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Home » Restaurants » Sanaa at Disney’s Animal Kingdom Villas: Gluten Free Options

Sanaa at Disney’s Animal Kingdom Villas: Gluten Free Options

October 16, 2018 By Katie Moseman 11 Comments

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Check out a review and pictures of gluten free appetizers, entrees, and desserts we had at the Sanaa restaurant at Disney’s Animal Kingdom Kidani Village.

Gluten free naan bread with accompaniments at Sanaa restaurant

Gluten free naan with nine accompaniments

Sanaa at Disney’s Animal Kingdom Villas: Gluten Free Options

For years, Sanaa was one of our favorite places to eat.  When I found out I could no longer consume anything that contained gluten, I was crushed.  Sanaa’s ethereal naan bread became off limits.

It took a while before I was comfortable returning to Sanaa.  Over time, I became used to ignoring the food I couldn’t eat; I would content myself with their gluten free flatbread pieces while the rest of the family enjoyed their naan.

So, the road back to Sanaa wasn’t entirely smooth, but I traveled it anyway, because that’s just what you have to do.

The most recent time we visited, my husband and I both ordered gluten free food.  (He doesn’t have to eat gluten free, but often he’ll order his food from the gluten free menu to be on the safe side for my benefit.)

We started off with the Indian Style Bread Service, done gluten free, with all 9 accompaniments: Roasted Red Pepper Hummus, Mango Chutney, Tomato-Date Jam, Tamarind Chutney, Coriander Chuntey, Garlic Pickle, Red Chile Sambal, Cucumber Raita, and Spicy Jalapeño-Lime Pickle.  (See photo at top of post.)

My husband ordered the Spicy Durban Shrimp, Paneer Tikka, and Basmati Rice, which were all gluten free.

Paneer Tikka in a steel bowl at Sanaa restaurant

Clockwise from front: Paneer Tikka, Spicy Durban Shrimp, Basmati Rice

After all the gluten free naan, I was a little less hungry.  I ordered a gluten free appetizer, the Oxtail Umngqusho (braised oxtail, marrow, cracked hominy, and black eyed peas) rather than a full entree so I could save room for dessert.

Braised oxtail with marrow, hominy, and beans on a plate at Sanaa restaurant

Braised oxtail

The meat of the oxtail was flavorful, but overall it was a little greasy for my taste.  Next time, I’ll choose the “Potjie Inspired” entree (potjie is a South African term for a style of food cooked in an iron pot over a fire) and plan to pack up the leftovers.

Potjie Inspired: Choose one from the Journey: Goan Seafood Curry, Butter Chicken, Braised Beef, or Spicy Durban Shrimp. Choose one from the Harvest – Chickpea Wat, Aloo Masala, Paneer Tikka, Lentil Dhal, or Cilantro-Coconut Vegetables.  Served with scented Basmati Rice.

For dessert, we split two of the gluten free dessert options, which were made by modifying existing desserts.  The first was Serradura, listed on the menu as “Butterscotch Pudding, Almond Coffee Streusel, Pineapple, Mango, and Breton Shortbread,” but without the streusel or shortbread.  The pudding was surprisingly salty (even for butterscotch) but tasted good, especially when each bite contained a bit of sweet fruit for contrast.

Gluten free butterscotch pudding at Sanaa restaurant

Serradura dessert

The second gluten free dessert was Kheer, described as “Coconut-Rice Pudding with Cashew Streusel and Saffron-poached Fruit.”  Ours came without streusel, and with fresh berries instead of poached fruit.

Bowl of gluten free kheer rice pudding at Sanaa restaurant for dessert

Kheer dessert

I found the kheer to be inoffensive but underwhelming.  I miss having their “candy bar” desserts, which, on occasion, were gluten free—and far superior to the current offering of kheer or serradura.

In future, I think I’ll stick to the bread service and the “Potjie Inspired” entree, at least until they get some more interesting gluten free desserts.  I appreciate that they at least have some options, but my hope for the future is that the gluten free desserts will become equally as good as the regular desserts.

You can see the original Sanaa gluten free naan bread recipe here, and also the new vegan version here.  I look forward to making some naan at home soon!

Sanaa at Disney\'s Animal Kingdom Villas: Gluten Free Options
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Filed Under: Florida, Hotels, Orlando, Restaurants, Travel

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Comments

  1. Nicole Wilder

    October 24, 2018 at 2:44 pm

    I eat gluten but this is an interesting post about the different ways they can make food gluten free, hopefully they get better with the desserts!

    Reply
  2. Athena

    October 24, 2018 at 2:50 pm

    I love when restaurants have gluten free options. Although I don’t stick to gluten free – given the option, I will always choose gluten free.

    Reply
  3. Gladys Parker

    October 24, 2018 at 4:13 pm

    Thankfully I don’t have to worry about being Gluten Free–I have to worry a being diabetic! Slowly but surely a lot of restaurants are figuring out how to make us all happy and healthy-while still satisfying our taste buds.

    Reply
  4. Ashley Grant

    October 25, 2018 at 12:10 pm

    It’s amazing how many restaurants are coming out with so many options that allow people with food allergies to still go out to eat. Used to be you just had the options on the menu, but these days it’s nice to see that restaurateurs are taking great care to offer allergy free items.

    Reply
  5. Kelli A

    October 25, 2018 at 1:44 pm

    I love that they have taken the initiative to offer these selections. A few of my family members are gluten intolerant and we are all learning as a family how to create more options.

    Reply
  6. Tiffany La Forge-Grau

    October 25, 2018 at 9:18 pm

    Wow, they actually have a lot of very nice options! Eating GF can be a real chore!

    Reply
  7. Denise C

    October 26, 2018 at 2:30 pm

    I really should have looked for gluten-free options when we were at Disney World. I probably wouldn’t have gained as much weight from the trip. 🙂

    Reply
  8. Farrah Less

    October 26, 2018 at 9:17 pm

    Its good to know that theres so many food that is gluten free that you can make. And a post like yours make it so easy for everyone who wanted to try this recipe everything looks good by the way.

    Reply
  9. Madelain

    October 27, 2018 at 6:24 pm

    It’s so nice for places to have these options now! I know it must be hard for those who have to be gluten-free. A hand-clap for Sanaa 🙂

    Madelain | http://www.wheremyheartwanders.com

    Reply
  10. Nicole

    October 28, 2018 at 4:43 pm

    This is such a great post! My son has a wheat allergy so a lot of his meals are gluten free. It’s great to know if we ever go to Disney there will be some pretty good options for him. Thanks for sharing!

    Reply
  11. KatWalkSF

    November 22, 2018 at 10:53 am

    This looks SO yummy!

    Reply

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