Skipper Canteen Review
Jungle Navigation Co., Ltd. Skipper Canteen in Magic Kingdom at Walt Disney World is a Jungle Cruise-themed restaurant. This review features food photos and our thoughts on the ambiance and experience of dining at this new table service spot in Adventureland. (Updated July 6, 2020.)
The menu at Skipper Canteen is “daring” (odd word choice, but I didn’t want to go for the obvious “adventurous” pun, but I guess I’ve done that anyway with this parenthetical) by Magic Kingdom standards, making it an interesting place to try. Additionally, Skipper Canteen accepts the Tables in Wonderland card for 20% off.
Note that when Magic Kingdom reopens on July 11, 2020, it will do so with a limited slate of restaurants (see our List of Reopening & Closed In-Park Restaurants at Walt Disney World). Additionally, most restaurants will offer scaled-back menus at first, which includes Jungle Navigation Co., Ltd. Skipper Canteen. As such, some of the items reviewed here may not be available in the near future…
When Skipper Canteen was first announced, the concept reminded me of three different restaurants: Trader Sam’s Grog Grotto, The Explorer’s Club Restaurant, and Magellan’s. These are three of my favorite Disney restaurants/bars anywhere, each being exquisitely done thematically. If it could live up to the reputation of any of these, it would be a huge success for me, especially since it was previously a vacant location in the Magic Kingdom.
Did it live up to my lofty expectations? Well, let’s start with thematics, and go on a bit of a photo tour of Skipper Canteen…
Prior to closing in 1994, this location housed the Adventureland Veranda, a counter service restaurant with interiors designed by Disney Legend Dorothea Redmond.
Since then, it’s been largely neglected, used during hard ticket parties for makeshift meet & greets, and also housing Tinker Bell and her pixie homies for a spell. Unless Skipper Canteen were botched significantly, this would be an upgrade from all that nonsense, at absolute minimum.
Fortunately, Skipper Canteen is a huge upgrade.
Many of the Dorothea Redmond interiors remain intact, and portions of the restaurant are 1971 opening day Magic Kingdom originals. Alongside that, there are new design elements and decor that have been added, providing added texture and newness that compliments that original design.
This is especially evident in the lobby and the main dining room, the Crew’s Mess Hall. This is a light, breezy area where the colors pop and texture is provided through details along the walls and overhead.
We dined in here for my second meal at Skipper Canteen, and although it’s my least favorite of the rooms, that’s relative. I’d still take this over almost any themed area at other Magic Kingdom restaurants.
Despite being called a “mess hall” (words you never want associated with a table service restaurant) this area succeeds in not feeling over-crowded thanks to the spacing of the tables and the airy feeling of the restaurant. It almost reminds me of the type of restaurant you’d find in the South Seas, or heck, even Florida.
I’m a bit surprised it doesn’t have an open air component. (My biggest disappointment is that the remaining verandas outside are sitting unused…perhaps that’s why “Adventureland Veranda” wasn’t chosen as a name?)
For my first meal, I was seated in the S.E.A. Room–a secret meeting place for the Society of Explorers and Adventurers.
I’m a huge fan of S.E.A. (despite it shunning Disney’s greatest explorer: Duffy the Bear) and the way it has weaved together multiple attractions and restaurants from around the world with this common motif.
There must be some Imagineers who are big fans of S.E.A., too, because it’s been showing up in more and more projects as of late.
This room reminded me a lot of the hidden wine cellar in Magellan’s at Tokyo DisneySea.
While there’s a coolness to that wine cellar actually being a secret room, the S.E.A. Room at Skipper Canteen works better because it conveys the stately elegance that you’d expect from a meeting place of people of such status as the members of S.E.A.
It’s not quite as ornate and lavish as Magellan’s as a whole, but this room works really well in the context of Skipper Canteen, and is my favorite room of the bunch. It is warm, intimate, and rife with detail.
You could probably spend hours just looking at the book shelfs trying to place all of the references.
I spotted about 20, including this to the extinct Tokyo DisneySea show, Legend of Mythica. I suspect every title or author name contains such a reference to Disney history, some more obscure than others (at least a couple were probably lost on me).
From the secluded “Butterfly Booth” to the tables by the fireplace to the sea mural, every seat here offers a unique draw.
This room is really a treat, and for me, exemplifies how this space was repurposed in a way that was respectful to the original Adventureland Veranda, while bringing something new to the table.
I am slightly concerned about the potential for overuse of S.E.A. and the Navigation Co., as both are very self-referential.
There’s a fine line between respectful, self-referential homage and over-the-top fan service. A location should stand on its own thematically, adding to a common theme, rather than devolving into a simple tribute.
Thankfully, these are only cautionary words (in my opinion) as Skipper Canteen stays on the right side of that line, keeping its references to respectful homage.
Some things could stand to be a little more subtle, but by and large, it’s all well done.
The final room is the Jungle Room, which is the former Falls’ family parlor. This is the only room in which we haven’t dined, but we spent some time exploring it, and I rather enjoyed this room as well.
Thanks to stained glass lights and parrot light fixtures, it has a vibrant sense of the tropics, with the carpet, ceiling, and fireplace offsetting that with a bit of formality.
Texture and depth are words that keep coming to mind when describing the rooms of Skipper Canteen, and that’s true again of the Jungle Room. My favorite of these details is–by far–the parrot light fixtures.
I’m currently putting together a caper to heist one with the help of Bill Murray and the Wu Tang Clan. I’ll keep you posted on our progress.
All in all, I’m pleased with the theming at Skipper Canteen. It’s more restrained than other recent high-key efforts like Jock Lindsay’s Hangar Bar and Trader Sam’s, and in this case, I think that’s a good thing.
The aforementioned bars work in their own ways, but I’m not sure if that would have been the case at this table service spot. At some point, a high-level of decor crosses from appropriate theming to looking like the lair of a hoarder, and that does not occur here.
There’s plenty to see, explore, and discover without wondering if some of the Jungle Cruise skippers need a Buried Alive intervention. My only complaint is that some aspects of the S.E.A. room do feel a bit overly-new, but I can’t recall any specific examples to cite, so this is a minor quibble.
Phew. That’s been an abnormal amount of text devoted to theme. Now, for the menu. I’m almost not even sure it’s worth bothering. Skipper Canteen has a very ambitious menu.
It’s far more adventurous than anything else in the Magic Kingdom, and as such, I would not be surprised to see this menu change dramatically at some point. Still, the inveterate optimist in me hopes that the restaurant retains this menu, so I’ll cover each of the dishes we tried.
The meal starts with bread and a honey dip.
I was unimpressed by the bland loaf, and the honey only improved things a tad.
For my first visit, I started with the S.E.A. Shu Mai. This is 6 pork, shrimp and mung bean mixed dumplings presented in a metal container. From the first bite, I knew this wasn’t your average Magic Kingdom restaurant. These bad boys had a spice that I was not expecting.
They weren’t spicy, per se, but rather, they had a complexity more akin to an authentic Chinese restaurant than anything at Walt Disney World–and that includes World Showcase. Highly recommended.
After the unexpected taste of the shu mai, I was really excited for Skipper Canteen’s take on lamb chops. Well, the Grilled Lamb Chops were definitely…different.
They were incredibly thinly sliced, which really subdued the natural, distinct flavor of lamb (something I really like, but your mileage may vary). The berber spice was a nice addition, but not enough. Much to my surprise, the green lentil stew was actually the highlight, and had a delicious flavor to it. Still, not enough for me to recommend this dish. It was good, but should have been better.
For the second visit, we started with the Falls Family Falafel.
This was Sarah’s choice, as I’m not the biggest fan of falafel. Despite that, I thought these had a good texture, with the garlic and herbs carrying this dish. The dip and tomato-cucumber salad actually made it good, which is more than I can say about most falafel. Again, I’m the wrong person to ask on this, though.
Sarah had the Rice Noodle Bowl with Chicken, which she really enjoyed.
The herbs and fresh (she emphasized this) jalapeños mixed well with the perfectly-cooked vegetables, and the chicken breast provided heartiness to the otherwise light dish. Sarah highly recommends this.
For this meal, I had the Char Siu Pork. After the disappointment of the lamb, this was a rousing success. These pork medallions were some of the most tender pork I’ve tasted in a long time. The char sui marinade really did the trick here, as these were flavorful without tasting like they were soaked in a vat of mystery sodium-sauce. This carnivorous-perfection was accompanied by some vegetables and rice, neither of which were particularly noteworthy, but were nice filler. I’d definitely recommend this.
Several friends also joined us for this meal as we celebrated our conquest of Walt Disney World Marathon Weekend with a grand circle tour of Disney restaurants. I’ll summarily cover their meals with photos and passing thoughts…
First up is the Skip’s Mac & Cheese, which a couple of people at our table ordered.
I really wanted to get this, but as someone who constantly whines about Walt Disney World menus being too vanilla, I felt it would be hypocritical of me to opt for this. It seemed to be a hit among our group, with the sentiment being that the meat gave oomph to the dish.
The Dr. Falls’ Signature Grilled Steak was another dish that tempted me, but I ultimately refrained due to the price.
The presentation of this dish was excellent, and our friend who ordered it, and liked it.
Another of our friends had the Curried Vegetable Crew Stew, which he really seemed to like.
He commented that the sweetness of the squash provided a nice counter-balance to the spices of the curry. This looked like a fairly large dish to me, and good value for its price point.
Someone else ordered the “A lot at Steak” Salad. I don’t recall them having a strong opinion on this one way or the other, but the steak on the salad looked nice.
During this meal, we overheard an adjacent table whose kids ordered something off the menu at Liberty Tree Tavern. I mention this in case the menu options at Skipper Canteen are too adventurous for your kids, now you know that might be an option.
The kids menu seems pretty standard to me, but what do I know. Besides, introducing things outside of kids’ comfort zones at a young age builds character and teaches them that the world won’t cater to their every whim. (Just wait until I inflict my uninformed and impractical views about parenting on you all with “Tom’s Absurd Parenting Blog” 😉 )
Then there’s dessert. We tried one and some friends tried another (the Kungaloosh!, above and the Coconut Bar with Pineapple-Basil Compote and Vanilla Cream, below) and both were, in a word, small.
They were good desserts (especially the coconut bar!), but were more “fine dining” style desserts.
Interesting, I think the same could be said about several of the plates at Skipper Canteen. The presentation and plating of some items suggests an almost Signature-caliber restaurant, but the ambiance says otherwise. I certainly wouldn’t peg it as fine dining, but its menu is on the upper end of standard table service.
I’ve heard many people comment on prices, but I wouldn’t say its particularly expensive by table service restaurants standards. This is especially true when you consider quality. At most, Skipper Canteen’s prices are a couple of dollars higher than comparable entrees elsewhere, but significantly higher in terms of quality.
Overall, Skipper Canteen is not a grand slam, but it’s an in-the-park home run. Of the Magic Kingdom table service restaurants I’ve done, this is the clear winner in terms of both ambiance and cuisine (Sarah puts it #2 behind Be Our Guest Restuarant’s dinner), and its interesting cuisine should be lauded, even if there are a couple of misfires. I love comfort foods, but this is definitely an improvement over most table service options in the Magic Kingdom.
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Your Thoughts
Are you intrigued by the menu or theme at Skipper Canteen? Planning on dining here? Have you already dined here? Do you agree or disagree with our restaurant review? Any questions we can help you answer? Hearing your feedback–even when you disagree with us–is both interesting to us and helpful to other readers, so please share your thoughts below in the comments!
We just ate there Sunday night. They must have heard you didn’t think the lamb had enough spice because my husband’s was so spicy he could hardly finish it. The kids menu is ok but not traditional so if your kids aren’t adventurous – not for you. It was just ok for us.
I’m excited to try Skipper Canteen on our trip this fall! The interesting kids’ menu is actually a selling point for us–my parents were the “you’ll eat what’s on your plate and like it” type, so pickiness was not an option for me. As parents now, we’ve always just given our own kid smaller portions of our “adult” food, and as a result, he’s a pretty adventurous eater. Also, I just can’t get past paying $7 at a restaurant for a bowl of Easy Mac that I could buy for $1 at Target and make in 30 seconds.
Thanks for this great review! I sincerely hope that they don’t start “dumbing down” the menu with complaints from unadventurous guests. I am really impressed by this opening menu!
And just as a quick question, did you mean to say “flavorful with*out* tasting like they were soaked in a vat of mystery sodium-sauce”? 🙂
Ha, yes, that’s what I meant. Thanks!
I actually have not been reading many positive things about Skipper so I’m really happy to see your take on it as our opinions often fall pretty closely together. We will be down at the end of this week and I’m going to do my best to get in, I want to try the restaurant as intended before they start changing it to draw in the masses.
After a couple of comments yesterday, I went searching for other reviews and forum threads, and was surprised by what I read. I guess there’s no accounting for taste…
To me… this is one of the most exciting additions to any WDW park in a long time. I can’t wait to try it and I’ve been searching high and low for things to be excited about on our annual April trip to WDW.
It’s a nice restaurant, but I wouldn’t say it’s *that* big of a deal. I hope you have an enjoyable trip in April. If not, maybe it’s time for a year or two off? Absence makes the heart grow fonder and all of that…
Thank you, Tom, awesome review! I’m hoping to try it during our visit next month.
Do you think it will ever be ADR available, or do you think it will be kept as a walk-up?
ADRs are an inevitability. It’s a matter of when, not if. They are losing too much business by *not* doing ADRs, as you can almost always walk-up and be seated rather promptly.
I’m trying to pick a great opening meal for our first day in the parks. Would you rank this above Columbia Harbor House?
Well, that’s counter service and this is table service, so they aren’t really comparable. I like both, but it really depends upon your price range.
I was already leaving a night open for this. Thanks for the wonderful review!
Great review, the restaurant looks nice! I see why not many are taking the chance, Im adventurous when it comes to eating but Im not sure. We go to Disney and love trying new foods but Im sure our 5 yearold who eats a wide variety would not be on board here. We are planners (almost have our days planned for October already! haha!) so a lack of ADR puts this almost out of the equation for that reason! Thanks for the review!
Thanks for this..going to take our guests here in March, now that we know about it!
I’m glad to hear the restaurant is a success. Hopefully the menu remains whenever our next trip ends up being.
I’m a bit disappointed that “the kids menu seems pretty standard” – that’s one of my bigger Disney gripes. (Luckily, adult portion sizes are large and we can often just share with my daughter. Unluckily, she dislikes sharing just on principal as having “her own” dish on vaction is psycologically important to her.) Even somewhere like Marrakesh offers hamburger and chicken tenders. For goodness sake, at least offer a kid’s portion of the chicken kebab. it’s still chicken but 200% better. At home my daughter loves when we cook or go out for curry. At Sanaa, she can eat cheese pizza or a cheeseburger. Argh. /Rant
We went during the soft opening in December and the kids items were far from standard. They seemed “basic”, however they were quite exotic for Mac and cheese and chicken noodle soup. It was not at all what we expected the kids version to be, but the kids (5,3,2) enjoyed them.
Ask the server if it’s possible to split an entree plated on two dishes. Depending on the restaurant and crowd level they’ll usually oblige.
Also ask about half portions they serve half portions at a slight discount on request.
I so agree with you. This is one of my biggest Disney beefs. I ordered my then 4 year old an adult meal at Morocco Epcot because he would prefer that style of food over “traditional” American kids fare. That’s actually why we didn’t do a dining plan this time (going in June) and why we choice Skipper’s for our evening in MK as it had the least boring menu. It allows us to order off the adult menu for him if needed. Anyway, I agree that they dumb down the kids meals way too much.
That tea set is the same pattern used at Garden View Cafe’s tea service at the Grand Floridian.
Thanks for the fun review and pictures! We just barely missed being able to try this on our last trip!
For me, I really wish they had called it “Adventureland Veranda,” because naming it after the Jungle Cruise kinda had me expecting more black humor and Adventureland-style kitschy awesomeness, which I would love. This looks like an awesome restaurant so long as your expectations are for an upgraded Veranda with some light Jungle Cruise puns stirred in as opposed to a restaurant that reflects the spirit of the ride from bottom to top.
I think the black humor can (and should) come from the server. There was a *bit* of that on our second visit (and from other servers in the restaurant), so maybe it’ll come over time.
I’m very excited to try this on my next trip, and I don’t mind that ADR’s aren’t currently offered. I hope they don’t change the menu too much (unless it’s for the better!), but I’m afraid the changes would make the food less unique and more bland. I’ve read a lot of opinions online that the menu “doesn’t appeal” to people, but it’s very appealing to me.
As far as those parrot lamps are concerned “Shoplifting is stealing!”.
Here is a handy dandy link to a flock of feathered filaments: http://www.aliexpress.com/popular/stained-glass-parrot.html
If you cannot get behind a parrot heist coordinated by Bill Murray and the Wu Tang Clan, I don’t even know you anymore. You’ve become such a goody-toe-shoes.
Thanks for the great review. Very entertaining! I look forward to trying this place sometime soon.
We had the shrimp, steak, and pork, with the opinion being that the steak was the least successful, still good, and the yucca planks were unique and well prepared. The shrimp were full of flavor, nicely cooked, and a decent level of spice.
I agree that the bread left a lot to be desired. Without the honey, it was pointless. With the honey it was almost bearable. In a guy who tends to fill up on carbs before the actual meal, and we left bread behind.
The desserts while not large, excelled in flavor. We were on the dining plan, so we had both specialty drinks and the desserts without flinching, but I’d much rather spend the $8 on one of those desserts rather than a $5.49 cupcake. I liked the complexity the basil added to the coconut bar instead of being a sugary slap in the face.
Out of curiosity one evening, I asked what the wait was, and the “good news and bad news” was that there wasn’t one (oh you silly skippers). We unfortunately were already tied to another ADR with a healthy cancellation fee. I nixed an ADR for later in the week so that we could eat there, and the wait was quoted at 40 min., but turned out to only be 20, as I got a text message that our table was ready while preparing to ride the magic carpets. Which made me wish all real world restaurants had theme park rides surrounding them to pass the time. I might wait an hour to eat at Texas Roadhouse if I can ride Splash Mountain in the interim.
Ha! Nice reference to ‘Once Upon a Time in Shaolin’ up there. Who doesn’t love a good hip-hop collective caper?
When reading your assessment of the mess hall, “this area succeeds in not feeling over-crowded thanks to the spacing of the tables,” I thought that sounded like a nice change of pace from the increasingly cramped seating arrangements found in many of the more unique WDW eateries. I wonder if it will stay that way, though. If the restaurant’s popularity grows, we might be facing long, Biergarten-esque tables in the future. I’ve heard rumors that the restaurant hasn’t created the demand it was expected to, though, so it might not come to that.
This is the first positive review I’ve read of this restaurant. Thanks for sharing.
Really? I haven’t heard many negative things about the restaurant at all–just a couple of specific dishes.
I’m not a fan of falafel either, but my mother said it was good. She’s been to Israel four times and has falafel every time she goes. The texture is different, and the white bean purée isn’t traditional, but she said they are nonetheless very delicious!
Thanks for the info–I’ll take her word for it. What did you think of the meal otherwise?