Best Restaurants TS and QS for food allergies (especially for those not in the top 8)

[lillykat]

So my DD(13) had anaphylactic reaction to something she ate the other night. She didn't eat anything new so we are unsure what she reacted to. She is now very nervous about eating out and of course our trip. She had minor allergies when she was little but nothing serious. I have started researching and she is getting tested soon but I think it might not be a straightforward top 8 allergen, but even if it is I understand some restaurants are easier and less problematic than others. Can anyone tell me which restaurants they have found in the parks and at the Contemporary that are the best for food allergies, especially if they are out of the norm. Which should we avoid or be super careful with? My kids were hoping to do some meals at Epcot, San Angel inn (they love sitting by the water to watch the boats), Chefs de France, Teppen Edo, Sci Fi drive in, maybe Crystal palace, liberty tree or Plaza restaurant, Yak and yeti. I am trying to do one sit down a day to limit our QS as I understand QS is more problematic than table service. We are going in June so i have some time before our 60 day window. If these places are not good which do people suggest that are better with food allergies. Is there any QS that we should make sure to avoid? It might be that she has a top 8 allergy but she has had issues before (not anaphylaxis) and testing hasn't turned up anything, and we are told maybe a sensitivity, but after the other night we are told she definitely has a food allergy.

 

[ConnMan]

We have one tree nut and one peanut allergy in our group. When we travelled prior to COVID we found that (almost without exception) all of the restaurants we went to were great with allergies. At several restaurants the chef came out to chat with us. Ohana even had a special "allergy" chef dedicated to helping with allergic diners. On a grand scale, we found WDW to be exceptional in its attention to detail on allergies. If you note it on your reservation and remind the cast member when you check in, you should be well taken care of. The only issue we had was at one fireworks party where the staff appeared very uninformed (as did a chef, surprisingly) about how to accommodate our allergies. We ended up leaving that party and getting a refund. It was weird because we had done a different dessert party earlier in the week and the chef personally walked our allergic diners around the spread of food to let them know what was safe and what was not...and also offered to fix them allergen-free versions of the unsafe items if he could. It was spectacular.

Perhaps the single best moment of our trip was our first full morning we went to Be Our Guest for breakfast. My peanut allergic DD (10) misses out on so many pastries because of her allergy and the risk of cross contamination and she NEVER complains. But at Be Our Guest (and other places we came to found out after) they placed an entire plate of pastries in front of her, told her they were peanut-free, and said she didn't have to share with anyone if she didn't want to. Our tree nut allergic diner got a separate plate all to herself, too. The look on my DD's face is something I'll never forget and made my trip.

If you have any concerns, Disney has a special phone number you can also contact with diet/allergen issues that we found very, very helpful.

 

[lillykat]

We have one tree nut and one peanut allergy in our group. When we travelled prior to COVID we found that (almost without exception) all of the restaurants we went to were great with allergies. At several restaurants the chef came out to chat with us. Ohana even had a special "allergy" chef dedicated to helping with allergic diners. On a grand scale, we found WDW to be exceptional in its attention to detail on allergies. If you note it on your reservation and remind the cast member when you check in, you should be well taken care of. The only issue we had was at one fireworks party where the staff appeared very uninformed (as did a chef, surprisingly) about how to accommodate our allergies. We ended up leaving that party and getting a refund. It was weird because we had done a different dessert party earlier in the week and the chef personally walked our allergic diners around the spread of food to let them know what was safe and what was not...and also offered to fix them allergen-free versions of the unsafe items if he could. It was spectacular.

Perhaps the single best moment of our trip was our first full morning we went to Be Our Guest for breakfast. My peanut allergic DD (10) misses out on so many pastries because of her allergy and the risk of cross contamination and she NEVER complains. But at Be Our Guest (and other places we came to found out after) they placed an entire plate of pastries in front of her, told her they were peanut-free, and said she didn't have to share with anyone if she didn't want to. Our tree nut allergic diner got a separate plate all to herself, too. The look on my DD's face is something I'll never forget and made my trip.

If you have any concerns, Disney has a special phone number you can also contact with diet/allergen issues that we found very, very helpful.

Thank you! She had minor allergies as a young child. But at worst we are talking a few hives or some itching. While some places were great, others not so much. But to be honest they were straightforward like chocolate, dairy (but only like cheese, ice cream, glass of milk, she was ok with thing milk was baked with), strawberries and oranges. I wasn't very concerned. This however was very different. She had a severe reaction the ER said was a 4 system anaphylaxis response to whatever she ate. So I am much more concerned, and she is very nervous about going. I guess reading some of the past comments made me a bit nervous that we should avoid some places or stick with others. I an also concerned it won't be a typical allergy as she is that out of the box type of kid and nothing she ate that night is new to her.

 

[ConnMan]

It is definitely scary when there is an anaphylactic reaction. Sorry you had to go through that! I hope they are able to figure it out for you quickly. Our DD had an anaphylactic reaction to peanuts when she was 2 (over 9 years ago) and it is still very vivd in my mind...very scary indeed.

It is never "easy" to dine out with these kind of allergies, that is for sure. But we found that Disney in general was very good about it. Table service/sit down meals we ate at that took real good care of us were: Hoop De Doo, Ohana, Trattoria al Forno (breakfast), Be Our Guest (breakfast), Yak & Yeti, and Raglan Road. The Frozen Ever After Desert Party was also very good in this regard.

For Quick Service meals we used mobile order where available. Most of the menus had the ability to order from the allergy menu. We always made sure to double check with the cast member before picking up our food that it was allergy free. I'm not sure if that is still possible with the new COVID protocols in place, but would imagine it is. Someone who has been more recently than we have will hopefully chime in.

The only bad experience we had was at the Tomorrowland Terrance Desert Party as I described above. We were there the night of 3/15/20 (the parks closed down the next day due to COVID) so perhaps they were less prepared than normal because they were dealing with the impending shut down. Who know. I I had read from several others about great experiences there with their allergies so I was very surprised.

I don't want to tell you to relax...because you never can relax with an anaphylactic allergy...but Disney is very much on top of it from our experience. They went out of their way, above and beyond in most cases, to make us feel safe.

 

[CynBeth]

I have family members with food allergies and when we visit pretty much eat all 3 meals at TS. Our last trip was prior to COVID and certain things have probably changed but Disney is so great. They have to stay away from anything too exotic due to the spices so except for that can eat pretty much anywhere including buffets and dinner shows. I know they don’t have them now but something to keep in mind for future trips. Of your list love Chefs de France. We find the food at Sci Fi just ok would recommend dinner at 50’s Prime Time Cafe. We love BOG or Tony’s dinner at MK. At AK we always have lunch at Rainforest Cafe. At Epcot we also really like Coral Reef, Tutto Italia, and Le Cellier.

 

[TwoMisfits]

So my DD(13) had anaphylactic reaction to something she ate the other night. She didn't eat anything new so we are unsure what she reacted to. She is now very nervous about eating out and of course our trip. She had minor allergies when she was little but nothing serious. I have started researching and she is getting tested soon but I think it might not be a straightforward top 8 allergen, but even if it is I understand some restaurants are easier and less problematic than others. Can anyone tell me which restaurants they have found in the parks and at the Contemporary that are the best for food allergies, especially if they are out of the norm. Which should we avoid or be super careful with? My kids were hoping to do some meals at Epcot, San Angel inn (they love sitting by the water to watch the boats), Chefs de France, Teppen Edo, Sci Fi drive in, maybe Crystal palace, liberty tree or Plaza restaurant, Yak and yeti. I am trying to do one sit down a day to limit our QS as I understand QS is more problematic than table service. We are going in June so i have some time before our 60 day window. If these places are not good which do people suggest that are better with food allergies. Is there any QS that we should make sure to avoid? It might be that she has a top 8 allergy but she has had issues before (not anaphylaxis) and testing hasn't turned up anything, and we are told maybe a sensitivity, but after the other night we are told she definitely has a food allergy.

While I have developed adult food allergies which were severe and out of nowhere (I had an illness, and it kicked in right after the illness), I have also had my kid display severe allergy symptoms to a food she turned out not to be allergic to, but to which the food manufacturer probably "contaminated" the container (in her case, it was yogurt).

So, I would write down everything your DD ate that night, including the manufacturer, and go forward avoiding all of it, unless she's already eaten some of the items since without issue (like she had gluten as part of the meal, but has had bread since). Then you've narrowed down the possibilities.

And one thing to know - my allergist said testing isn't perfect (especially for food allergies - thus, why many like the possibilities narrowed down before testing), so you may or may not get an exact answer through testing, but you do know what the meal was.

 

[lillykat]

I have family members with food allergies and when we visit pretty much eat all 3 meals at TS. Our last trip was prior to COVID and certain things have probably changed but Disney is so great. They have to stay away from anything too exotic due to the spices so except for that can eat pretty much anywhere including buffets and dinner shows. I know they don’t have them now but something to keep in mind for future trips. Of your list love Chefs de France. We find the food at Sci Fi just ok would recommend dinner at 50’s Prime Time Cafe. We love BOG or Tony’s dinner at MK. At AK we always have lunch at Rainforest Cafe. At Epcot we also really like Coral Reef, Tutto Italia, and Le Cellier.

Thank you! Glad to hear Chefs de france has been ok. As far as sci fi we eat there on every trip my kids love eating in the cars watching the clips. Unfortunately I have tried to get them to 50s prime time but they are never interested as they don't eat most of the food on the menu. We have never been to Tony's will check out the menu. We also haven't been to Coral Reef since they were babies so I will see if they are interested in any of the items there.

 

[lillykat]

While I have developed adult food allergies which were severe and out of nowhere (I had an illness, and it kicked in right after the illness), I have also had my kid display severe allergy symptoms to a food she turned out not to be allergic to, but to which the food manufacturer probably "contaminated" the container (in her case, it was yogurt).

So, I would write down everything your DD ate that night, including the manufacturer, and go forward avoiding all of it, unless she's already eaten some of the items since without issue (like she had gluten as part of the meal, but has had bread since). Then you've narrowed down the possibilities.

And one thing to know - my allergist said testing isn't perfect (especially for food allergies - thus, why many like the possibilities narrowed down before testing), so you may or may not get an exact answer through testing, but you do know what the meal was.

Unfortunately she had to be picked up yesterday from school after lunch from something she ate. She did get lunch at school but we were told as long as it was something she ate on a regular basis it should be ok. She had a sandwich that she eats 2-4 days a week since September. The only common theme is wheat, but the allergist didn't think that was it as she has eaten wheat all year, and had bread and waffles over the weekend that contained wheat with no issue. The allergist yesterday said every meal will be a roll of the dice until we can test her. They said she should have had the epi yesterday but I will say yesterday was no where near as bad on Thursday. The nurse at school said it might be a cross contamination as they don't change their gloves. But nothing on the school lunch list jumps out as something she might have an issue with. I will call the school and see if maybe their pannini bread brand or they might think of something.

 

[TwoMisfits]

Unfortunately she had to be picked up yesterday from school after lunch from something she ate. She did get lunch at school but we were told as long as it was something she ate on a regular basis it should be ok. She had a sandwich that she eats 2-4 days a week since September. The only common theme is wheat, but the allergist didn't think that was it as she has eaten wheat all year, and had bread and waffles over the weekend that contained wheat with no issue. The allergist yesterday said every meal will be a roll of the dice until we can test her. They said she should have had the epi yesterday but I will say yesterday was no where near as bad on Thursday. The nurse at school said it might be a cross contamination as they don't change their gloves. But nothing on the school lunch list jumps out as something she might have an issue with. I will call the school and see if maybe their pannini bread brand or they might think of something.

Did she have anything other than the sandwich (a chip bag? a cookie bag? a yogurt? a gatorade? - I ask the last b/c my oldest brother also had a "mimicked" allergy reaction to a contaminated gatorade bottle, so drinks are also possible).

 

[lillykat]

Did she have anything other than the sandwich (a chip bag? a cookie bag? a yogurt? a gatorade? - I ask the last b/c my oldest brother also had a "mimicked" allergy reaction to a contaminated gatorade bottle, so drinks are also possible).

No, she did have chocolate milk drank with a straw from home (she has it every single day) and water in her swell we sent from home. Nothing else. I do pack cheese its or pretzels but she did not eat them everyday and didn't yesterday. She does order the fruit of the day which turned out to be apple sauce and she said she did not open the container and didn't eat it. She normally just gets the sandwich and the milk, and the fruit of the day which she only sometimes eats. But again she does so almost every single day. We order for the week on an app and they prepare it and bring it to the classroom she eats in. She has eaten almost every single item on the list but the turkey and the veggie burger. But they have been on the menu every day since September. The only thing the nurses could think of at school was possibly a cross contamination, but without knowing to what it makes it very difficult to know. Very frustrating. She went to school with hard boil egg, pretzel and cheese stick today. Hoping no reaction to those item as she does eat all of them, but she ate the sandwich and the milk too. PA told her that she was facinating.

 

[Random Ninja]

I have multiple allergies, some in the Top 8 and several that are not. 3 of mine are airborne anaphylactic so I can have a reaction without even eating them. Many of my allergies were mild as a kid and then blew up as a teen or adult. My allergist said that allergies can change because of hormones and are rarely to new foods. Allergies that pop up later are usually to foods that the person’s been eating forever. Make sure you keep an extensive diary of what she is eating so it can be cross referenced. That’s how we figured out my tapioca allergy since it’s not on the standard tests.

The best restaurants are really going to depend on the allergen as some are better than others depending on what ingredients the chefs can access. Pretty much everywhere will be able to make a plain protein and steamed veggie. If it turns out to be a common allergen, the QS restaurants in the park have allergy menus on the app.