A September Gluten Free and Magical First Trip, Disney and Beyond - UPDATE 12/12

[maryr1oz]

Thursday night was a bit of a blur

It started off with a drink at the Victoria Falls lounge at AKL, we started with a Victoria Falls Mist and a Sangria





The bartenders here were great, they were really funny and helpful. They suggested we get the goat cheese dip, which was served with papadums to be GF. It was really yummy and a great snack to go with drinks.



We moved onto drinking Negroni's which is where the fun started...



I got the bright idea to call an Uber and head to Jellyrolls for some music...



We sat and enjoyed a couple of glasses of wine and listened to the music



All of a sudden we'd moved over to Atlantic Dance Hall and with G&T's in hand we were dancing the night away



We drank too much, and managed to get ourselves into an Uber and back to AKL around 1am - we had a great night

 

[maryr1oz]

On Friday we spent too much time in bed... recovering :/

Around lunchtime we put ourselves in the car and went over to Art of Animation to get some lunch, it was our first time at this resort and we enjoyed looking around



To eat, we split a pepperoni pizza and a 'make your own' salad. The chef here was so great and had a big chat to us about our trip and where we came from. The pizza and salad were both really good!



Friday night we took the bus to Disney Springs for a wander around. We settled on getting burgers at D-Luxe burgers

We sat outside on the patio with a lovely water view



We ordered an ultimate duo combo, and chose the Southern and Barbecue burgers. DH loved the fries, and I thought the garlic ranch dipping sauce was great!

 

[maryr1oz]

Saturday morning we sadly had to check out of AKL... but we were off to Saratoga Springs so it wasn't all bad!

To pass the time between resorts we had a reservation at 'Ohana.



To start they brought us the juice and some fruit - that juice is so addictive...



Then we got some donuts



As well as the family style platter - the ham and pineapple was delicious!

 

[maryr1oz]

After we checked in at SSR we walked to Disney Springs, and had dinner at Frontera Cocina. We were seated outside on the patio, with another lovely water view.



We weren't super hungry, so we just got a couple of dishes to share.

The classic guacamole



The grilled chicken soft tacos



The queso fundido



All the food here was really good - very fresh and tasty. Nearly the whole menu is GF so there are a lot of options here

 

[armerida]

Ooh that queso fundido at Frotera looks amazing...

 

[maryr1oz]

Ooh that queso fundido at Frotera looks amazing...

It was really good, definitely something i'd order again

 

[FairyGrasshopper]

Sunday morning was spent relaxing at the Kidani pool (as Jambo pool was drained for maintenance).

Before heading back to Jambo we stopped at the Sanaa lounge for some lunch. We made it just in time to take the last two seats, after we sat down a line for seating quickly formed.

We ordered the Odwalla lemonade with wild berry foam

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Bread service with nine accompaniments and gluten free naan. The bread was a little dry, but overall it was great to be able to have it available and to try all the sauces.

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Boerewors and Spiced Eggs - this was super good. So flavourful and fresh, it was my favourite thing we ate in the lounge.

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OMG- that looks good! Spiced eggs. We are going on May 2019 and with a friend who needs Gluten free food choices. I am ready your posts and the food looks awesome!

 

[sanapp]

I have Frontera booked for my solo trip in February. I have had to go gf as of this year and it will be my first trip to Disney, so I am looking forward to a location that really has a lot from a gf standpoint.

 

[maryr1oz]

OMG- that looks good! Spiced eggs. We are going on May 2019 and with a friend who needs Gluten free food choices. I am ready your posts and the food looks awesome!

Definitely order the eggs, they were great!

I have Frontera booked for my solo trip in February. I have had to go gf as of this year and it will be my first trip to Disney, so I am looking forward to a location that really has a lot from a gf standpoint.

Frontera was great, and I didn't feel like we struggled to find food anywhere! Have a great trip

 

[maryr1oz]

Sunday morning we took the car and drove downtown, to Lake Eola. We wandered through the Farmer's Market and around the lake - it was a beautiful way to spend the morning.

We stopped for this great juice...



We also grabbed an iced coffee at the Pop Parlour which was the cutest little place, if it wasn't so early we definitely would have tried their popsicles!



On our way back into Disney property we headed to Port Orleans French Quarter for lunch at Sassagoula Floatworks.

That resort really is beautiful.





We split a shrimp po-boy with housemade chips



Of course for dessert we ordered the beignets...



There was a lot of sugar in there. They were ok, but we didn't eat all of it.

Later in the day back at Saratoga Springs, we picked up some fruit at the Artist's Palette

 

[maryr1oz]

Sunday evening we went back to EPCOT. The plan was to try some more food and wine stalls, and stay to see Illuminations.

It was such a hot evening!

We started by trying more flavours at Club Cool - DH loved the Beverly, i knew he would




Then grabbed a frozen lemonade - soooooooo good



We shared the Le Cellier Wild Mushroom Beef Filet Mignon with Truffle-Butter Sauce, but we really should have got one each



In Brazil we chose the Crispy Pork Belly with Black Beans, Tomato and Onions and the Pão de Queijo: Brazilian Cheese Bread



Over in Germany, we stopped by the Sommerfest and DH got the bratwurst on a GF bun



Finally, to end the food adventure around in Mexico DH chose the Coconut Rice Pudding served with Mango Coulis - he LOVED this

 

[maryr1oz]

Monday was our last full day at Disney World

We were spending the morning at Magic Kingdom, then we had to return the rental car and get packed up.

I started the day with a Dole whip for breakfast...



We also had a lunch reservation at Be Our Guest



DH went with the braised pork. It looked the same as mine but minus the gravy - despite that, he really enjoyed it



Before too long it was time to leave the park and return the car. On the way we stopped by Twistee Treat on S Apopka Vineland Rd - do yourself a favour and stop by here! The ice cream is amazing, cheap and the service is fantastic!



In the evening we had dinner at Saratoga Springs, at the Artist's Palette

We split the grilled veg sandwich, and a pepperoni pizza - both good

 

[maryr1oz]

That wraps up our Disney portion of our holiday, but i'd really like to share the other amazing food we ate in different places around the USA

New York

Our first night of the holiday we arrived in NYC after travelling over 24 hours from Australia... we were really tired and ended up choosing some bits and pieces from Eataly, which was right near our hotel - they had a lot of GF choices and things that were very fresh! We had olives, cheese, crackers, broccoli, some salami and a San Pell.



We had dinner at Senza Gluten in Greenwich Village, it's a 100% GF restaurant and they can also cater to other dietary requirements. It was really cosy and the service was great.





Here we shared the calamari for an appetiser



Then we had mushroom risotto and a tomato based pasta dish for entree.



We ate lunch at local chain Schnipper's - they were great for a fast food option! GF burgers, fried chicken etc and staff were very knowledgeable of the GF options. The food was really yummy!

We had a chicken salad



GF burger and fries



At the Chelsea Market we had brunch at Friedman's. There are several Friedman's locations in Manhattan, and each has a nearly completely GF menu.

We split and iced latte, and the Fried Chicken Waffles - YUM!!

 

[maryr1oz]

Washington DC

We caught the train from NYC to DC late in the afternoon, so before we boarded we picked up some dinner snacks from Wholefoods - guacamole and veggie dippers. We LOVE Wholefoods and always bee-line for them when we see them around the world.



In DC we stayed at The Wharf area, at the Hyatt House. We absolutely loved this location and this hotel. It's brand new so very clean and modern, the Wharf area is so lovely to stroll along at night, to sit out and have a drink and there are so many activities available there. We rode the Capital Bikeshare bikes everywhere from here.

At the Hyatt House breakfast was included. The kitchen made DH GF pancakes each day, to which he added banana and syrup.



We ate at Kirwan's on the Wharf which was an Irish pub right behind our hotel. They had quite a few GF options.



We tried a shrimp salad (see croutons on the side which were NOT GF)



Bunless burger



Also on the wharf is Milk - of David Chang fame. DH was able to grab these GF Birthday Cake Truffles - he loved them!

 

[maryr1oz]

Washington DC

After visiting the National Mall and White House area we made a beeline for GCDC (Grilled Cheese DC). We'd read they did amazing sandwiches, all available GF and it did NOT disappoint.

We split 2 sandwiches and some tots.

From their website - THE KIM-CHEESE-STEAK - 9.50 - Our cheddar blend, kimchi, GCDC spicy sauce, and roast beef on white bread.
and THE DISTRICT CEMITA -10.00 - Pepper jack, chorizo, avocado, and spicy salsa on white bread.

YUM!!





Also downtown, we had lunch one day at GRK Fresh. They are a chain and have locations in a couple of different cities. I think the only thing they had that wasn't GF was the pita bread. The food here was quick, fresh and good value - we enjoyed it.





On another occasion we had lunch at Hill Country BBQ (Downtown). Again, most of their menu was GF, staff were great and the food here was absolutely delicious!



Sausage, ribs, brisket, sweet potato mash, devilled eggs and coleslaw - so many choices!



I know it's not unusual for alcohol to be GF, but I can't help mentioning the cocktails at Barmini.

You definitely need a reservation, but if you have a chance make one and go there. The bartenders were so great, very theatrical but above all the cocktails tasted out of this world...

 

[maryr1oz]

Washington DC

We spent a day wandering around Georgetown, although it was a wet day (thanks Hurricane Florence). We really liked Georgetown and felt it had a great vibe.

We stopped at Georgetown Cupcake - the one on the left was DH's GF chocolate lava cake. I heard him tell the server it was the best cake he'd ever eaten



For lunch we went to Chaia. It's a vegetarian taco place, and also 100% GF. They had quite a few taco choices, all made fresh while you wait. Very healthy and fresh.



We ordered 6 tacos and split them all, each trying a couple of bites of each - there were some really great flavour combinations!

 

[maryr1oz]

Washington DC

We had a dinner reservation at RPM Italian, although it was a bit of a disappointment. We waited over 45 mins past our reservation time, the restaurant was SO loud and the servers looked run off their feet. The food WAS good, but the rest of the experience was sub-par. For the price we paid I would have expected something more from the ambience. They have a seperate GF menu with lots of options.

We started with the Lobster Caprese



Calamari - this was a special and I can't remember exactly what was in it...



Then we had the Lobster Fra Diavolo



Bolognese Short Rib Ragu



Side of Garlic Whipped Potatoes

 

[Mich123]

Thanks for the extras! My DD is gf, so I will be keeping these places in mind for future travel. And, she lives in NYC, so I'm going to text her about Senza Gluten right now!

 

[maryr1oz]

Thanks for the extras! My DD is gf, so I will be keeping these places in mind for future travel. And, she lives in NYC, so I'm going to text her about Senza Gluten right now!

So glad if any of these posts are helpful! I have so many other posters to thank for our good experiences so I really wanted to pay it forward

 

[maryr1oz]

Atlanta

Skipping back (forward?) after Disney we flew to Atlanta, we stayed right downtown for 4 nights.

First stop on arrival day was the Chick-fil-a at the CNN Center. Unfortunately for DH this was the only time we got to eat there for the whole trip... those grilled nuggets are so good!



For lunch one day we walked over to the Sweet Auburn Curb Market, there were a lot of local workers and students there eating. While not a huge market, there looked like lots of great food, and in particular - Arepa Mia.



Arepa Mia are 100% GF and the arepa's were so fresh and so yum!



Sticking with lunches, here's another from Wholefoods - there are so many GF options there, and we love trying little bits of lots of things.





One evening we caught a cab over to Ponce City Market, unfortunately it was during the middle of a storm and the rain was torrential. We enjoyed looking around the shops, but our dinner in the rooftop restaurant Nine Mile Station was a bit soggy...



We sat inside and stayed nice and dry...



We began with the crudite which was really fresh and good.



There weren't TOO many GF options (or our server wasn't very knowledgeable). DH went with a salmon and succotash dish which he did enjoy.