A Vegetarian & a Carnivore

[Jennifer Dawn]

My fiancee, Steve, and I are going to WDW in April for our Honeymoon, and our food tastes are as opposite as you can get! The main thing being that I am a vegetarian and he can't get through a day without eating meat...

ME -
I love trying new things and am not picky at all. The fancier/stranger the better! I am obsessed with pasta/Italian food and could eat it every day for the rest of my life. Even though I'm a veggie, I do eat seafood. I'm not super fond of fish, but I like shrimp and love crab, scallops, and lobster. I'm addicted to cheese in pretty much every form (well, not so much cheesecake). Oh, and I loathe mushrooms. That's the one thing I cannot eat, aside from meat.

STEVE -
He hates fancy food. He doesn't like trying new things AT ALL and would much rather stick with his faves: chicken, pork chops, steak, fish. He despises cheese - the only person I've ever met who hates cheese!! The only cheese he will eat is on pizza, and even then he picks a lot of it off. He's not huge on Italian food and will usually opt for a meat entree instead of pasta. He hates mushrooms just like me (wow, we agree on something!) and usually stays away from most veggies, like onions and tomatoes. Oh, and he dislikes Mexican food.

Now, I know you're asking yourselves how we met and managed to fall in love. Well, it wasn't over dinner I can tell you that! We are left with limited dining experiences on a regular basis and generally just cook our own meals at home. Obviously in WDW we won't be able to do that! I've researched almost every restaurant to choose from and book a few ADR's that should hopefully benefit the both of us. I am just asking for some added thoughts.

Are there any other vegetarians on this board? Any recommendations? The restaurants that we are confirmed for are Liberty Tree Tavern, Boma (breakfast), Wolfgang Puck Cafe (I noticed Pumpkin Ravioli on the menu and booked it right then and there!), and Jiko. I plan on booking an ADR for Bistro de Paris (lobster and gnocchi?! YUM!) but need to wait until 30 days prior.

However, we still need one more dinner res and one more lunch res, but I'm unsure of where to go. Steve is easy, he can get a meat dish at any restaurant in Disney

But are there any suggestions with a vegetarian in mind?

 

[Moonpie]

I'm a vegetarian, and my husband is a meat eater...and we have no problem eating at Disney. I don't think that you'll have a problem, especially since you eat fish you will be more open to a lot of what is served there. One option is to put down on your reservation that you are a vegetarian. That way they will know ahead of time to give you some more options.

 

[Jennifer Dawn]

One option is to put down on your reservation that you are a vegetarian. That way they will know ahead of time to give you some more options.

Can they do that?! That would be awesome.
I heard somewhere that Jiko has a vegetarian menu, but one time when someone tried to ask for it, they acted as if it didn't exist until a manager was called. Anyone know if this is true?

Edited to add: Your tag line cracks me up! I am the same way. I'm not the biggest vegetable eater and prefer my pasta and breads any day of the week!

 

[Laura]

I heard somewhere that Jiko has a vegetarian menu, but one time when someone tried to ask for it, they acted as if it didn't exist until a manager was called. Anyone know if this is true?

I've never heard of Jiko having a vegetarian menu, there is a vegetarian entree offered menu. San Angel Inn does have a separate vegetarian menu.

Since you are a pescetarian, you'll have an easier time dining than an actual vegetarian. If there's no vegetarian entree at a restaurant, there's at least a fish/seafood option. A great recommendation I have is to have dinner at Boma. While you won't find truly exotic food, it has a wide variety of items and plenty of meat for your fiancé.

 

[smartestnumber5]

We love California Grill. They have lots of veggie options (including a special tasting plate entree not on the menu called "the vegetarian unplugged".) But it is pretty "fancy" food, so it might not be the best choice for your fiance.

We had a really great meal at Le Cellier--they always have a vegetarian entree and a steak eater should do well there.

Ohana is another of our favorites. They make me a special tofu lo mein type dish and I eat most of the sides (potatoes, bread and dips, salad) and dessert. People really seem to love the shrimp there too. And there is plenty of meat. There is/was a potato dish that is really good, but I think they might be getting rid of it and replacing it with a noodle dish soon if not already.

 

[SGMCO]

I'm a pescetarian myself and have found plenty to eat at WDW.
If you are a Vegan it is much harder--I was a Vegan for about 2 years and
know how limited.
We now are about to eat at all of the TS restaurants and
my DH gets his steak and I can get my Seafood and we both are happy.

 

[Jennifer Dawn]

I'm really considering dinner at Boma! The buffet sounds delicious.
As for Le Cellier, we unfortunately were not able to get a reservation there. I will keep trying though, as that was one of my first picks!

Thanks for the advice!

 

[Jennifer Dawn]

I'm a pescetarian myself and have found plenty to eat at WDW.
If you are a Vegan it is much harder--I was a Vegan for about 2 years and
know how limited.
We now are about to eat at all of the TS restaurants and
my DH gets his steak and I can get my Seafood and we both are happy.

It is my goal to go Vegan one day. I don't know how I'll ever give up cheese, though!

 

[jsmla]

I'm not a vegetarian but we have a lot in common. I much, much prefer seafood/veggies and rarely eat red meat and I'm married to a super picky meat and potatoes guy. We both enjoy eating at:

Table Service
Boma
Jiko
Grand Floridian Cafe
Liberty Tree Tavern (lunch)
Le Cellier

Counter Service
Columbia Harbour House
Sunshine Seasons
Tangerine Cafe


If you eat fish it's really not that big of a problem eating at WDW. The only place I have a problem is MGM. I've yet to find anything there I really enjoy.

Bon Appetit!

Jennifer

 

[Moonpie]

Can they do that?! That would be awesome.
I heard somewhere that Jiko has a vegetarian menu, but one time when someone tried to ask for it, they acted as if it didn't exist until a manager was called. Anyone know if this is true?

Edited to add: Your tag line cracks me up! I am the same way. I'm not the biggest vegetable eater and prefer my pasta and breads any day of the week!

Yes, when you make your ADRs ask them to note you as being a vegetarian, or call ahead and ask them to add this information about you to their system.
I love Jiko, but I haven't found a lot that I can eat there. I usually get an appetizer for dinner.

 

[wdwscout]

Boma for dinner is wonderful. While not "official," my DH prefers to eat like a vegetarian. I am the carnivore.
At Boma, if you speak to the chef- he can make you a wonderful plate of veggie goodies- and you can tell him you don't like mushrooms!

I agree with Tangierine Cafe at Morocco (for CS) and Marrakesh if you need another TS. They have excellent meat dishes there too- and nothing is very spicy. Your fiance might enjoy the belly dancer!

Also- Columbia Harbor House (another CS) in the MK is very good.

Tusker House (AK) might be a good place to try- another buffet. They have a Vegetarian Table for lunch/dinner, but they also have a carving station for the meat eaters. It's fairly new, so we haven't tried this one yet.

I have to agree- add the fact that you are vegetarian to your ADRs. And if you really don;t see anything you like- or have a special request- ask to speak with the chef. More often than not, they are interested in creating something special for their guests.

 

[Jennifer Dawn]

Thanks so much for all the wonderful advice! I feel like such an outsider sometimes when trying to eat out... it seems like even the dishes that sound vegetarian end up having some kind of meat in it! However, Disney seems very veg-friendly, I've noticed.

Thanks again for the suggestions. I will tell them to note me as a veggie when I call in my other ADRs!