What To Eat At Wdw In Florida

[mikyraso]

I just read about Disneyland in CA but anyone have advice on places at Magic Kingdom for good snacks and meals? Thanks a very nervous Mommy.

[srall]

We're going in a couple of weeks. I posted this question on the main/coping board. Apparently in the Magic Kingdom you can get a list of places that are gluten free at the Court House. And someone else posted that they were so accommodating to food allergies that no prior arrangements are needed. I'd love it if more people with kids who have experience would respond to this post. I'm still nervous too.

[kareng]

There have been many other threads on here for both Disneys. Email the food service if you have questions.

[Chell]

You are going to be in the best place possible for a Celiac to dine! As someone above stated, you can get a document when you arrive at the parks that lists the restaurants allergy-free, gluten-friendly options. This list is wonderful! It shows all kinds of allergens in case you have more than one to deal with.

When you order at counter service locations make sure you tell them right away that you have food allergies/issues. The Cast Member will then get a manager who will come over to you with the allergy book. Even if you know exactly what you want they will have you look at the book and the ingredients before finishing your order. So be prepared for ordering to take a few minutes longer. Since some people don't have a clue what Celiac is I always say "I have an allergy". That may not be the case, but it is what they need to hear to trigger the correct process for them. It makes life easier for you both.

Don't go to Casey's Corner and order a hot dog with no bun without mention of Celiac or an allergy. I did this on my first gluten-free trip there and they took the hot dog off of a bun and gave it to me. I realized this when I sat down and saw crumbs on my hot dog. When I took it back to the window the manager explained to me the process of how they handle "allergies" and that when you say no "whatever" they don't take those precautions.

At table service restaurants always have it noted on your reservation, then when you are seated remind the staff of your allergy/issue. They always send a chef out to speak to you about your meal. The chefs do a wonderful job there of making sure you have a safe and enjoyable meal!

Did you know that BabyCakes from NYC now has a DownTown Disney location??? I'm so thrilled to try them next month. If you go to Downtown Disney make sure you stop by BabyCakes for some gluten-free treats.

Are there any specific restaurants you have questions about? I LOVE Disney and love helping others have a great trip too. If you want, I can send you my email if you have questions you'd rather ask off the boards.

You're going to have a wonderful time!

Michelle

[srall]

You are going to be in the best place possible for a Celiac to dine! As someone above stated, you can get a document when you arrive at the parks that lists the restaurants allergy-free, gluten-friendly options. This list is wonderful! It shows all kinds of allergens in case you have more than one to deal with.

When you order at counter service locations make sure you tell them right away that you have food allergies/issues. The Cast Member will then get a manager who will come over to you with the allergy book. Even if you know exactly what you want they will have you look at the book and the ingredients before finishing your order. So be prepared for ordering to take a few minutes longer. Since some people don't have a clue what Celiac is I always say "I have an allergy". That may not be the case, but it is what they need to hear to trigger the correct process for them. It makes life easier for you both.

Don't go to Casey's Corner and order a hot dog with no bun without mention of Celiac or an allergy. I did this on my first gluten-free trip there and they took the hot dog off of a bun and gave it to me. I realized this when I sat down and saw crumbs on my hot dog. When I took it back to the window the manager explained to me the process of how they handle "allergies" and that when you say no "whatever" they don't take those precautions.

At table service restaurants always have it noted on your reservation, then when you are seated remind the staff of your allergy/issue. They always send a chef out to speak to you about your meal. The chefs do a wonderful job there of making sure you have a safe and enjoyable meal!

Did you know that BabyCakes from NYC now has a DownTown Disney location??? I'm so thrilled to try them next month. If you go to Downtown Disney make sure you stop by BabyCakes for some gluten-free treats.

Are there any specific restaurants you have questions about? I LOVE Disney and love helping others have a great trip too. If you want, I can send you my email if you have questions you'd rather ask off the boards.

You're going to have a wonderful time!

Michelle

Michelle,

Thank you for that lovely response. I'll make sure when I'm making food reservations I have our numerous "allergies" listed. And BABYCAKES. That's so great. I just read through her cook book a couple of days ago. My mouth has been watering ever since!

[Chell]

Michelle,

Thank you for that lovely response. I'll make sure when I'm making food reservations I have our numerous "allergies" listed. And BABYCAKES. That's so great. I just read through her cook book a couple of days ago. My mouth has been watering ever since!

You're very welcome! I love sharing the magic. If you have any questions or want more details let me know. Disney is my favorite thing to chat about! It is so much fun helping others realize they can eat well there too.

When is your trip. I'll be there April 23-30.

I've been wanting to try some of the BabyCakes recipes but figured I would wait until I try the real thing so I'd know if I got it right.

[srall]

We are there March 30th until April 3rd (I think) If I have anymore questions I'll let you know. THX

[Kelleybean]

We live in Orlando so we go to Disney quite often. Some of the restaurants have gluten-free pizza and Amy's mac and cheese (I'm sure they have more sophisticated items - my toddler is the one who is gluten free so we gave him the Amy's). I can't remember what it's called but there is a bakery on Main Street that sells decent prepackaged gluten-free chocolate chip cookies.

Another option is to bring your food. Now that my son is casein free also, we bring him a PB&J sandwich. I think technically you aren't supposed to bring food into the parks, but they've never hassled me.

[CeliacMom2008]

The dietary email for WDW: WDW.Special.Diets@disney.com

They can email you several (there were 7 files in my latest email from them) files with information on gluten free at the parks and resorts.

You can and should also stop at the customer service center at each park as soon as you get there and ask for the gluten free listings. I find these can sometimes be more up-to-date than the ones I get emailed. There are always MORE things listed each time!

Despite there great lists, the lists don't cover everything. It seems Disney adds things so frequently their lists never contain everything. So don't be afraid to ask at a certain place if you see something you think looks yummy.

Also, don't be afraid to ask managers for help...last fall when we were there we went to Cosmic Rays for rotisserie chicken, unfortunately when I said "chicken" our son registered "chicken tenders" which he loved the day before at Electric Umbrella at EPCOT. Of course we didn't get on the same page until we were standing with the manager. Because a big part of our going to Disney is so he can eat "normally" we indulge a great deal, so instead of telling him we were eating rotis. chicken we asked if there was a place to get chicken tenders. The cast member didn't miss a beat and asked us to hold on one minute. She left us for literally one minute, came back and told us which restaurant at Magic Kingdom has tenders and the fastest way to get there.

Seriously, Disney is the absolute BEST at making our kids feel like royalty. They're not the "weird kids" who have to eat differently. We've had numerous pictures taken with chefs, take tons of pictures of food, and just have a blast watching him eat! Here are a few of our recommendations:

Coral Reef at EPCOT - their "signature" dessert on their menu is naturally gluten-free. It is a chocolate lava type cake done Disney style. If you like it, ask your server or the hostess stand for the recipe. The cards are already printed out and they'll give you that recipe and many others. (You can ask at just about any restaurant for the recipe and they'll have cards available for a great many of their most popular meals.) Their Mahi Mahi is my son's all time favorite meal.

Electric Umbrella EPCOT - great chicken tenders. This one wasn't listed on any of our lists. We found by accident.

T-Rex Cafe Downtown - Loads of gluten-free items including chicken, ribs, and many side. Their kids "slushy" thing in a huge dinosaur bone is gluten-free for a drink. No dessert option, but Babycakes is nearby. Unlike the NYC Babycakes, this one is completely gluten-free - no spelt here.

Flame Tree BBQ at Animal Kingdom - BBQ chicken or pulled pork. Cookies or brownie for dessert last time we were there.

Flying Fish Cafe at Boardwalk - They have a gluten-free cheescake that is fabulous.

Kouzzina on the Boardwalk - This was better as Spoodles, but still pretty good. We were disappointed in our service last time, but it wasn't gluten-free related.

Cosmic Rays at Magic Kingdom - rotisserie chicken, fries (baked so no CC), veggie, brownie.

Oh, I forgot to mention that you can talk to your chef about any special needs you might have. We were going to Sea World for a day and hadn't had the best experience there in a previous visit. I asked the chef at our resort if they could make two extra pancakes for us to make a PB&J sandwiche to take along. She make the pancakes, cooled them off, wrapped them tightly, provided a knife and jelly (she didn't have individual PB). It was way more than I expected.

For those of you who are nervous, let go of that! We've been to Disney 6 times and it has been wonderful every time. We've had chefs say, "The only thing you can't have is gluten? Well that's easy enough!" We've had chefs create things that weren't on the menu after asking the question, "So what are you hungry for?" We've had chefs remember our son from one visit to the next (6 months a part). We became DVC members because we can't imagine vacationing anywhere else!

And another thing, the Dining Plan is a fantastic deal! You get so much food and it's incredibly convenient. We always end up bringing home several brownies because we use up any leftover snack items on them!

If you have any specific questions or concerns, feel free to ask! Like Michelle, I LOVE Disney and LOVE helping others have terrific Disney vacations for their gluten-free kiddos!

[CeliacMom2008]

Oh, and not all, but many restaurants and resort food courts have dedicated gluten-free Mickey waffle irons! Waffles shaped like Mickey heads are always a hit!

[Roda]

You're very welcome! I love sharing the magic. If you have any questions or want more details let me know. Disney is my favorite thing to chat about! It is so much fun helping others realize they can eat well there too.

When is your trip. I'll be there April 23-30.

I've been wanting to try some of the BabyCakes recipes but figured I would wait until I try the real thing so I'd know if I got it right.

Just a quick tip on BabyCakes. The stuff I tried was really good. This location does only gluten free items unlike their other locations that do use some spelt. The down side is if you can't tolerate Bob's Red Mill flours don't eat their stuff otherwise you should be fine. According to their website they use flours from them. My 6 year old tolerated the baked goods just fine and was more than thrilled, but they got me and it took almost two weeks to recover.

[Roda]

I just read about Disneyland in CA but anyone have advice on places at Magic Kingdom for good snacks and meals? Thanks a very nervous Mommy.

We had some popcorn, cotton candy, frozen fruit bars and frozen bananas at the parks. All you have to do is ask to see their allergen statement and they will pull out a book for you to look at. We didn't eat out at all when we were there. We did all of our cooking in our Airstream and carried in our lunch everyday at the park in a small cooler that fit in our backpack. I made sure we had plenty of snacks stashed in our bags for when we needed something. We chose to do this to save on time and so we didn't have to pay the high prices for food. I took a lot of things with me but I also found a Publix that had some gluten free items. The one I went to had a whole section of organic and gluten free items and I found Udi's bagles. We fell in love with them. Went to a different publix and only could find the glutino bagles and didn't like them at all.

[Chell]

Disney does allow you to bring in your own foods now. It is great that they won't hassle you.

Guests are allowed to bring food items-such as snacks or foods that do not require heating-into any Walt Disney World Theme Park. Inform a Security Cast Member of any food items when you enter the Theme Park.

[Roda]

Disney does allow you to bring in your own foods now. It is great that they won't hassle you.

We did this and there was no problem at all.

[srall]

We had some popcorn, cotton candy, frozen fruit bars and frozen bananas at the parks. All you have to do is ask to see their allergen statement and they will pull out a book for you to look at. We didn't eat out at all when we were there. We did all of our cooking in our Airstream and carried in our lunch everyday at the park in a small cooler that fit in our backpack. I made sure we had plenty of snacks stashed in our bags for when we needed something. We chose to do this to save on time and so we didn't have to pay the high prices for food. I took a lot of things with me but I also found a Publix that had some gluten free items. The one I went to had a whole section of organic and gluten free items and I found Udi's bagles. We fell in love with them. Went to a different publix and only could find the glutino bagles and didn't like them at all.

We are traveling from MN and staying in one of the resorts, so I don't know how much food I can bring. It's a long weekend trip and we are trying to get by with carry-ons. Believe me, if I ever have the choice I bring our food. And no one has ever had an issue, but if they did I'd tell them it's because of my daughter's "allergies" I might see if we can find that Publix. I think a friend is picking us up, so maybe he'll let us make a quick stop on the way to the park. I'm assuming that the publix was in Orlando, and not in the resort somewhere? I'm getting very used to paying a high price for our food. My daughter's days of eating off the children's menu is long over. Now she usually orders a steak from the adult menus, so I am just braced to spend a lot on food at Disney. We're not going out to eat at all until we travel.

[Roda]

The two publix I was in were in Kissimmee I believe.

[Pheebers]

My gluten-free daughter and I just got back from Disney two weeks ago. I've never had it so easy dining out with her, and I was SO worried before I left!

I had packed an entire small suitcase of food she could eat - everything from pretzels to bags of nuts to fruit snacks -- and we ended up using almost none of it. They really do take it seriously, and even in the quick service places no one ever gave me that blank "gluten free???" stare when I mentioned it.

At quick service places, like a resort food court, the gluten-free choices are pretty limited. Yay that there's gluten-free pizza, but that was about it for hot food at our resort, except for waffles (which my daughter had every morning and never got tired of). The restaurants were always fantastic. We had such a good experience at the Rainforest Cafe in Downtown Disney that we actually went back a few times. The Hard Rock Cafe at Universal was also surprisingly wonderful.

Disney never makes you feel as if you're imposing, or causing them extra work. I haven't felt so comfortable dining out with my daughter since she went gluten-free in August! For example, one of the stores was making fresh fudge, and I questioned the cashier about it. (Most fudge is fine, but still....) In about a second she had pulled out a book of ingredients and flipped to the correct page. We didn't have to "walk away rather than take a chance" and it was a very good feeling.

Kudos to Disney! You pay for the wonder, but in this case, you get what you pay for.

[CeliacMom2008]

For those looking for deals on food...

The Disney Dining plan is $40 for an adult for the day. It includes: 1 snack (gluten-free brownie, drink, chips, popcorn, frozen treat, yogurt, piece of fruit, fresh fruit bowl, veggies & dip bowl, etc. all count as one snack), 1 Quick Service meal (includes drink, entree, and dessert - all entrees we've ever found are pretty hearty (meat, potato, veggie)), 1 Sit Down meal (includes drink, entree, and dessert). If you have a steak, lobster, or crab lover in your group, you can quickly see how inexpensive this is. Typical high end price for a dinner is about $30 - without drink or dessert. The gluten-free brownies are $4.

For our family, the ability to eat out is a HUGE part of our vacation experience. Where we live we do not feel comfortable eating out at restaurants, so it is our time to eat out and enjoy! Thus, we overindulge for the time we're there - that means way more desserts than at home and allowing our son to eat whatever he wants off the menu (which frequently is steak and crab). So for us, $40 is a bargain! I also like the convenience of it.

[momtopa]

We just got back from the The World yesterday (and, yes we're going through the Disney withdrawal). Since being diagnosed with celiac, we've been there two times and just recently became DVC members. We were very nervous about me not finding anything to eat, but we'd heard that Disney was the best place for celiacs to go on vacation and being that my husband is a mousejunkie we made our plans. I can give you details of our most recent trip and I'll give some from our previous trip.

O'Hana: Sit down restaurant in Polynesian resort, served family style. Chef delivers every course of the meal. I think we took the monorail to get there. Our reservation was late in the evening and by the time we got to eat, I was starving and would have eaten anything gluten-free, but the chef came right out and told me what my options were. The chef was great about making sure that I had just as much of a variety as the rest of my family. When my family was served a salad (no croutons), the chef told me that it was ok for me to eat, too. Then, she brought me a plate of special gluten-free wings all for myself while my family shared the gluten wings. She made me a plate of white rice and broccoli with my own skewers of chicken, pork and steak. The chicken here was very tasty. I didn't care for the pork and the steak didn't have as much flavor as the chicken, so the next time I will definitely tell her that I want just the chicken . For dessert (unfortunately she wouldn't let me have it to go. I had no room, but ate some of it anyway) she brought out this amazing flourless chocolate lava cake for me while my family enjoyed ice cream and some kind of apple dessert. I highly recommend this restaurant.

Mama Melrose: Italian, sit down restaurant in Hollywood Studios. Chef came to our table, but there are different people who serve the food. The first time we ate here in summer 2010, there was no issue, but last week, the server set my husband's pasta bowl in front of me. (eek!!!!) The chef did come out during the meal and asked if I needed anything else. They served me toasted Ener-G rolls with the dipping oil. The dessert here was a real melt in your mouth kind of chocolate cake that was very tastey.

Via Napoli: Nope, not recommended at all. I was disappointed because every restaurant we had been to before this, the chef is the one to come to our table. Here, the manager came out and only when I had to remind the waitress that we had allergies (my husband is allergic to shellfish). When I asked what my options were here, she told me it was pasta and sauce only and she didn't recommend the pasta because of all the flour flying around the kitchen when they made pizzas. They don't have a dedicated space to cook their gluten free pasta. This is the first restaurant we walked out of without eating. We left here and went to the Teppan Edo

Teppan Edo: Japanese restaurant in Epcot. It's a sit down restaurant, too. We went here without having a

reservation and they didn't give us any problem at all with our allergies. Again, the chef didn't come out. (probably because we don't speak Japanese???) So, the manager came over to explain our options. Neither the manager nor the chef served my meal here, but I asked if it was all gluten-free and they confirmed that it was. I had chicken, rice and broccoli here and it was good.

Plaza: Ask for Chef Kenny or Chef Connie. They are genuinely caring. In 2010, Chef Kenny came out and explained my options and he not only made me feel comfortable, but he also made a fruit plate that I could share with my family. My husband wanted to take him home with us. Chef Kenny insisted on a pic of him with our family and sending it to him. If you notify him in advance, he says he can make special carrot cake or something so you don't have to have the gluten free brownie. It was my birthday last week so my husband had a gluten-free cake ordered. Chef Connie was the chef this time and she was just as caring as Chef Kenny. My son thought that she might even be his mom. LOL. She took my order and brought out all my food, just like Chef Kenny. She even brought out my gluten-free birthday cake and the whole restaurant sang Happy Birthday to me. The prices here didn't seem too outrageous, either.

Turf Club and Grill and Artist Palette: These are restaurants in the Saratoga Springs Resort where we stayed. The restaurants share whichever chef is on duty. If Chef Ron is there, he will treat you well. I had read good reviews on allears.net about him and I was happy when he came out to our table. Here, Chef Ron explained my options, but the meal was served by someone other than the chef. Our waiter was Max and he loves kids. (He told us a story about his son where he was trying to get his son to understand something and all his son did was look at the ground. When he finally looked up he pretended he had binoculars on his eyes. Max told the story so much better than I can. lol) My boys tried doing that later in our trip where I was trying to be serious with them, but they put their heads down and when they looked up, it was like they were holding binoculars to their eyes. Some waitstaff, chefs, castmembers really try to get involved and make magic happen with family and they do a good job of it. I think the binocular story will stick in my head for a long time... The Artist Palette is the counter service restaurant for the resort. If Chef Ron is on duty, he'll work with you on whatever you want. I think that Chef Michael would too, but I asked for a buffalo chicken flatbred and when it came out, it had a TON of buffalos sauce and little chicken. The crust ended up being so soggy I had to go back and get a salad.

Oh, while I'm thinking about it, the fruit cups and salads are gluten free. While at one of the food carts in Epcot, I asked if the nuts were gluten free. They didn't know, but they didn't look at me like I was nuts. They just called someone to find out they are. That made me happy to know they went the extra mile to find out. The best part was that there was no blank stare you get when you ask if something has any gluten in it.

Les Chefs de France: French sit-down restaurant in Epcot. The food here was good and flavorful, but there was a mix up somehow with my soup. At this restaurant, you have to order your meal with the waiter (taking your best guess at what could be gluten-free), then he has the chef come to the table. So, I told the waiter what I wanted, he brought the chef back to the table and read off what I wanted to the chef. The chef said there would be no problem. I ordered the french onion soup with gruyere cheese. The food was brought out by servers. I started eating the soup and realized that there was bread under the cheese. I didn't have to say anything directly to our waiter, but I looked around to see if I could see him or a manager etc. Seeing no one, I just sat there. Minutes later he came up from behind me apologizing profusely and took my bowl away promising he'd bring another one. I don't know if he ordered the wrong thin in the first place or if there was a mix up in the kitchen etc. So, I was kind of worried of what would happen to me after having not eaten gluten in over a year. I was so upset that I am so careful and then that happened. I didn't eat much of my main course or dessert after that.

Babycakes: This is a real treat and a "Don't miss for gluten-free" in Downtown Disney. Keep in mind that I'm spoiled on Jules Gluten Free flour and the cupcakes here weren't as good as my own when I use Jules flour, but it was ok. The cranberry bread, however was out of this world delicious. It was so moist and didn't taste gluten-free at all. We were going to order a gluten-free birthday cake here, but it was going to be around $50 for a 6 inch, so we passed. If you have kids, this is a great alternative to the infamous "gluten-free brownie" that you get at a counter service restaurant. It's located inside a building across from the T-Rex restaurant. I'm sorry I can't remember more details of where it's located, but I think it is on the Marketplace side of Downtown Disney.

Pollo Campero: This is a counter service restaurant in Downtown Disney located in the same building as Babycakes. We were told by our resort that this was a close gluten-free restaurant. They do claim that they have gluten-free food, but watch for CC here. The grilled chicken is located in a bin right next to the fried chicken and they don't have the option to get fresh food from their kitchen. When I pointed out that it was next to the fried chicken, the server told me that they used separate tongs to get the food out. I was horrified to see that the tongs were touching each other in the bin. We didn't eat here.

Pizza Plant: This is a counter service pizza/arcade in Hollywood Studios. When we walked in, the manager was standing at the entrance with 2 other people. I didn't have to wait for them to finish their conversation before they all greeted me. I explained that I had "a gluten allergy" because that's what triggers them to pay more attention, I hear. The manager, Wes said that either of the 2 ladies standing next to him would be glad to help me. Rachel went and got a book with all the ingredients in it and explained my options. If you like Amy's, you're all set. I don't (again, I'm spoiled with Silvana's, Udi's and Against the Grain Gourmet pizza crusts). They also have Ener-G pizza shells. She made me a real pizza (like real sauce and cheese) and put it on the Ener-G shell and brought it out to me.. It was pretty good. I have to make mention here because it happened...with my drink, I watched as the girl put on rubber gloves and then proceeded to pour beer into cups in front of me, then without changing her gloves, I guess she pressed the button on my drink cup (you know, the ones where you can mark that it it's diet, or tea etc..) Another girl, Vesta, who is wonderful, gave me my drink and said that it was regular coke even though the other girl had marked it as diet. I asked her if she had done it with the same gloves she was still wearing after pouring the beers. Without further question, she knew what I was asking and she said that she'd get me another one right away. The girl with the gloves starting refilling my cup, I asked if she could PLEASE change her gloves before she got my drink. Vesta took over the refilling, looked at me to make sure it was ok to use the same ice shovel, poured my drink and then before she touched my cup, she went over to the sink,washed her hands and then came back over and put a fresh lid on my cup. I don't know if I explained it well enough, but Vesta really went the extra mile here. I thanked her for it and she then explained that her friend has celiac and she knew what needed to be done. I was thankful for that and I also explained it all to Rachel when she gave me my pizza. It would have been ok here had the one girl not touched the button on the lid without changing her gloves that touched the beer.

Flametree BBQ...I think that's the name of it. It's a counter service restaurant in Animal Kingdom. Look for the lady handing out menus outside of the lines. She'll be dressed in a bright uniform. Tell her that you have an allergy and she'll tell you what you need to do. Basically, all you can do here is go up to the cashier and tell him or her that you have an allergy, she'll send you to the counter to wait for the chef, the chef comes out and asks what you have in mind, then you have to turn around and give your order to the cashier again. I didn't like this so much because there was a long line and the original cashier left her station and someone new took over and didn't know about my allergy. It worked out and the food was ok.

I'll mention that Chef Ron told me that if one of the ingredients listed is modified food starch, to assume it is wheat unless the source is in parentheses. They use modified food starch to stabilize their bulk foods.

Biergarten: Buffet restaurant in Germany at Epcot. The chef comes to your table and you follow him or her to the buffet line. Chef tells you what's safe. If you ask him to get you a fresh plate from the kitchen, he will do so. Most of the chefs at buffet restaurants will do the same (Boma, Crystal Palace, Tusker House)

Rose & Crown: Sit-down restaurant in United Kingdom at Epcot. CHef comes to your table and gives you your options. Place your order with the waitress and the food is brought out by servers.

All in all, I've had good experiences and have never had trouble finding something good to eat. Via Napoli is the only restaurant I wouldn't recommend for gluten-free. While I can't remember all the details of our previous trip, we've had good experiences at California Grill, Liberty Inn, House of Blues, Tony's Town Square and others too.

Also, we went on a Pirate tour where they served snacks. When I booked the tour in 2010 I told them about the allergy. When I got to the location where the tour was to start, they were ready for me. THey had my own gluten free snacks already to go.

[srall]

We just got back from the The World yesterday (and, yes we're going through the Disney withdrawal). Since being diagnosed with celiac, we've been there two times and just recently became DVC members. We were very nervous about me not finding anything to eat, but we'd heard that Disney was the best place for celiacs to go on vacation and being that my husband is a mousejunkie we made our plans. I can give you details of our most recent trip and I'll give some from our previous trip.

O'Hana: Sit down restaurant in Polynesian resort, served family style. Chef delivers every course of the meal. I think we took the monorail to get there. Our reservation was late in the evening and by the time we got to eat, I was starving and would have eaten anything gluten-free, but the chef came right out and told me what my options were. The chef was great about making sure that I had just as much of a variety as the rest of my family. When my family was served a salad (no croutons), the chef told me that it was ok for me to eat, too. Then, she brought me a plate of special gluten-free wings all for myself while my family shared the gluten wings. She made me a plate of white rice and broccoli with my own skewers of chicken, pork and steak. The chicken here was very tasty. I didn't care for the pork and the steak didn't have as much flavor as the chicken, so the next time I will definitely tell her that I want just the chicken . For dessert (unfortunately she wouldn't let me have it to go. I had no room, but ate some of it anyway) she brought out this amazing flourless chocolate lava cake for me while my family enjoyed ice cream and some kind of apple dessert. I highly recommend this restaurant.

Mama Melrose: Italian, sit down restaurant in Hollywood Studios. Chef came to our table, but there are different people who serve the food. The first time we ate here in summer 2010, there was no issue, but last week, the server set my husband's pasta bowl in front of me. (eek!!!!) The chef did come out during the meal and asked if I needed anything else. They served me toasted Ener-G rolls with the dipping oil. The dessert here was a real melt in your mouth kind of chocolate cake that was very tastey.

Via Napoli: Nope, not recommended at all. I was disappointed because every restaurant we had been to before this, the chef is the one to come to our table. Here, the manager came out and only when I had to remind the waitress that we had allergies (my husband is allergic to shellfish). When I asked what my options were here, she told me it was pasta and sauce only and she didn't recommend the pasta because of all the flour flying around the kitchen when they made pizzas. They don't have a dedicated space to cook their gluten free pasta. This is the first restaurant we walked out of without eating. We left here and went to the Teppan Edo

Teppan Edo: Japanese restaurant in Epcot. It's a sit down restaurant, too. We went here without having a

reservation and they didn't give us any problem at all with our allergies. Again, the chef didn't come out. (probably because we don't speak Japanese???) So, the manager came over to explain our options. Neither the manager nor the chef served my meal here, but I asked if it was all gluten-free and they confirmed that it was. I had chicken, rice and broccoli here and it was good.

Plaza: Ask for Chef Kenny or Chef Connie. They are genuinely caring. In 2010, Chef Kenny came out and explained my options and he not only made me feel comfortable, but he also made a fruit plate that I could share with my family. My husband wanted to take him home with us. Chef Kenny insisted on a pic of him with our family and sending it to him. If you notify him in advance, he says he can make special carrot cake or something so you don't have to have the gluten free brownie. It was my birthday last week so my husband had a gluten-free cake ordered. Chef Connie was the chef this time and she was just as caring as Chef Kenny. My son thought that she might even be his mom. LOL. She took my order and brought out all my food, just like Chef Kenny. She even brought out my gluten-free birthday cake and the whole restaurant sang Happy Birthday to me. The prices here didn't seem too outrageous, either.

Turf Club and Grill and Artist Palette: These are restaurants in the Saratoga Springs Resort where we stayed. The restaurants share whichever chef is on duty. If Chef Ron is there, he will treat you well. I had read good reviews on allears.net about him and I was happy when he came out to our table. Here, Chef Ron explained my options, but the meal was served by someone other than the chef. Our waiter was Max and he loves kids. (He told us a story about his son where he was trying to get his son to understand something and all his son did was look at the ground. When he finally looked up he pretended he had binoculars on his eyes. Max told the story so much better than I can. lol) My boys tried doing that later in our trip where I was trying to be serious with them, but they put their heads down and when they looked up, it was like they were holding binoculars to their eyes. Some waitstaff, chefs, castmembers really try to get involved and make magic happen with family and they do a good job of it. I think the binocular story will stick in my head for a long time... The Artist Palette is the counter service restaurant for the resort. If Chef Ron is on duty, he'll work with you on whatever you want. I think that Chef Michael would too, but I asked for a buffalo chicken flatbred and when it came out, it had a TON of buffalos sauce and little chicken. The crust ended up being so soggy I had to go back and get a salad.

Oh, while I'm thinking about it, the fruit cups and salads are gluten free. While at one of the food carts in Epcot, I asked if the nuts were gluten free. They didn't know, but they didn't look at me like I was nuts. They just called someone to find out they are. That made me happy to know they went the extra mile to find out. The best part was that there was no blank stare you get when you ask if something has any gluten in it.

Les Chefs de France: French sit-down restaurant in Epcot. The food here was good and flavorful, but there was a mix up somehow with my soup. At this restaurant, you have to order your meal with the waiter (taking your best guess at what could be gluten-free), then he has the chef come to the table. So, I told the waiter what I wanted, he brought the chef back to the table and read off what I wanted to the chef. The chef said there would be no problem. I ordered the french onion soup with gruyere cheese. The food was brought out by servers. I started eating the soup and realized that there was bread under the cheese. I didn't have to say anything directly to our waiter, but I looked around to see if I could see him or a manager etc. Seeing no one, I just sat there. Minutes later he came up from behind me apologizing profusely and took my bowl away promising he'd bring another one. I don't know if he ordered the wrong thin in the first place or if there was a mix up in the kitchen etc. So, I was kind of worried of what would happen to me after having not eaten gluten in over a year. I was so upset that I am so careful and then that happened. I didn't eat much of my main course or dessert after that.

Babycakes: This is a real treat and a "Don't miss for gluten-free" in Downtown Disney. Keep in mind that I'm spoiled on Jules Gluten Free flour and the cupcakes here weren't as good as my own when I use Jules flour, but it was ok. The cranberry bread, however was out of this world delicious. It was so moist and didn't taste gluten-free at all. We were going to order a gluten-free birthday cake here, but it was going to be around $50 for a 6 inch, so we passed. If you have kids, this is a great alternative to the infamous "gluten-free brownie" that you get at a counter service restaurant. It's located inside a building across from the T-Rex restaurant. I'm sorry I can't remember more details of where it's located, but I think it is on the Marketplace side of Downtown Disney.

Pollo Campero: This is a counter service restaurant in Downtown Disney located in the same building as Babycakes. We were told by our resort that this was a close gluten-free restaurant. They do claim that they have gluten-free food, but watch for CC here. The grilled chicken is located in a bin right next to the fried chicken and they don't have the option to get fresh food from their kitchen. When I pointed out that it was next to the fried chicken, the server told me that they used separate tongs to get the food out. I was horrified to see that the tongs were touching each other in the bin. We didn't eat here.

Pizza Plant: This is a counter service pizza/arcade in Hollywood Studios. When we walked in, the manager was standing at the entrance with 2 other people. I didn't have to wait for them to finish their conversation before they all greeted me. I explained that I had "a gluten allergy" because that's what triggers them to pay more attention, I hear. The manager, Wes said that either of the 2 ladies standing next to him would be glad to help me. Rachel went and got a book with all the ingredients in it and explained my options. If you like Amy's, you're all set. I don't (again, I'm spoiled with Silvana's, Udi's and Against the Grain Gourmet pizza crusts). They also have Ener-G pizza shells. She made me a real pizza (like real sauce and cheese) and put it on the Ener-G shell and brought it out to me.. It was pretty good. I have to make mention here because it happened...with my drink, I watched as the girl put on rubber gloves and then proceeded to pour beer into cups in front of me, then without changing her gloves, I guess she pressed the button on my drink cup (you know, the ones where you can mark that it it's diet, or tea etc..) Another girl, Vesta, who is wonderful, gave me my drink and said that it was regular coke even though the other girl had marked it as diet. I asked her if she had done it with the same gloves she was still wearing after pouring the beers. Without further question, she knew what I was asking and she said that she'd get me another one right away. The girl with the gloves starting refilling my cup, I asked if she could PLEASE change her gloves before she got my drink. Vesta took over the refilling, looked at me to make sure it was ok to use the same ice shovel, poured my drink and then before she touched my cup, she went over to the sink,washed her hands and then came back over and put a fresh lid on my cup. I don't know if I explained it well enough, but Vesta really went the extra mile here. I thanked her for it and she then explained that her friend has celiac and she knew what needed to be done. I was thankful for that and I also explained it all to Rachel when she gave me my pizza. It would have been ok here had the one girl not touched the button on the lid without changing her gloves that touched the beer.

Flametree BBQ...I think that's the name of it. It's a counter service restaurant in Animal Kingdom. Look for the lady handing out menus outside of the lines. She'll be dressed in a bright uniform. Tell her that you have an allergy and she'll tell you what you need to do. Basically, all you can do here is go up to the cashier and tell him or her that you have an allergy, she'll send you to the counter to wait for the chef, the chef comes out and asks what you have in mind, then you have to turn around and give your order to the cashier again. I didn't like this so much because there was a long line and the original cashier left her station and someone new took over and didn't know about my allergy. It worked out and the food was ok.

I'll mention that Chef Ron told me that if one of the ingredients listed is modified food starch, to assume it is wheat unless the source is in parentheses. They use modified food starch to stabilize their bulk foods.

Biergarten: Buffet restaurant in Germany at Epcot. The chef comes to your table and you follow him or her to the buffet line. Chef tells you what's safe. If you ask him to get you a fresh plate from the kitchen, he will do so. Most of the chefs at buffet restaurants will do the same (Boma, Crystal Palace, Tusker House)

Rose & Crown: Sit-down restaurant in United Kingdom at Epcot. CHef comes to your table and gives you your options. Place your order with the waitress and the food is brought out by servers.

All in all, I've had good experiences and have never had trouble finding something good to eat. Via Napoli is the only restaurant I wouldn't recommend for gluten-free. While I can't remember all the details of our previous trip, we've had good experiences at California Grill, Liberty Inn, House of Blues, Tony's Town Square and others too.

Also, we went on a Pirate tour where they served snacks. When I booked the tour in 2010 I told them about the allergy. When I got to the location where the tour was to start, they were ready for me. THey had my own gluten free snacks already to go.

I'm printing this (and a couple of other posts) and putting it with my Disney guide. Even though I'm not the OP, I can't thank you all enough for your great responses.

[momtopa]

I'm printing this (and a couple of other posts) and putting it with my Disney guide. Even though I'm not the OP, I can't thank you all enough for your great responses.

oh dear~I just realized that I spelled Pizza Planet wrong...If you're printing this, you might want to make the adjustment.

I just wish all these restaurants would start using good-tasting flour like Jules' flour...I just got a request for a survey in the mail from our trip. Maybe I'll make that suggestion. I'm so used to not being limited in any recipes I make at home by using Jules' flour, that I was slightly disappointed in my choices out, but nevertheless it was nice to not have to cook for a whole week. lol

[mikyraso]

You are going to be in the best place possible for a Celiac to dine! As someone above stated, you can get a document when you arrive at the parks that lists the restaurants allergy-free, gluten-friendly options. This list is wonderful! It shows all kinds of allergens in case you have more than one to deal with.

When you order at counter service locations make sure you tell them right away that you have food allergies/issues. The Cast Member will then get a manager who will come over to you with the allergy book. Even if you know exactly what you want they will have you look at the book and the ingredients before finishing your order. So be prepared for ordering to take a few minutes longer. Since some people don't have a clue what Celiac is I always say "I have an allergy". That may not be the case, but it is what they need to hear to trigger the correct process for them. It makes life easier for you both.

Don't go to Casey's Corner and order a hot dog with no bun without mention of Celiac or an allergy. I did this on my first gluten-free trip there and they took the hot dog off of a bun and gave it to me. I realized this when I sat down and saw crumbs on my hot dog. When I took it back to the window the manager explained to me the process of how they handle "allergies" and that when you say no "whatever" they don't take those precautions.

So sorry that I didn't respond sooner! THANK YOU for such a wonderful response. I will be taking yours with me on my trip. I my DD just LOVES LOVES LOVES WDW. And now that I know she can eat there and I won't be a wreck worrying about her eating I will LOVE WDW even more. Thank you so much.

At table service restaurants always have it noted on your reservation, then when you are seated remind the staff of your allergy/issue. They always send a chef out to speak to you about your meal. The chefs do a wonderful job there of making sure you have a safe and enjoyable meal!

Did you know that BabyCakes from NYC now has a DownTown Disney location??? I'm so thrilled to try them next month. If you go to Downtown Disney make sure you stop by BabyCakes for some gluten-free treats.

Are there any specific restaurants you have questions about? I LOVE Disney and love helping others have a great trip too. If you want, I can send you my email if you have questions you'd rather ask off the boards.

You're going to have a wonderful time!

Michelle

[mikyraso]

My gluten-free daughter and I just got back from Disney two weeks ago. I've never had it so easy dining out with her, and I was SO worried before I left!

I had packed an entire small suitcase of food she could eat - everything from pretzels to bags of nuts to fruit snacks -- and we ended up using almost none of it. They really do take it seriously, and even in the quick service places no one ever gave me that blank "gluten free???" stare when I mentioned it.

At quick service places, like a resort food court, the gluten-free choices are pretty limited. Yay that there's gluten-free pizza, but that was about it for hot food at our resort, except for waffles (which my daughter had every morning and never got tired of). The restaurants were always fantastic. We had such a good experience at the Rainforest Cafe in Downtown Disney that we actually went back a few times. The Hard Rock Cafe at Universal was also surprisingly wonderful.

Disney never makes you feel as if you're imposing, or causing them extra work. I haven't felt so comfortable dining out with my daughter since she went gluten-free in August! For example, one of the stores was making fresh fudge, and I questioned the cashier about it. (Most fudge is fine, but still....) In about a second she had pulled out a book of ingredients and flipped to the correct page. We didn't have to "walk away rather than take a chance" and it was a very good feeling.

Kudos to Disney! You pay for the wonder, but in this case, you get what you pay for.

Thank you for responding to my post Were you able to find a list of gluten-free restaurants on the Disney site so you can plan where you eat BEFORE going? I find that at home it is EXTREMELY hard to find places to take my DD to. SO it is a HUGH weith off my shoulders knowing that when we vacation it will be easy. If you don't mind me asking which restaurants did you go to? Do you know if any of the bakeries have gluten-free goodies? . It I feel so blessed to have found a place where I can get some answers. So again Thank you. One last thing. You mentioned Universal Studios. I wondered where you can go to find gluten-free places to eat there? Again thanks for the lovely response.

[mikyraso]

Disney does allow you to bring in your own foods now. It is great that they won't hassle you.

We always bring food. It is a life saver, and easy on the wallet as well. With an 19 mo. BG it is a MUST. We went last Aug. and the trip would have been impossible without snacks. Thanks for the post. It means a lot to know so many out there are willing to help.

[mikyraso]

You are going to be in the best place possible for a Celiac to dine! As someone above stated, you can get a document when you arrive at the parks that lists the restaurants allergy-free, gluten-friendly options. This list is wonderful! It shows all kinds of allergens in case you have more than one to deal with.

When you order at counter service locations make sure you tell them right away that you have food allergies/issues. The Cast Member will then get a manager who will come over to you with the allergy book. Even if you know exactly what you want they will have you look at the book and the ingredients before finishing your order. So be prepared for ordering to take a few minutes longer. Since some people don't have a clue what Celiac is I always say "I have an allergy". That may not be the case, but it is what they need to hear to trigger the correct process for them. It makes life easier for you both.

Don't go to Casey's Corner and order a hot dog with no bun without mention of Celiac or an allergy. I did this on my first gluten-free trip there and they took the hot dog off of a bun and gave it to me. I realized this when I sat down and saw crumbs on my hot dog. When I took it back to the window the manager explained to me the process of how they handle "allergies" and that when you say no "whatever" they don't take those precautions.

At table service restaurants always have it noted on your reservation, then when you are seated remind the staff of your allergy/issue. They always send a chef out to speak to you about your meal. The chefs do a wonderful job there of making sure you have a safe and enjoyable meal!

Did you know that BabyCakes from NYC now has a DownTown Disney location??? I'm so thrilled to try them next month. If you go to Downtown Disney make sure you stop by BabyCakes for some gluten-free treats.

Are there any specific restaurants you have questions about? I LOVE Disney and love helping others have a great trip too. If you want, I can send you my email if you have questions you'd rather ask off the boards.

You're going to have a wonderful time!

Michelle

Thank you for your help. I am feeling MUCH better about going now. My husband didn't think we would be able to find many places to take our DD but after reading your post I am feeling more confident about going. We just went out this past weekend for a birthday and Johnny Rockets and I was a wreck. It was HORRIBLE experience. I wanted to cry. So now I think I will be more confident. Thanks for easing my nerves. Oh and I will be giving BabyCakes a try. I would love to talk more off the board. I have so many questions and some times the board is overwhelming.