Wednesday, January 12, 2011

Epcot Gluten Free and Dairy Free Dining Reviews

Katsura Japan QS Epcot 2014 November

I had my doubts about a gluten free safe meal at Katsura in Japan pavilion of Epcot, but we love sushi so we had to stop in and ask. The line was a little long and a little slow, but once we got to the counter, the people were very friendly, polite, and helpful. We were interested in the California rolls, which are premade. They were guaranteed to be free of gluten and free of dairy, so we were safe to eat them! Yay! They also brought out containers of gluten free soy sauce for us to use. For dessert option, there was not a gluten free dairy free choice, but the green tea ice cream is free of gluten. We were warned that there is a concern of cross contamination with the ice cream, but we took the risk and my daughter ate it.  She enjoyed it and she did not get sick.
We really loved this as a counter service meal where we were able to use our dining plan quick service credits. Many of the items on the menu looked obviously unsafe, but if you are going in for sushi or maki rolls, you can find some fantastic options. We loved it!


Biergarten 2012 November
This will look about the same as previous trips.  Disney has replaced the French Meadow Bakery brownies and cookies with OMG brownies and cookies.  This is a big disappointment to me, since the OMG products have dairy! Now the dessert selections on property seem to have been cut in half for the gluten free dairy free crowd.  At Biergarten, they brought us chocolate rice candy bars from Rice Dream, instead.  My daughter can handle some dairy, so she has brownies.  The chef gave us more than we needed for this one meal, which was very nice of him.  We enjoyed our dinner, as always. Love those pickled veggies!

Sunshine Seasons  2012 November

We hit rope drop and Soarin', then we stopped at Sunshine Seasons for breakfast.  We used our counter service for the meal you see.  The chef made safe eggs for us. There was not a bread item to replace the biscuit in the counterservice meal, so the chef gave us some fruit to share.  Can I say that these eggs were the best I've had in a couple of years?  They have some secret dairy free buttery flavor that was such a treat! It worked out great for us.  We rode Soarin', with the fast passes we got before riding, after breakfast.  Win win win!

Rose and Crown 2012 November


We wanted to try something new, so we booked a dinner here.  They did a very good job catering to our allergen needs, however we were not excited about the food.  The new bread rolls are sweeter and softer than the old style.


The Indian food chicken dish tasted like a frozen version of Indian food, and not very good in comparison when any I've ever ordered at an actual Indian Food restaurant.

My daughter didn't eat her cottage pie, after only a bite.  She said it wasn't very good.  I do make cottage pie, at home, and she loves that.  I am not sure what went wrong?
The Dessert, pictured, is gluten free, but not dairy free.  They did not have anything creative for a gluten free AND dairy free dessert, save rice dream ice cream...plain.  I can't say it's a repeat for us, though if you think those menu items sound good to YOU, then give it a try!  It was nice to have so many options for the entree.




Liberty Tavern 2011 November

During the Food and Wine Fest, we stopped in here for a safe place to get a gluten free, dairy free meal. Once again, this is a very slow spot for ordering food. Wait in line to order, wait for a manager, and continue to stand and wait while your order is prepared. The upside is that they can prepare the food safely, so it is worth the wait.

My daughter had a gluten free (not dairy free) mac and cheese with grapes, and a chocolate chip cookie from French Meadow Bakery.

I opted for a grilled chicken (see below), which comes on a flat bread. Instead, I asked for it to be served on a gluten free bun. They left off the aioli, though I believe it is gluten free and dairy free from reading the ingredients. The chef was uncertain, so she omitted it. We have had the bagged grapes in the past, and they had an odd plastic flavor. This year, they tasted very fresh and good. We enjoyed our grapes and we saved the cookies and brownies for later. Liberty Tavern used to have a help yourself bar for tomatoes and pickles, but this has been removed.

Sunshine Seasons Nov 2011
I stopped for a breakfast snack of potaotes. They were fine, though the serving was very small. They did have other options, such as eggs, fruits, breakfast meats.

Garden Grill Nov 2011
There were ample choices at Garden Grill for our gluten free and dairy free dining needs. The food was delightful. The salad was wonderful, and the turkey, mashed potatoes, and gravy were a treat. We all enjoyed our meal here and we recommend it.above: turkey, steak, mahi, potatoes, gravy, cranberry relish


above, salad, EnerG rolls, olive oil for dipping

Dessert consisted of Rice dream ice cream.




LeCellier Supper 2010 DDPTS (this meal was 1 Table Service Credit at the time we dined here, but I have read that they have increased to 2 Table Service Credit for this establishment.)


I had heard again and again that we needed to try this dining establishment, so I joined those crowds who book 6 months in advance to give it a try. We started with EnerG rolls and an oil sauce for dipping (which I requested...the rolls are a little dull without it).
I loved my salad. It was the highlight of my meal!


Bean enjoyed steak and potatoes. She is a "grown up" on the disney dining plan for the first time this year, which means her dining choices are larger in both selection and portions.








I had salmon with a maple glaze. The maple was too sweet for my taste with the salmon, but it was cooked nicely. My overall consensus was that while this was good, it didn't live up to the hype. I prefer Coral Reef for a sit down dinner at Epcot.

In addition to these great meals, we also dined at the Epcot Food and Wine Festival 2010 (only a little bit there, but it was fun and yummy!)
We ate at Biergarten again and it was delicious, as always! That is a family favorite. LOVE the salads and sides!

Coral Reef Late lunch at Epcot's Aquarium themed restaurant May 2010 DDP1TS








Lunch started with the wonderful atmosphere and beautiful sightings of aquatic life in the larger than life aquarium. We all love the experience of dining at Coral Reef!
The last time we dined here, we had a wonderful garlic infused balsamic dip for our tapioca rolls, but I was informed they no longer have this.
I asked for gluten free/dairy free rolls, anyway, and some olive oil with balsamic vinegar to dip. This was still quite good. For my meal, I ordered a tilapia dish over greens and beans.
It was so good, but VERY salty! I almost thought they may have made a mistake with the salt, but as a salt lover, I managed to eat it without
trouble. This was Bean's last year ordering from the children's menu. She had grilled chicken, steamed broccoli and mashed potatoes. It was very bland looking, but she seemed to like it.
Since she was dining on the Disney dining plan, dessert was included with her meal. They brought her a dairy free ice cream with sprinkles. Another delicious meal at Coral Reef.

Liberty Inn American Section of Epcot Counter service lunch at Epcot 2009



The Food and Wine Festival was in full swing, and I would have loved to partake, but there was nothing to display allergens (hopefully this is something they will add down the road).
So we went to the America quick service restaurant where the food was well noted to be safe. This meal took me about 45 minutes from start to finish to order and receive. That is a long time to stand at a counter service window, and especially if you have hungry children in tow!
Still, they were able to make some hamburgers on gluten free buns, with vegetables, grapes, water bottles and the oh so yummy cookies from French Meadow Bakery (mmm).
Sitting outside on a beautiful day, it was very nice. Just keep in mind that it's best to arrive early and have a backup person to entertain the kids for you while you wait!
I should add, part of the reason for the wait was because there was not a manager on the floor when I arrived. That added some time to the wait. This is out of the ordinary, as there always seems to be someone there promptly. When
he did arrive, he was extremely helpful.

Akerhaus for Breakfast at Epcot - Norway 2008 DDP1TS




We had a fabulous time seeing the princesses at this character meal. A photo shoot was even included with princess Belle. As you can see, we had plenty of food to choose from.
The two people with the same gluten and dairy allergies shared the two plates you see, while the rest of the group ate the regular menu off of a shared platter, family style. We all enjoyed ourselves and we had plenty of choices.
In addition to what is seen, we had a fresh fruit bar, with melons and berries to choose from. It was a fun treat.






Cantina-Mexico for lunch at Epcot 2008 DDP1QS

We were disappointed to find the chips were not gluten free here, as we hoped for a chips, salsa, and avocado snack. Instead we shared a salad. It was fine, but nothing to come back for.




Biergarten - Germany for Supper at Epcot 2008 DDP1TS



We were well taken care of here, yet again. Same foods as last year (scroll down for picture). Above, you can see we had EnerG rolls with olive oil and garlic, gluten free dairy free brownies, and a berry gel dish for dessert. We enjoyed the food and the music.

Coral Reef for Supper at Epcot 2008 DDP1TS













We had a reservation, but we still had to wait aproximately 40 minutes. It was late, and that was a bit upsetting, but even with the delay, this was
voted the favorite group restaurant of our trip. We had a wonderful table in front of the aquarium and the food was delicious. My salmon was prepared almost perfectly with a wonderful vegetable medley. The infused oil and vinegar dip for the rolls was a very nice touch. My daughter's dish was nothing too fancy, but she was still satisfied. I would have preferred she had a salad option or other vegetable choice, but fries is what came out with this one. For dessert we had berries with tofutti. There is some controversy about the vanilla or "e" in this product and if it is or isn't truly gluten free, so you can take that into consideration beforfe ordering. We feel safe with this brand and we truly enjoyed ourselves here.




Biergarten lunch in Epcot World Showcase 2007 DDP1TS




DThis surprised me because I didn't expect to like it. I only booked it because I knew my husband would LOVE it.
Well, it was my favorite meal of the trip! I adored the salads! The red cabbage salad and the tomato onion salad were my favorites.
The fruit gel for dessert was nice. It was a terrific meal. My daughter ate mostly hot dogs (although I am sure they had another name).
We all ended up stuffed! She also had a packaged brownie for dessert.

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