shared the Caesar salad. All were yummy - not a complaint to be found. Entrees were: Spice-rubbed chicken for hubby, Seared gnocchi for me, Dashi noodle bowl for my 10 year old and kids penne for my 7 year old. Surprisingly, the chicken was the stand-out of the meals! Hubby never gets chicken, but the toasted farro, dried fruits, winter greens, caramelized onions and chicken jus made it all really wonderful - perfect balance of spice, sweet, bitter and salt. I've never met a gnocchi I didn't like, but this was so salty it became inedible after 3 bites. My husband likes salt more than I do and he couldn't eat it either. I'm not one to send things back, but did mention it on our way out. My daughter really enjoyed her noodle bowl, but also found the broth to be overly salty. We eat similar noodle bowls at various Japanese and Asian fusion spots at home and don't have issues with salt like this. It was a disappointment for sure. Lastly, there was a table near us for a party of 12 (maybe more) that was a huge distraction. They were seated without the whole party being there, which I thought wasn't allowed. They pulled extra chairs from other tables when more people joined them and they had a very tired and cranky 2 year old in a stroller at the table. I get having kids at restaurants - I've been there a hundred times with my own. But this poor kiddo was screaming for an hour and mom was ignoring him and shoving her phone in his face and he wanted nothing to do with it. Mom didn't touch her child once. Refused to pick him up or hold him or anything. As we were leaving, mom threw her napkin across the table, chugged her cocktail and yelled at her child "I GUESS we have to go for a walk now and ruin mommy's dinner!" I was really sad for that kiddo and mom. Looked like a rough situation and not one either of them wanted to deal with in a restaurant.

Satu'li Canteen - I was bummed to learn of the menu change before we arrived, as we all love grain bowls at home but we still wanted to try this new (to us) spot. I got the chicken and noodle bowl with the charred green onion vinaigrette. I found it to be light, fresh and delicious. No complaints :) Hubby got the tofu and hash bowl with black bean vinaigrette which he liked quite a bit. Oldest child got the cheeseburger pod and youngest got the dough-wrapped hot dog. All were content. I didn't score a bite of the pod before it was gone, sadly. Would love to see more QS options like this in amusement parks/museums across the country.

Nomad Lounge - Our last meal at WDW was our best! On a very busy AK day (wait times were bonkers and hard to walk anywhere due to so many people) we were surprised to see how empty it was here. Arrived around 5:15 and stayed until about 7pm. Eating outside on the wrap-around porch was serene and quiet. This place is a complete oasis from the chaos of the park. Service was good and the food was fantastic! We could order from the Nomad menu or the app menu from Tiffins and they offered the kids menu to our girls. We shared: Beef Sliders, Falafel, Pork Ribs, Tomato & Avocado salad, Poutine, Churros and a kids Cottage Pie. Everything was really wonderful. The pork ribs were not the best ribs, but were tasty. Sliders had excellent flavor - especially with the tomato-pear jam! Falafel was one of the best I've had. Churros were awesome. Perfect amount of food and the price was on par with what I'd pay at home for the same meal. Probably the only place on property that we've eaten at that we'd eat at if it existed at home.


In all, we still love the options at AK best. All but Sanaa were new and all three were really great. The Wave was a disappointment in several ways, some of which was no fault of the restaurant but still detracted from our experience. MK is still lacking in good food options. We wanted to try Skippers Canteen but I couldn't justify a sit-down lunch when we were only there for one day. Park food seems better than it was when I was a kid coming to WDW but still has loads of room for improvement.
 
Love your reviews! We're planning on eating at some of the same spots on our next trip. Sounds like you had lots of yummy food!
 
Thanks for the write up! Sounds about what I would expect from each place. Really need to get to Sanaa and Nomad Lounge! Pinnochio Haus sounds awful, yikes!
 
Thank you for the thorough reviews. You covered both service and food admirably.
You've visited several eateries that we haven't been to yet with the exception of Spice Road which was a first-time visit for us this December and certainly won't be our last. Still want and need to visit Sanaa.
 



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