Today we are getting lunch at Jungle Navigation Co. LTD Skipper Canteen in the Magic Kingdom. I have never eaten here and am so excited to cross this off my list finally. It has been sitting at the top of my list for the longest time; I just never had the opportunity to go. This restaurant is just steps away from the Sunshine Tree Terrace and the Swiss Family Treehouse. According to Disney, guests can explore the bold, flavorful cuisine of Asia, South America, and Africa here. While dining at Skipper Canteen, you’ll be immersed in the legacy of the Jungle Cruise.
The story is that the same skippers that guide us through the Nile, Amazon, and Congo Rivers opened their own restaurant in their tropical headquarters so that fellow adventures and hungry families could enjoy a delicious meal.
Appetizers
We ordered the Falls Family Falafel ($11) as one of our appetizers. It’s made with a secret recipe of Chickpeas, Garlic, Onions, Lemon Juice, and Herbs served with House-made Edamame Hummus and Toasted Pumpkin Seeds. This is one of their plant-based options. Ryno and I loved this so much.
The falafel was perfectly crispy on the exterior, and the texture on the inside was the perfect consistency. The edamame hummus was delicious, and the flavors complimented the falafel amazingly. I highly recommend ordering this appetizer. If this type of food item isn’t something you’d order, then this next one might be for you.
Ryno and Craig shared the Orinoco Ida’s Cachapas ($13) House-made Corn Pancakes, Beer-braised Pork, Roasted Corn, Fresno Pepper Salsa, and Avocado Cream. They both enjoyed this appetizer and said all the flavors came through. After enjoying the dish, they said they would recommend this to anyone planning on eating here.
Entrees
I ordered the “Tastes like Chicken” Because it is! ($28) for my entree. Which is Crispy-fried Chicken with Sweet Chili Glaze, Stir-fried Vegetables, and Jasmine Rice. This is a dairy-free and gluten-free dish, and it’s one of the best things I’ve ever eaten at Magic Kingdom. The chicken was cooked perfectly, and the jasmine rice tasted heavenly. The stir-fried vegetables didn’t add much to the dish, but they were cooked and seasoned properly. The sweet chili glaze on the chicken was my favorite flavor. It had an undertone of soy sauce, but it was perfect. I would definitely come back here and order this again.
Ryno ordered the Skipper Dan’s Dan Dan Noodles ($28), Thin Noodles tossed in a savory Spicy Chili Sauce topped with Crispy Pork, Pickled Mustard Greens, Radish, and Cucumbers. He noted that the noodles were cooked well. The one negative he pointed out was that the sauce had a lot of soy sauce, and he felt it was overpowering.
I had him taste my dish to see if my sauce was the same, but he said mine had a sweeter flavor that wasn’t sodium-heavy. The positive side of the sauce is that it had a great kick to it. After eating his meal, he said he would want to return and order the “Tastes like Chicken” Because it is! or the Lamb chops.
Craig ordered the Baa Baa Lamb Chops ($36), Spice-rubbed Lamb Chops, Chermoula, Cauliflower, Potatoes, Cipollini Onions, and Harissa Sauce, garnished with Preserved Lemons and Herbs. He thoroughly enjoyed this meal and loved all the flavors that came through. It’s important to note that this entree is cooked medium rare, but you can ask for it to be cooked differently. Once he was done eating, he concluded that he would recommend this dish and would definitely come back to Skipper Canteen.
Desserts
Panna-Connie’s Congo Lime Delight (9)
For dessert, I ordered Panna-Connie’s Congo Lime Delight ($9), Lime’ Panna Cotta’ served with Mango-Lime Sorbet and Fresh Fruit. This is the plant-based dessert that they offer. It’s not my favorite dessert, but I did love how light and refreshing it was. It was very reminiscent of a key lime pie, just without the graham cracker crust. I thought it was a wonderful way to end the meal before stepping out into the hot Florida sun.
Ryno ordered the Coconut Bar with Pineapple-Basil Compote and Vanilla Cream ($8.50), Vanilla Chiffon Cake with Coconut, and Lime-White Chocolate Ganache. This dish was beautiful. He enjoyed this dessert and mentioned that the flavors were interesting but great. Craig also ate some of this and enjoyed it.
Craig ordered the Kungaloosh! ($9), An African-inspired Chocolate Cake with Caramelized Bananas served with Cashew-Caramel Ice Cream topped with Coffee Dust. He absolutely loved this dessert. His only critique was that the chocolate cake was more like a brownie but still delicious. Ryno also tried some of the dessert and thought it was great.
Of the three desserts, I would recommend ordering the Coconut Bar or the Kungaloosh since they were the table’s favorites.
Overall Thoughts
Ever since we left the restaurant, all I’ve been saying is how much I love it. I enjoyed everything I ate and loved the atmosphere. Everything about it was fun. The cast members played the part and truly made me feel like I was on the Jungle Cruise.
I found two things that really stuck out to me when I walked around the restaurant after our meal. There was a corner in the main dining room that had boxes dedicated to Jingle Cruise. In another room, I saw these lights with parrots, which made me think about the Enchanted Tiki Room. I love that attraction, so to see something that reminded me of it made me happy.
All in all, we had a great time, and we would all come back here again to eat what we ordered, but we also have some things that we would love to try. In my humble opinion, I think this is the best table service restaurant at Magic Kingdom. Have you ever dined here before? If you have, would you recommend others to eat here? Oh, and be sure to leave your review of this dining location in the comment section.
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