Dairy Free at Quick Service

[2019TripIdeas]

Hoping for advice about which quick service spots in which parks would have an easy dairy free option that wouldn't require a chef coming out, etc. One of my kids has a serious dairy allergy (life-threatening, epi pen goes everywhere with us now). Knock on wood, things being close together hasn't been a huge issue for us yet- so foods being prepped next to each other is not that big of a deal, but a grill with butter on it would be.

We're thinking one Table Service meal a day, which I know will be easy enough since I've read Disney chefs are great with allergies. I'm hoping we can plan to just do grab and go/ quick stuff for the other two meals. In quickly perusing quick service menus, I'm not seeing a ton of dairy free options though.

(Also, have totally checked out the vegan thread as there's tons of great info there which I'll read through more carefully, but since he CAN eat meat/other animal byproducts, figured I'd post here too.)

Thanks for any help!

 

[KrazeeK120]

There are allergy menus available at all of the restaurants. They’re different than the menus you see when just looking online. Honestly, I’d order something off the allergy menu because milk is in a surprising number of things...even places where you think it should never be! My niece also has a severe dairy allergy. They spent the day at the MK once last summer. I don’t remember where they ate, but they got the allergy menu and it worked fine for them.

 

[2019TripIdeas]

^Isn't it wild? It's crazy to us the stuff it's in too!
Is there any way to track down the allergy menus ahead of time? I know I found a website that had some of the alternative ingredients Disney uses, but it didn't state what was available at which quick service or anything like that.

 

[KrazeeK120]

^Isn't it wild? It's crazy to us the stuff it's in too!
Is there any way to track down the allergy menus ahead of time? I know I found a website that had some of the alternative ingredients Disney uses, but it didn't state what was available at which quick service or anything like that.

I’m not sure. I’m fortunate to not have food allergies in my immediate family, so we don’t need to seek out special menus when it’s just us going. I think you can just ask a CM at the restaurant and they’ll bring it to you...it shouldn’t be too big of a deal unless someone in your party is really indecisive.

I have been shocked at the number of things milk is in! My niece actually has multiple food allergies, so I usually just call my sister in law before we get together and ask what is safe for her to have!

 

[NYCgrrl]

If you call Disney Dining they'll connect you with an area of the department that deals with allergies and food restrictions of many types.
Pretty sure there is a PDF file that lists common allergies and the restaurants that can readily accommodate. Maybe they'll send it to you in paper form so you can carry it around.

 

[ears2BWV]

Contact Special.Diets@DisneyWorld.com
It's been a while since I've had to contact them, but I've always got very thorough and helpful answers every time I have. They've been able to help me with both quick service and table service questions. Be prepared to have a specific list of where you were planning on eating.

 

[Random Ninja]

I have nearly a dozen allergies, including airborne/contact for dairy. Disney really is amazing with allergies. With “just” a dairy allergy, you should alert the cashier that you have an allergy and you’ll be given an allergy menu. If you are feeling uncomforable with the menu want to take extra precautions, you can ask to speak to a manager. The blog GF/DF Disney has a bunch of the allergy menus posted. Disney doesn’t really share them ahead of time because suppliers and ingredients do change. Now, the counter service in Epcot can be a bit of a challenge, especially if there’s a language barrier. And keep in mind that it will take longer than a regular order for an allergy meal.

There are a lot of dairy free snack options too. The popcorn is dairy free and the ice cream shop on Main Street carries Tofutti and Rice Dream. Some places will also carry So Delicious coconut ice cream. Look for the Snacks with Character products as those are often Enjoy Life products. (Not all of them are though, so check the back.)

 

[Dis703]

Just dairy allergy will be very easy to accommodate at any of the QS locations without needing to speak to anyone. Their allergy menus are great for a single top 8 allergen like that. You may find copies of the allergy menus on the DisABILITIES forum here, but be aware these things change so use it to give you an idea of what they may offer and don't go in expecting to order exactly what you see online.

 

[2019TripIdeas]

Thank you all- very helpful! I'm glad to hear dairy allergy is okay at Quick Service- I really wasn't wanting to have to do several sit down meals a day if we can avoid it. I'll look more into the DisAbilities forum too for those menus.

There are a lot of dairy free snack options too. The popcorn is dairy free and the ice cream shop on Main Street carries Tofutti and Rice Dream. Some places will also carry So Delicious coconut ice cream. Look for the Snacks with Character products as those are often Enjoy Life products. (Not all of them are though, so check the back.)

This info is especially helpful. Enjoy Life stuff is always great for him so I'm glad Disney carries. Thanks!

 

[HikingFam]

The fish and chips stand in Epcot was a surprise DF find! And not QS, but Beaches and Cream made me an amazing DF banana split. If I recall correctly, Mickey pretzels, popcorn and (definitely) Dole Whip are all DF snacks. Erin McKenna's bakery in Disney Springs has delicious dairy free treats, as well as DF soft serve!

 

[rdaky]

You may be able to find some of the allergy menus online to give you an idea of what can be ordered (of course menus can change but it's a start) I have a daughter with a dairy allergy and I tend to try to seek out allergy menus in advance to give myself a little bit of a heads up about what kinds of options she might have at each restaurant. Milk is amazingly everywhere so you absolutely want an allergy menu or ingredient list. Even the fajitas at Mexican restaurants- they're not sizzling just because they're hot. They're sizzling because there is butter added to make them sizzle.

Disney was really great about it the last time we were there. You just have to ask because they won't have the menus front and center.

 

[Tksolomom]

Thank you all- very helpful! I'm glad to hear dairy allergy is okay at Quick Service- I really wasn't wanting to have to do several sit down meals a day if we can avoid it. I'll look more into the DisAbilities forum too for those menus.



This info is especially helpful. Enjoy Life stuff is always great for him so I'm glad Disney carries. Thanks!

Don’t forget Dole Whips, they are Dairy free. I think they hav 2 options at the Citrus Swirl placectoo, one is an Orange Dole Whip. They changed it to be vegan, but then brought back the original. I am not sure what will be there when you go.

 

[hswillia07]

If you aren't a part of the 'Disney Chefs Rock Food Allergies' fb group, you should definitely join - SO helpful! my youngest is ana to dairy, egg, and wheat. We contacted special diets well before our trip and then again two weeks before. I brought chef cards, and we spoke with chefs at all table service restaurants and managers at all quick service. We amazing experiences. As for quick service - we did Flametree BBQ at AK, Cosmic Rays and Pinocchio Haus at MK - I think that's it. We mostly stuck to table service as cross contamination is an issue for us and I just felt more comfortable. Have fun planning

 

[reluctantredhead]

And not QS, but Beaches and Cream made me an amazing DF banana split. If I recall correctly, Mickey pretzels, popcorn and (definitely) Dole Whip are all DF snacks. Erin McKenna's bakery in Disney Springs has delicious dairy free treats, as well as DF soft serve!

Yep, all correct...my D has milk/egg/soy allergies, and she enjoyed all of these items on our last trip. And Beaches and Cream is definitely worth the visit if you can swing it -- they prepare their allergy orders in a dedicated area, and on our last visit they had 3 kinds of "ice cream": Tofutti, Rice Dream, and So Delicious (Coconut).

One thing I did for my D on our trip last year, to make it easier on her and me, was to make a Pinterest page for each park of all the meals/food items I had verified were safe for her. In the notes by the photo of each item, I listed the name and where it could be found. Like you're doing, I researched ahead and looked at allergy menus online because I wanted to make certain that there would be things my D could eat and would enjoy. This way, whenever she got hungry she just had to pull up the Pinterest page on her phone for the park we were at and she could view all the possibilities. And since we "eat" with our eyes first, it worked out really well to make her excited about her choices instead of dreading seeing all the things she "couldn't" have.

I hope you have a wonderful trip! Disney really does do a fantastic job of handling food allergies.

 

[Thing 1]

All perfect advice. One addition is that we almost always do breakfast in our room. Not really an allergy or a money thing though it helps with both. We bring easy safe items in our suitcase and eat while we are getting ready. We are always rope drop people and we don’t like to waste time sitting down to eat breakfast. We eat the other two meals in the parks. Sometimes both TS and sometimes we do one of each. We have done peanut, egg and sesame at WDW without one issue. Many trips and many restaurants.

 

[Mainemama]

Most of the advice I would give is already stated above. I would just add that I typically prefer table service, because we do find more options than counter service. I like to preview the regular menus online before going to a quick service restaurant, because you may be able to order modified dishes, but you can't order dishes that aren't on the menu in the first place. This might not be a big issue with a dairy allergy, we have multiple allergies, including chicken. So a restaurant that serves chicken nuggets and turkey legs, for example, would not offer any meal we could order. At table service, we often find the chef can offer more alternatives. It helps to go into the parks with an idea of where you can find a meal you know will work. I also hear you on the "vegan" moniker. My DD has an egg allergy, as well. Although she eats beef, pork, and fish, vegan labels have helped us a ton!

 

[2019TripIdeas]

Seriously, thank you everyone! We eat out a ton at home (and for convenience sake, often just go to restaurants with vegan options since it means they're safe.... Thai, Indian, Vietnamese, Sushi are usually always easy too).

I am also excited to hear about all the "treat" options since those can be so tricky! I also like the pinterest board idea- I do want to have a general idea of where we'll be eating for quick service (or 2-3 good options) as I plan our days out. He's a really adventurous eater -ha probably partly because of his allergy- several of the "kid foods" are out with a dairy allergy- mac n cheese, pizza, burgers usually, hot dogs usually, chicken tenders, etc- so even if those were available I don't think he'd eat them.