Dining is one of the many pleasures of a Walt Disney World vacation. Disney offers a combination of good food to please almost every guest's palate, fine dining experiences, and fun or uniquely themed restaurants. These opportunities include Disney dining choices for vegan and vegetarian diners.
Disney Dining for Vegetarians and Vegans – Tips and Resources
In general, buffets provide solid options for vegetarians and vegans. Disney servers tend to be well-informed about various dishes and can accommodate special requests.
Note: Vegans need to be particularly vigilant in planning ahead. Both vegetarians and vegans should ask about “hidden” food ingredients (e.g. chicken or fish stock, fish paste, gelatin in desserts).
But, as with any guests who have dietary restrictions, vegans and vegetarians should conduct research on Disney restaurants and their menus. To start, guests can access menus through Walt Disney World website.
But that’s not the only or even the most convenient place to peruse Disney menus. One recommended site is AllEars, a Disney website run by Deb Willis with a comprehensive collection of current Disney menus.
The site even offers a series, “A Vegetarian at Mickey’s Table,” written by Susan Shumaker and Than Saffel and authors of Vegetarian Walt Disney World and Greater Orlando. Although published in 2003, the book serves as a primer on restaurants for vegetarians and vegans. Additional vegetarian and vegan information is available at AllEars.
Vegetarian Dining at Disney’s Table Service and Signature Dining Restaurants
Walt Disney World (WDW) full-service restaurants, in particular, provide excellent guest service and have a greater ability to accommodate guest’ dining needs. Vegetarian fare across these table-service (TS) restaurants use freshly prepared and seasonal ingredient and showcase the diversity of vegetarian cuisine. This is especially true for the upscale Signature Dining experiences.
While most Disney TS restaurants and Disney Signature Dining experiences include vegetarian or vegan items, these theme-park restaurants are recommended:
- Magic Kingdom: Crystal Palace and Tony’s Town Square
- Epcot: The Garden Grill and Chefs de France
- Disney’s Hollywood Studios: Hollywood Brown Derby and Mama Melrose’s
- Disney’s Animal Kingdom: Tusker House
For vegetarian or vegan cuisine, try the following Disney resort restaurants:
- Disney’s Animal Kingdom Lodge: Boma, Jiko, and Sanaa
- Boardwalk: Kouzzina by Cat Cora
- Contemporary Resort: California Grill and The Wave
- Grand Floridian Resort and Spa: Victoria and Albert’s
- Polynesian: Kona Café
- Walt Disney World Swan: Garden Grove Café
- Wilderness Lodge: Artist Point
When making the highly recommended Advance Dining Reservations (ADRs) at TS restaurants and Signature Dining experiences, guests should add a note about dietary restrictions. ADRs may be made through Walt Disney World Dining Reservations or by calling calling 407-WDW-DINE (407-939-3463).
ADRs should be made at least 72 hours in advance. The more restrictive a guest’s diet, the earlier an ADR should be made. Disney guests should also reconfirm their reservation requests and dietary notes with their restaurant server. Disney chefs may also ask to speak with guests at their table to discuss options, or guests may ask to speak with a chef.
Vegetarian Dining at Disney’s Counter Service
Disney’s counter-service (CS) restaurants, also called Quick Service, have more limited options, as they are essentially fast food places for informal meals and speedy service. That’s not to say, however, that there’s no vegetarian or vegan choices at these places.
Epcot, generally considered the most foodie-friendly of the parks, offers the most options for vegetarians and vegans in both its Future World Showcase – check The Land Pavilion’s Sunshine Seasons or Innoventions East – and at many World Showcase Pavilions. At the latter, try Morocco’s Tangierine Café and Japan’s Kaki-Gori stand for a vegan dessert.
Other CS restaurants in the Disney theme parks that are friendly to vegans and vegetarians:
- Magic Kingdom: Columbia Harbor House, Cosmic Ray’s Starlight Café, and Pecos Bill’s
- Disney’s Hollywood Studios: Backlot Express
- Disney’s Animal Kingdom: Restaurantosaurus and Yak and Yeti
A sampling of Disney resorts CS that can accommodate vegetarians and vegan diners:
- Coronado Spring Resort: Pepper Market
- Polynesian Restaurant: Capt. Cook’s
- Port Orleans Riverside: Riverside Mill Food Court
In the Downtown Disney area, guests might visit Earl of Sandwich or Wolfgang Puck’s Express for Quick Service and Rainforest Café for table service.
Because Walt Disney World prepares a variety of meals to appeal to guests, vegans or vegetarians need not resign themselves to salads, fresh fruits and vegetables, or pasta dishes. Although these are healthy, tasty, and available options, Disney makes other innovative meals to savor while enjoying a Walt Disney World vacation.
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Debra Peterson - A freelance writer and scholar, Debra Peterson specializes in Disney Studies, with particular interests in Walt Disney World and ...
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