Tower of Vegan Deliciousness and Other Vegan Disney Dining Reviews (August 2009)

[ehartman4]

Wish I could find a way to get this when I get there.

This is a special dish Chef TJ makes for vegans and vegetarians only.

 

[SharonLowe]

I should mention that "the Mara" is Animal Kingdom Lodge's counter service restaurant. We got a chance to peak at Boma and Jiko as well (their table service places) and they looked amazing (maybe next time)!

I can assure you that you will love both of them. Jiko is our favorite place other than O'Hana with Chef TJ, who we met at Boma. Even though he is no longer at Boma, they still have great vegan options. But, if you have to choose one, pick Jiko. It is just really great for vegans, vegetarians, and meateaters alike. The atmosphere is great.

Thanks for all your great reviews and photos.

And, yes, that woman should be hung up by some piercings, if you get my drift. I would rather see you guys (who are very cute, BTW) next to my table than some fat, sweaty guy in a tank top.

 

[Plasticletters]

I can assure you that you will love both of them. Jiko is our favorite place other than O'Hana with Chef TJ, who we met at Boma. Even though he is no longer at Boma, they still have great vegan options. But, if you have to choose one, pick Jiko. It is just really great for vegans, vegetarians, and meateaters alike. The atmosphere is great.

I've heard great reviews of both places (which is one of the main reasons I wanted to check out Animal Kingdom Lodge...that and the night vision goggles, which were way cool!), but haven't heard much about Savaa (I think that's how it is spelled?) the new place at Animal Kingdom Lodge on the Kidani Village side. It's supposed to have it's own vegan menu!

 

[ehartman4]

Here is something interesting to keep the thread hoppin' while waiting for Michael's last review... I haven't eaten anything non-vegan since that cookie on our first day! Go me! I have no intention of eating anything with animal products in it ever again, so I'm pretty sure I can classify myself as vegan now

 

[Twoboysnmygirl]

 

[cheryterese]

Soooooo excited to find this thread! My family of 5 - dh (fish eater but otherwise vegetarian and lover of tofu!), me (mostly vegan vegetarian) and 3 vegetarian kids ages 4, 2, and 1.

So far I've only made it through your review of 'Ohana and it sounds fabulous. Please tell me, is it kid friendly? We'll be going at the end of January and I'd love to make a dinner reservation here. We obviously can't sit for a 2 hour dinner with three little ones, as you did being only 2 adults, but I'm assuming this is not the norm (2 hours for dinner)?

 

[Plasticletters]

Please tell me, is it kid friendly? We'll be going at the end of January and I'd love to make a dinner reservation here. We obviously can't sit for a 2 hour dinner with three little ones, as you did being only 2 adults, but I'm assuming this is not the norm (2 hours for dinner)?

2 hours is NOT the norm. Most people were out of there in an hour or so, we just had that extra long dinner because chef TJ was preparing special meals for us and was REALLY busy on top of that.

and.....'Ohana is VERY kid friendly! There are games set up specifically for kids to play during the meal (a limbo contest, a "coconut race" and other events) that liven things up. Your 4 year old will love it.

 

[ehartman4]

2 hours is NOT the norm. Most people were out of there in an hour or so, we just had that extra long dinner because chef TJ was preparing special meals for us and was REALLY busy on top of that.

and.....'Ohana is VERY kid friendly! There are games set up specifically for kids to play during the meal (a limbo contest, a "coconut race" and other events) that liven things up. Your 4 year old will love it.

Well, who knows if Chef TJ isn't busy other nights, you know? He IS the one who makes the food for all dietary requests and allergies. I would think that Chef TJ is usually busy.

Also, those kids we saw were there eating meat, not waiting on one chef to make their food.

So far I've only made it through your review of 'Ohana and it sounds fabulous. Please tell me, is it kid friendly? We'll be going at the end of January and I'd love to make a dinner reservation here. We obviously can't sit for a 2 hour dinner with three little ones, as you did being only 2 adults, but I'm assuming this is not the norm (2 hours for dinner)?

Even if you do wait a long time, there are fun and games for the kids to keep them occupied (as Michael said)!

 

[Plasticletters]

We spent our final day (half day really because we had to be at our hotel by 330pm in time to catch Magical Express to the airport) at Animal Kingdom.

Late on the previous night as we were leaving the Magic Kingdom we got a candy apple from The Main Street Confectionery. We ate it while waiting for our bus to Animal Kingdom in the morning (candy: the cornerstone to any nutritious breakfast). Emily dug right in..

I got kinda messy

For lunch we stopped into Restaurantosaurus and I am Soooooo glad we did! After waiting in a short line, we both ordered veggie burgers (being sure to request the gluten/dairy free buns), and the manager (whose name is Laurie) was summoned (which seemed to be standard protocol) to "override" the system and mark that we wanted the gluten free buns. While Laurie processed our order we asked her if there was anything we could replace our dessert option with. Laurie said they had gluten free brownies and got us the ingredients list, upon the discovery that the brownies had eggs in them, she said we could have bagged fruit from the children's menu and we could choose grapes or apples. I chose grapes, Emily chose apples and Laurie tossed five bags of fruit onto our tray (we expected two!). After experiencing limited replacement options at other counter service restaurants, it was really a pleasant surprise how we were treated here. After a short wait, we got our food and took it over to the fixin's bar where we (as always) loaded up on pickles, onions and mushrooms. Here was our dish

We sat down inside and listened to the prehistoric themed music ("Walk the Dinosaur" and "It's the End of the World as We Know it (and I feel fine)" were a few of the tunes). While we were eating I couldn't help but notice one of the most bizarre things I saw the whole trip. Two high school aged boys who were there with their family took their empty fountain drink cups up to the fixin's bar and filled them with ketchup. As I observed this I thought "wow, they must really like to drunk their fries...that or they are totally wasteful". The parents then sat down with their sons and I expected a full on family style ketchup assault to take place - instead I looked on with mixed disgust and amusement while the two boys produced plastic straws, stuck them in the cups of ketchup and DRANK THEM DOWN. They then went back and did this again as their parents said nothing to their sons with ticking timebomb thyroid glands.

weird.

A bit before we left Emily used a snack credit to get this frozen pineapple treat from a cart near Camp Minnie-Mickey. She said it was delicious!

All too soon our day had come to an end and we had to get back to our hotel to catch Magical Express (which left almost 4 hours before our flight took off). We still had some snack credits, so we went to the store in the hotel lobby to get some snacks. I had been led to believe that anything under $4 was considered a "snack credit" (which proved to be true at food locations IN the park...hotels on the other hand....) but the cashier in the lobby gift shop informed me that this was not the case. He pointed to a very small selection of items we could pick from, most of them single serving candy bars and small treats. We realized very quickly we had made a big mistake - USE YOUR SNACK CREDITS IN THE PARKS (you will end up getting MUCH more for your money) NOT IN THE HOTELS. Some of the items for sale in the lobby gift shop that we could NOT use snack credits on (example: Goofy's Peanut Brittle - completely vegan!!) were able to be purchased with snack credits in the park. A bit miffed, we wandered off into Sassagoula Floatworks and Food Factory (our resort's counter service restaurant) to see what they had to offer. We inquired about soy/rice cream at the icecream counter, but they had none to offer. It was then that we spied some divvies (the same cookies that Chef TJ brought out to us and were also included in our dessert at Tusker House), so we snatched those up and then went back into the lobby giftshop to get some cotton candy and use our last snack credits.

and with that, our fantastic free food adventure was over

We had a lot of other fun experiences happen to us while we were at the park. If we do a hotel review or any other kind of trip report, I'll make sure we link it here! Again, if anybody has any questions about anything on our trip or any of the restaurants we ate at, don't hesitate to ask! I hope this helped some of you plan future trips! Love and good luck to all of you.

 

[ehartman4]

For lunch we stopped into Restaurantosaurus and I am Soooooo glad we did!

I think Laurie must've thought we were not getting fries and gave us extra fruit instead. When we got our food, the fries were not included. We had to go back up and tell someone they forgot our fries. I honestly don't think Laurie was being extra nice to us and added extra food since she didn't even put our fries on the tray. Still very nice though!

The parents then sat down with their sons and I expected a full on family style ketchup assault to take place - instead I looked on with mixed disgust and amusement while the two boys produced plastic straws, stuck them in the cups of ketchup and DRANK THEM DOWN. They then went back and did this again as their parents said nothing to their sons with ticking timebomb thyroid glands.

I am just glad my back was facing them the whole time. I was able to sneak a peek at one point and I thought I was going to puke. As Michael knows (and now you will, Disboards community) I absolutely HATE condiments, especially ketchup. I just can't stand the look, smell, and taste of ketchup the most. When I turned around and saw this, I lost my appetite. It was a good thing I was finished with my meal anyway.

A bit before we left Emily used a snack credit to get this frozen pineapple treat from a cart near Camp Minnie-Mickey. She said it was delicious!

I was planning on getting this the entire trip but wanted to save up snack credits just in case. Sooo glad I got it. It had chunks of pineapple in it. Delicious.

He pointed to a very small selection of items we could pick from, most of them single serving candy bars and small treats. We realized very quickly we had made a big mistake - USE YOUR SNACK CREDITS IN THE PARKS (you will end up getting MUCH more for your money) NOT IN THE HOTELS.

The items that we could use snack credits for were sold for like 99 cents in gift shops and such in the parks. It really was a rip off. I am so thankful we randomly found those Divvies.

 

[AlohaPolynesian]

I've been a vegetarian for about ten years and finally decided to try vegan starting tomorrow. Went to the store and got a bunch of things to try. Any tips?!

 

[ehartman4]

I've been a vegetarian for about ten years and finally decided to try vegan starting tomorrow. Went to the store and got a bunch of things to try. Any tips?!

The main thing I did was just experiment! I always love looking up new recipes and just working off them (www.goveg.com, www.chooseveg.com). I love buying beans, veggies, and spices and just working up a meal to my own specific taste. When it comes to baking, I follow the directions almost exact (a good egg replacer in desserts is 1 egg = 1 banana, fyi). Since my boyfriend is vegan, I go to him for advice as well. We have been eating a lot of homemade pizza lately with tofutti cheese on top! Also, nutritional yeast will become your best friend. It's a good topping on pasta, pizza, veggies, etc. You can put it on practically anything for an extra touch of flavor as well as nutrition!

The main thing is to look at the ingredients on everything, even if you think it's ok to eat. You'd be surprised what you find in foods!

 

[Plasticletters]

I've been a vegetarian for about ten years and finally decided to try vegan starting tomorrow. Went to the store and got a bunch of things to try. Any tips?!

Beans are your best friend.
Also do not discount the power of nuts (and various nut butter). Peanuts offer a nice source of protein and go well in SO many different things. TVP is another good ingredient to have as a staple around the house. I like to use TVP with sloppy joe mix and make my own vegan sloppy joes!

Like Emily mentioned earlier, nutritional yeast is a BIG one. I use it in (almost) everything. Otherwise, just be creative

 

[SharonLowe]

Since going vegan I find I like things a little bit spicier than before. Also, I like to add crunch to things like pasta or other things where I used to use cheese. Pine nuts are great for pasta and of course other nuts in stir fries and the like. I make my own flatbread and freeze the extras. Can use them with some many things - homemade pizza (no cheese for me, not even the veggie cheese), top it with refried beans and salsa, etc. Polenta is another nice option. We tend to eat a lot of stir fries at home with various sauces.

If you have not been a big bean eater, ease into it. They do make you very gassy

Enjoy - once you get the hang of it you will wonder why you ever ate any way else!

 

[DVCRon]

Thanks to both of you for all the time and effort you put into your reviews.
We've been to WDW many times but this will be the first since my older daughter and I became vegetarians. Lots of good ideas and info.

Ron

 

[Vegcentric]

The main thing is to look at the ingredients on everything, even if you think it's ok to eat. You'd be surprised what you find in foods!

This, this, this.

Sorry for just randomly popping up into this thread. I've been a looong time lurker and finally felt the urge to sign up because of the recent veg reviews on the boards. My hubby and I are both vegan and going on our honeymoon (got married a year ago but never went on a 'moon) in November to the World, and found this thread very helpful.

Now, back to the main point.
My mother in-law asked my husband if she could store some cakes in our deep freeze because she had no room for them, he said sure. So I was downstairs last night looking at these cakes, which were obviously not vegan in any way, shape or form but I was curious of the ingredients anyway (I love reading labels for some oddball reason) and the first thing my eyes went to was BEEF GELATIN.

In a chocolate cake by McCain!

The cake isn't even vegetarian! I don't really understand the necessity of having beef-anything in a chocolate cake.

Anyways, just had to share. For vegan tips, I have a lot of vegan food blogs and vegan cookbooks on hand. Veganyumyum.com is always a good one.
Vegnews magazine is also a staple in my house. Good luck!

 

[AlohaPolynesian]

Sorry to hijack your thread but thank you for all of the great advice and of course the great reviews!

 

[ehartman4]

Sorry to hijack your thread but thank you for all of the great advice and of course the great reviews!

No worries! You didn't hijack! I hope our tips help

 

[BigEeyore]

LOVED your reviews! I've been seeing more and more veg reviews on the Dis, and that makes me happy.
Some thoughts:
- That chef at the Brown Derby was pathetic! Had that been someplace less supposedly "upscale", you wouldn't expect much. But for the caliber of place they claim to be, the chef should have been more accomadating. Any chef worth their salt should be able to whip up something off menu, especially since they had advance notice that they had a vegan party dining there that night. I have always said that vegetarian dishes offer chefs so much more creative freedom than meat dishes do. Good chefs relish this challenge.

- I can't believe that lady at the Mara took any offense to you guys, and that she would even say anything, and loud enough for you to hear it.

- I commented on another thread about how much I love the new veggie burgers they are serving - no more fake meat!

- We have our first visit to Ohana coming up - had I not heard about Chef TJ I would have never booked it. We have a Weds night ADR, so hopefully he will be there!

 

[Plasticletters]

- That chef at the Brown Derby was pathetic!

YES

- I can't believe that lady at the Mara took any offense to you guys, and that she would even say anything, and loud enough for you to hear it.

Again, I'm not totally sure what it was that made her upset. I wish I could have asked her

- I commented on another thread about how much I love the new veggie burgers they are serving - no more fake meat!

viva la veggies

- We have our first visit to Ohana coming up - had I not heard about Chef TJ I would have never booked it. We have a Weds night ADR, so hopefully he will be there!

From what I have been told, he should be there.

My hubby and I are both vegan and going on our honeymoon (got married a year ago but never went on a 'moon) in November to the World, and found this thread very helpful.

Trying to figure out "romantic-type" things to do was priority #2 for us (after the vegan planning) and we had some great moments Let me know if you would like any help planning some fun couple things to do.

I was curious of the ingredients anyway (I love reading labels for some oddball reason) and the first thing my eyes went to was BEEF GELATIN.

Gelatin is a big sticking (no pun intended) point for me. I know a few people who snack on foods containing gelatin quite regularly but view themselves as vegetarians. I know it is just words, labels, etc. and it really depends on WHY you are veg to begin with (moral, health, ethical or economic reasons) but I often wish that people would just take the time to discover what is in the ingredients of their food - especially if they care about not consuming animals. I know there are many people out there who just have no idea in general what gelatin IS and have no clue it even comes from an animal to begin with, but so many people are still under the illusion that gelatin is made from hooves and horns (which still isn't a terrific thing to be eating...and I still wouldn't call vegetarian), when it is really made from "connective tissue" - skin, fat, cartilage, etc. A few assorted people I've run into have had such a hard time "giving up" gelatin that they are in denial about what is really in it - even after learning.

Thanks to both of you for all the time and effort you put into your reviews.
We've been to WDW many times but this will be the first since my older daughter and I became vegetarian

thanks! Let us know if there is anything more we can do to help