Here’s a fun fact about me: I love the Jungle Cruise ride. At one time, I had the entire Skipper ride spiel memorized. Heaven forbid our Skipper would become ill, fall overboard, or be captured by head hunters, I could take over and continue the ride. I’m sure the boat controls are easy to figure out.
Naturally, you would think I would be ecstatic to dine at Skipper Canteen. It is only the quintessential Jungle Navigation Company restaurant, that is basically their headquarters, which includes the office of their founder, Dr. Albert Falls.
So let’s dive in and discuss what I loved, and didn’t love, about dining at Skipper Canteen.
First, the decor is amazing!
The inside of the restaurant is covered in details! There is so much to look at, including a butterfly collection that is Lilly Disney’s (Walt’s wife) personal collection! There’s even a library between the main dining room and a second dining area!
But it’s not just any library. To the casual observer, it looks like a well-curated collection of tomes found in any explorer library. But if you look closer…
The titles of these books are jokes and puns in themselves. I had to absolutely take a picture of “Shades of Khaki”, but there are countless other puns and laughs to be found just in this little section of the restaurant!
However, it can get loud.
With high ceilings, plenty of tables, and very little in the way of reducing echo, the volume inside the restaurant can be a bit loud. This made us have to talk louder at the table to hear each other, and unfortunately made hearing our server more difficult as well.
The menu is adventurous.
Picky eaters may have a difficult time finding something to choose on the menu without requesting substitutions or ingredients to the side. Let’s do a quick rundown of what I had for lunch.
Lost and Found Soup
Lost and Found Soup ($10) – Chef’s Seasonal Soup prepared with the freshest unclaimed cargo! Please ask your Skipper for today’s selection. I enjoyed this soup, however because it was so loud inside, I couldn’t hear my server tell me what it was! I’m thinking it was a butternut squash, but I’m not 100% sure.
“Hardy Har Char” Siu Pork
“Hardy Har Char” Siu Pork ($29) – Char Siu-marinated Pork Tenderloin served with House-Pickled Vegetables and Jasmine Rice. I don’t know what Char-Siu is, to be honest. It was good, for my tastes, and the pork was tender. I didn’t like that the tenderloin was nearly swimming in sauce, though. I noticed a lot of people ordering the “Tastes like Chicken” Because it is! fried chicken on the menu, with some requesting the spicy sauce on the side.
Kungaloosh!
Kungaloosh! ($9.50) – An African-inspired Chocolate Cake with Caramelized Bananas served with Cashew-Caramel Ice Cream topped with Coffee Dust. I really wanted to like this dessert. This is a Skipper Canteen iconic dessert, so it was a must-try on my list. However, the dessert was tiny! Two, maybe three bites maximum. My favorite part was the cashew-caramel ice cream. I don’t remember if it was house-made but the flavor was divine!
It’s a bit pricey.
With appetizers ranging from $10-$16, and the majority of entrees in the $28-$38 range, Skipper Canteen is not exactly a place to go for a cheap date. With a normal drink, the bill came out to be around $55 per person, which wasn’t as expensive as Hollywood Brown Derby, but it was close.
It’s a love/hate relationship, really.
The theme is amazing, the decor is amazing, but the menu and selections is where I struggled the most at Skipper Canteen. I’m willing to return in the future to give the restaurant another chance, but there’s only a few items on the menu that sound appealing. Don’t get me wrong, I am an adventurous eater who can handle some spicy dishes, but this menu for me lacks enough variety of interesting choices that would encourage a return visit.
Which is a shame because I love the ride this restaurant is based around.
Disney Rover 