I visited the Jungle Navigation Company’s Skipper Canteen
for a late lunch on a Saturday afternoon in early December 2018. The Skipper Canteen
is open daily for lunch and dinner from 11:00 am until 8:00 pm (with closing
hours extended on certain nights). You can reserve a table
using the Disney app or website.
The Jungle Navigation Skipper Canteen opened in 2015 in the
Magic Kingdom’s Adventureland, and the theming from the ever-popular Jungle
Cruise ride carries over to this dining venue. The interior space is divided
into the high-ceilinged main dining room (the Mess Hall) and two more intimate
dining spaces (the Jungle Room and the S.E.A. [Society of Explorers and
Adventurers] Room). Decor includes dark wood, travel souvenirs, books, maps,
and a wall-mounted butterfly collection.
The menu features Asian-inspired cuisine, including
dumplings, noodles, fried chicken, grilled steak, pasta, curried veggie stew,
and so on. With my server’s help, I ordered a few of the smaller plates rather
than an entrée. The cachapas (house-made corn pancakes topped with mojo pork,
black beans, and avocado cream), the falafel (fried chickpea garlic balls served
on hummus), and the (cold) noodle salad (with edamame, mushrooms, mango, and cucumbers
tossed in a chili dressing). I was disappointed that the noodle dish was not
served with chopsticks; however, as I was departing the restaurant after my
meal, I noticed that another table was using chopsticks, so apparently my
server just forgot to bring them and I made the mistake of not asking.
Otherwise, my server was personable, helpful, and entertaining and did an
excellent job of keeping my water and iced tea ice tea glasses filled.
I enjoyed my late lunch/early dinner at the Jungle
Navigation Skipper Canteen; I thought that the menu offerings were more
interesting and adventurous than at any other restaurant in the Magic Kingdom.
