Gluten Free Disney
Planning a trip to Disney and curious what they offer in terms of allergens. Check out this post all about Gluten Free options at Disney.
My family recently went on a trip to Disney which was fun and exhausting. We walked 65 miles over the week! Plus, it meant I got to try a lot of delicious gluten free Disney food! We often go to Disney during a sale where you get a free dining plan when you stay at specific on-site hotels. So, we knew we’d be eating all our meals on Disney Property. Disney is very well-versed on dietary restrictions, and they are able to accommodate many without any advance notice. Their knowledge takes all the stress of eating away!
When we were booking our dining reservations, we were able to note that our party had an allergy. You can also email Special.Diets@DisneyWorld.com to speak to someone about your individual needs. I was curious what my options would be in terms of gluten-free and vegetarian options, and it turned out really well! I think Disney has really expanded their options since we went about 6 years ago.
For Sit-Down Restaurants-
The restaurants have allergen menus that lists what is safe to eat for all the major allergens. Other menu items may also be able to be made safely, so ask your server if you have any questions. Last time we went, every restaurant sent out the chef to discuss options, but I think they have streamlined their menu to skip this step. Some servers still asked if we needed to speak to the chef, but our food issues aren’t life-threatening so we were good!
For Counter Service Restaurants-
For gluten free Disney counter service restaurants, they have allergen menus that are super helpful! When you go to order, just tell the cashier you have an X allergy, and your ticket will be marked. Then, your food is made in a separate kitchen. The allergy food does take longer to make, so don’t wait until you’re starving! Many of the counter service restaurants have the allergen menus in the the app if you keep scrolling to the end which was very helpful!
Gluten Free Disney by Park
Magic Kingdom Eats
Pecos Bill Tall Tale Inn in Frontierland offers customizable Mexican bowls and nachos. The veggie bowl had rice, beans, and seasoned squash as the base. Then, you add toppings like salsa, cheese, sour cream, or corn. The other fillings offered like chicken and beef are also gluten free. This was a filling meal, and the squash was well seasoned, but it would have been very dry without adding salsa. Also, can you really go to Disney and not get a Dole whip?!
EPCOT Eats
Sit Down Resturants
We ate at Epcot several times because we love Epcot and our hotel was within walking distance from the park. Our first reservation of the trip was at the Rose & Crown in England. I was excited for this restaurant because it was new to us, and I studied abroad in England so there is a sense of familiarity to English food.
My mom got the Chicken masala curry which came with veggies and rice. I got the vegetable cottage pie which was not listed on the allergen menu, but the chef made the insides for me without the crust. It was more like a soup than a pie, but it was so good! The real beauty of the night was our scone we got for desert! It looked like a real pastry, and I loved the mildly sweet fruit compote and clotted cream. I also found Pimms in England which made my heart happy!
Our other sit-down meal in Epcot was in Mexico at San Angel Inn. The meal began with chips and salsa which was really good. This was the one meal where I ordered a chicken dish. I had had a disappointing salad for lunch, and I really didn’t want another. The dish came with corn and rice, and the corn was so good! I kind of ended up making my own meal with the rice, corn, salsa from the table, and avocado from my sister. Then, I mixed in a bit of mole sauce. It was really good, but I felt bad when the server saw my mostly untouched chicken and thought I didn’t enjoy the meal. Dessert options included dulce de leche ice cream or chocolate mouse.
Counter Service Restaurants
For counter service in Epcot, we ate at the Electric Umbrella home of the aforementioned disappointing salad. So disappointing in fact that I forgot to take a picture! The salad itself was good, but it was the size of a side salad, and it was served in a paper boat where it was impossible to mix it up without making a mess. Check out the full allergen menu below!
We also ate at the Liberty Inn in the American Pavilion which kind of killed me. I really wish I was able to walk up to the carts in the different countries and try new foods, but their options are limited. But when I ordered a veggie burger and I got a Beyond Meat burger things started to look up! My GF bun was a little soggy because it was probably frozen, but still good overall. At any of the counter service restaurants that serve typical American fare, you can get a GF bun and GF chicken fingers (which my mom said were good and made with real chicken).
The most surprising favorite food from Epcot was arepas! They were so good, that while everyone was napping I walked back to the park to get more! They were apart of the Festival of the Holidays which has now ended, so sorry for raving about something gone. However, I thought it was really cool that when I picked up the festival passport, the items were labeled gluten free! So if you go during a different festival, pick up the booklet and check it out!
Hollywood Studios Eats
We ate at the 50s Prime Time Cafe which was pretty funny because your server acts like your mom making you set the table and eat all your veggies. I got the meatless meatballs which was my other disappointing meal. The lentil meatballs were so good, but there wasn’t nearly enough sauce and the noodles were not my fav. If they weren’t slammed, I probably would have asked for extra sauce, but I figured I’d finish the meal before I ever saw it. I wish it was meatless meatloaf instead! My mom on the other hand, had her favorite meal here. She got chicken pot pie which was the pie filling with a piece of GF toast. She said it was amazing! So, maybe I made the wrong decision. Dessert included a brownie and Rice Dream ice cream. Learn how to make your own lentil meatballs here.
Animal Kingdom Eats
My favorite gluten free Disney of the trip was at Satu’li Canteen in the new Pandora section. Crispy Tofu bowls where the tofu is indeed crispy, sign me up! They have build your own bowls, and the allergen menu clearly lays out which of the components are safe for each allergen. I made everyone go back so I could eat there again, and now I’m on a mission to recreate that amazing bowl at home! I need more charred green onion vinaigrette in my mouth!
Disney Springs
We ate at the T-Rex restaurant for my sister’s birthday, and I wasn’t sure what they would have because there wasn’t a ton of info online. They did not have an allergen menu, and they sent the kitchen manager out to tell us what we could eat. They had gluten free pasta and GF buns they could sub into their dishes. My mom had a chicken sandwich with mashed potatoes (the fries weren’t gluten free). And I had an alfredo pasta dish that was good!For dessert, sorbet was our only option. Weirdly enough, when we were leaving my sister and I overheard another server say they had gluten free cake, so one of the waiters there was confused. Either we missed out on cake, or someone else got sick… Hopefully, they will step up their game and get an allergen menu soon!
Boardwalk Inn
There was a walk-up window to order pizza on the boardwalk, and they had gluten free options. The pizza took longer to cook, but they gave us a buzzer, so it was easy to walk around or sit down while we waited. It was pretty standard as far as GF pizza goes, but the crust wasn’t floppy or cardboard-flavored, so I’ll take it!
We also ate at Trattoria al Forno for the character breakfast where we got some tasty muffins to start, and I had an average omelet. Character dining can be fun, but I wouldn’t put this at the top of my list food-wise.
Wow! High-five if you made it to the end! I hope that this information can be helpful to others out there because I was reading a lot of blogs while we were planning our trip. If you are looking for more gluten free options at Disney, check out Gluten Free & Dairy Free at WDW because they have awesome information! Let me know if you have any questions! Also, did you notice the accidental hidden Mickey in one of my pictures?