Food Allergies at DCA

[MomForFrozenAddicts]

Just back from WDW and now official planning for my April DCA trip.

My younger one has multiple food allergies. The dining team at WDW is great and it is the reason that we go back year after year. I remember reading somewhere that I should be more careful at DCA. Any experience with food allergies at DCA?? Any suggestion?

Thank you!

 

[figment_jii]

My only experience dealing with a food allergy at DCA was at the Wine Country Trattoria. One of my family members has an allergy to under-cooked shellfish. She can eat shrimp if they're cooked to the point of being well done (i.e., no glassy/semi-cooked areas left, solid white through and through - basically over-cooked). We tried twice (sent the first dish back), but both times the shrimps came out semi-glossy. Now, this was a while ago, so the chef(s) could have changed or they could have just been having an off night. Overall, I think DLR and WDW do a good job working with guests that have food allergies. Just make sure you're very clear about what your children is allergic to and (if in doubt) maybe ask to talk with the chef instead of relaying information through the waitstaff.

 

[DCDisney]

I have had great experiences with food allergies at DL and DCA. They don't use the exact same procedures as WDW but they were always able to show me ingredient lists at quick service and make safe food to my needs at table service. They don't carry as many specialized allergy safe foods as they do at WDW but I personally can't eat most of the gluten free ones anyway so I don't miss them.

 

[Happyjenz]

My daughter has a nut allergy. I note it when I make reservations online at DL/DCA and have always had the chef come to our table and discuss with us what is safe for her to eat. They're fabulous!

 

[valiamo]

While you will not get as spoiled as you do in WDW, the DLR restaurants are very accommodating with food allergies. If you have a reservation at one of the more expensive restaurants, always specify "allergy" when booking your reservation, and re-confirm it when you get there for your reservation time.

At the walk-up cafes, rather than specify what your allergy is just tell the server you have a "food allergy", and want to know your options. My DW is Celiac, and when she said she was celiac or could not have wheat in her buns, the servers were confused. The second she said the word allergy, they instantly perked up and always got someone from the kitchen. While she didn't have all the choices we did, she had some great meals, and was not stuck eating salads.

 

[Imdboss]

I was at the Paradise Garden Grill in DCA a couple days ago and the person behind me had food allergies. The CM taking the order went to the counter before they ordered to advise there was an allergy, they then put a notice on their side of the counter so any CM walking by would know and then the person placed their order. While I've never had to deal with food allergies it seemed like they have a good system in place to make sure guests are well accommodated.

 

[StormyCA]

As a Celiac, I really didn't notice that much difference in the quality of the gluten free food at WDW vs DL, but I do feel there were more choices and that the process was more streamlined, although my last trip to DL it seemed as if they were starting to adopt more of the WDW process for order/prep/serve.

I always provide this link for questions about dietary needs. Email them directly with your question, they're pretty good. They aren't able to give you a lot of specific food information (i.e. is the XXXXX dish at XXXXX Ok for me? or What can I eat safely at XXXXX? as things change) but they can give you a good idea of how things work and what places may be best able to accommodate your specific needs.

https://disneyland.disney.go.com/guest-services/special-dietary-requests/

 

[MomForFrozenAddicts]

Thank you all for your replies. I will continue my norm in WDW--presenting a card with my daughters' allergies.

My daughters are spoiled by the kitchen staff at WDW. LOL. My younger one with dairy/egg/peanut allergies who normally couldn't order dessert in restaurant was having a dessert at every sit down meal. Also, she found her passion for Dole Whip Float this summer.

 

[Rubygoose]

My daughter has an uncommon food allergy and we've been to DLR several times and WDW once. Both places were great with answering my questions and asked me questions to make sure my daughter didn't eat anything she shouldn't. At WDW, the chef walked us through the buffet and answered my questions and pointed out things to avoid. At Storyteller's in DLR, I thought they would do the same thing, but instead, the chef came to our table with an iPhone and was able to look up specific items and could show me the ingredients so that I could read the labels myself. My daughter can't have artificial colours and falvours and we avoid preservatives, so the chef made her her own plate of scrambled eggs since she couldn't eat the fake egg mixture that comes out of a carton/bag. At Cafe Orleans the hostess saw that he had an allergy and asked if I would like to see an allergy menu. I knew that my daughter's allergy wouldn't be on there, so they sent the chef out to talk to me before we ordered. When her meal came, it had a little toothpick in it with the word "allergy" on it, so I could tell that they were being careful.

You can also e-mail the special diets address ahead of time if you have any questions. I e-mailed about the Monte Cristo and the Bignets and the chef was able to answer my questions about ingredients.

Just be aware that it sometimes takes a while for the chef to come out, so it's a good idea to arrive about 15 minutes before your reservation because it will take a bit longer to order your meal.

 

[gottalovepluto]

Also, she found her passion for Dole Whip Float this summer.

The tiki room in DL is where you'll find that out here in CA fyi. We have a dairy & gluten allergy in our party and have had wonderful experiences thought the DL resort (never been to WDW). If you are ever in doubt just ask to speak with the chef.

 

[valiamo]

One hint for Celiacs out there, in DLR they use, on a regular basis, white bread under the bacon, right after cooking in order to remove the bacon grease from the bacon. Make sure you check with the chef to be sure your food is truly Glueten free. (Source, our chef at the buffet breakfast, told my wife to avoid the buffet bacon, fro this reason)