Vegetarian Options?

[CanadianImagineer]

Hello all! Next month will be my fourth trip to the World, however it will be my first one as a vegetarian (no meat, fish or gelatin). I was just wondering if you guys could help me out with a few things What kinds of options are available at counter service locations (ie. All-Star foodcourts, themepark counter service)? Also, we'll be doing one table service per day (already have ADRs) as listed below - what are your experiences dining at these locations as a vegetarian? Thanks for your help!

Crystal Palace
Coral Reef
Tusker House
Chef Mickey's
Biergarten
Sci-Fi
50's Prime Time
Whispering Canyon Cafe

 

[TillyMarigold]

Look at AllEars, they have a vegetarian dining section that lists the options at every restaurant. http://allears.net/din/dining.htm under "Special Dietary Needs" in the left hand column.

AFAIK every table service restaurant has at least one vegetarian option although of course some are better than others (I mean, I've mostly heard good things about all of them, but for example at Cinderella's Round Table you'd get pasta with veggies, not exactly the most inventive vegetarian meal ever--whereas Garden Grill serves pumpkin risotto). You might want to call and get a notation put on your ADRs though. Most counter service places will have at least one option (usually veggie burger, veggie wrap, cheese or veg pizza, or some sort of Asian noodle thing/stir-fried veggies) although again, some are better than others. Off the top of my head: Tangierene Café and Sunshine Seasons in Epcot; Cosmic Ray's and Columbia Harbour House in MK; Starring Rolls in the Studios; Pizzafari in AK.

My husband and I are primarily vegetarian but eat some seafood and I think there was only 2 CS places that didn't serve anything we eat (Flame Tree BBQ in the Animal Kingdom and Cantina de San Ängel in Epcot). Obviously you will be more limited than we are, so it would pay to look at CS menus ahead of time to get a feel of what you can get where.

ETA: The vegetarian options at Crystal Palace look pretty amazing, AllEars says it's supposed to be the best character meal for vegetarians. We're not into characters so much so we decided not to do any character meals and let others have the fun, but I will definitely have to go there sometime!

 

[CanadianImagineer]

Look at AllEars, they have a vegetarian dining section that lists the options at every restaurant. http://allears.net/din/dining.htm under "Special Dietary Needs" in the left hand column.

AFAIK every table service restaurant has at least one vegetarian option although of course some are better than others (I mean, I've mostly heard good things about all of them, but for example at Cinderella's Round Table you'd get pasta with veggies, not exactly the most inventive vegetarian meal ever--whereas Garden Grill serves pumpkin risotto). You might want to call and get a notation put on your ADRs though. Most counter service places will have at least one option (usually veggie burger, veggie wrap, cheese or veg pizza, or some sort of Asian noodle thing/stir-fried veggies) although again, some are better than others. Off the top of my head: Tangierene Café and Sunshine Seasons in Epcot; Cosmic Ray's and Columbia Harbour House in MK; Starring Rolls in the Studios; Pizzafari in AK.

My husband and I are primarily vegetarian but eat some seafood and I think there was only 2 CS places that didn't serve anything we eat (Flame Tree BBQ in the Animal Kingdom and Cantina de San Ängel in Epcot). Obviously you will be more limited than we are, so it would pay to look at CS menus ahead of time to get a feel of what you can get where.

ETA: The vegetarian options at Crystal Palace look pretty amazing, AllEars says it's supposed to be the best character meal for vegetarians. We're not into characters so much so we decided not to do any character meals and let others have the fun, but I will definitely have to go there sometime!

Great thanks! I never even thought to check if they had a veggie section on Allears

 

[ModestMouse]

My DW eats mostly vegetarian and two of her favorites are Tangierine Cafe in Morocco (they have a vegetarian plate) and (surprisingly) Biergarten in Germany. There are a lot of salad/side vegetable selections at Biergarten. Just a thought.

 

[budbeerlady]

Have a great trip!

Crystal Palace - huge buffet, great food, fruits, ask when seated to be told what is vegetarian

Coral Reef - Tofu dish is alright, I go for the atmosphere here.

Tusker House - only have done breakfast which was amazing!

Chef Mickey's - havent done yet
Biergarten- havent done yet

Sci-Fi - the veggie burger is basic, the tofu here is very good!

50's Prime Time - the stuffed pepper is amazing. Not usually a big stuffed pepper fan but this was out of this world!


Whispering Canyon Cafe - eat at your own risk. My enchilada was gross, I couldnt even eat it. Like spicy baked beans thrown into a shell, wrapped up and covered in more spicy baked beans. Very disappointing and I was hungry when we left. The place was packed and it would have been forever to send it back and get anything else!

 

[budbeerlady]

Now CS.... you must try Columbia Harbor House!!!! The vegetarian chili and light house sandwich are my fav! I must have them atleast 1x per trip.

Tangerine cafe is really good, refreshing for cs food. Also Sunshine seasons food court in the land at Epcot has some really good choices.

Sadly at AK the only cs I eat is the pizza at pizzafari, I really wish they would so something for vegetarian at this park. They have a real opportunity being its AK and conservation, etc to offer people choices beyond meat.

 

[ciera321]

Here are 2 CS options I really like...

DHS - Backlot Express has Grilled Vegetable Sandwich - black olive ciabatta roll, mushrooms, red peppers, zucchini, tomato, watercress and cheese with sundried tomato pesto and black bean salad $8.39 (Very good)

Epcot - Sunshine Seasons has Grilled Vegetable Cuban Sandwich $7.59 (sorry, no description but it was very good).

 

[skellingtonfreak]

Have you thought about Boma? It has by far the best vegetarian selections of any TS, IMO.

I would definitely make notation on your ADR's and make sure you speak with someone when you get to the restaurant and if they don't have anything on the menu, I will bet they will make you something.

 

[LiteBrite]

Have a great trip!


50's Prime Time - the stuffed pepper is amazing. Not usually a big stuffed pepper fan but this was out of this world!

I keep hearing about that stuffed green pepper, but I don't like the flavor of green pepper (only red, yellow, or orange). This is a green pepper we're talking about, right? Does it have a strong green pepper flavor?

 

[AlohaPolynesian]

Every single restaurant I've been to in WDW has had at least one vegetarian item on the menu, even if it is just a side dish. Even so, you can talk to your server and the chef can whip up something for you. If you have special requests however, I would call ahead to make those arrangements.

Even places that seem to cater to meat eaters (Ohana) have some VERY tasty, balanced, vegetarian options if you ask your server! What I mean by balanced is that it is actually a healthy meal. (Ex: this weekend I went to an event and was told beforehand that there was a vegetarian option and all I had to do was tell my server when I got there that I would want it. Well, it was the same size plate as everyone else's meal, but it was a giant pile of mashed potatoes on it and a carrot on top. I kid you not. Just because there's no meat does NOT mean it is a suitable meal!!!)

 

[LouDisney]

Boma at Animal Kingdom Lodge.

 

[Laura]

Hello all! Next month will be my fourth trip to the World, however it will be my first one as a vegetarian (no meat, fish or gelatin). I was just wondering if you guys could help me out with a few things What kinds of options are available at counter service locations (ie. All-Star foodcourts, themepark counter service)? Also, we'll be doing one table service per day (already have ADRs) as listed below - what are your experiences dining at these locations as a vegetarian? Thanks for your help!

Crystal Palace
Coral Reef
Tusker House
Chef Mickey's
Biergarten
Sci-Fi
50's Prime Time
Whispering Canyon Cafe

The only one of those TS restaurants I've eaten at as a vegetarian is Biergarten, which was a couple of years ago. More recent reports of that place from fellow veggies has not been as good as my experience. Crystal Palace and Tusker House are reportedly good for vegetarians. I've heard bad things about the veggie enchilada at Whispering Canyon, unfortunately, but I have not had it myself (and not likely to; I'm not a big fan of antics during my meals). My best experience was at Boma, but I understand Tusker House is very similar.

As for counter service, I like Columbia Harbour House, Main Street Bakery, Tangierine Cafe, and Sunshine Seasons. I had a veggie burger at Rosie's in the Studios, and it was fine. There are other options elsewhere; I might try ABC Commissary next time I go. AK is pathetic. Cheese pizza at Pizzafari and a veggie burger at Restaurantosaurus are your choices. Sorry, I don't count Flame Tree's fruit plate as a real meal, and the yogurt the fruit is served with may have gelatin in it.

You'll find breakfast is the easiest meal as a vegetarian; if it says bacon/sausage on the side, that's easily substituted for, say, a fruit cup. Buffets are generally a good choice for vegetarians, though some are better than others (Crystal Palace and Boma being among the best).

 

[TillyMarigold]

Just wanted to say that after reading this thread and looking over CP's menu, I convinced DH to swap out the Brown Derby for Mama Melrose's so that we can fit in a lunch at Crystal Palace ... and he *hates* the Disney versions of the Pooh characters, he's British and remembers them as part of his childhood before the Disney versions came into being. (Didn't CP used to have Mickey & Friends, though? I would rather have done that but none of the places that have Mickey appeal.)

 

[budbeerlady]

I keep hearing about that stuffed green pepper, but I don't like the flavor of green pepper (only red, yellow, or orange). This is a green pepper we're talking about, right? Does it have a strong green pepper flavor?

Nope, to be honest I dont like peppers. I dont put them into my food, I pick them out if they show up in my food when we are out, you get the point.

This was wonderful, not spicy, didnt taste like a green pepper. Dh was stealing some off my plate during dinner, he also loved it. I had to try the stuffed peppers since everyone said they were so good, and it was really the only thing on the menu.

 

[OurMsBrooks]

I agree with the previous suggestion of Columbia Harbor House. The chili and the hummus sandwich are both great, and you get a nice, quiet atmosphere to go with it.

One thing to avoid: if you are staying at Port Orleans, don't order the portobello mushroom sandwich if they still serve it. It was the most disgusting thing I've ever seen. It's served cold, and the mushroom was slimy, with the texture of, I'm serious, a cold, wet tadpole. It's one of the only foods that has ever caused me to ask for my money back. I get the "icks" just thinking about it!

 

[LiteBrite]

Nope, to be honest I dont like peppers. I dont put them into my food, I pick them out if they show up in my food when we are out, you get the point.

This was wonderful, not spicy, didnt taste like a green pepper. Dh was stealing some off my plate during dinner, he also loved it. I had to try the stuffed peppers since everyone said they were so good, and it was really the only thing on the menu.

Thank you so much! You're making me feel much braver about trying it.

 

[MTstitch]

Thank you for creating this post. This will be my first year going as a vegatarian as well. although most of the time I didn't eat alot of meat when I went anyway. At the Sci Fi last time I ordered a Ruben Sandwich without the meat. I never did eat corned beef yuck! They had no problem with it. If that is something you would like it is an option.

All of the suggestions on here are great and I will try them out when I go over Christmas this year.

 

[AlohaPolynesian]

COLD, WET, TADPOLE?!?!! holy cow i almost just threw up. i do NOT want to eat that.

 

[cavepig]

For counter service Starring Rolls has a really good vegie pita and I second the Columbia Harbor house's lighthouse sandwich.

Crystal Palace has lots for a vegetarian. I always ask the chefs at buffets what's save for a vegetarian, since sometimes there is hidden beef or chicken broth.