Sultan’s Oasis Review

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Have you ever heard the idiom, “catch the tiger by the tail?” Well, the phrase likely originates from Sultan’s Oasis in Tokyo DisneySea. Here, at this seemingly unassuming little restaurant, one of the greatest snacks ever bestowed upon mankind, based on one of the greatest characters to leap from the mind of mankind, is served: Chandu Tails. Therein lies the problem, and the origin of the aforementioned phrase: how do you serve a snack that is so awesome in a location that is so awesome without exposing guests to catastrophic levels of awesomeness.

I’m no scientist, but clearly the good folks at Walt Disney Imagineering and the Oriental Land Company have solved this problem and made Sultan’s Oasis a safe destination for all. In all seriousness, Sultan’s Oasis truly is one of those special little places that is a great spot to slow down and soak up the remarkable ambiance that defines Tokyo DisneySea. This site is obviously not light on praise for Tokyo DisneySea, and if you’ve never been you probably have read it and heard praise from others and perhaps wondered how the park could possibly live up to the hype. After all, the headliners like Journey to the Center of the Earth sound fun, but can they really make the park that good?

The truth is, what often goes overlooked in reflections upon Tokyo DisneySea is how the little details and moments really define the experience. Let’s take a look at why snacking at Sultan’s Oasis makes for one of those sublime little moments…

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For me, a visit to the Arabian Coast is an experience, and included in that is a stop at Sultan’s Oasis. It usually goes something like this: have dinner at Casbah Food Court, enjoy a wonderful journey with Sindbad and Chandu on Sindbad’s Storybook Voyage (my favorite modern Disney attraction), and then stop at Sultan’s Oasis for dessert. While there, the wonderful Arabian Coast background music envelopes my ears and the gorgeous light fixtures give brilliant texture to the ground.

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It’s also a good stop first thing in the morning or just before sunset as the long shadows of the Arabian Coast provide added intrigue. Perhaps this is a bit overwrought, but it’s tough to convey how much I enjoy sitting here eating snacks without a bit of flowery language.

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The star of the menu is unquestionably the Chandu Tail. It’s a shock Sultan’s Oasis doesn’t have 3 hour lines just for this. The Chandu Tail is a tiger tail-shaped steamed chicken cream bun that is simply incredible. Ever wonder why tigers look so beautiful? A healthy diet of these things, probably. Now, you might wonder why you should buy this here when you can get ALL YOU CAN EAT Chandu Tails at Crystal Palace in Tokyo Disneyland…well, that’s in a different park and you need your RDA of tiger tail-shaped steamed chicken cream buns for the sake of your health, obviously. I wouldn’t recommend sharing this.

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This is the “Sultan’s Sandae.” This consists of coconut ice cream (I believe they use milk ice cream in the summer) with mango chunks, red jelly topping, and pineapple syrup. If you’ve never had coconut soft serve ice cream, it’s time to change that, because this stuff is incredible. The combination of the flavors basically makes this a “tropical punch” ice cream sundae. This snack is an absolute must-do. I wouldn’t recommend sharing this, either. (Sultan’s Oasis is a place for pigging out!)

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These Maple Cream Balls are yet another gem from Sultan’s Oasis. They’re sort of like frozen cream puffs, except with a maple drizzle on top. The outer pastry of the balls is soft and sweet, with the cold cream on the inside being the perfect contrast. You can also get these topped with ice cream, and if I know anything, it’s that “topped with ice cream” improves all foods. Anywhere else, these would be the star of the menu, but at Sultan’s Oasis, they are the third-tier snack. I guess you’re going to have to share something here, so it might make sense to share these. Maybe.

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Sultan’s Oasis also serves D’s Delights, which change each season. These drinks are almost universally wonderful, but we’ve decided to avoid ordering them due to their cost and small size. After one trip we looked at how much we spent on snacks, and way too much money was spent on these delicious drinks.

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Souvenir food holders are available all over the place at Tokyo DisneySea and Tokyo Disneyland. You might have heard of the popcorn buckets that people collect, but the trinkets available extend far beyond those. We’ve noticed a lot of people carrying this stuff, but it holds no interest for us.

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Behind the glorious Chandu Tail on the right is some specialty juice, the name of which I can’t remember. Like everything else here, it’s a great drink, but due to the price and size (and that it’s fairly generic as compared to the other snacks), I wouldn’t recommend it if you’re on a budget.

Overall, Sultan’s Oasis might just be a little snack stop, but it’s the kind of place that allows you to slow down and really appreciate the incredible surroundings and amazing ambiance of Tokyo DisneySea. My only complaint is that there’s nothing savory here to round out the experience so you can make it a full meal, but that’s a minor complaint. The real problem it–and the park in general–presents is that it’s too much of a good thing. There are 3 snacks on the menu that I consider “must dos”, but most guests aren’t going to want (or be able) to eat 3 snacks from one restaurant, especially when there are a multitude of kiosks and restaurants around the park that have “must do” snacks. Unless you have the stomach of warrior, you wouldn’t be able to do all of the “must do” snacks at Tokyo DisneySea in a two week trip, much less the 1-2 days in the park most people will have. No matter, Sultan’s Oasis is an awesome place to stop; make sure to try at least something, and, I guess, maybe split a few things.

If you’re thinking of visiting Japan for the first time and are overwhelmed with planning, definitely check out our Tokyo Disney Resort Planning Guide. It covers much more than the parks, from getting there to WiFi to currency and much, much more. For more photos and an idea of what we did day-by-day during our first visit, read our Tokyo Disney Resort Trip Report.

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Overall Score: 9.5/10

To read other Disney restaurant reviews from Walt Disney World, Disneyland, Tokyo Disney Resort, Disneyland Paris, Hong Kong Disneyland, and Disney Cruise Line, organized by location, check out our Disney Dining Reviews Index.

Your Thoughts…

Does Sultan’s Oasis look like it has snacks you’d enjoy? Have you tried the glorious Chandu Tails? If you have any other comments or questions, post them below and I’ll try to answer!

9 Responses to “Sultan’s Oasis Review”
  1. Won December 14, 2017
  2. Timothy John July 6, 2016
    • Tom Bricker July 6, 2016
  3. rama April 18, 2015
    • Tom Bricker April 19, 2015
    • rama April 25, 2015
  4. Clara April 15, 2015
  5. Jennifer April 12, 2015
    • Tom Bricker April 13, 2015

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