Gluten Free Dining at the Disneyland Resort: A Superthread

[frank430316]

We went last month and had a wonderful gluten-free time at both DL and CA. We stayed at the Disneyland Hotel and were just blown away. We ate at both Goofy's Kitchen and Tangaroa Terrace and everyone was very helpful. I had ordered a special gift basket, and they really went out of their way to make sure it was gluten-free. Trader Sam's however was a disappointment. When we asked if a particular drink or entre was gluten-free, this was the only place that answered that they didn't know. They offered to look through the ingredients, but did not seem to know what they were looking for. Definitely a fun place to visit, but I would not order anything more exotic than a Coke.

 

[Speechphi]

Just got back from our DLR trip last week & had the most amazing experience with dd7, newly diagnosed celiac.

It was on our reservations for character meals, so the chef came out & made her waffles or pancakes, and at Minnie's (I think) they made her bacon & sausages too, since they use bread to absorb the grease in the pan.

We got spaghetti in DCA for her with ease, a hot dog at Whitewater Snacks with no problem. Cafe Orleans provided GF pasta with her meal & offered to confirm with the chef that her meal was GF (it was). And the best experience was at French Market: dd wanted a Caesar salad. The CM at the counter was sure if the dressing was GF, so she grabbed the mgr. he confirmed it wasn't & offered Italian, but said he was going to talk to the chef for us (honestly, dd would've been fine with Italian; she just wanted the chicken, parm, & lettuce). The chef came out to see me & said the were making a GF Caesar dressing from scratch for dd!

I did use both the menu database & the sheets on here as guide, but overall had a great experience! Dd was just diagnosed in May, so we're newbies. But it made our vacation so much more relaxing when I knew we could feed dd without too much stress. To the point that dh even said we should just vacation at DLR from now on because it was so easy to keep dd GF

 

[kindakrazy2]

Thanks Speechphi. Taking my celiac kids in August and didn't know about the bread in the bacon pan. So big thank you for that warning!

 

[ArchOwl]

Thank you for the update! It is a good reminder to ask for GF options as chefs will often offer options not on the sheets. I am glad you had such a good experience!

 

[BruinEd03]

Welcome! Just so you know, Disneyland no longer gives out the sheets for GF dining. They will tell you to check with the CMs at the restaurant where you would like to eat. So
please double check before you order to make sure what you want is GF. We are leaving the sheets up on this thread as a guide, and to my knowledge, most of what is listed is still GF.

I hope this thread does help you somewhat and you have a great GF visit to Disneyland!

FYI, I know that the chamber of commerce at DCA had the list as of a few months ago. I'm not sure if that is still the case or not as we have not asked for it recently.

 

[disneychrista]

FYI, I know that the chamber of commerce at DCA had the list as of a few months ago. I'm not sure if that is still the case or not as we have not asked for it recently.

I believe as of mid-March they no longer give out the lists. So maybe you were able to get one before they discontinued it.

 

[ArchOwl]

FYI, I know that the chamber of commerce at DCA had the list as of a few months ago. I'm not sure if that is still the case or not as we have not asked for it recently.

As the previous poster said, they stopped giving out the lists in spring. I have inquired about them this summer and was told they no longer have them. If you were able to get some recently, please let us know.

 

[Speechphi]

As the previous poster said, they stopped giving out the lists in spring. I have inquired about them this summer and was told they no longer have them. If you were able to get some recently, please let us know.

I didn't ask because I'd saved the lists on here on my phone. It was the easiest place to eat!

And to make our vacation even better, we found out Cocos has GF pancakes & Macaroni Grill has GF penne. Made the long drive from Sacramento a little easier for the family

 

[Speechphi]

Thanks Speechphi. Taking my celiac kids in August and didn't know about the bread in the bacon pan. So big thank you for that warning!

I think it was only Minnie's that they did this. Goofy's didn't say anything (so I didn't look), and when I did look at Surfs Up there was no bread. That's why it was so nice to talk directly to the chefs. Such a pleasant experience (unlike what I've experienced at some restaurants near home).

 

[clanmcculloch]

I'm trying to finalize my plans and I'd appreciate some feedback on what I've got for QS dining. My girls and I are gluten and milk free plus we all have some additional allergies and intollerances. Neither of my girls can have the GNI products if that's what they're serving though one of them can have Udi's if that's what they have. One of them can't eat any pizza crusts I've ever found other than the Namaste mix and since neither can have dairy I figure pizzas aren't an option. I know that the turkey legs are safe for them but they just don't like them (tried them at WDW). Here's what I've got for QS options. Anybody have any thoughts? Any other suggestions for GF foods? This looks really limited.

Disneyland Park
Redd Rockett's Pizza Port: rice noodles w/ marinara
Village Haus: burger w/ GF bun & fries (cooked in separate fryer)
Hungry Bear Restaurant: burger w/GF bun & sweet potato fries (cooked in separate fryer)

Disney's California Adventure
Boardwalk Pizza and Pasta: rice noodles w/ marinara
Flo's V-8 Café: NY Strip Loin or Pork Loin w/o sauce or bun w/peas & carrots
Taste Pilot's Grill: burger w/ GF bun & fries (cooked in separate fryer)


Also, are there any DTD restaurants (TS or QS) that are good with allergies?

I've got ADRs already set for lunch at Ariel's Grotto, Storyteller's Cafe, Wine Country Trattoria and Goofy's Kitchen but I'm probably going to cancel WCT and I'd like to book dinner at Steakhouse 55 but I can only do Steakhouse 55 if I can figure out QS in the parks. Then again, I bet my kids would love a lunch of Dole Whips and popcorn.

Thanks in advance!

 

[disfan07]

I'm trying to finalize my plans and I'd appreciate some feedback on what I've got for QS dining. My girls and I are gluten and milk free plus we all have some additional allergies and intollerances. Neither of my girls can have the GNI products if that's what they're serving though one of them can have Udi's if that's what they have. One of them can't eat any pizza crusts I've ever found other than the Namaste mix and since neither can have dairy I figure pizzas aren't an option. I know that the turkey legs are safe for them but they just don't like them (tried them at WDW). Here's what I've got for QS options. Anybody have any thoughts? Any other suggestions for GF foods? This looks really limited.

Disneyland Park
Redd Rockett's Pizza Port: rice noodles w/ marinara
Village Haus: burger w/ GF bun & fries (cooked in separate fryer)
Hungry Bear Restaurant: burger w/GF bun & sweet potato fries (cooked in separate fryer)

Disney's California Adventure
Boardwalk Pizza and Pasta: rice noodles w/ marinara
Flo's V-8 Café: NY Strip Loin or Pork Loin w/o sauce or bun w/peas & carrots
Taste Pilot's Grill: burger w/ GF bun & fries (cooked in separate fryer)


Also, are there any DTD restaurants (TS or QS) that are good with allergies?

I've got ADRs already set for lunch at Ariel's Grotto, Storyteller's Cafe, Wine Country Trattoria and Goofy's Kitchen but I'm probably going to cancel WCT and I'd like to book dinner at Steakhouse 55 but I can only do Steakhouse 55 if I can figure out QS in the parks. Then again, I bet my kids would love a lunch of Dole Whips and popcorn.

Thanks in advance!

I'm not sure what the pizza crust is at storytellers cafe but I was able to eat it a few weeks ago. It's free of the top 8 allergens plus about 8 other things I know of....but not sure if it's an option for you guys. Not sure of the brand. I get it with my burgers there since I can't have the rolls.

Rancho del zocalo has also been fabulous with my allergies.

Those are usually the only 2 places we eat at since we only usually go for a day or 2.

 

[clanmcculloch]

Every pizza crust I've come across has yeast which causes hives in DD15 unfortunately. I'm doubting that they have a yeast free crust. It's possible that DD12 could eat it though it seems like so many bread products include some orange (yes the fruit) for some reason which makes them off limits to DD12.

What kind of options have you gotten at Rancho del Zocalo? I had assumed that most of their dishes would include cheese and/or lime so I figured it wasn't much of an option but I know you've got a looooong list of foods you have to avoid so maybe it'll be somewhere we can consider.

 

[ArchOwl]

I am not sure of your kids likes and dislikes, but I can throw out some options that maybe you haven't thought of.

Paradise Garden Grill: veggie and tofu skewers served with rice pilaf and your choice of sauce. There are vegan sauce options, which should meet your dairy free needs.

Lucky Fortune: Asian stir fry, there is a vegan sauce you can have on the stir fry

Boardwalk pizza and pasta: ask about pasta options, but we were made GF pizza crust here. It is worth a shot to ask if it is dairy free as well.

Cucina Cucamonga: Mexican food with corn tortillas, no cheese, no sour cream.

Pacific Wharf Cafe: the Vegetarian Chili was dairy free (vegan) when you asked for no cheese on top (they would sprinkle it on before serving).

Jolly Holiday Bakery: they had a salad here that was veggie and whole grains with a basil dressing, maybe not for the kids, but for you?

Rancho del Zocalo: same deal as Cucina, take off the cheese and sour cream and sub flour tortillas for corn.

Riverbelle Terrace: giant Becky Thatcher fruit plate is really good

Royal Street Verandah: we were told the veggie gumbo was vegan, but do ask and see if still is, served not in a bread bowl, obviously.

Bengal BBQ: skewers with no sauce, again ask here because some reports have the skewers cooked with butter, but others say it is a different oil.

Those are the ones I can think of from the top of my head, hopefully others chime in. We do a lot of table service, since they do seem to be able to offer more choices. I hope some of these work for you.

 

[clanmcculloch]

Thank you! I can see why you do a lot of table service. I figure between TS and the kitchen at our hotel we shouldn't need to do much QS but it should would be nice to be able to do it a couple times over the 5 park days plus at DTD.

I'll have to ask my kids about those options at Paradise Garden Grill and Lucky Fortune. They may go for those. We have a greek restaurant at home that they enjoy and they also like terryaki type sauces so those are definite possibilities that I'll add to my list.

I'll have to see if the Special Diets department would be willing to tell me which dishes at Cocina and Rancho don't have citrus. Those might be options.

How spicy is the vegetarian chili at Pacific Wharf Cafe? My kids do love chili but they're very fussy about spice.

Thanks for all the options. That helps. I'd like for all of us to get our food at the same place but luckily it looks like there are possible places we'll all be able to agree on.

 

[ArchOwl]

Hmmm...you may have to ask about citrus, I think the chicken at Rancho and Cucina is billed as lime chicken. But there are steak and veggie options, hopefully they leave the citrus out.

The chili to me isn't very spicy at all, but I am the wrong person to ask because I eat hot food all the time, lol. I wonder if they would let you have a small taste before ordering?

Another tip is to eat during off peak times. I find the CMs can go out of their way for you when there isn't a huge line. We have had them make special dishes for us during off peak times. The chefs at Paradise Garden took the GF pizza dough from Boardwalk next door and made GF flatbread for us. We didn't ask them to, they just did it for us and it was very nice of them. When it is super busy, I don't think they can do those kinds of things.

 

[SMD]

Disney's California Adventure
Boardwalk Pizza and Pasta: rice noodles w/ marinara
Flo's V-8 Café: NY Strip Loin or Pork Loin w/o sauce or bun w/peas & carrots
Taste Pilot's Grill: burger w/ GF bun & fries (cooked in separate fryer)

Personally, I'd be leery of Taste Pilot's if you're really sensitive to cross contamination. The open toppings bar plus greedy guests have led to many moments of "ick" over the years. FYI, Award Wieners also has gluten free buns.

FYI, the only gluten free sauce at Lucky Fortune is yuzu, which is citrus. And yes, the chicken at Cucina Cucamonga is called "citrus chicken"

 

[clanmcculloch]

Thanks for the heads up about Taste Pilot's and Lucky Fortune.

I'm hoping that the beef at the Cocina and Rancho are safe. I'm really hoping I can get answers from Special Diets ahead of time regarding this kind of question. I really dislike having to go from place to place to find something safe.

Because we'll have a 3 hour time difference plus we always eat early anyway (at WDW we typically walk into CS restaurants to ask for a manager just after 11am) so I figure we'll be fine with eating at off hours. I just hope we adjust to the time enough that we'll be able to wait until lunch is being served before we're ready for lunch.

I'm really doubtful we'll be able to do pizzas. I did find a place in the Farmer's Market in LA that has pizza that DD12 can eat (Deanno's). They have GFCF crusts and use Daya cheese. DD15 said she'd be happy with their gluten free pasta if DD12 and I are ordering pizza (I wasn't going to go if it would have upset her to see us eating it). We've got a day where we're doing the Starline red hop-on-hop-off tour and I figure we'll be around that area near lunch time so I plan to have lunch there that day. We'll be eating some Pappardelle's pasta for dinner another night (I plan to buy a variety of their different GF pastas when we're at the Farmer's Market since we don't get stuff like that at home).

Ugh, that reminds me, I still haven't figured out enough restaurants at some of the different areas we'll be at around LA. I've at least figured out Bubba Gump at Universal for lunch and I'm familiar with the major national chains and we'll have a kitchen in our Pasadena hotel as well as our DL hotel so I can always fall back on those.

 

[kylieh]

I'm really doubtful we'll be able to do pizzas. I did find a place in the Farmer's Market in LA that has pizza that DD12 can eat (Deanno's). They have GFCF crusts and use Daya cheese.

Thanks for the heads up on the Pizza - i found the link if anyone is interested...http://www.deanospizzala.com/ For our trip I'll know we'll be at the Farmer's Market on at least two occasions.

 

[kindakrazy2]

I could be wrong but I think the rice pilaff at Paradise Garden Grill has orzo in it so is not gluten free. Please check carefully when you're down there!

 

[ArchOwl]

I could be wrong but I think the rice pilaff at Paradise Garden Grill has orzo in it so is not gluten free. Please check carefully when you're down there!

Unless things have changed, the rice pilaf is made with just rice and not orzo. Here is a recipe from the Disney Parks Blog: http://disneyparks.disney.go.com/bl...guests-with-this-easy-disneyland-resort-dish/

But yes, everyone should of course be careful and double check ingredients before ordering.