Jiko or Sanaa?

[mdricks]

Party of two. Both adults.

Money is not really an issue as food is a primary reason for our trips. I have read great reviews of both although it seems people who are regulars at Jiko are reporting disappointment over the last year.

I know Jiko is signature but I really like the idea of the appetizer sampler, bread sampler, salad sampler at Sanaa.

Cocktails before dinner and a bottle of wine with. Is the wine list the same at both places? If not (presumably Jiko is the deeper cellar) I imagine if I asked nice I would be allowed to order from either list?

For what its worth our other two meals are BlueZoo and Monsieur Paul’s

Thanks in advance for your thoughts!!

[SBETigg]

I think you might enjoy Sanaa for a change of pace if you already have two signature meals. Sanaa is very good, one of our new favorites, and I actually like it better than Jiko. The same wine list should be available at both restaurants. Jiko and Boma are in a different building as Sanaa, I think, so no guarantees but I imagine that they all draw from the same offerings. Sanaa has a great atmosphere, though more casual than Jiko. If you go late, the animal viewing probably won't be much of an incentive but it still has a unique vibe.

[catasaid]

I've never been to Jiko...but we recently had dinner at Sanaa (our first time there) and loved it! We had the bread sampler (with 9 sauces), the appetizer sampler, and the dessert sampler with a pot of pressed coffee...Delicious!!

[DVC2004]

Haven't been to Jiko in the past few trips but we used to go frequently. We did try Sanaa in April and enjoyed it so much we went back a second time during our trip. It was delicious. We enjoyed the bread service and the entrees we tried were amazing. I had the tandoori shrimp. The wine is very good too, South African. I think you should give it a try! We also were a party of 2 adults. We are definitely adding it to our favorites list.

[mdricks]

Done!!

Sanaa it is. Thanks all for the input. Im a big indian food fan and the african/indian fusion is looking better every minute.

Thanks again!

[epceddie]

I think you made the right choice. We've become big fans of Indian food and Sanaa has some great choices. We love dipping the bread into the different sauces and we usually go for lunch. We were lucky to have a table by a window one time and we had a giraffe and a couple of zebra walk right by. We've also been for dinner and have made it a point to go outside and visit the fire pit and talk to the cast members, who are from all over Africa and love to tell you about their home countries. We went to Jiko once and there really was no atmosphere to speak of. Maybe we caught them on a slow night, but it didn't make a big impression on us.

[thejens]

Love Boma, Jiko, and Sanaa, but would chose Sanaa if we could only do one! The food is great and the view is amazing!

[DizneyFreak2002]

Done!!

Sanaa it is. Thanks all for the input. Im a big indian food fan and the african/indian fusion is looking better every minute.

Thanks again!

You cannot go wrong with Sanaa...

[buzznwoodysmom]

We've never been to Jiko, but tried Sanaa for the first time in Feb. Honestly, we thought it was just OK.

The bread service was amazing, but the rest of our food, including desserts, were just OK. We were a party of 11,all on the dining plan so we were able to try all the desserts and they were all just OK, nothing outstanding. As far as entrees go I got the steak and it was fatty and not that tasty, a really bad piece of meat. Both of my kids also ordered the steak and they did not enjoy their steaks either. My youngest refused to eat his as it had so much fat on it. Again horrible cuts of steak. Actually everyone at our table that ordered steak expressed displeasure. They brought my youngest son a kids meal when he wouldn't eat the steak, but what a waste of an adult dining plan credit (he is 10 so an adult in Disney).

We'll probably give it another try, order different dishes, and surely get the bread service again, but not anytime soon.

[LauraF]

You really can't go worng with either. We go to both on our visit (but because we stay at AKL!)

It depends on what type of experience you want.

Sanaa tends to be less crowded (may change), but with the view of the savanna, it really seems to be a different experience than Jiko, which is more about fine dining and the event of eating.

I try to hit Sanaa at least once for lunch because its such a nice break from being the parks and crowds.

Of course the food at both are excellent.

[WRWDisney]

To Buzznwoodysmom, can't comment on the steak (nor excuse a bad cut of meat, so don't take this comment as such), but you are really missing out if you stick with the American staples in a restaurant like this. My son had the tandori lamb the other day and it was tremendous. Cooked perfectly and cut with a fork tender. Also the bison marsala from the slow cooked options was terrific. If you want seafood, I have always enjoyed the sustainable fish.

Just some thoughts for when you give it another try.

[lawgirl]

The first 2 times I went to Jiko it was amazing (this was a few years ago). The service was top notch (all of the CM's we encountered in the restaurant were from Africa and had really good input on the food choices and interesting stories as well), the food was outstanding...everything was perfection. Then we went, maybe 2 years ago, and I was really disappointed. Our waiter seemed local and better suited to an "Olive Garden" type of place. The food was still good, but seemed very rushed and not nearly what it once was. It makes me really sad to think of how great it used to be. It was my favorite restaurant. But we have since started going to Sanaa instead, and have not been disappointed. The atmosphere is magical, and we've always had great servers there. The bar is a great little niche to wait in and sample some naan. I love it. Great choice! Oh, and you absolutely MUST get the chai cream for dessert. Its out of this world!