Vegan/Vegetarian Restaurant/Dining Help Thread

[kate2961]

Do you happen to remember what day of the week it was? I would LOVE to have a meal from chef TJ!

We ate b'fast at 1900 PF on Wed, 12/18

Kate

 

[kate2961]

The 6 months in advance part is strange about Disney anyway even for meat eaters, and menus do change and anywhere else we travel the menus aren't known in advance even by meat eaters. The part where we get only one option to choose from is different from what meat eaters experience but we have just come to accept having fewer choices as vegetarians and that's true everywhere we go. For example we are thinking about spending the morning before we get on the Auto Train for the trip home at the Central Florida Zoo. I was looking at their web page and saw the menu for their snack bar. I was unhappy that in a place that animal lovers are likely to visit the only vegetarian option for lunch is nachos but that's the way it is.

Yes, that is quite true. All of us must deal with the 6 month time frame and we all have planning challenges. But I personally find it more difficult to plan for a vegan to eat anywhere, especially when we must choose a restaurant in advance without knowing what we may get. And it makes it that much harder when we are told that we must sit down in the restaurant and talk to the chef before they will tell us what we may have to eat.

I think if more people become aware of the problems and needs of vegans and vegetarians that we will make progress and have more options in all dining locations.

If we never ask about our options at the zoo, then how do they know we want a vegan option? They may not do anything if only one person asks, but what if we all ask? They may start to think about it. I believe we can make it better by trying to educate and create awareness.

Kate

 

[vacationer1954]

I can see how that would make sense for the zoo but Disney does so much surveying and call monitoring that I bet the management knows how much concern there is about vegan and vegetarian choices even if the chefs don't.

 

[KGDisney]

We ate b'fast at 1900 PF on Wed, 12/18 Kate

THANK YOU!!! Booking 1900 Park Fare for next Wednesday!!!! Woohoo!

 

[lcb]

Chef TJ was the best and we would go back to 1900 PF for b'fast just to get him again.

Just wondering what chef TJ prepared for breakfast. Trying to decide whether or not to make 1900 PF bfast reservations for our trip in February.

Thanks!
Lindsey

 

[kate2961]

Just wondering what chef TJ prepared for breakfast. Trying to decide whether or not to make 1900 PF bfast reservations for our trip in February.

Thanks!
Lindsey

Chef TJ prepared the vegan gluten-free Mickey waffles. [Note that some restaurants do not have the ability to prepare fresh vegan waffles. For example, Akershus serves Van's frozen waffles if you request a vegan waffle.]

Chef TJ also made a tofu, spinach and mushroom scramble.

Kate

 

[lcb]

Chef TJ prepared the vegan gluten-free Mickey waffles.

Chef TJ also made a tofu, spinach and mushroom scramble.

Kate

Yum!! Thanks for responding so quickly!

 

[nancy drew]

Just wanted to update with a few of my experiences as a gluten-free vegan from our recent trip.

Downtown Disney: We tried to eat at the restaurant that shares space with Babycakes, but the only option they could offer me was fries and maybe a salad. I ate some fries from my kids' plates and pouted, mostly. But Babycakes saved me. I picked up 3 doughnuts and 6 cupcakes, because this was our only trip to Downtown Disney and I didn't want to miss out. The doughtnuts (vegan and gluten-free) were great, even after a couple days. The cupcakes were good. The frosting was a little weird, kind of gummy? We have a vegan and gluten-free bakery a few blocks away from our house, and their frosting is really fluffy, so the Babycakes frosting was just a total surprise to me. But they were good. The French Toast cupcake was really good! So were the Blondies.

Animal Kingdom has an allergy kiosk, which has a few snack options that are allergy/vegan friendly. They had a few Babycakes items, too.

Pizza Planet at Hollywood Studios: I was told that the gluten-free pizza crust had egg, so there is no vegan option with a gluten-free crust, just a dairy-free and gluten-free pizza. I would love to know whether others have seen the ingredients binder and can confirm or deny this information. I ate nothing here, and honestly can't remember what I ate at DHS. Probably popcorn and chips. Sad but true.

Kouzzina was awesome, as always. The server didn't seem phased at all by my request and had a chef come out promptly. The chef (I asked for his name twice and still have forgotten it because of the complete craziness of the end of our trip, but he was a male and I want to say he was of Hispanic origin) came out and explained my options, and suggested an accommodation of a menu item: Briami - Oven-roasted Vegetables - with Oregano and Greek Cheese served with Herbed Orzo $19.99. He told me this consisted of eggplant, zucchini, tomatoes, and possibly something else, in a tomato and herb broth. He offered to serve it without cheese and over roasted fingerling potatoes instead of orzo, since I am gluten-free. Last time they put together an assortment of appetizers and side dishes, all of which were vegan and most of which were gluten-free. I had hoped for the vegan and gluten-free pita, but they either didn't have it or they had changed suppliers and I couldn't eat it. It turned out to be fine, because this meal was sooooo good. The portion size was perfect, not oversized like some places. It was just enough food.

La Cantina de San Angel (The Mexican Counter Service at Epcot): I spoke with a chef, and he said I could get Nachos with only beans and tomatoes. I ordered that and a side of guacamole, after asking whether the chips were for sure GF. He said yes, they are GF. I waited an eternity for our food, as always at that place, and when it arrived at the counter my nachos were COVERED in cheese. I flagged the guy down and said I am allergic to cheese, and had asked for NO cheese, and he took the whole tray away. 5 minutes later he came back with the right food. But really, I feel like I had waited 30 minutes for counter service food, which is really annoying. Also after I finished, I felt sick to my stomach. Maybe I just ate too much, or maybe the chips had gluten.

Pecos Bill: We tried to eat here. Well, my kids ate here. The woman at the register was a supervisor, and after I spoke with a chef she apologized for not really being allergy-vegan-gluten-free friendly. She said we should try Columbia House. I can't really blame them, I mean, the woman I spoke with was really nice and apologized for what happened. Not her fault that the chef couldn't accommodate me. We actually ended up at Cosmic Ray's, which was an awesome choice. It wasn't busy (which makes a big difference) so the cashier walked me through the whole binder and pointed out everything I could eat. I know she was only able to do that because there was literally no one else waiting in that line (the few people who came in just went to other open registers). I was able to eat fries made in their allergy fryer, a veggie sandwich with balsamic on a GF bun. They have 2 GF buns, one has egg in it and one doesn't. They really can accommodate special needs there. My food was served on a green tray, marking it as an allergy, so there would be no confusion (Hello Epcot, can you not do this too??).

So anyway, that is our experience. Our trip was kind of a whirlwind, and not really one where we had lots of time for sit-down meals. We canceled Teppan Edo and BOG because we wanted more park time. We also canceled Ohana because while they are SO GOOD at accommodating food issues, really, it is just too much food and too much money. We just can't eat that much food. Last time we were all full after the salad. I can't spend that money on food we can't even eat!

 

[Belle4311]

I've been to Disney about 10 times, but this will be my first trip as a vegan. (Hence the ridiculously early research/planning.) While I've been finding seemingly adequate options, I have many concerns, since Disney seems to enjoy changing their menus so frequently!

I've written down every time I've found and every meal and snack people recommend, but my fear is contamination through veggies, rice, or supposedly vegan soups. I've heard of a lot of places cooking with chicken/beef stock or butter. How do you know for sure? And what about the rolls that come with the veggie burgers? Are all of them vegan or do I need to ask for a certain bun at some places?

I'm a little frazzled and don't want to have to carry vegan food with me on my vacation. Can any seasoned vegans help, please?

***Also, we're flying (not driving) traveling only with carry-on luggage, but I do plan on shipping a box of things (breakfast food mainly) early.

 

[nancy drew]

I've been to Disney about 10 times, but this will be my first trip as a vegan. (Hence the ridiculously early research/planning.) While I've been finding seemingly adequate options, I have many concerns, since Disney seems to enjoy changing their menus so frequently!

I've written down every time I've found and every meal and snack people recommend, but my fear is contamination through veggies, rice, or supposedly vegan soups. I've heard of a lot of places cooking with chicken/beef stock or butter. How do you know for sure? And what about the rolls that come with the veggie burgers? Are all of them vegan or do I need to ask for a certain bun at some places?

I'm a little frazzled and don't want to have to carry vegan food with me on my vacation. Can any seasoned vegans help, please?

***Also, we're flying (not driving) traveling only with carry-on luggage, but I do plan on shipping a box of things (breakfast food mainly) early.

First of all, you will find things to eat. No worries there. You just have to plan ahead, which you are doing.

At counter service restaurants, ask to see the allergy binder. They have lists of the ingredients of every food they serve. You can look through it (have a few options in mind first, of course, so you aren't just browsing through the whole thing) and check ingredients.

At table service restaurants, note your restrictions on your reservation, mention it when you check in, and mention it to the server (they usually know and mention it first). Then the chef will come out and discuss your meal with you. It is really easy!!!

And make sure you stop in at Babycakes for some doughnuts, cupcakes, and other goodies!!!

 

[bumbershoot]

Nancy, you described the cupcake frosting perfectly. Gummy. So weird. I didn't notice it with the mini cupcakes for sale at the food courts, but the "full" size cupcakes make the feel really obvious. Unpleasant.

 

[Amusement]

Does anyone happen to know if the Wok-Fried Green Beans at Yak and Yeti are vegan? My husband is vegan and my daughter has an egg allergy. She loves crispy green beans, but I'm wondering if the batter has egg in it.
I'll contact Disney for specifics as we get closer to our trip, but figured I would check her on the off chance someone knew.
Thanks!

 

[lcb]

For anyone staying at POR - spoke to Chef Paul and he was incredibly nice and patient with my vegan dining questions. We will be running the Enchanted 10k and wanted to make sure we could get carby stuff the night before the race. Chef Paul assured us we could get Vegan pizza (with Daiya cheese) Wahooo. He also asked us how long we'd be staying at the resort and mentioned other options for the rest of our stay including a vegan burger and pasta bar options.

Also, spoke to Chef Miguel at the Boardwalk Pizza Window and they offer vegan pizza as well. The pizza is personal sized and has to be made on a flatbread and has non-dairy "cheese".

And now it looks like I have a pizza obsession... All well, I hope this info is helpful!

 

[ptrspmpkin]

For anyone staying at POR - spoke to Chef Paul and he was incredibly nice and patient with my vegan dining questions. We will be running the Enchanted 10k and wanted to make sure we could get carby stuff the night before the race. Chef Paul assured us we could get Vegan pizza (with Daiya cheese) Wahooo. He also asked us how long we'd be staying at the resort and mentioned other options for the rest of our stay including a vegan burger and pasta bar options.

That's great news to hear! Hubby and I are staying there on our next trip!!

 

[11point5]

For anyone staying at POR - spoke to Chef Paul and he was incredibly nice and patient with my vegan dining questions. We will be running the Enchanted 10k and wanted to make sure we could get carby stuff the night before the race. Chef Paul assured us we could get Vegan pizza (with Daiya cheese) Wahooo. He also asked us how long we'd be staying at the resort and mentioned other options for the rest of our stay including a vegan burger and pasta bar options.

WOW thank you so much!!!! I'll be staying at POR and running the Glass Slipper Challenge (and staying on vacation for following week!) so this is so helpful!! I'm especially excited about the pasta bar options! And I emailed special diets to make sure they have the allergy-free waffles (which they do!)...can't wait to start my mornings with those!
I'd love to know where else you're planning on eating for the rest of your stay if you've decided yet?
See you at the Enchanted 10k!

 

[lcb]

WOW thank you so much!!!! I'll be staying at POR and running the Glass Slipper Challenge (and staying on vacation for following week!) so this is so helpful!! I'm especially excited about the pasta bar options! And I emailed special diets to make sure they have the allergy-free waffles (which they do!)...can't wait to start my mornings with those!
I'd love to know where else you're planning on eating for the rest of your stay if you've decided yet?
See you at the Enchanted 10k!

That’s awesome you’re running the Glass Slipper!!! My husband and I are running the 10k together and are staying for a week of vacation after the race. We actually booked our trip first and then we found out about the 10k. Once we realized we’d only have to add on one night to the beginning of our trip I registered us ASAP. :

This is what we have planned so for our ADRs -
Kona Café - Breakfast - vegan Tonga Toast at the 10k (Disney Special diets verified the Tonga Toast can be made vegan at both the Kona Café and Captain Cooks)
Kona Café – Dinner - Pan-Asian Noodles with Tofu
Boma – hope it lives up to its reputation as the most “vegan friendly buffet”
SciFi Drive In – veggie burger - read that you can also order a vegan milkshake
Liberty Tree Tavern - House-made Potato Quinoa Vegan Patty
Be Our Guest – Lunch – Quinoa salad / Dinner – Seasonal Salad Trio and Ratatouille
Teppan Edo – Yasai Seasonal Vegetables and edamame

For Quick Service we are thinking

Magic Kingdom:
Columbia Harbour House - Vegetarian Chill and the Lighthouse Sandwich without the broccoli slaw because it has mayo
Tortuga Tavern – veggie burrito
Plaza Ice Cream Parlor – toffuti / rice dream is supposedly available (heard its actually listed right on the menu – go Disney!)

Epcot:
Tangerine Café - Falafel Wrap or the Vegetable Platter without the lentil salad (I believe this also has mayo but plan on double checking)
Liberty Inn- Vegetarian "Chick'n" Breast with Guacamole, Chipotle Corn Salsa, Lettuce, and Tomato sandwich
La Cantina de San Angel – paletas
Kabuki Café - Kaki Gori
Kringla Bakeri Og Kafe - Sweet Pretzel with Almonds
L’Artisan des Glaces - Sorbet

Hollywood Studios seems to have its fair share of veggie sandwiches, veggie burgers and vegan pizza (available at Pizza Planet by request) but we’re heading to the Boardwalk for a break from the park for the vegan pizza at the Boardwalk Pizza Window

Animal Kingdom
Havent really decided but lunch will be on the lighter side since Boma is the same night and it’s a splurge for us. Either Tamu Tamu Refreshments for the Vegetarian Curry with tofu or the Fruit Bowl or Mr Kamals for Samosas, Falafels, or the Asian Noodle Salad

Planning to check out Babycakes on our down time

I have read reviews of people saying Disney isn’t vegan friendly, particularly the counter service restaurants, but between my husband and I we have come up with a lot of possible options for the parks, it was just time consuming going through all the menus. I hope our planning pays off and we are able to easily accommodate our vegan diet. We will find out in 19 days!

 

[mum2simon]

Great list, thanks! We went in 2010 with our two young boys and ate vegan with the quick service dining plan. Lots of planning, but so worth it -I didn't have to cook!! We hope to go back this September with our now 3 boys and ae starting to research menu changes and new options (especially for the kids menus!).

 

[prudence64]

I found that being a vegetarian at Disney was very easy for an adult, but kids meals could use some work for more variety.

 

[mum2simon]

I found that being a vegetarian at Disney was very easy for an adult, but kids meals could use some work for more variety.

Last trip we upgraded our then 4yo to an adult so we didn't have to deal with any kids meals....my kids don't eat any of the kid's meal type stuff. We will probably do the same thing this trip for the 7yo and 5yo

 

[Austinsmom068]

Hi. I'm thinking about what ADRs to make and I'm stuck. I'm debating on CRT for breakfast or Akershus for dinner. I really want to do both but don't think everybody else would want two princess character meals. I leaning more towards CRT but I don't want to use two TS credits for a bowel of fruit. Which one is more vegan friendly? Also I'm planning on going to dinner at garden grill. Wondering how the food is for vegans.