In The Know – Landry’s Restaurants at Walt Disney World

You don’t have to be a kid to enjoy a restaurant with fantastic theming!  And we’re not talking Minnie and Mickey and friends here.  Rainforest Café, T-REX and Yak & Yeti are three of our favorite places to immerse ourselves in authentic, ultra-fun environments – and eat some delicious food at the same time!  If you and your family enjoy dining at these locations, you’ll be happy to learn how you can save a bit of money by signing up for the Landry’s Card.  And if you’re new to this thrilling restaurant trio, read on for reasons you need to add one or all of them to your next Walt Disney World vacation.

Rainforest Café

You’re probably familiar with Rainforest Café locations throughout the United States and Canada.  The fully immersive rainforest décor has long been a hit with adventure seekers of all ages.  But did you know you can visit this jungle hit in two different spots in Walt Disney World?  Pay a visit to the Animal Kingdom or Disney Springs to join a dining expedition today!  You’ll be surrounded by lush “jungle” foliage, animatronic wildlife complete with sounds, and even periodic thunderstorms.  Check out the gorgeous sealife swimming by in the restaurants’ aquariums, and consider grabbing a souvenir from the gift shop to remind you of your adventure.

What to eat while you’re here?  We love starting our meal with the delightfully goey Cheese Sticks.  The Caribbean Coconut Fried Shrimp has been a winner among our party in the past, and vegetarians among us love that there are several salads to choose from (check out the Kale & Red Quinoa Salad).  The classic Root Beer Float is a great choice for dessert, or if you’re really hungry, opt for the Sparkling Volcano, a huge brownie perfect for 3-4.

T-REX

Think Rainforest Café: The Jurassic Park edition.  Disney Springs’ T-REX is full of fantastical fun that appeals to budding paleontologists, dinosaur lovers, and anyone who appreciates good theming!  Step back in time millions of years to when dinosaurs roamed the earth, and encounter many of them in their animatronic glory.  When they start to get agitated, chances are one of the regularly-occurring meteor showers is beginning!  You can choose to sit it different paleontologically themed areas (the color-changing glacier room is pretty fantastic), and make sure you make a trip to the fossil-adorned restrooms!  There is a great prehistoric gift shop here, as well as an excavation pit for young ones.

Dinosaur fans clearly come here for the ambience, but you’ll be happy to know that there are some excellent food choices here too.  The Mushroom Ravioli with Lobster Cream Sauce is a clear winner for adults, and kids adore the dino-shaped Jurassic Chicken Tidbits.  Make sure you end your Mesozoic safari with the massive Chocolate Extinction – it’s a whole lot of chocolate cake, with Butterfinger bits on top of fudge and caramel sauce, ice cream and whipped topping – enough to share with the family.

Yak & Yeti

Hands-down our favorite Animal Kingdom restaurant, Yak & Yeti extends the Asian theme of this area of the park with authentic décor and artifacts from Southern Asia.  Even the colorful exterior and intricate carvings of the building will make you think you’re in a Himalayan village.  This is one restaurant where you’ll hope your meal takes awhile, so that you can wander around both floors and soak up the beautiful surroundings.

And when your food comes, you won’t be disappointed!  The Firecracker Shrimp and Pork Pot Stickers are a great way to start off a meal.  A mouth-watering entrée choice is the Korean BBQ ribs, and our favorite finish to a wonderful meal is the unbeatable Fried Wontons.  We love these pineapple and cream cheese wonton skewers so much, we often treat them as a meal!

OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA

Landry’s Select Club Card

There’s a card that will allow you to accumulate points every time you eat at Rainforest Café, T-REX, or Yak & Yeti.  It’s called Landry’s Select Club Card, and it’s simple to join, and well worth it if you’re frequenting these locations (or the many other participating restaurants outside of Walt Disney World).

So, how does it work?  You pay a one-time membership of $25 (and you’ll simultaneously get a $25 reward for joining, after you register your account online).  Then, every time you spend a dollar at a participating restaurant, you’ll get one point.  250 points equals a $25 reward that you can use the next time you dine.  There’s also a birthday reward that’s added to your account the month of your birthday!  There are a host of other benefits too (discounts on merchandise, priority restaurant seating and more!).

We love that we can earn points on Landry’s restaurants at home, and then save up rewards to use when we dine in Walt Disney World.  (Who doesn’t love rewards?)  So if Rainforest Café, T-REX or Yak & Yeti are on your WDW list, now you’re in the know!