Disappointed with vegetarian options at CS restaurants

[bean bunny]

http://allears.net/din/vegcsparks.htm
You kinda have to know where to go; this link helps.

Thanks that is a very helpful link!!!

 

[minniebeth]

Most CS locations in the parks have a limited menu to begin with, but in each park, you will find a decent variety within each location. The allears menu is a huge help.

I find the best variety/selection for vegetarian options is probably at the resorts. The last time we stayed at the Polynesian, Captain Cooks had a good selection and each day there was a soup of the day. Most of the selections were vegetarian and the best I had was a vegetarin chili that was really good. A lot of times, if you look at the ingredients on the menus being offered, (at resorts) they will really accomodate you and make something up with what they have for you as per your request.

POR foodcourt has a make your own pasta option and a make your own salad option. Both are excellent!

 

[Lesleyluvsdisney]

Ive been a vegetarian for 24 years now, and never really had a problem eating at WDW. I found it was actually TS places that had slightly fewer options.

The veggie burger at Cosmic Ray is great, pizzas at pizza planet. Im I'm not a vegetable loving veggie!?!

sorry you were disappointed

 

[somethingblue]

Here's a list of some places that have less typical vegetarian offerings. With a little planning it's easy to hit these places up instead.

Magic Kingdom:
Columbia Harbor House
El Pirata y El Perico
Hop on the Monorail and check out Contempo Cafe at the Contemporary

Hollywood Studios:
Backlot Express
Starring Rolls Cafe

Animal Kingdom:
There are no unique options here unfortunately. Cheese pizza or veggie burger only. Because of this my boyfriend and I chose to just split a pastry from one of the carts in the morning and go back to our resort for a light lunch.

Epcot:
SO many choices!
Sunshine Seasons
Kringla Bakeri
Lotus Blossom Cafe
Tangierine Cafe

Downtown Disney:
Earl Of Sandwich
Wolfgang Puck Express

I'm sorry that you're disappointed in the child's menu offerings but those are really intended for little kids. Once you turn 10 you're considered an adult at Disney. Of course your daughter can choose to eat off that menu if she wants but with many more vegetarian offerings available on adult menus she might be happier branching out. If she really insists on eating off the child's menu her only will options are likely to be mac & cheese, pb&j, and cheese pizza.

What does she eat at home? If she hasn't started experimenting with tofu, tempeh, beans, lentils, etc this might be the perfect time to try! These are frequently staples in a healthy vegetarian diet.

As another poster mentioned, Moe's seems to be the only option for vegetarian counter service meals in all of Universal. I've been researching menus for a while and it's the only place that has options. Most of the places in the parks don't offer so much as a veggie burger. For this reason we will be eating offsite. (Sweet Tomatoes, Cafe TuTuTango, and Pollo Pio Pio are on my list.)

 

[disfan07]

I've known a lot of kids who were raised vegetarian or always ate vegetarian when out because they keep kosher.

I just feel like from what i've seen, kids who are raised vegetarian are either going to be very picky and live on the kids fare or they will have been raised to be more adventurous and find the adult offerings appealing.

I think Disney does a fine job. I went with a family I used to babysit for and they keep kosher. Instead of ordering the kosher meals, everyone basically jusy ate vegetarian at CS places. We were there for 12 days and we had no problems and none of the kids ever complained. We were 3 adults and 4 kids (1,4,7 and 9). If they wanted the standard kids fare, they orderd that. If they wanted something different, they got something from the adult menu.

Personally, I really dont see the big deal and think that Disney does a great job with vegetarian options but thats just my opinion. YMMV.

 

[disneysteve]

Animal Kingdom:
There are no unique options here unfortunately. Cheese pizza or veggie burger only.

There is a cart between Africa and Asia that sells vegetable spring rolls. Not a meal, but at least a good snack or appetizer. Also, there is a CS place in Asia that has a Mandarin chicken salad. You can just ask them to put the chicken on the side.

Epcot:
SO many choices!
Sunshine Seasons
Tangierine Cafe

Sunshine Seasons is probably the best CS place at WDW for vegetarians. It is the only place I know of that serves tofu. Does anyone know of any others? You can order a meal of sides, like at the Asian counter, rather than sweet and sour chicken with two sides, you can just get 3 sides. They also have veggie sushi in the refrigerated case along with various salads and fruit offerings.

As for Tangerine Cafe, we actually ate there last night for the very first time. DD got a falafel wrap. Unfortunately, she really didn't care for it. Having tasted it myself, I have to agree with her. I love falafel and have had it many different places (including in Israel) and this just wasn't very good. It was dry and overly spicy. She ate most of it anyway but it isn't something she would order again. That's just personal preference, though, not Disney's fault (though I think they could make much better falafel).

If she really insists on eating off the child's menu her only will options are likely to be mac & cheese, pb&j, and cheese pizza.

This was part of the point I was trying to make. We've been to numerous CS places that don't offer any of these options. Quite a few places have one veggie option on the adult menu and that's it. Nothing to cater to the kids.

What does she eat at home?

All kinds of stuff. Definitely tofu and other soy-based items including prepared foods like veggie burgers and other meat substitutes like vegetarian chicken patties and nuggets, veggie ground beef, vegetable dumplings (both store-bought and homemade), tofu noodle bowls (homemade), sandwiches with cheese and veggies, vegetable stir fries over rice or noodles, pasta with veggies, etc. Just tonight, I made dinner in our condo at Windsor Palms. I sauteed cubed tofu, added a can of Chinese vegetables and served it over brown rice. Also microwaved some veggie potstickers as an appetizer. Cheap, easy and healthy (probably too much sodium in the canned veggies but otherwise healthy).

 

[luckyprincess]

That's interesting - I didn't realize that. I know several people who are self-proclaimed vegetarians, yet they eat fish and seafood. My boss is one of them. Wonder if I should correct her? On second thought, probably not!

Lol - no, don't correct the boss! But yes, it's true. I am currently a pescatarian!

 

[everythingALICE]

I'm vegetarian and have never had an issue finding anything to eat, although it does help tremendously to look at menus beforehand so that I don't waste my time on places which do not have a vegetarian option. Others have mentioned a wide variety of CS options at the parks, so I won't repeat those, but sometimes it pays off to ask if there is a veggie burger or option not listed. For example, at the CS in Blizzard Beach (I think it was Lottawatta Lodge?), a veggie burger is available, but is not listed on the menu. I would bet that there are some other places that have veggie burgers on hand, but do not advertise it.

 

[disneyfav4ever]

One of my favorite CS grabs is the Buffalo mozzarella and tomato sandwich at Main Street Bakery.

That sounds really good.

 

[ScarletFire]

My DD13 is a vegetarian. Last WDW trip she was a pescatarian; lots of fish and seafood. I told DH yesterday that I need a list of CS before we go in October. I recall:

Veggie burgers at Cosmic Rays in MK and the American Pavilion in EPCOT.
Mexico offers a cheese quesadillia.
Starring Rolls in DHS has veggie sushi.
Cheese pizza @ Pizzafari in DAK and Pizza Planet @ DHS.
Veggie Stir-fry at the China Pavilion in Epcot.
Vegetarian Chili @ Columbia Harbor House in MK.

If we don't locate veggie options, DD13 will eat Mickey fries the entire week.

 

[BEASLYBOO]

For example, at the CS in Blizzard Beach (I think it was Lottawatta Lodge?), a veggie burger is available, but is not listed on the menu. I would bet that there are some other places that have veggie burgers on hand, but do not advertise it.

I travel with a vegetarian friend and we encountered this at BB, we asked and were told that yes they had the veggie burgers but why wouldn't they just put it on the menu rather than have people who don't ask, go without!. My friend isn't picky, but the CS veg. options are rather slim in my opinion, as another poster said, by the time you've eaten (nasty ) Disney cheese pizza and veggie burgers, you're ready for something else. I think Disney should do a better job, the cheese pizza is typically for kids, how about adding a veggie pizza instead, just a thought! Most TS restaurants, again, if you request it, the chefs will do their best to whip something up for you, and I have to say on some occasions, for her, the dishes they've came up with were really delicious.