Gluten Free Dining at the Disneyland Resort: A Superthread

[ArchOwl]

Lunch at Rancho Del Zocalo and dessert at Gibson Girl on September 25, 2012

On this day we had an early lunch at Rancho del Zocalo. My sister who has celiac has always liked Mexican food and it is easy to make gluten free. We arrived at Rancho Del Zocalo about 11:30am and it was uncrowded. My little sister wanted chicken tacos so we went to the appropriate station with our gluten free list in hand.

For those who are unfamiliar, Rancho Del Zocalo is setup with different stations and you take a tray and silverware and go up to the station you would like food from. The different stations range from soups, taco salads, to enchiladas and tacos. You load up your tray and pay the cashier on the way out.

My little sister and I approached the taco station and I informed the CM that she needed a gluten free chicken taco plate. She and I were going to split the plate, because those meals are seriously huge. The CM was very nice and I made sure to show her the gluten free list and she said that the normal sauce that comes with the chicken taco plate is left off. She asked if we would like to substitute something else and we decided on some pico de gallo. She understood exactly what was needed and what we needed to avoid. She made the tacos with corn tortillas and the pico de gallo very quickly. Very soon we were on our way laden down with tacos and rice and beans.

The tacos were decent and my little sister was happy. The CM took care of us and seemed very familiar with allergies and specifically celiac disease. We did not have to speak to the manager or lead on duty as our CM took care of everything. I don't know if having the gluten free list helped or not, but it is nice when everything goes smoothly.

After lunch we rode a few rides in the area and decided to have ice cream at the Gibson Girl. We didn't even bother notifying them of the allergy need because my little sister is familiar with the Dreyer's ice cream and knows most flavors are gluten free (excepting the ones with cookies or other baked goods inside them). We asked for a scoop of chocolate in a cup and she enjoyed it.

I think Rancho Del Zocalo is a good option for those trying to eat gluten-free. I don't think it is the best Mexican food in the world (I am spoiled), but it is good enough. And the amount of food you get is overwhelming, so consider splitting.

[lisachrystine]

Originally Posted by ArchOwl

Lunch at Ariel's Grotto, September 24, 2012

I had made reservations ahead of time with Disney Dining and alerted them to the allergy need. It was packed when we arrived about 10 minutes before seating. I was glad I had a reservation and had showed up early so we could get our buzzer and sit down to wait. After about a 5 minute wait, we were told to go downstairs to meet Ariel and be seated. Ariel was very lovely, paying special attention to the little ones with us. We took two pictures and were seated.

Almost as soon as we were seated, the appetizers were brought out. For those who are unfamiliar with Ariel's Grotto, the apps and desserts are served family style and each guest chooses an entree of their own. They also bring rolls with dipping sauces. Right away, our server came over and asked about the allergy attached to our reservation. She made sure to get my little sister's name and said the chef would be out in a minute to discuss the options. Meanwhile, everything on the appetizer tray was gluten free, saving the rolls. My little sister snacked on fruit, cheese, olives, and a little salad.

After about a 10 minute wait (we all had our drink order), the chef came out. I am sorry that I did not catch his name, because he was very funny and helpful. Since my sister is still a Disney child, she could eat off the kid's menu. He presented my mother with a few options, such as rice pasta or herbed chicken or trip tip. My little sister wanted chicken. He said he would personally make her dish and serve it with rice. I thought that was interesting, since the gluten free list says it is served with potatoes. And I know they had potatoes because several at the table ordered Tri Tip and it came with mashed potatoes.

Our food arrived in a timely fashion, perhaps a little later than those who ordered around us, but nothing too bad. And we all received our food together, so my little sister didn't have to wait. I was a little surprised at her plate. It had the chicken with a little scoop of rice. No fruit (as mentioned on the gluten free list). It was not a big deal, since my little sister is not a big eater and had already eaten fruit from the appetizer plate. The chicken was a little bland for my tastes, but suited her just fine.

The princesses were lovely and took their time with each table. We had a great time chatting with them and taking multiple pictures. All of the kids had a great time at this meal and are still talking about it. We had a little two year old in our party and she believes that she had lunch with the real Cinderella (her favorite).

When dessert arrived, my little sister was offered a warm gluten free brownie. This was good and she ate most of it (it was very large). Overall, a very nice meal and we will most likely return. It will be interesting to see what my little sister is offered next time. The chef was well versed in allergies and knew exactly what gluten free dining entailed. He went over everything with my mother and little sister to make sure they understood what was safe. I am glad to see that Disney takes this seriously and trains their chefs to understand as well.

Just wanted to add our recent experience at Ariel's to yours -- mostly the same - the chef was very helpful. I also have a dairy allergy in addition to my DD3 who has Celiac. Both dietary needs were handled efficiently with very little extra wait. My DD ordered GF pasta off of the kids menu and was also offered a GF brownie for dessert. All of the apetizers are GF except for the bread and they brought out some GF rolls for DD to replace the "regular" bread. She hardly ate her pasta as she filled up on fruit, cheese, salad and GF rolls. They were also kind enough to bring us a box to bring leftover GF rolls and brownie for her to snack on later. Overall, great experience.

[lisachrystine]

Since this is a new restaurant and not a lot of people have experience eating GF there, I thought I'd add a little mini review. DS7 has Celiac and ordered a turkey sandwich on a GF roll. It came with peas and carrots and "seasonal" fruit, which in our case was grapes. The chef came out to speak with me and we were, of course, told it would take a few extra minutes. Brought everyone else's food out to the table and went back for the GF. They were good about keeping it separate and DS said the sandwich was really good (albeit, very plain if your kids like more than turkey and bread). The CMs were very good about awareness. DS is very sensitive and he didn't get sick, so another for Disney's handling of GF dining.

[ArchOwl]

Thanks Lisachrystine! I am glad to hear that Flo's is on top of things in regards to gluten free dining. I haven't had a chance to check it out yet, so I appreciate it.

Would love to hear from others as well!

[disneychrista]

Thank you for posting this!

I am bummed that Rancho steak tacos are not G-free. I am still muddling my way through the G-free lifestyle and figuring things out as I go.

[ArchOwl]

Originally Posted by disneychrista

Thank you for posting this!

I am bummed that Rancho steak tacos are not G-free. I am still muddling my way through the G-free lifestyle and figuring things out as I go.

Please don't hesitate to ask them about the steak tacos. I haven't had time to post about one of my G-free experiences, but the staff was more than happy to tell me what the problem ingredient was and leave it off. Normally it is a sauce of some kind. I would imagine that using plain steak and a corn tortilla would be fine. Ask about substitutions, we have almost always been offered a different type of sauce or side, etc.

[julieheyer]

Wonderful list! And thank you for the reviews!! :up:

Anyone try the baked goods at Jolly Holiday yet? Or the bread/rolls from Fidler, Fifer (what ever it's called in DCA!)? I'm wondering about those.

Anyone find a GF corndog in the parks? That would be lovely!

Anyone know, or remember, seeing GF cucpcakes around the park? Maybe at the Pooh's goodie shop? We can do tigger tails and chocolates out there too, but dd loves cupcakes and we'd like to be able to enjoy them in the other areas too. I guess we're getting greedy. Sorry! I'm just happy there are GF options in the parks.

Older review: Dd tried the bun on the hot dog at Tomorrowland Terrace a few years ago and didn't like them. They were kinda' hard and tasteless. She's just bunless most of the time now. Thankfully she's not celiac, so she can take things "off the bun" w/o. trouble.

Thanks again!!

[ArchOwl]

Originally Posted by julieheyer

Wonderful list! And thank you for the reviews!! :up:

Anyone try the baked goods at Jolly Holiday yet? Or the bread/rolls from Fidler, Fifer (what ever it's called in DCA!)? I'm wondering about those.

Anyone find a GF corndog in the parks? That would be lovely!

Anyone know, or remember, seeing GF cucpcakes around the park? Maybe at the Pooh's goodie shop? We can do tigger tails and chocolates out there too, but dd loves cupcakes and we'd like to be able to enjoy them in the other areas too. I guess we're getting greedy. Sorry! I'm just happy there are GF options in the parks.

Older review: Dd tried the bun on the hot dog at Tomorrowland Terrace a few years ago and didn't like them. They were kinda' hard and tasteless. She's just bunless most of the time now. Thankfully she's not celiac, so she can take things "off the bun" w/o. trouble.

Thanks again!!

No problem, I hope this list is helpful! I will be back in the parks in November, so I can pick up another list and maybe there will be more options. So always ask, you never know when they might have something new!

I have tried the gluten free blueberry muffin from Jolly Holiday. My little sister was very excited to have a muffin! I thought the muffin was very good! It had lots of blueberries and a nice crumble topping. It did have a faint grittiness to it, but only very faint. I am sure it had a ton of sugar in it, but it is Disneyland!

Unfortunately, to my knowledge there are no gluten free corn dogs. . However, I am hopeful in the future they will! I haven't seen any gluten free cupcakes, either. Just the gluten free brownies and gluten free blueberry muffin. But things change all the time and so I would definitely ask when you arrive.

I haven't eaten at the Fiddler yet, just ordered Starbucks. I would love to hear any reviews!

If you haven't tried the gluten free breads in the last year or so, give them another go! They did change suppliers I believe a year ago and the gluten free is much better than it was! I remember about three years ago ( I think) when they first started carrying gluten free breads, they were like bricks! Now I like the gluten free bread much more. It has better texture and is fluffier.

Also, we have had good luck with the new gluten free pizza dough. Chefs at the Boardwalk Pizza and Pasta were very kind and made us gluten free breadsticks out of the gluten free pizza dough! They sprinkled them with Parmesan and they were very good! I heard that they will also make pita out of the gluten free pizza dough if you are eating at the Paradise Grill next door. Of course, your experience may vary, and we tend to eat at off peak times, when the chefs may have more time to help.

But it does mean you should always ask and see what they can do. Have fun!

[PoohBearFriends]

This is exactly what I needed. We are planning a trip next month and it is our first time since DD 11 has had the gluten intolerance. She is also a picky eater so I need sheets in hand. Urban Spoon worked gret on another trip but I don't think it will work at DLR.

[Misskitty3]

What a useful thread! Thank you!

[ArchOwl]

Originally Posted by PoohBearFriends

This is exactly what I needed. We are planning a trip next month and it is our first time since DD 11 has had the gluten intolerance. She is also a picky eater so I need sheets in hand. Urban Spoon worked gret on another trip but I don't think it will work at DLR.

Originally Posted by Misskitty3

What a useful thread! Thank you!

I hope it helps you! I don't have an updated list right now and this one expired late November. So just be sure to double check once you are in the parks. Nothing should change drastically, but it is good to get the latest info. I hope to get an updated list my next trip at the end of this month. Please report back to this thread with your experiences!

[scrapbunny]

Thank you so much for this! We will be going in Jan with n=my BFF that needs vegan and gluten free and this will help so much.

[runmommyrun]

As others have said, thanks for the thread. DS (7) was diagnosed with celiac this past spring. We've found WDW restaurants to be FABULOUS at assisting with gluten-free diets and have had two trips (and a cruise) with no issues. (Knock on wood!). My parents were stunned on our trip in Oct how accommodating the restaurants were and that a chef came out each time to find out if just gluten sensitive or had celiac. Our first trip to DL is in a few months and we are trying to figure out where to get dining reservations. This is helpful. We don't know the restaurants at DL at all, so just trying to pick without dietary issues is confusing enough!

Question re Mickey Bars... I have had conflicting answers on whether they are GF. Initially we were told they were GF in WDW. Son at them with no problems. But on a Disney cruise, we were told they were not GF. Is it because they were possibly made by different manufacturers? Of course, those are my son's favorites. Luckily on the cruise there was all-you-can-eat soft serve ice cream to fill the void!

[ArchOwl]

Originally Posted by runmommyrun

As others have said, thanks for the thread. DS (7) was diagnosed with celiac this past spring. We've found WDW restaurants to be FABULOUS at assisting with gluten-free diets and have had two trips (and a cruise) with no issues. (Knock on wood!). My parents were stunned on our trip in Oct how accommodating the restaurants were and that a chef came out each time to find out if just gluten sensitive or had celiac. Our first trip to DL is in a few months and we are trying to figure out where to get dining reservations. This is helpful. We don't know the restaurants at DL at all, so just trying to pick without dietary issues is confusing enough!

Question re Mickey Bars... I have had conflicting answers on whether they are GF. Initially we were told they were GF in WDW. Son at them with no problems. But on a Disney cruise, we were told they were not GF. Is it because they were possibly made by different manufacturers? Of course, those are my son's favorites. Luckily on the cruise there was all-you-can-eat soft serve ice cream to fill the void!

I am glad this thread is helpful! It is my understanding that the Mickey bars are GF. They are on the GF list in the first post and my sister has eaten them without incident. However, I do see on the list that they are made in a facility that processes wheat. My sister is fine with that kind of exposure, but I know some are not. So I suppose it depends on what your son can handle.

[EmyRose]

Thank you very much for starting this thread and posting the list. My husband has celiac disease and we will soon be visiting Disneyland for the first time in a long time. He has always had good dining experiences at WDW and at Disney's Vero Beach Resort.