There are a number of different changes coming to the quick-service food locations at Animal Kingdom. These changes vary from food items moving to new locations to some locations closing permanently. It has been a busy Walt Disney World news week with the announcement of ticket price increases and a sweepstakes to win a night in Cinderella Castle.
Let's get into all the different quick service changes just announced for Animal Kingdom and how to navigate these changes at the park.
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Why Disney is Closing and Changing So Many Food Locations
As Disney works on the upcoming Tropical Americas land, locations near the DINOSAUR attraction will close as DinoLand, USA shuts down for good. Since DinoLand, USA has its own restaurants, these will all be closing as the area is rethemed. But Disney World doesn't want this to impact the availability of food items in Animal Kingdom so they plan on shifting some of the menu items from the DinoLand, USA locations. This also involves expanding the capability of other quick service locations in the park to handle the larger menus.
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Animal Kingdom is in an active state of construction as Disney works on the creation of this major new land, Tropical Americas, which will introduce brand new Encanto and Indiana Jones themed attractions. That's not the only new addition coming to Animal Kingdom, a new 4-D Zootopia themed show is November 7 inside the Tree of Life as the replacement to the previous Bugs Life themed show. Disney just announced previews for the new Zootopia show.
1. Trilo-Bites & Dino-Bite Snacks Closing Permanently
Trilo-Bites and Dino-Bite Snacks will close permanently on October 19 and serve their final guests on October 19. While these are both smaller quick service locations, this does result in fewer options on that side of Animal Kingdom.
Dino-Bite Snacks is home to one of our favorite ice creams. More on this in a moment.
2. Harambe Market Closing Temporarily
Harambe Market will be closing temporarily on October 20 as Disney begins work to update this popular quick service location to begin serving burgers and chicken strips. This is to prepare the restaurant ahead of the closure of Restaurantosaurus on February 2, 2026 as DinoLand, USA closes for good. The newly updated Harambe Market will open early next year with expanded menu options.
The updated menu will serve burgers and chicken strips. This is the shift from the current menu which offers chicken and shrimp rice bowls and pita bread.
3. New Lunch Items Coming to Kusafiri Bakery
When Harambe Market closes October 20, Kusafiri Bakery in Africa will open for lunch serving items like the Harambe Chicken Rice Bowl, the plant based Picadillo Rice Bowl, and the Harissa Chicken Wrap. Disney is being thoughtful about availability of food items during these refurbishments which is great.
4. Buffalo Chicken Chips Moving Locations
The popular Buffalo Chicken Chips are moving to Eight Spoons Café on Discovery Island. For fans of this dish, it's good to be aware of their new location.
5. Dole Whip Floats Find New Location
The iconic Dole Whip floats from Dino-Bites will also be moving to a new location to Warung Outpost in Asia.
You can read our ranking of all the Dole Whips at Disney World to see which are our favorites! You can also find Dole Whips and Dole Whip floats at Tamu Tamu Refreshments.
6. Hand-Scooped Ice Cream Returning in February
Hand-scooped ice cream will be returning to Animal Kingdom in February which is exciting news! One of the other popular treats in DinoLand, USA is the ice cream cookie sandwich so hopefully that will be making a return too.
That cookie sandwich was one of our favorites and was substantial and delicious!
Other Great Animal Kingdom Food Options
While you wait for hand scooped ice cream to return to Animal Kingdom, you can get amazing soft serve ice cream at Anandapur Ice Cream Truck. This is also where you can find the new Hand Dipped Mickey bars. The ice cream there is DELICIOUS.
Another favorite quick service food location at Animal Kingdom is Satu'li Canteen which now serves breakfast with some amazing cold brew options. If you're looking for the best food in Animal Kingdom, this is the place to go!
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I've seen changes come and go, and like many seasoned Disney park goers, I've become familiar with the resulting emotional rollercoaster. It can be sad when the company decides to overhaul or even remove a beloved attraction. On the other hand, there are times when it's easy to embrace a much-needed update. Here are ten Disney attractions that have transformed substantially since opening day, for better or worse.
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