Vegetarian Dining Review for 9/10/09-9/17/09 with Pictures!

[Evita227]

We stayed at the boardwalk 9/10-9/17/09 and had a wonderful time! I'm a lacto-ovo vegetarian and my husband is a meat eater all the way, so our review will reflect this.

Overall, the food was wonderful, all except for our lunch at cosmic rays. We didn't eat out a whole lot, but when we did it was exceptional!

Our reviews are of the following:

San Angel
Chef Mickeys
The Land at Epcot - Seasons
Paradisio 37
The Electric Umbrella
Sanaa
Cosmic Rays
Ohana's
Boardwalk Pizza Window



Our first dinner was at the San Angel

This is what it looks like inside - kinda dark......

Our view from our table - right by the water/boat ride.....

 

[Evita227]

We got chips and salsa to begin with - tasted like tostidos salsa.... the chips were out of a bag - not freshly made. The vegetarian menu has only two options - salad (boring!) and what I chose - It was a tortilla with a black bean spread with sauteed vegetables on top - VERY yummy!

My husband had a tortilla with a black bean spread, steak with fried plantains on top with some gravy - he LOVED it. The fried plantains seemed to have been cooking in the gravy which gave them a wonderful flavor (according to him)

Overall it was a wonderful dinner. When I went back in 2003, I was not impressed with the food. This time was different. I don't think that the food is at all authentic, but the ambience is worth a trip here. The staff are very nice, although most don't speak very good english. This time, our waiter spoke good english. I definately reccomend this restaurant, although for vegetarians there is really only two options. The food I had was wonderful, and I would eat there again.

 

[Evita227]

Now, on to Chef Mickeys!

This is a breakfast buffet. Overall, there are several choices for vegetarians. Please keep in mind that I'm a lacto-ovo vegetarian. I can't speak for vegans.

This is what the buffet looks like... there is one line for each side - all serve the same foods.

This is a character breakfast, so be prepared for harrasssment LOL.

Here is my plate - eggs, mickey waffle, tator tots, biscuit, french toast and a rice crispie treat.

My husband's plate -Mickey waffle, eggs, some kind of meat potato casserole, breakfast pizza with meat, french toast, some kind of cheesy potato casserole with meat.

Overall, the food was OK, but not great. We basically went for the characters. There are a lot of kids running around, and a lot of kid friendly food. If you are looking for GREAT food, don't come here. If you're looking for some basic eggs and french toast and waffles, this place is just fine to go to. Lots of sweets, too.

Some other areas of food:

 

[Evita227]

Next we went to The Land at Epcot and ate at Seasons. It was wonderful! This was a counter service meal, but it was oh so good! There are several choices for vegetarians.

Due to being ill with a cold, I chose the tofu soup. It had a wonderful tasting broth - very flavorful, with a lot of tofu, as you can see, as well as some vegetables. It was perfect for a bad cold!

My husband got the mongolian beef with rice and broccoli. He said it was very tasty, and the broccoli was cooked to perfection!

We also got chocolate crumb cake for dessert. It was pretty good, although I could make better

Not bad for a counter service meal. It filled us up, tasted VERY good, and cost us less than $20.

 

[Evita227]

Next is Paradisio 37. I was excited to try this, as I'm South American and this is South American cuisine. My husband was anxious to try the chorizo skewers.

Here are some views of the restaurant

The view from our table. This was actually not a window, but a large garage door that looked like it could open.

 

[Evita227]

First, we ordered some chips and salsa and chorizo skewers. We were so hungry we forgot to take pictures before we dug into them LOL.

The chips were made there, and were fresh, hot and greasy - yum! The salsa was TO DIE FOR. This was the best salsa I've ever had. Loved the presentation, also.

Here are the chorizo skewers - they come as a set of four - My husband ate half of then before we took the picture LOL. They also were to die for according to him! The sauce to dip them in was excuisite. They came with some oily bread that was so yummy!

My husband got a baja burrito - chicken, lettuce, cheese, beans, and a yummy sauce - he said it was wonderful. It came with green rice (made with cilantro - I make it at home) and beans with a yummy sauce on top. I thought it was sour cream, but it had too much flavor for that.

I had the same sides with these feta mushroom tacos with roated red peppers, feta, and tomato halves - This was about the only vegetarian option on the menu.

I have to say that these tacos were DISCUSTING! They were so sweet, but then you had the feta to give you a sour taste. It had no flavor besides extra sweet and sour. The tomato halves did not belong there. I actually spit it out into my napkin! I felt full from the sides though, so I wasn't too upset.

Overall, I don't reccomend Paradisio 37 for vegetarians, although I think if you eat meat it's definately worth it! The view of Downtown Disney is beautiful! The chips and salsa alone are worth the trip, in my opinion. There are many authentic options to choose from including a ceviche that looked tasty, although I can't eat that because of the fish. Please try this if you eat meat. If you are a vegetarian, come anyway and order lots of chips and salsa

 

[Evita227]

More dining reviews to come!

 

[NOLA_Tink]

Thanks for posting such great pics & reviews! We'll be eating breakfast at Chef Mickey in December & I was REALLY happy to see those pics! I'm looking forward to reading about your Cosmic Ray experience (sorry to hear that it was a bad one) & 'Ohana pics. Keep the good stuff coming!

 

[LaWa]

Now, on to Chef Mickeys!


This is a breakfast buffet. Overall, there are several choices for vegetarians. Please keep in mind that I'm a lacto-ovo vegetarian. I can't speak for vegans.

This is what the buffet looks like... there is one line for each side - all serve the same foods.

Just booked a ressie for Chef Mickeys based on your pictures alone.

Can't wait to have breakfast there. Looks like fun! My kids are going to have fun.

((now if only my computer posted replies properly!!!))

 

[Evita227]

Thanks, everyone...... Feel free to ask any questions..........

 

[Evita227]

Ok now on to The Electric Umbrella. This is located in Epcot right in front of the fountain - I didn't get any pictures of it, only video. It's a great CS stop with a great view of the fountain show!

I got a veggie burger with fries. This is not advertised on the menu - I had to ask. It wonderful - full of veggies. It tasted fresh, which is a hard thing to do when you know they all come out of the freezer. The fries looked like they might taste bad, but they actually tasted really good!

My husband got a turkey sandwich - sorry so much lettuce in the way! It was fresh and tasted very good, according to him.

Overall, the food was very good, and cost less than $20. I highly reccomend this place for people who don't have time to sit down for a meal. Remember that the veggie burger was NOT on the menu. It was filling, and not fatty or greasy. We also got to watch the fountain show a couple of times, although it was down-pouring the entire time!

 

[Evita227]

Now for my Sanaa review. I LOVED this place! The food was amazing and very authentic. The staff were wonderful, and we had an awesome view of the "savannah". They had a seperate vegetarian menu, and there were several good choices.

We started off with the vegetable samosas. It came with a yummy dipping sauce that was very spicy. Our waitress also brought out some mango chutney for us, which I had never tried, but was soooooo tasty!

For my entree, I ordered vegetables in a green curry sauce with basmati rice and paneer with spinach. My favorite part of it was the vegetables in green curry sauce - it was so full of flavor! It was to die for. The rice tasted fresh, not minute rice. The paneer with spinach was great - the spinach was more whole instead of the pureed kind that I have been used to in the past.

My husband ordered the tandoori chicken from their tandoori oven, with 7 grain rice pilaf. He said it was amazing. The dipping sauce was out of this world. It was not a lot of food, though, as you can see. After he finished his, he started on my dinner LOL.

We loved Sanaa - It was our favorite place to eat - the food was incredible. I HIGHLY recommend this restaurant, especially for vegetarians. The food is fresh and authentic with the perfect mix of spices. It definitely has a kick to it. If you don't like spicy food, then I would avoid this. Indian food in itself is fairly spicy, though. I also don't think that kids would appreciate this restaurant, although they do offer a kid's menu. It's a great place to try - I don't think you will be dissapointed.

 

[MickeyNicki]

Thanks for your great reviews and pictures!

 

[Evita227]

Now on to Cosmic Ray's, our worst experience. We wanted to eat at the Terrace Noodle station, but it was closed that day. Cosmic Ray's is located in Tomorrowland and is a CS area. Probably the only great thing about this place is the view of the castle.

There was nothing to order there for vegetarians except a salad or what I ordered, a vegetable wrap. It was a wheat tortilla with a medley of vegetables - corn, beans, lettuce, etc - reminded me of a southwest mix. There was some kind of oily dressing to mix it up, but there wasn't enough to bind it together so it kept falling out of the tortilla. Not to mention that it was only half full to begin with. You can see how half of it is already on the plate after one bite. It did come with yummy home-made potato chips!

My husband ordered a turkey bacon wrap. he said it was ok, but lacking in flavor, and it was only half filled - not enough food. The chips were very yummy, though.

I don't recommend Cosmic Ray's. For the price we paid, we got two tortillas that were dry, no sauces on them, with filling that only filled half the tortilla, and mine fell apart the minute I bit into it. There was no flavor to them. I would have been happier with a Pb &J sandwich! The chips were very yummy though, and we loved the view of the castle.

 

[Evita227]

Now on to Ohana's. Let me say first that this is NOT a vegetarian place to eat. I had learned on this forum of Chef TJ (from V GAN) and how he went out of his way to make her dinner special based on her dietary needs. I wanted to meet this chef.

This was by far our favorite EXPERIENCE during our trip. The food was great, bit not as great as Sanaa. I tried for weeks to get a reservation, as we wanted to be there during Hallowishes. We never did get a reservation, but we were encouraged to go there anyway, as "they always underbook, so there should be room". We got there at 4:45pm. The place opened at 5pm. This is what we found:

The line was out the door! I stood at the podium while my husband was in line and found out that every single one of those people had a reservation. Needless to say we were on stand-by and were seated within 1 hr and 15 min. YAY!

The food here is served family-style. Everyone gets the same things. Everything is made on this wood-fired grill:

They started with friendship bread, which was bread with a hint of pinneapple. It was so yummy.

I asked to speak with Chef TJ. He came out and we spoke of my dietary needs. He asked me to make some room for him. I wasn't sure what he meant by that at the time, but I agreed. First, we recieved salad with a honey dressing, very yummy. Then we were brought garlic noodles and vegetables, which people without restrictions would get. These were dishes that were vegetarian and I could eat. They were both very tasty. The broccoli was seasoned and very flavorful.

Chef TJ brought out my first of what would become many dishes. This was freshly made pita chips with three different kinds of hummus. Roasted red pepper, some kind of mustard hummus, and sun-dried tomato hummus. It was out of this world. Definitely had a kick to it. I finished the whole plate, short of licking it clean. Chef TJ came back out and said to me "What, you didn't like it?" LOL.

My husband recieved these dishes, as people without dietary restrictions would receieve. Honey glazed wings, and pork dumplings. His favorite were the pork dumplings.

This next dish brought to me by the chef consisted of mashed potaotes, a fried green tomato in the middle, with cheetos surrounding it. Yummy spicy sauces were drizzled on top. It was surprisingly good!

 

[Evita227]

I forgot to mention that before any of this food came out, we were given these special dipping sauces for whatever we wanted them for. One was a spicy peanut sauce, spicy mustard sauce, and a sweet and sour sauce. All very yummy.

Next my husband was brought some steak on a skewer. These waiters walk around the restaurant with a huge skewer with all this meat on it and they just give you what you want. He said it was fantstic!

Next, Chef TJ came to me with this dish - Soy wraps with cucumber, carrots and avacado with a VERY spicy sauce and peanuts on top. They were out of this world.

Next, my husband recieved turkey and pork off of a skewer. He said they were both very tasty.

Again I finished the wraps short of licking the plate clean, and he came out to me and said again - "What, you didn't like it?" LOL. He said "Ok, make room for your entree." At first I thought he was joking. I told him I couldn't possibly fit another bite! He said "Well, I'll give you a few minutes to make some room." I was astonished LOL.

This is what our table looked like during dinner - Tons of food!!!

My next dish then came out. I started eating it before I remembered to take a picture. I tried to make it look like the original, but I don't think I quite mastered it LOL. This dish was a bed of sauteed vegetables, with rice on top, sauteed glazed tofu on top of the rice, rice noodles on top of that, with fried asparagus surrounding the dish. Soy sauce was drizzled throughout. It was just wonderful!

 

[Evita227]

My husband then got a skewer with some peel-and-eat shrimp on it. He said that the shrimp was ok, but he thinks he was just too full to fully enjoy it. The dipping sauces complimented the shrimp. We forgot to take a picture of them - I think I was busy worrying about possibly offending Chef TJ by not eating the main entree because I was about to explode!

I was able to get a picture with the wonderful chef:

There was a pinneapple bread pudding that was offered for dessert for everyone, and vegetarians could eat it as well, but we politely declined, as we couldn't fit one more bite in!

*** I should also mention that you cannot bring leftovers home! I was given special permission because I had a dietary restriction and special food, but my husband was not allowed to take leftovers home due to Disney policy. I found that odd since V GAN had all these take home containers after her dinner..... they may have changed to policy since then. So that's the current word on the Disney street about that.********

It was, overall, a wonderful experience! During dinner, a women in a grass skirt was walking around, and got all the kids to follow her (and some adults!) and they danced all over the restaurant! She passed out leis to everyone.... even my husband wore one! Everyone was happy and dancing, and eating. It was just so much fun! I obviously highly recommend Ohana's!

It was storming the entire time we were there, so we left after dinner, thinking that Hallowishes would be cancelled for sure. Right when we arrived at our resort, the skies cleared up and they ended up having it. We didn't want to sit in the busy Polynesian lobby for two hours only for it to be cancelled, and we couldn't sit on the beach because of the rain, so it was just as well that we left.

 

[Evita227]

Last, but not least, our last dinner was at the Boardwalk pizza window. Not much to say about this. I come from New York, so I wasn't expecting much. I got what I expected.

I've heard mixed reviews about this pizza. I guess it depends where you come from. I come from New York, which is the pizza capital (along with Chicago, of course!) The pizza was just OK. It wasn't very flavorful. It was dough, sauce and cheese for $18. Toppings are extra. We did get to sit out on the Boardwalk and watch the fireworks, which was nice. I thought the pizza was OK, but the view was great. Would I do it again? Absolutely. Was the food anything to talk about? Absolutely NOT. Again, go for the ambience and experience, not the food.

That concludes my review. We had a wonderful time eating at the different restaurants. Our favorite place was Sanaa, with Ohana's being a close second. If anyone has any questions, feel free to ask me anything!

 

[Liliyana]

Wow. I'm certainly not a vegetarian - in fact, I love meat! But if I had been at your table at Ohana, I would have died of jealousy. Your vegetarian food looked awesome!

 

[v_gan]

Now on to Ohana's. Let me say first that this is NOT a vegetarian place to eat. I had learned on this forum of Chef TJ (from V GAN) and how he went out of his way to make her dinner special based on her dietary needs. I wanted to meet this chef.

Actually, the chef I had wasn't Chef TJ. But I'm so glad you got him! We were so hoping for him, and I imagine our meal would have been a thousand times better had he been there the night we were.

*** I should also mention that you cannot bring leftovers home! I was given special permission because I had a dietary restriction and special food, but my husband was not allowed to take leftovers home due to Disney policy. I found that odd since V GAN had all these take home containers after her dinner..... they may have changed to policy since then. So that's the current word on the Disney street about that.***

That's weird about the take-home containers. I didn't even ask - they offered them to me!