This restaurant was a huge surprise for gluten free and food allergy dining! Yak and Yeti is a non Disney owned restaurant, even though it is located on Disney property in Disney’s Animal Kingdom, so we had no idea what to expect with allergy needs. Yak and Yeti is part of Landry group, which also owns The Boathouse in Disney Springs among many other restaurants across the U.S. Yak and Yeti is located just across the bridge from Discovery Island where it heads into Asia.
We had reservations for dinner time and ended up waiting a few minutes to be seated, because the restaurant was very busy. Upon being seated, our server who had been notified of our allergies – gluten and xanthan gum – told us, “There will be no substitutions or modifications, you must follow the allergy menus.” Between the server’s attitude and the menu which resembled the kid’s menu at Rainforest Cafe (also Landry owned), we were terrified of what our meal would be!
How We Ordered at Yak and Yeti
Already apprehensive, we glanced over the menu and saw very few options to choose from for gluten free. To make matters even more stressful, our xanthan gum allergy is not a common allergy so it is not marked on menus anywhere. With the lack of caring from the server and the underwhelming menu, we were concerned to say the least. At last, the server offered to speak with the Chef. We practically screamed, “YES”, simultaneously! Chef Phil was attentive and accommodating, telling us some options and then asking what we really wanted to eat. He was very knowledgeable and knew his ingredients without having to check. He wrote everything down on our allergy ticket and was off to oversee our food preparation.
What We Ate Gluten Free at Yak and Yeti*
Some drinks were the first thing on our list here. Surprisingly, their drink menu is creative and offers many choices, though quite a few were rum and we are not big rum fans. The Lycheeni ($15.00)**(lychee martini) was on the specials menu, so D ordered that. It was not too sweet – which she prefers – and refreshing with a citrus note, but not acidic. We both loved the Lycheeni! J ordered the Snap Decision ($15.00)** which is made with a Woodford Reserve Bourbon, an apple syrup, and apricot brandy. She loved it! However, D was not a fan, only because she’s a picky whiskey drinker.
One of the main reasons we wanted to give Yak and Yeti a try was for their infamous Ahi Tuna Nachos ($21.99)**. So when the server delivered his news that there would be no modifications – the Nachos were not listed as gluten free, we were deflated and headed towards some severe disappointment. Chef Phil was incredible though and modified the appetizer for us. We could not do the chips or wontons, but everything else was fine for our allergies – gluten and xanthan gum. They did bring us lettuce wraps to substitute for the nacho chips and that worked perfectly for us. In fact, we would prefer lettuce wraps instead of fried chips. The tuna was super fresh and the Asian slaw was perfectly ribboned cabbage and veggies. We would definitely order the Ahi Tuna Nachos again!
Things only got better after the Tuna Nachos! D ordered Lo Mein Combo ($23.49)** with chicken and shrimp. We were both very excited about the lo mein garlic noodles! They were so delicious we’ve tried to copycat them at home, but no success yet. We’re getting close, but still not nearly as good as the garlicky yumminess of the noodles at Yak and Yeti! Plus, the serving size was so big that even though we shared, we still couldn’t finish them. The overall taste of the dish was excellent and we would go back to Yak and Yeti just to get this entree!
J ordered off the specials menus: Seared Scallops ($40.00)**. The scallops were cooked perfectly and were a nice size. They were served with feta cheese, jalapenos, and corn. Everything was sweet and had a bit of spice (heat), but not too hot.
Yak and Yeti Gluten Free Dinner Experience
Despite not being a signature dining experience, we found Yak and Yeti to be attentive to our allergies, the food was delicious, and we felt safe eating there. We felt the food was a great value for the quality and serving sizes.They do offer an annual pass discount which did help a little with the cost. Our criticisms were few. First, the overall aesthetics of the restaurant and menu were not appealing. Secondly, our servers’ initial reaction to our allergies which made us apprehensive about our food being safe for us. As we stated before, Chef Phil put those worries to rest and then we felt confident in the safety of our food. We have to note that our server was good,(not great) for the remainder of our visit.
We put this restaurant on our “will do again list”!
Have you been to Yak and Yeti? Let us know how you liked it?
GREAT LIFE GLUTEN FREE RATINGS FOR DINNER AT YAK AND YETI
SCALE: EXCELLENT ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ GOOD ⭐⭐⭐⭐ FAIR ⭐⭐⭐ POOR ⭐⭐ NEVER AGAIN ⭐
TASTE/QUALITY ⭐⭐⭐
VALUE ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
ALLERGY FRIENDLY ⭐⭐⭐⭐
SERVICE ⭐⭐⭐
CONVENIENCE ⭐⭐⭐
OVERALL: 3.6 (out of 5.0) ⭐
Want to bring more Disney World food magic home?
Check out our copycat recipe version of The Hollywood Brown Derby’s Famous Cobb Salad! Copycat Hollywood Brown Derby Cobb Salad – Gluten Free and other recipes!
For a full review of our gluten free experience at Walt Disney World’s Hollywood Brown Derby, check it out here → The Hollywood Brown Derby
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Please consult a medical professional for your own food allergen restrictions.
*These foods/products have not caused a reaction for us.
**Prices at time of our dining. Please check online menus for current prices.
