In the East-Central African language of Swahili, the word “mkutano” means gathering with purpose. At the San Diego Zoo Safari Park’s newest restaurant Mkutano House, the purpose is gathering to support the San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance’s commitment to conservation and preservation.
In March, the Zoo Alliance opened the Denny Sanford Elephant Valley, a hilly 13-acre exhibit at the Safari Park for its resident herd of eight African elephants. The exhibit is divided into two sections with a bridge that the elephants can walk under and park visitors can walk over for an up-close look at the massive animals.
But the most unique feature of Elephant Valley is the 300-seat Mkutano House, a visually stunning two-story African-style lodge with an upstairs bar/lounge and a ground-floor restaurant, where guests can enjoy a meal and a “show.”
The restaurant is situated on the edge of Elephant Valley. It’s separated from the lower savanna habitat by a 240,000-gallon pond, though the elephants frequently enter the pool near the restaurant to cool off and play wrestle, as they did on the afternoon of my visit.
The confit pork belly dish at Mkutano House, the African-inspired restaurant at the newly opened Elephant Valley exhibiti at the San Diego Zoo Safari Park in Escondido. (San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance)
Mkutano House, the two-story African-inspired restaurant and lounge at the new Elephant Valley exhibit at the San Diego Zoo Safari Park in Escondido. (Pam Kragen / The San Diego Union-Tribune)
The main dinning area at Mkutano House, the African-inspired restaurant at the newly opened Elephant Valley exhibiti at the San Diego Zoo Safari Park in Escondido. (San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance)
African elephants enjoy the pond next to the dining patio at Mkutano House retaurant in the new Elephant Valley exhibit at San Diego Zoo Safari Park. (Ken Bohn / San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance)
Elephants can be seen grazing in the background from a patio table at Mkutano House restaurant, in the new Elephant Valley exhibit at the San Diego Zoo Safari Park in Escondido. On the table is a plate of cast iron cornbread with house butters. (Pam Kragen / The San Diego Union-Tribune)
The dining room at the Mkutano House, a two-story restaurant and event space at Elephant Valley at the San Diego Zoo Safari Park. (K.C. Alfred / The San Diego Union-Tribune)
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The confit pork belly dish at Mkutano House, the African-inspired restaurant at the newly opened Elephant Valley exhibiti at the San Diego Zoo Safari Park in Escondido. (San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance)
The 19,700-square-foot Mkutano lodge is a feast for the eyes.
Designed by San Diego’s HGW Architecture, it features a biophilic structural system, which means natural and organic materials were used rather than steel and concrete to create the support structure. The building was constructed with nearly 2,500 real trees, many of them visible as support posts in the dining room, as roof beams and as gnarled wood sculptures in the dining room.
There’s also natural stone décor lining the base of the walls and an all-wood curving staircase with a wood-branch railing. For fire safety, the lodge’s massive thatched-style roof was made with nonflammable synthetic materials.
It was over 90 degrees at the park on the day I visited, but my pond-front table felt just a bit warm thanks to overhead shade, water misters and a cool breeze filtering out from the open-air dining room.
Safari Park Executive Chef Grant Toraason’s menu at Mkutano House is designed to please a family-friendly audience. It offers flavors and influences of Africa and Asia, but most of the dishes are recognizable American/Southwestern comfort foods, with vegetarian and gluten-free options, plus a clearly marked spicy dish.
One example of a cross-cultural dish at Mktuno House is the Crisp Harissa Cauliflower, a shareable plate of deep-fried cauliflower florets served with agave-harissa glaze, tahini-lemon yogurt, chermoula and chickpea leblebi. It may sounds exotic, but it has flavors and ingredients that Southern California restaurant diners will instantly recognize. It was also a good-size serving for two and quite tasty.
Another is the excellent Confit Pork Belly, a sizeable portion that two people can split. The pork is cooked sous-vide, then rolled into roulade, crisped up, then allowed to rest in duck fat. It’s served with chermoula, herbed labneh, roasted pearl onions, pickled apple slaw, served with a side of house-baked naan bread.
The Crispy Vegetable Samosas were fresh-fried and tasty, but served with only a smear of chilantro chutney on the plate. We asked our server for extra cup of the creamy cilantro sauce and used it as a yummy dip.
We were slightly disappointed with the Cast Iron Cornbread, priced at $12. One medium-size and slightly dense corn muffin was served with dollops of three seasonal butters. The butters were creamy and flavorful, but it wasn’t the best value for the money.
The seasonal menu has a shareable plates design, with most items priced between $19 and $31. There are some more high-end entrées, like a broiled black cod with coconut curry and cous cous ($38) and a grilled ribeye with chakalaka (a South African vegetable dish), pap cake and per peri demi-glace ($49).
For families with children who are picky eaters, there are some casual American dishes they’ll like, like a shrimp and grits dish or a fried chicken cutlet with sunny side-up egg.
We also tried one of the African-inspired cocktails, which are made with spirits from African distilleries. The Kahawa Kiss was the park’s take on an espresso martini, featuring Vusa African cane sugar vodka, Amarula cream liqueur and fresh-brewed Kenyan espresso.
The drink menu offer four “tame” spirits-free cocktails priced at $14 and five “wild” alcohol cocktails at $18. A three-cocktail/mocktail sampler can be purchased for $38. There are six local beers on tap, and wines by the glass or bottle from California, South Africa and France.
The restaurant’s upstairs Ona Lounge bar is restricted for ages 18 and up. It requires a $10-per-person cover charge for what they promise is a quieter, more relaxed and “kid-free” experience. The Ona cocktail menu is larger and its food menu is smaller. There are some savory nibbles, like house-fried truffled berber kettle chips with dukkah aioli, a couple of salads and some sandwiches that come with fries, including a lobster roll, a prime rib dip and a 7-ounce burger.
Mkutano House is the Safari Park’s most upscale, sit-down dining option. It’s similar in experience to the wonderful Albert’s Restaurant at the San Diego Zoo. Both restaurants offer an eye-popping views (Albert’s is an elevated treehouse-style restaurant with a roaring waterfall on its patio). Both have a casual, come-as-you-are dress code. And both have specially trained wait staffs.
Not only do the waiters know the ingredients in every dish, they’re also well-prepared to share their park knowledge with diners. Our friendly Mkutano server, Ariel, answered all of our questions about the elephants in the herd, their ages, names, personalities and habits.
Because the restaurant and its bar are popular destinations, reservations on Opentable are recommended. The park’s fall hours are 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. daily, with Mkutano and Ona open from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m.
Paid admission to the Safari Park is required to dine at Mkutano House and Ona Lounge. During the month of October, admission to the Safari Park is free for children ages 11 and under, so it’s a good time to check out the new Elephant Valley and experience Mkutano House at a reduced price.
Mkutano House & Ona Lounge
Seasonal hours: 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. daily
Where: San Diego Zoo Safari Park, 15500 San Pasqual Valley Road, Escondido
Admission: Paid park admission is required. Children 11 and under receive free park admission through Oct. 31.
Phone: 760-316-3820