Vegan/Vegetarian Restaurant/Dining Help Thread

[disneyholic family]

Thanks for the tip about Tokyo Dining. I get frustrated by hidden beef and chicken stock!

it happened that this manager was outstanding and went way above and beyond in putting a nice meal together for us, but it wasn't easy....
and sadly i won't eat there again ....
but the manager was so great we went straight from tokyo dining to guest services to write him up for outstanding service!!!!

by the way, japanese food that's seemingly vegetarian often isn't...
for anyone planning a trip to the real japan, be forewarned...
that hidden beef/chicken/pork is very widespread...
and while WDW is one of the easiest places to eat for a vegetarian, one of the the most difficult places to eat is the tokyo disney resort...
the stuff that seemed vegetarian wasn't....

 

[KJay]

Here are some pics of my vegetarian meals during my recent WDW trip...

Vegetarian Pot Pie - basil biscuit, bean ragout, sun-dried tomato pistou, and seasonal vegetables (Liberty Tree Tavern).
This was delicious, but way too much food- who can eat this many beans in one sitting?

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Artichoke and Ricotta Agnolotti - Pearl Pasta with Roasted Zucchini and Crookneck Squash with spicy Tomato Broth (50s Prime Time Cafe).
Very tasty, but they're not kidding when they say spicy broth- it was extremely spicy.

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Tart Art - Asparagus and goat cheese tart with garden peas, leeks and lemon oil dressed arugula (Raglan Road)
Very tasty!

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Portobello Beauty - Portobello mushroom cap burger filled with Dubliner cheese, zucchini, tomato chutney, and served with Irish style chips (Raglan Road).
Delish, perfectly complimented by a few Irish beers.

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A variety of veggie offerings at Boma. The soup is a peanut soup...quite possibly the most delicious soup I've ever eaten!

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It's hard to get a good shot in Le Cellier, since it's so dark. Sorry for the fuzzy picture, but you're not missing much. Most disappointing meal of the trip!
Sauteed Potato Gnocchi - topped grilled eggplant, cherry tomatoes, pesto broth, and parmesan.
Overcooked, over salted, mushy...just not good all around.

Back in a bit with a few more pics...

 

[disneyfav4ever]

Thanks for the photos! I've heard several good things about that peanut soup, glad to know it's veg!

 

[KJay]

A few more veggie pics...

Everyone's favorite veg sandwich: The Lighthouse Sandwich - hummus with tomato & broccoli slaw (Columbia Harbour House).
Really a great sandwich- bread was fresh and healthy, broccoli slaw was fresh and crunchy, the hummus was creamy and tasty. Grab this sandwich and head upstairs for a seat overlooking the walkway between Fantasyland and Haunted Mansion- great place to people-watch and rest your feet with a yummy lunch.

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Potato, Goat Cheese & Vegetable Tort (Kringla Bakery in Norway).
Very tasty and inexpensive (by WDW standards ). I had this twice during my stay.

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OK, I know this is too blurry- but I just wanted you all to see that even vegetarians can eat at Biergarten! This meal was a challenge-
they don't have the best vegetarian options here, but they did have enough to fill my plate. The entertainment and atmosphere here made it totally worthwhile, even though the food wasn't my favorite...

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The vegetable platter at Tangeirine Cafe (Morocco).
Tasty, fresh, and filling.

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Cranberry, apple and nut salad (Rose & Crown).
Yum.
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Vegetarian Shepherd's Pie - Creamy Mushroom-Vegetable Ragout topped with Mashed Potatoes and Cheddar Cheese served with Mixed Greens and Roasted Portobello Mushroom (Rose & Crown)
Very good- it looks small, but was extremely filling.

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Spring vegetable flatbread (California Grill).
Heavenly...

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Artichoke and Pleasant Ridge Reserve Cheese Filled Raviolis - with spinach, black garlic, and parmesan foam (California Grill).
The pic doesn't do this dish justice. It was absolutely delicious, my favorite meal of the trip!

 

[Vegcentric]

Wow, KJay, that's a lot of food! Haha, thank you for posting those pictures! It's really helpful being able to see the food that you're thinking about eating while on your trip. I know that I'm always curious about portion size and presentation. Cali Grill's entree looked beautiful!

 

[HunnyJar]

KJay,

I'm sorry your experience at Biergarten wasn't as great as you had hoped for. But let me tell you that in general I've always had great experiences here. You can always ask your server to speak to a chef if you are worried about the dishes. I've gone to Biergarten once every trip since 1998 and have yet to be disappointed. I had a fantastic chef walk me through the buffet last year to point out what I could and could not eat. He also took it upon himself to make two dishes especially. One happened to be a stewed tomato dish that tasted just like something my mom would have made when I was a kid. We'll be heading back there in September. I just wanted to let you know that if you ask the chefs there are generally really helpful and are pretty creative.

 

[itsalebeau]

The tarts and torts look yummy!

 

[disneyholic family]

does anyone know if Chef TJ is still at 1900 Park Fare?

and if so, what days/hours he's there?

i just changed our ADRs for august to include 1900 Park Fare (which i don't particularly like) just so that we can enjoy the chef TJ magic...
if he's not there, i'll cancel the ADR...

thanks in advance!!

 

[MelanieC]

Yep! Saw it today on the Disneyparks website. Here it is.

Found this review of the new item on Jiko's vegan menu. It includes pictures.

http://vegancorporatelife.blogspot.com/2011/05/jiko-at-animal-kingdom-lodge-top.html

 

[Vegcentric]

Thanks for the link! The vegetable curry dish at Jiko looked so fresh and flavorful!

 

[MelanieC]

Thanks for the link! The vegetable curry dish at Jiko looked so fresh and flavorful!

I'm still so confused about where I want to go. It's either Jiko, 1900 Park fare - but only I can figure out when Chef TJ is working (anyone know his current schedule)? or Boma. Decisions, decisions!

 

[disneyfav4ever]

I just booked Tusker House and Kouzzina for my first trip to Disney as a vegan.

 

[HunnyJar]

I think the best bet for those looking for Chef TJ is to call 1900 Park Fare and ask them directly. Since shifts change whatever information someone might have could be out of date. We have ADR's for September. Hoping he is working the night we are there, but I'll be happy just to be there.

 

[KJay]

KJay,

I'm sorry your experience at Biergarten wasn't as great as you had hoped for. But let me tell you that in general I've always had great experiences here. You can always ask your server to speak to a chef if you are worried about the dishes. I've gone to Biergarten once every trip since 1998 and have yet to be disappointed. I had a fantastic chef walk me through the buffet last year to point out what I could and could not eat. He also took it upon himself to make two dishes especially. One happened to be a stewed tomato dish that tasted just like something my mom would have made when I was a kid. We'll be heading back there in September. I just wanted to let you know that if you ask the chefs there are generally really helpful and are pretty creative.

I did get plenty to eat, and some of it I enjoyed very much! The food as a whole, though, was not my favorite of this trip. It's nice to know you had a good experience working with one of the chefs- I would definitely go to Biergarten again, so perhaps I'll go that route next time to see if there would be any other options for me. Enjoy in September!

 

[disneyfav4ever]

I started another thread about this on the main board, but figured I'd ask here too, since people here might be more informed on my options. But one night I'm just going to snack around World Showcase, and was wondering what snacks in WS are vegan?

The only thing I know for sure is the cous cous at Tangerine.

 

[MelanieC]

I started another thread about this on the main board, but figured I'd ask here too, since people here might be more informed on my options. But one night I'm just going to snack around World Showcase, and was wondering what snacks in WS are vegan?

The only thing I know for sure is the cous cous at Tangerine.

I posted on that thread. I like the pretzels at Germany and the chocolate bars there too (dark chocolate). Kaki Gori in Germany is really good. I also know there were some frozen tea drinks not on the meal plan in China.

There are lots of non -sweet sides at Tangerine that are vegan, olive salad, couscous salad, hummus, tabouli.

Mexico has gaucamole and chips at the Mexico CS stand, although it's the same price as a meal from there (I think $9). Mexico also has some candies in the gift shop area that are vegan, as does a lot of the other gift shops. You just have to really read labels.

 

[kissinuk]

Great thread, thanks for all the tips, can't wait to return. One thing to note a few people have mentioned Parmesan, don't forget that strictly speaking it can never be veggie as it contains non-vegetarian rennet. Shame it seems to end up in so much food over there!

Looking forward to visiting both Tusker House and Boma, both of which always have loads of veggie options.

 

[Li-sa]

Great thread, thanks for all the tips, can't wait to return. One thing to note a few people have mentioned Parmesan, don't forget that strictly speaking it can never be veggie as it contains non-vegetarian rennet. Shame it seems to end up in so much food over there!

Looking forward to visiting both Tusker House and Boma, both of which always have loads of veggie options.

I'm glad you mentioned this, as I was wondering whether to or not! Is Disney Parmesan 'real' Parmesan or not - maybe they use a cheaper US produced alternative? In the UK, most cheese is now vegetarian but Parmesan is definately not.

http://www.vegsoc.org/page.aspx?pid=850

 

[kissinuk]

I'm glad you mentioned this, as I was wondering whether to or not! Is Disney Parmesan 'real' Parmesan or not - maybe they use a cheaper US produced alternative? In the UK, most cheese is now vegetarian but Parmesan is definately not.

http://www.vegsoc.org/page.aspx?pid=850

Can't be 100% sure what they use at Disney but I think there are issues if anyone calls it Parmesan and it doesn't contain animal rennet (stupid I know). That's why the veggie stuff in the UK is usually called something imaginative like "full fat hard cheese"!

 

[MelanieC]

Wow - I was vegetarian for 6 months prior to becoming vegan, but I had no idea about the parmesean. Who would have thunk it and I definately ate parmesean when I was vegetarian.........sigh!!