A Tale of Two Gluten Free Italian Eateries

[MrRay]

I was recently with Disney World with my fiance and her parents, both of whom have celiacs disease and therefore can not eat Gluten. Anyone familiar with this knows how difficult if not impossible it is to eat out at restaurants. Part of the reason why they enjoy coming to Disney is that in general they are able to eat out in a very safe environment and occasionally are very pampered in their experiences.

On this trip they wanted to try 2 different Italian Restaurants since Pasta can be so much of a challenge and they were hoping to have some of those great food experiences. So with this in mind we had ADR's for Mama Melrose in Hollywood Studios and Tutto Italia in Epcot.

The first stop was Mama Melrose. They spoke with Chef Anthony once they arrived. He could not have been kinder and went out of his way to make them special dishes.

Mom had the grilled chicken flatbread with sun dried tomato pesto, pancetta, asiago cheese, and fresh chives. This is an item straight off the menu and was adapted to fit her allergy needs.

She could not have been happier with this dish. For a celiacs person this was an extremely exotic dish.

Dad had chicken parmigiana. I believe they grilled the chicken and put it over very good gluten free spaghetti.

He honestly could not stop talking about this for the rest of the trip.

They were both treated like real people and were able to really enjoy some of the best parts of eating out again and for that afternoon felt like regular people again.


Already pumped from that lunch we went to Tutto Italia a couple days later. We had a manager come and speak with us who basically said that they could make a gluten free pasta with plain marinara sauce with it. He wasn't particularly helpful and didn't give any real options. It was pasta with sauce or nothing. They also brought out some "stock" gluten free breads for them to eat while we waited.

This was considered a very blah meal. It was basically pasta that they could make at home with an "ok" sauce on it. Not to mention that they were charged $19 each for this, which is what regular spaghetti and meatballs would have gone for, note they made no attempt to replace the meatballs. They acted as though it was a favor just to get the pasta.

This was a very expensive underwhelming meal. They didn't get to experience that joy of eating out that they did at Mama Melrose.


I know how difficult it can be to eat out if you have Celiacs disease so I hope if anyone else is dealing with it that this is helpful to them.

So bottom line Mama Melrose Cheap and Awesome...Tutto expensive and "blah"

 

[clanmcculloch]

Thank you for your review. You've just made me very excited for our upcoming meal at Mama Melrose. I did get an email from one of the chefs who seemed very happy to put together yummy meals for my girls and even said she could make them gluten and dairy free mac & cheese (they've gotten this at resorts, but never at restaurants so this will be wonderful).

 

[ZPT1022]

Thank you for sharing this. We're looking to go to WDW in August and it will be my first trip since my celiac diagnosis. It's so nice to think of being able to relax and enjoy going out to dinner with my family. I'm also really happy that you had such a great experience at Mama Melrose, our last experience there we had either really bad service or just plain bad luck but I think if they are so good with the gluten allergy (and that pizza looked yummy!) we may just have to give them another try. Thanks!



Out of curiosity, were there any other restaurants, either table service or counter service where you guys had good experiences?

 

[valree]

Thanks for your review! The chicken parmagiana looks delicious! I think what excited me most in your review was the mention of the flatbreads. I didn't know that the restaurants offered this as a GF option. That's great news!

It seems like Tutto Italia didn't even make an effort to make something interesting. It's as if your in-laws said to the server "please make us the most basic GF meal that you can think of, you know, something that I could get at my local Olive Garden." Where was their imagination? And then to not even replace the meatball? Insane!

 

[snorris49]

Great review! I'm eating at Mama Melrose in another month and 1/2 or so...I can't wait now that I see pictures and hear your review. Thanks again for the pics and review! Everything looks yummy.

btw, I ate at Tutto Italia prior to being GF and wasn't impressed then either. Service was terrible and our food was lukewarm. One of the only restaurants at WDW that i've been disappointed with.

 

[MrRay]

Out of curiosity, were there any other restaurants, either table service or counter service where you guys had good experiences?

We've been able to have a lot of good experiences throughout the parks.
Here's some of the favorites, I thought I had more pictures than I do but I guess we were always more hungry than I thought.

50's Prime Time- This is one of their favorites. Dad gets special Gluten Free fried chicken made for him that he absolutely loves and talks about for months after. Mom always gets a chicken pot pie made for her that she loves so much to order multiple times. This is a must stop for them every trip.

Here's the Pot Pie...

Columbia Harbor House
They can get real french fries here because there is a dedicated fryer so there is no contamination.

Boma
We had breakfast here and there was plenty to eat. The chef came out and physically walked them through the whole buffet, of which there was many items that were safe. They got blueberry muffins made special for them and he offered to make french toast if they wanted. They didn't try them because I think they were overwhelmed with all the other options but that was unusual because you will usually just get offered the stock waffle mix.

Whispering Canyon
The whole "all you can eat skillet" was safe, and new from a year ago when we had gone they now have gluten free bbq sauce. Ribs, Chicken, Sausage, Mashed Potatoes, corn on the cob and BBQ beans are all ok. The only thing in it they couldn't eat was the cornbread.

Cookes of Dublin at Downtown Disney
This was a bit spur of the moment but they were able to bake up some french fries and grill them some chicken. Nothing groundbreaking but a tasty and safe meal.

Beaches and Cream
They were able to get hot dogs on a gluten free hot dog bun...an actual hot dog bun not just the regular bread. Ice cream here is a multiple time per trip favorite also. I myself am dairy free and I'll get a sundae made with toffuti, peanut butter, almonds, and sometimes have it all thrown on a dairy free brownie.

Trails End at Fort Wilderness
We always go here for a late breakfast. Nothing out of the ordinary but the staples like sausage, bacon, eggs and what not are all safe and they'll make waffles with safe syrup on the side also.

That's all I can think of for now. All of these places that I've mentioned are really great at dealing with the allergies have always been beyond helpful and friendly while assisting.

I hope this is helpful.

 

[pixiedust1125]

What a great review Thank you so much for all of that information.

 

[ZPT1022]

What a great review Thank you so much for all of that information.

I'll second that! Thank you very much, I appreciate hearing about the good experiences. Most of all, it's nice to think that I can vacation with my family and feel normal instead of the normal "I'll sit here while you guys eat and then eat something safe later" that I normally do

 

[chell]

Awesome review! Thank you. Now we may eat at Mama Melrose or 50's Prime Time. Did you have a reservation at both places or just walk up? I'm wondering if they will need advance notice. My husband thinks the chicken pot pie looks good and I'm thinking the fried chicken sounds REAL good. I haven't had fried chicken since I was diagnosed in October. I told him he could get the Celiac version of the pot pie so I could try it too.

 

[MrRay]

Did you have a reservation at both places or just walk up? I'm wondering if they will need advance notice.

We've always had reservations and let them know ahead of time that we will be there. In general the only real advance time that they made need would be to have some of the gluten free rolls taken out of the freezer but I feel like the table service are usually good about having that kind of stuff available .

So while we do always let them know ahead of time we always end up talking to a chef right away and they just take care of what needs to be done then. I have never gotten the feeling that you would be out of luck if you didn't let them know ahead of time but better safe than sorry if you can avoid it because maybe they might not have something on hand.

 

[chell]

We've always had reservations and let them know ahead of time that we will be there. In general the only real advance time that they made need would be to have some of the gluten free rolls taken out of the freezer but I feel like the table service are usually good about having that kind of stuff available .

So while we do always let them know ahead of time we always end up talking to a chef right away and they just take care of what needs to be done then. I have never gotten the feeling that you would be out of luck if you didn't let them know ahead of time but better safe than sorry if you can avoid it because maybe they might not have something on hand.

Thank you! We've decided to eat at 50's Prime Time because of this thread. I'm getting the fried chicken. I've seen a few people talk about it. Do you get gravy with it too?

Guess I'll go ahead and make a reservation for it.

 

[MrRay]

I'm getting the fried chicken. I've seen a few people talk about it. Do you get gravy with it too?

It doesn't come standard as part of the dish but they might be able to make something up for you.

 

[chell]

It doesn't come standard as part of the dish but they might be able to make something up for you.

Thank you. The description I read said it came with gravy and that had me wondering if I could get gravy made with cornstarch or something.

 

[gymboqueenkaylee]

OH I'm excited now. I am definately going to have to go to these places on my next visit. I have a gluten allergy and I agree, eating out is challenging.

 

[MrRay]

Here's a few more reviews.
We'll go from the bottom up...

Restaurant Marrakesh, Morroco in World Showcase

Mom got the Chicken Kebob. This place really did not understand Gluten allergies at all. They put bread in the middle of the hummus and several, note several, people tried putting bread on the table. Also for whatever reason they couldn't eat the butter. This was a big miss.

Liberty Tree Tavern in Magic Kingdom
They spoke with a chef but didn't find him terribly helpful. He also did not offer to do anything special.
Mom had the Turkey, which was good and is basically gluten free on it's own.

Dad had the colony salad, he said it was "ok".

Old Port Royale at Carribean Beach
Kinnickinik's Donuts were a delicious and warm treat. Described as the "perfect breakfast". They were also made fresh gluten free waffles with safe maple syrup. They were also pleased to just be charged regular prices for this.

Beaches and Cream at Beach Club
Dessert is a meal in itself here. Dad had a banana split with gluten free cookie crumbles on top. This was described as the "best banana split ever" They weren't able to eat the marshmallow or the hot fudge.

Mom had a butter pecan sundae with caramel, whipped cream, almonds, and a cherry. It was "perfect"

50's Prime Time at Hollywood Studios

Mentioned this in an earlier post but here is a picture with the fried chicken in it. It is described as "the best ever". It did take 25 to 30 minutes to prepare so just be aware of that, but was completely worth the wait. They also have "Red Bridge" gluten free beer at the bar as well as many of the other bars if you ask for it.

Other sidenotes

Columbia Harbor House at Magic Kingdom
Not only do they have a dedicated fryer for french fries they have gluten free fried chicken tenders. The manager brought the food out to them and was extremely helpful.

Dole Whips and Citris Whips are gluten free.

Tony's Town Square at Magic Kingdom
They ate here in 2007 and Mom got a HUGE plate of spagetti and meatballs. She had a huge smile on her face when they put it down. It was like being a kid again.

Tutto Italia at Italy in World Showcase
Dad got sick after eating here and we suspect there might be something with the iced tea there since both he and mom ate the same thing. They do put something in the tea because it has a different, flavored taste that other Disney brewed tea's don't have.


I hope this is helpful.

 

[snorris49]

Well despite the negative review for Restaurant Marrakesh, the food does look pretty good. I have heard a lot of negative things about this restaurant, unfortunately. I hope that they have improved, as we are eating there next month. I emailed them about the hummus and gluten free bread, which they said they had. Here's crossing my fingers that everything turns out ok.

But seriously, bread in the middle of your hummus?! That is a bit ridiculous! Sheesh.

 

[valree]

Whispering Canyon
The whole "all you can eat skillet" was safe, and new from a year ago when we had gone they now have gluten free bbq sauce. Ribs, Chicken, Sausage, Mashed Potatoes, corn on the cob and BBQ beans are all ok. The only thing in it they couldn't eat was the cornbread.

I had GF cornbread at Whispering Canyon Cafe. The chef mentioned it to me when I talked with him. It looks different than everyone else's, but they do have it. I wonder if it just depends on which chef you talk with?

 

[MrRay]

I had GF cornbread at Whispering Canyon Cafe. The chef mentioned it to me when I talked with him. It looks different than everyone else's, but they do have it. I wonder if it just depends on which chef you talk with?

It may also just depend on the day or maybe they changed their stock. A year ago we had gone and were not able to eat the bbq sauce but they did have gluten free cornbread. This year the bbq sauce was ok but there was no cornbread.

It never hurts to ask too.

 

[EDuke98080]

Thanks for all the pictures and the reviews. Can't wait to get there and eat safe!