Sanaa vs Jiko

[leebee]

We found Sanaa to be fine, fairly typical Indian-influenced food in your "average" restaurant. Jiko, on the other hand, is always a fine-dining experience. Food is good at Sanaa, outstanding in Jiko. We liked Sanaa, but it wasn't outstanding enough to become a "must-do" and we probably won't go again. Jiko? We have been several times; it's one of our favorite places for a celebratory meal.

 

[Victoriapeluso]

Sorry to hear you had such a bad experience. That should NEVER happen at a signature restaurant. Did you let your server or manager know there was an issue? If so, I would hope they would have fixed the issue. If you didn't, then how can they fix it?
We have dined at Jiko for years and never had a bad meal. Hopefully, yours was a one off.

you know, becasue im such a fan of disney and dining there- ill prob give it another try... no i didnt. My husband is a chef, and I hardly ever complain.... I know I should have

 

[auntfrannie]

I love them both but they have such different ambiance. I've never had a disappointing meal at either location but definitely want Jiko if I want an elevated experience.

 

[psc85]

They are different experiences, but, if we were forced to pick one it would be Sanaa hands down.

 

[mlayton14]

maybe it shouldn’t , but it surprises me that people go so gaga over Sanaa bread service , it’s naan that can be found at any local Indian restaurant, not that I don’t like it , but it’s really nothing special. The rest of the food is good but nothing I would travel out of my way for. Jiko is another level in food quality if you are into finer dining , most folks would enjoy either so don’t stress too much over your decision

 

[Cindra]

Jiko is a signature experience. Sanaa is good and should be done as an additional experience if you've done Jiko before and not Sanaa. Once both have been done then you can decide in the future.

 

[glocon]

Agree with Cindra.
Since you’ve already tried Jiko, give Sanaa a try.

Both are very different experiences. We had to decide on our last trip between the two as well (hadn’t tried either before) and went with Jiko, but will try Sanaa next time to see what all the fuss is about.

Sanaa is the last restaurant at AKL for us to try and we haven’t been disappointed yet so are hopeful that it is as good as advertised.

 

[hertamaniac]

I enjoy Sanaa more. We have had the sit down and also the mobile order a couple of times (what better way to enjoy the bread/chutney then looking out your balcony at the animals).

Jiko is good, but I wasn't wowed by the steak/mac-n-cheese entree. The pork belly appetizer was excellent though.

 

[ReaperMouse]

Jiko is one of our favorite restaurants on property but have read wonderful things about Sanaa. We have never experienced Sanaa and making our September plans Now. We know we can’t go wrong with Jiko but so many rave about Sanaa.
How different are they? Sanaa menu looks to be less expensive but we know Jiko is well worth the price of admission LOL
should we try Sanaa or stick with Jiko?

My family of four had a great lunch at Sanaa in November. I was the most apprehensive of the menu, but probably enjoyed it the most. For the famous bread service, I heated myself up wonderfully on the spicier accompaniments on the spiced and paneer naan. I was not able to cool off with the fun and unique spicy poblano margarita. I did give myself a delicious respite with a samosa. For the main course, I thoroughly enjoyed the potjie inspired pork vindaloo and rajma masala. I did not have room for dessert and had some leftover entre that I enjoyed later.

Our server took care of my children with food allergies and restrictions, including allergy safe naan. She answered my many questions about the menu, allowing me to order more adventurously than the Sanaa Burger, which I have heard is very good. My first grader loved the sustainable fish kids meal.

We had a window seat and watched young zebras chasing each other between giraffes.

It was an incredible experience that I would highly recommend.

 

[BeachMouse1]

My family of four had a great lunch at Sanaa in November. I was the most apprehensive of the menu, but probably enjoyed it the most. For the famous bread service, I heated myself up wonderfully on the spicier accompaniments on the spiced and paneer naan. I was not able to cool off with the fun and unique spicy poblano margarita. I did give myself a delicious respite with a samosa. For the main course, I thoroughly enjoyed the potjie inspired pork vindaloo and rajma masala. I did not have room for dessert and had some leftover entre that I enjoyed later.

Our server took care of my children with food allergies and restrictions, including allergy safe naan. She answered my many questions about the menu, allowing me to order more adventurously than the Sanaa Burger, which I have heard is very good. My first grader loved the sustainable fish kids meal.

We had a window seat and watched young zebras chasing each other between giraffes.

It was an incredible experience that I would highly recommend.

Thanks you so much. Definitely going

 

[psc85]

I enjoy Sanaa more. We have had the sit down and also the mobile order a couple of times (what better way to enjoy the bread/chutney then looking out your balcony at the animals).

Jiko is good, but I wasn't wowed by the steak/mac-n-cheese entree. The pork belly appetizer was excellent though.

We had the same experience at Jiko with the Filet/Mac-N-Cheese, it was good, but did not live up to the exceptions we had from word of mouth and YouTube reviews. Also yes, we had them prepare the filet as the chef recommended (medium rare?).

• The Wild Board/Polenta appetizer was delicious.
• We found our service there to be sloooowwwww, must have just been our server (who was very nice however).
  • We saw tables that sat down after us, get their desserts and leave before we were even given a dessert menu.
• Also, the complimentary bread and the baobab butter was meh.

That being said, we were happy to have an excuse to visit DAKL in the evening and I picked up a fun Tervis Tumbler at the gift shop.

 

[BrianL]

I have been to Sanaa, but not Jiko. I really liked it, though I'm not sure that my dining companions did. Some stuff it is a bit spicy. I will echo that you should not miss the bread service - get it! It's fantastic.

 

[kanraku]

I'm excited to try Sanaa. We plan to stay at AKL for a week in September 2024 so it's definitely on my list of restaurants to try.