Gluten Free outside the parks?

[KPLC]

We are staying at the Fairfield Inn and have one child who is celiac - does anyone have any recommendations for safe places outside the parks?

 

[disneychrista]

We are staying at the Fairfield Inn and have one child who is celiac - does anyone have any recommendations for safe places outside the parks?

PF Changs at Garden Walk as GF menu items.

Someone here also mentioned that Pizza Press (across the street) has GF Pizzas.

 

[MikeRx]

Be careful outside of the bubble. We found that unless it was owned by Disney we were at risk even in downtown Disney, so we stick to the parks and resorts and do fine. While not diagnosed celiac, my son and I have a real gluten intolerance. We feel safe in Disney and momma bear can retract her claws and relax with her "boys".

Mike

 

[sherilaine]

Be careful outside of the bubble. We found that unless it was owned by Disney we were at risk even in downtown Disney, so we stick to the parks and resorts and do fine. While not diagnosed celiac, my son and I have a real gluten intolerance. We feel safe in Disney and momma bear can retract her claws and relax with her "boys".

Mike

I can't imagine this is necessary - a LOT of people eat gluten free across the entire of United States and Canada, WELL outside of the Disney bubble! We are gluten intolerant and we have had no issues with Pizza Press or PF Chang or pretty much any place that says gluten free on their menu - Disney does not have any sort of Celiac association metals hanging in their parks!

 

[SMD]

People with celiac eat successfully all over Orange County. You're not stepping into some foreign country when you leave the parks. But I do know that Pizza Press does not have a dedicated cooking surface. They also don't have a dedicated prep surface, although they can put the gluten free base on paper or in a box. But then all the ingredients could be cross contaminated from things that contain gluten dropping in th containers.

 

[StormyCA]

In N Out Burger, PF Changs, Chipotle, any restaurants in the onsite hotels, Rainforest Cafe in DTD

Not sure about other places. We stay onsite and drive down and I bring GF food (breakfast & sandwich fixings) in a small ice chest. But if you're flying I'd think you could bring vacuum packed GF scones (they travel well) and other dry foods. I've always found GF breakfast to be the hardest meal to find when dining out.

If you travel frequently, invest in a 'Seal-a-Meal' vacuum packer. It's a God-send when you need to eat GF.

 

[SMD]

It might also be worth renting a car or finding a way to get to the closest Sprouts Farmer's Market store. If any grocery store specializes in GF, that would be it. I think your next best option would probably be a Trader Joe's.

 

[Misskitty3]

Slaters 50/50 does GF burgers. Lots of great suggestions above too. Always impressed by PF Changs GF options.

 

[KPLC]

Thank you all for your help - my son is celiac and suffers terrible from cross-contamination issues- I appreciate all the suggestions. We have booked PCH grill for our last breakfast - hoping he can have Mickey waffles once!

 

[Sagginit]

I ate at PF Changs and California Pizza Kitchen on my last trip and was fine (I am a celiac who always gets sick from cross contamination and I had no visible reactions to either place). We had a fridge and microwave in the room so we had leftovers which we ate for lunch or dinner the following day. If you have a car there is a walmart marketplace not far from the park area. We went there our first night and loaded up on snacks, they had tons of great options. We got individual bags of carrot sticks, celery sticks, turkey jerky, string cheese, chips, cookies, peanut butter packs, yogurt, granola, protein bars, etc. We were able to eat breakfast in the room and I always had a snack with me. One night we packed a picnic dinner of snacks to eat while waiting for WOC. Believe it or not the vendors didn't always know what snacks were GF, I had to read the mickey bar package myself as the girl didn't know and told me to just read it before buying it.

Beware the non-chain restaurant. I found in Cali (was there for 12 days on a roadtrip) that many small places advertise GF but it is for those with a dietary preference and they are absolutely cross contaminating the food when you ask. That is why we just ate at PF and CPK, they old favorites that we could trust as I didn't want to end my trip with being glutened while at DL.

 

[GatorChris]

Mimi's Cafe has a decent GF menu. The typical salads, omelettes, and steaks. For kids, I believe they have corn tortilla quesadillas and roasted turkey breast. And a big plus is that Fairfield Inn sits practically right on top of it. So you can hit it on the way to or from the parks going back to the hotel.

 

[ludari]

Wow, in my experience it's a hit or miss with cross contamination at some restaurants outside of Disney. My friend has a GF allergy and she went to Cheesecake Factory and she was a mess afterwards because of cross contamination. I would definitely recommend having snacks in your room that are GF and do your homework (such as asking on the disboards) when selecting a place to dine. Good luck.

 

[frank430316]

Cross contamination is always an issue with pizza parlors, so I would be leery of Pizza Express. California Pizza however is the only chain to be certified by the National GIG association, who set up a special training session for them.

 

[GatorChris]

Cross contamination is always an issue with pizza parlors, so I would be leery of Pizza Express. California Pizza however is the only chain to be certified by the National GIG association, who set up a special training session for them.

This is a worry of mine for my wife. She often grabs a GF pizza from Mountain Mike's or a local take-n-bake. She's never had any issues. That said, no one wants to be in line for Pirates and realize all of the sudden that the pizza was cross contaminated.

 

[KPLC]

Thank you all. Coming from Toronto the chains are all so different. We have eaten at PF Changs with success in the US so will likely stick to that for the big meals for him. We are eating at PCH grill so that should be a treat for him too.