Gluten free at these restaurants? Counter service questions

[autismgoesdisney]

Since our last December trip, I was diagnosed with celiacs I'm not too thrilled, but I know many on this board are gluten sensitive and have had great success in Disney.

So I am wondering if anyone is gluten free and dined at any of these restaurants OR counter service? If you can give me tips on what was good, I'd appreciate it.

Captain's Grille
Tutta Italia
Grand Floridian Cafe )breakfast)
Sci-Fi
Kona
Boma
Cape May Cafe )breakfast)

 

[antree]

My Mother has celiac and we have eaten at, Tutta Italia, they do have gluten free pasta and I believe they gave her rolls too, the dessert might have been just fruit.
Grand Floridian Cafe (breakfast), they will make you gluten free waffles and you can have the eggs and potatoes.
Sci-Fi, can accommodate you, I can't remember what she has eaten there. Cape May Cafe (breakfast), the Chef will walk you through the buffet line and also make you, gluten free waffles, I do believe she has had some kind of pastry or bread with breakfast, it's been awhile since we ate there.

No matter where we have eaten she has never had an issue with her allergy and they have always accommodated her. She LOVES MaMa Melrose, she says the chicken Parm is the best. She was thrilled with Coral Reef and that she was able to get the dessert, I think it was the Wave.
Just note on all your reservations about the allergy and all should go fine.


Have a great time.

 

[snorris49]

Since our last December trip, I was diagnosed with celiacs I'm not too thrilled, but I know many on this board are gluten sensitive and have had great success in Disney.

So I am wondering if anyone is gluten free and dined at any of these restaurants OR counter service? If you can give me tips on what was good, I'd appreciate it.

Captain's Grille
Tutta Italia
Grand Floridian Cafe )breakfast)
Sci-Fi
Kona
Boma
Cape May Cafe )breakfast)

I have been to several of these places on your list. Grand Floridian Cafe for breakfast was OK. I wasn't feeling well that day so I just had basic scrambled eggs, steamed asparagus and potatoes. It was good.

Kona for breakfast is AWESOME! It's one of my all time favs. Their Mickey waffles are bar none the best on property, imo. I could eat them all day! I usually get the Big Kahuna there, but modified to remove the french toast and waffles with mickey waffles. YUM! Kona for dinner is OK. It's not my favorite, but it's not terrible either. I got the shrimp and scallops grilled instead of w/panko and a sticky rice. The chefs here are usually very good.

Boma another must-do for me! They are amazing there. The food is excellent (I usually do breakfast here). I've also been able to contact the chefs ahead of time and they will make special items (like gluten free/dairy free bobotie...I'm drooling just thinking about it!) Wonderful, wonderful place!

Cape May Cafe: I've only done for dinner, so I can't speak to their breakfast. The food was great there. The chefs don't usually make me things in the back, but most of the stuff that even has the option of cross contamination that I would like I would ask for them to get fresh in the back for me.

You've got some great choices, and you'll have a great time eating at WDW--it's the best for allergies!

 

[clanmcculloch]

Here are our experiences.

Captain's Grille:
I have an ADR for both breakfast and dinner for our upcoming trip. I've already spoken with a chef who sounds like there should be lots of options.

Sci-Fi:
This is another one that I have an ADR for. LOL I spoke with a chef just a few days ago and they do have the gluten free Ener-G hamburger buns and can make the fries safely plus they carry the chicken tenders. I think I've read reviews that say things like the spinach artichoke dip is GF but we're also dairy free so I don't pay much attention to that. I think the blue cheese is a gluten free one so things like the lettuce wedge would also be an option. For only GF and nothing else free, it does seem as though there are quite a few things that can be eaten there and the chef I spoke with was saying he can cook up any of the meats without any of our long lists of allergens which means he can definitely do just GF.

Kona:
We enjoyed our dinner here quite a bit. The chef was wonderful and really went out of her way to make sure our kids were enjoying their meals.

Cape May Cafe (breakfast):
We've been a couple times and will be going again in a few weeks. They can make Mickey waffles, bacon, eggs, sausages, potatoes and they have a wide variety of fruits. I don't know for sure but I would guess that now that many restaurants are carrying Kinnikinnick products that they may have the muffins available as well (I didn't ask since my kids don't eat them but they are DELICIOUS).

You'll be fine. Be prepared to be amazed at the great options.

There's another thread floating around near this one discussing CS options. Take a look.

 

[lmc318]

Have you contacted Disney's special diets email yet? They'll be able to help you out with the counter service options and what you need to do before you go, like noting celiac on your ADR. I was just diagnosed myself (like 3 weeks ago) and we go in October. It's a huge adjustment and I just had my first reaction after going gluten free and I'm terrified now of how this vacation is going to be. After reading some of the threads on gluten free dining and some of the food blogs from some Disney gluten free fans, I'm very happy that my first vacation after being diagnosed will be at Disney. One of our meals will be at Tony's. I'm not a huge Italian food person, but I want to eat there because of the theming. Cross contamination scares the bejeezus out of me now, but from what I've heard about this place, I'm confident I'll do well here.

Contact Disney special diets and read the gluten free reviews and do some google searches for the Disney gluten free food blogs and you'll find some great food reviews.

Hang in there! It's scary, right? And down right annoying too!!!

But most of all, have fun!!!!

And I hope you're not going during food and wine like I am!

 

[3prettyprincesses]

Here are our experiences.

Sci-Fi:
I think I've read reviews that say things like the spinach artichoke dip is GF but we're also dairy free so I don't pay much attention to that. I think the blue cheese is a gluten free one so things like the lettuce wedge would also be an option. For only GF and nothing else free, it does seem as though there are quite a few things that can be eaten there and the chef I spoke with was saying he can cook up any of the meats without any of our long lists of allergens which means he can definitely do just GF.

I was very, very impressed by the Sci-Fi food and chef! Unfortunately, the spinach/artichoke dip was not GF (as of this past February anyway). He did say that the blue cheese is fine but that some Celiac's have trouble with it. Further, he addressed vinegar sensitivity as well and suggested I go with a ranch dressing for my salad which I loved. Overall, I was pleasantly pleased that he really knew what he was talking about. Next time, I'm getting those chicken tenders though!

Kona:
We enjoyed our dinner here quite a bit. The chef was wonderful and really went out of her way to make sure our kids were enjoying their meals.

I echo your praise of Kona too! We ate both breakfast and dinner here and it was delicious. Chef Katrina was phenomenal, so friendly and willing to make your meal truly safe AND scrumptioius.

You'll be fine. Be prepared to be amazed at the great options.

Absolutely. I've never eaten so well being GF than I did at Disney.

 

[Alexander]

DS (12) has celiac, so he has been eating GF in WDW for several years. His absolute favorite place to eat is 50's Prime Time. The chef comes out every single time and tells him to order what ever he wants on the menu and he will make it GF for him.

Counter-service restaurants are difficult because the food takes a long time to come out. You have to tell the cashier that you have an allergy and need to speak with a manager, when one finally appears, they will show you a book with the food listed. You place your order, then wait, wait, wait for your food to come out. If you order non GF foods you need to ask them not to fulfill your order until the GF food comes out. They will prepare the GF food in back and it is good, it just takes time (10-20 minutes longer). For a hungry 10, 11, or 12 y/o boy, this is very difficult.

 

[dzorn]

Since our last December trip, I was diagnosed with celiacs I'm not too thrilled, but I know many on this board are gluten sensitive and have had great success in Disney.

So I am wondering if anyone is gluten free and dined at any of these restaurants OR counter service? If you can give me tips on what was good, I'd appreciate it.

Captain's Grille
Tutta Italia
Grand Floridian Cafe )breakfast)
Sci-Fi
Kona
Boma
Cape May Cafe )breakfast)

Cape May has mickey waffles . Boma they made DD a Gluten free Zebra Dome. It was mega sized and yummy.(she let me have a bite).

Denise in MI

 

[momhmmx2]

Since our last December trip, I was diagnosed with celiacs I'm not too thrilled, but I know many on this board are gluten sensitive and have had great success in Disney.

So I am wondering if anyone is gluten free and dined at any of these restaurants OR counter service? If you can give me tips on what was good, I'd appreciate it.

Boma

Boma was so amazing (it was so good that I cancelled my reservations for flying fish and ate there 2 nights in a row!). I would say 80-90% of the items on the buffet are gluten free. They will make you a fried Chip (can't remember what it was called) to eat the hummus with. It was delicious. Make sure you ask for it if they don't offer it! The chef who showed me what I could eat the first night told me about it, but the one the second night did not. So I had to ask. They also make you your very one GF Zebra domes! Which were phenomenal

My tip for CS is if you are going with HUNGRY kids/family members ORDER their stuff first and pay for it! Then mention your allergy. If you wait the CM taking your order will not proceed any further. It can take several minutes (one time I waited up to 10 minutes) for a manager to come out...Then an additional 15 minutes for my food to be prepared So get their food first!

Have fun!

 

[C&G'sMama]

My son is GF and we didn't do any of the restaurants you stated. But we found everywhere great. We were on DDP so had TS and CS daily. This was his first time going as GF and he was thrilled. Our one breakfast was at Crystal Palace. As a gluten eater, I was underwhelmed and would not do breakfast there again. However, DS LOVED it as they gave him so many options. All our experiences were great and all of the chefs were wonderful, Two in particular that really stood out to us were the chef at Crystal Palace for dinner and our chef at Mama Melrose for dinner. They both gave little extra touches.

Our experiences with the Counter Service restaurants were also very good.

Good Luck and have a blast!

 

[Alexander]

My tip for CS is if you are going with HUNGRY kids/family members ORDER their stuff first and pay for it! Then mention your allergy. If you wait the CM taking your order will not proceed any further. It can take several minutes (one time I waited up to 10 minutes) for a manager to come out...Then an additional 15 minutes for my food to be prepared So get their food first!

This! Our problem is the child is the Celiac! The poor kid hates to eat at CS restaurants.

I'm interested to hear about the rave reviews for Mickey waffles. DS had them before he was diagnosed and LOVED them, and now when he gets them GF he says they are no where near as good and not worth ordering. We haven't eaten at Cape May in years, so maybe we'll give it a try next time.

 

[C&G'sMama]

As for CS, our 8 yo Aspie son is the GF one. He has the patience of a gnat. We just prepared him for the fact his food would take longer. At the resort I'd order his food and wait for it and then get mine. At the parks we'd order everything and just used distraction strategies or order our food last. Checkers at The Amercian Adventure in Epcot. At Cosmic Rays we ordered from different stations and ordered the kids's food first (DD's got hers first) and didn't orde our food 'til after DS had his. For him it was a big treat to have Chicken Nuggets and french fries or a bacon cheesburger on a bun.

He loved it all as he felt he had little to no restrictions.

 

[momhmmx2]

For him it was a big treat to have Chicken Nuggets and french fries or a bacon cheesburger on a bun.

He loved it all as he felt he had little to no restrictions.

LOL!! I considered this a BIG treat for me too

I rarely eat these at home, not too mention it's so hard to find fried food anywhere that is GF! I ate my fill of chicken strips and fries for sure

 

[clanmcculloch]

My tip for CS is if you are going with HUNGRY kids/family members ORDER their stuff first and pay for it! Then mention your allergy. If you wait the CM taking your order will not proceed any further. It can take several minutes (one time I waited up to 10 minutes) for a manager to come out...Then an additional 15 minutes for my food to be prepared So get their food first!

We do things very different. I use detailed touring plans so it's easy for me to schedule meals. I make sure to schedule them for shortly before our normal meal times so our kids won't get to that point of whining for food even with the wait plus we're at the CS locations when there aren't lines which also helps. We eat together as a family. I let the CM know immediately that we're dealing with allergies so the cash register won't be tied up with our order while waiting for the manager. Then our food is rung up all together and served all together so we can eat together. Nobody is watching other eat while sitting there hungry and later on nobody gets antsy to get moving while waiting for somebody to eat.

I'm interested to hear about the rave reviews for Mickey waffles. DS had them before he was diagnosed and LOVED them, and now when he gets them GF he says they are no where near as good and not worth ordering. We haven't eaten at Cape May in years, so maybe we'll give it a try next time.

The low allergen Mickey waffles definitely taste different than the regular ones. They use the Bob's Red Mill gluten free mix everywhere. The variations in taste that you'll experience from place to place has to do with milk alternatives and egg alternatives. They can be made with soy milk, rice milk, water or apple juice instead of milk and Ener-G egg replacer or apple sauce instead of eggs. This varies the taste a lot. Overall though they will be denser with a very different flavour than the regular waffles because the mix is primarily a bean mixture if I recall. That kind of taste can be hard to get used to for some people. My DD13 loves them and could eat them every day but my DD11 only wants a few total per trip.

As for CS, our 8 yo Aspie son is the GF one. He has the patience of a gnat. We just prepared him for the fact his food would take longer. At the resort I'd order his food and wait for it and then get mine. At the parks we'd order everything and just used distraction strategies or order our food last. Checkers at The Amercian Adventure in Epcot. At Cosmic Rays we ordered from different stations and ordered the kids's food first (DD's got hers first) and didn't orde our food 'til after DS had his. For him it was a big treat to have Chicken Nuggets and french fries or a bacon cheesburger on a bun.

He loved it all as he felt he had little to no restrictions.

At Cosmic Rays, I sought out a CM and asked for a manager when we first walked in. He placed our order from a single cash register even though we really should have been ordering from 2 different stations and not every meal was an allergy meal. I should note that it was a VERY slow time (around 11:15 by the time the order was being placed) and he was able to escort us to a cash register that literally didn't have any guests at the time so maybe that makes a difference.

 

[tavettava]

Boma was so amazing (it was so good that I cancelled my reservations for flying fish and ate there 2 nights in a row!). I would say 80-90% of the items on the buffet are gluten free. They will make you a fried Chip (can't remember what it was called) to eat the hummus with. It was delicious. Make sure you ask for it if they don't offer it! The chef who showed me what I could eat the first night told me about it, but the one the second night did not. So I had to ask. They also make you your very one GF Zebra domes! Which were phenomenal

My tip for CS is if you are going with HUNGRY kids/family members ORDER their stuff first and pay for it! Then mention your allergy. If you wait the CM taking your order will not proceed any further. It can take several minutes (one time I waited up to 10 minutes) for a manager to come out...Then an additional 15 minutes for my food to be prepared So get their food first!

Have fun!

I agree Boma is awesome for gf. Dd loves their food. The chef (whose dh is gf) brought out her food. The prime rib was as big as the plate, she had gf mac n cheese, the chips for the hummus, a special dessert. I wasn't feeling good that day so I can't remember everything she had.

Sci-fi she has had the gf ribs and fries, cheeseburger with gf bun, and the milk shakes.

 

[kmayergf]

There is an iPhone and iPad app called Gluten and Allergen Free Disney World that lists all of the restaurants that are gluten friendly. Some of them are allergen friendly as well and it gives you a better idea of which restaurant offer which foods that you can eat. I contacted Disney and they gave me a whole bunch of papers that were heard to understand so this helped me when my family and I went to the park. Check it out!

 

[dismichael]

Just got back from our trip Sunday- I have Celiacs, and this was my experience...

Captain's Grille- did not eat at, but I'm sure something grilled could be prepared
Tutta Italia- They have gluten free pasta and bread, but I would not recommend. The food was mediocre at best- comparable to olive garden. Tony's actually made me gluten free chicken parm- much more accommodating and food was better!
Grand Floridian Cafe )breakfast)- Did not eat at, but we did go to 1900 Park Fare and the chef made me my own gluten free pancakes and waffles (in mickey shapes of course)--AWESOME WOULD RECOMMEND!!
Sci-Fi- Chef was GREAT here....very accommodating, numerous options.. I had the ribs, kind of a very meaty sparerib.
Kona- I have a nut allergy as well, and we ate there last year but did not like.. Food was only o.k. and portions were small for the price. Family had the noodle bowl.
Boma- Again, did not eat here this trip, but last trip chef was arrogant pertaining to my nut allergy (as I am a recently diagnosed Celiac as well).
Cape May Cafe )breakfast) - Ate here a long time ago, not sure.


I would recommend-
Kouzzina for breakfast,
1900 park fare for breakfast,
liberty tree tavern- they actually have gluten free gravy for turkey!
Tonys- numerous options, pretty decent food.
Sanaa- first encounter with Indian cuisine, but this restaurant actually has a gluten free menu completely modified to be safe for us to eat!! VERY DELICIOUS!!!
Brown Derby- Accommodating and Cobb salad was awesome
Crystal Palace- Believe it or not, other than the bread and a few cold bar options, I was able to eat basically everything here!! Pasta dish was made with rice pasta and everything was delicious... For dessert chef made me a gluten free brownie that was unbelievable.

 

[dismichael]

BTW.... I WAS EXTREMELY IMPRESSED WITH THE COUNTER SERVICES!!!!
You tell the cashier you have an allergy, and the manager comes out personally with an ingredient list of the foods available, and prepares your items separate, personally, and on dedicated equipment. I was even able to alter a few things to make them gluten free. My favorites of the trip were the pulled pork sandwich from Liberty Inn on an Ener-G bun, and the tuna salad from Columbia Harbour House on a Ener-G bun. Gluten free pizzas, macaroni and cheese, chicken fingers, and others are also available

 

[GrumpyMom25]

We do a lot of counter service when we're at Disney and have been really impressed with how easy it is to order for our son. We've found that the best way to deal with it tho is to mention the need for a GF meal first and get through with placing the order before moving on to the rest of your party. We were surprised to find out on our last trip that the spaghetti they serve in Tony's is actually sold in our grocery store ... the brand is Tinkyada (I found that pretty funny). The chef said they had tested a lot of GF pastas out and found this to be the best.
Oh ... and we have never contacted the email mentioned for food allergies. We do mention it if we make reservations and then meet with the chef when we get there.

 

[clanmcculloch]

We use Tinkyada at home as well. I buy it on amazon.com for less than I can get it in any grocery store in my area (with the exception of very rare sales). We actually just ate some for dinner tonight. Good stuff!!