Disney days Gluten Free

We took the kids back to Florida this year to spend a couple of Disney Days. I have to say the difference between this year and last was tremendous, as for gluten free options go. Not just in the parks but in the surrounding Orlando/Lake Buena Vista area.
The first day in Epcot we ate in Germany and we were very surprised to find the large amount of gluten free options on their buffet. The chef came out to greet us as they always do in Disney when someone has a food allergy or intolerance. he brought my daughter and grandson around to point out all the gluten free options available to them on the buffet. He even brought out some desserts for my grandson which was a pre packaged brand “enjoy life” of a chocolate chip cookie, brownie and a krispy rice candy bar (just like a Nestlé’s crunch bar only gluten free). My grandson had the German meatloaf and loved it. I am now looking for a German meatloaf recipe to make at home. When I find one we like I will include it in a future post.
In Norway (at Epcot) there was another restaurant with lots of gluten free options. Unfortunately we couldn’t get in because they were having a princess luncheon and they were all booked up that day. Right across the street was a Norwegian Bakery and they had gluten free pastries and desserts. One was a mini chocolate Bundt cake.
The next day in Animal Kingdom we went to the Pizzafari in Safari Village. Again, the chef came out and took our order. My grandson got the cheese pizza with red seedless grapes for dessert. He ate the whole pizza himself. I guess you could say it was pretty good.
The last day we were there we went to Downtown Disney where we made reservations at T-Rex. I recommend reservations if you want to eat anywhere in Disney with out a long wait. We did walk around for a bit before our reservation time. My grandkids and I had been to T-Rex before and their gluten free menu was limited to the roasted chicken and mashed potatoes. My daughter had never been and after we arrived and talked to the chef we were pleasantly surprised that they had expanded their GF menu to include pasta. My grandson was very happy with the pasta with marinara sauce and he also had the mashed red potatoes.
In the evenings we ventured around the Orlando area to find some good restaurants for dinner. My grandson is a big fan of Uno’s pizza and of course we had to go there one night. Luckily both my daughter and I get email coupons from Uno’s and we had one that we were able to take $11.00 off the bill. If you like Uno’s I would recommend signing up for the emails. To us it is worth it. They have other perks too. Check it out.
We also tried P.F. Chang’s at the Millenia Mall. If you let them know you have a food allergy/intolerance they will accommodate you. One thing my grandson misses at home is fried rice. My daughter has a great GF recipe which I will dig up and post but it is involved and time consuming, not something you want to make everyday but great for special occasions. P.F. Chang’s made my grandson a big plate of GF Chicken Fried Rice which he quickly devoured. I don’t think one tiny piece of rice was left on the plate.
On the last evening we went to BJ’s Brewhouse. It is a chain restaurant but they do have a very good GF menu consisting of salads, soups, steak, chicken, fish, pizza, bake potato, and desserts. They even have GF alcoholic beverages. We did call ahead to get on the wait list and after we got there had to wait an additional 20 minutes but it was worth it. The food was great and my grandson, having pizza of course, ate it all up.
I think we had a very successful GF trip this time. I was glad to see restaurants becoming more aware of allergies and intolerances and rising to the occasion to accommodate them.
Thanks Orlando and Disney! I’m sure we’ll be back soon.