Kevin and I moved to Orlando a year ago for two reasons.
1) We were sick of the winters we were experiencing in Maryland. Florida, it was rumored, would be warmer.
2) Disney World.
I’ve been vegetarian since I was ten years old, so the only downside to Disney has always been the lack of vegetarian dining options. For the most part, I’ve been confined to french fries and sad side salads.
Well, not any more!
Disney has been seriously upping their veg-friendly game, so I figured I’d share my favorite meals at each park. (Without pictures, but if you get any of these foods, take your own and let me know what you think!)
Magic Kingdom
For a few months now, Pecos Bill’s has been my all-time favorite vegetarian food. It’s in my favorite park and has almost a whole menu of choices! My favorite is the Beyond Meat vegan burger with aioli and vegan cheese, but they’ve also got spicy breaded cauliflower tacos, veggie nachos, a rice bowl, and, yes, a salad.
HOWEVER!
Pecos Bill’s is no longer the only veggie food game in the kingdom.
Casey’s Corner has entered the vegetarian game with a plant-based hot dog! How cool is that? It’s not just a hot-dog-and-bun situation either. It’s as fancy as any other Casey’s dog, with relish, aioli, and slaw. I haven’t tried this one yet, but it’s on Kevin’s to-taste list. And just think, maybe I’ll be able to try some of the monthly specials Casey’s does!
Hollywood Studios
Hollywood Studios isn’t my favorite park since I’m not a rollercoaster fan. However, it was undeniably the first park where I found options. Now, with all the new stuff opening there, I’m bound to spend a lot more time at HS, so it’s a good thing they’ve got food for me!
The first place I found a good vegetarian option was Fairfax Fare, one of those to-go window type places or, as Disney calls them, quick services. They have a seven-layer rice bowl that reminded me strongly of Chipotle’s flavors.
Sci-Fi Dine-In Theater is a pretty fun place, provided you’re not there longer than 20-30 minutes. (The clips loop back then, so you’ll have seen it all before.) While I don’t love their falafel burger, I can’t deny that it does exist, as does a tofu lettuce wrap that I’ve never seen before, but will be trying when we go over there tonight.
I don’t have what you’d call an ‘adventurous ‘ palate, so occasionally the new Woody’s Lunch Box has exactly what I want–a grilled cheese and tater tots. I mean, potato barrels. Classic nostalgia food.
Animal Kingdom
Tiffins is a fancy-pants dinner date kind of place in Animal Kingdom. Technically you can probably just pop in (provided you have a reservation) but it’s much more a “dress up a little and settle in for hours” kind of place.
Satu’li Canteen is in the Avatar section of AK and relies very heavily on the use of boba to seem “alien,” which is hilarious to anyone with any amount of exposure to things like bubble tea. Regardless, they’ve got a pretty solid fried tofu bowl, with the added bonus that Pongu Pongu with its pineapple lumpia and Night Blossom drink are right nextdoor.
Tusker House is the AK character dining, which puts it up with Tiffins on the “expensive” end of the money scale. However, when you’re picky (me) or have dietary restrictions (also me) you can’t do better than a buffet with a million choices. Added bonus, the staff are one hundred percent willing to walk you through, item by item, to make sure you know which ones fit your dietary guidelines.
Epcot
I’m not going to lie–it’s counterintuitive, but Epcot is one of my least favorite Disney parks for food.
I know, right?
But it’s true. There’s just not a lot there that really tempts me. They’ve recently added an Impossible Meats booth to the festivals, and a Hanukkah booth at the holidays so I can get a latke, but really, there’s just nothing I find all that exciting.
For the most part, my go to is Les Halles Boulangerie-Patisserie in France. It’s a cafeteria-style place where you go through an endless array of baked goods, point at the ones you want, and a smiling and non-judgmental cast member puts it on your tray.
However, if you really want real food, I’ve got to recommend the Rose & Crown. They’ve been working really hard to increase their veg food options. When Kevin and I were there last week, our server told us that in addition to the option on the menu (savory veg crumble) the chef has created vegan bangers and mash AND vegan fish and chips. It’s so new they haven’t even added it to the menu yet, but apparently they’re really proud of them. We tried the bangers and mash and can confirm: they’re pretty tasty.
Obviously these aren’t the only vegetarian foods Disney has (I didn’t even start on desserts!), but they’re my go-tos when I need a meal and not just a snack.
It seems like Disney has really started stepping up their diverse food offerings, so I’m looking forward to seeing what else they develop! (And using it as an excuse to go to Disney even more.)
Are you a huge Disney fan? What’s your favorite restaurant? Is there something I should try? Let me know!
Bess Carnan 