Vegan/Vegetarian Restaurant/Dining Help Thread

I definitely think vegans/veggies will eat faux meats and I'm glad Disney offers them... but I think there is a common thought that people really can't like veggies for veggies sake, and that impacts me. As I said up thread I actually love veggies and want actual plant-based options that don't try to hide what they are and taste like veg. I still will eat chicken and fish if that is the actual healthier (for me) option. If there were a portobello burger or black bean burger, I'd eat it, but if I have to choose between a fish sandwich and a beyond/impossible, then I'd go fish. In short, I just hope they increase all veg options, and not replace with faux meat. I will say that I'm super happy with Satu'li Canteen's options and it looks like SW:GE is going the same way, so I hope they keep on that course for any new add-on's.
 
I don't think it's accurate to say vegan won't eat faux meats ...
I agree and I think there are good reasons why it doesn't make sense to say vegans don't eat faux meats: Burgers don't eat like steaks, chops, or roasts. In my view, burgers and steaks are as similar as mashed potatoes and apples (in other words, not very). Long before I became a vegetarian I stopped eating chicken parts, pork chops, beefsteak and beef roasts because of how those forms of meat reminded me that I was eating animals - how close to primal eating those forms of meat are. (A large cut of beef from which steaks are portioned out is even called a "primal". The word fits.) However, I continued to eat burgers because burgers looked and felt so different from the primal. They were processed beyond recognition, and for me that was enough to at that point. I later stopped eating (beef) burgers not because of any instinctual reaction to doing so, but rather because of an intellectual association I made. I stopped eating burgers for a reason similar to why I stopped drinking bottled water.

The evolving reality is that as much as some might want to define v*ganism as a black-and-white situation it is in reality a spectrum, from the most vegan on one side to the people who eat nothing but meat on the other side, and with a lot of people filling in whatever gaps in between that there might have been in the past.
 
This is exactly why I think parks are offering them, which is part of what I meant about it being a step backwards for some vegetarians. These particular burgers are becoming very popular with non-vegetarians, and that's great. But non-vegetarians already have the lion's share of menu choices in the parks, while the vegetarians & vegan get between 0-2 choices depending on if it is an actual restaurant or just a snack location. So I feel like if the parks are offering the burgers because non-vegetarians have boosted their popularity, then once again the non-vegetarians are being catered to over the vegetarians/vegans. And again, I'm all for more people eating plant-based, but I hope the parks will realize that some vegetarians/vegans will not want to purchase something that so closely resembles meat, and not make these burgers the only plant-based burgers offered.

I can't agree with this more. I would think most vegatarians will not eat food that tastes like meat. I find so few options in the parks as it is. I tend to o live on Mickey pretzels & mac & cheese.
 
Can anyone recommend a good sit down restaurant in Disney Springs. We’ll be 3 omnis and 2 vegans ( but we’ll eat vegetarian at a restaurant if the options are only salad and water, lol )
 


From The Points Guy site


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Disney World recently released a guide catering to folks who follow a plant-based lifestyle — and yes, you really can stick to diets or food restrictions while at The Most Magical Place On Earth, if you so choose. The guide, titled “Plant-Based Cuisine,” is available at all restaurants and quick-service counters in the Magic Kingdom. While some of the items are choices that previously existed, such as fresh seasonal vegetables at Crystal Palace, give Disney — which already has a solid reputation for working with guests with dietary needs — credit for taking it a bit further.

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Skipper Canteen in Adventureland, for example, offers Perkins Thai Noodles with tofu, vegetables and rice noodles tossed in a spicy soy glaze. It also has the Falls Family Falafel, complete with toasted pumpkin seeds. Plant-based meatloaf and sloppy Joes at Liberty Square and Cosmic Ray’s are other choices you wouldn’t expect to find in a theme park. (Not all the plant-based choices fit a strictly vegan diet; you could remove the Gorgonzola cheese from the Wedge Salad at The Plaza.)

On a recent visit, my wife tried the Lighthouse Sandwich at Columbia Harbour House. Served on toasted multigrain bread, it included hummus with tomato and broccoli slaw with a side of potato chips. Columbia Harbour House was the first restaurant we dined at almost 10 years ago when we brought our daughter to Disney World for the first time, and the closest thing to vegan food available back then may have been a pickle alongside a plate of fried food.

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Not all the items on Disney’s plant based menu are a resounding success. Being a bit less healthy (OK, a lot less healthy) than my wife, I contributed to this research project by sampling the Mermaid Donut at Prince Eric’s Village Market. As a guy who’s eaten many, many doughnuts in my day, I found the consistency of the Mermaid Donut … odd. It had a bit of a chewy texture I wasn’t expecting and that was different from other gluten-free doughnuts I’ve sampled.

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The icing was OK, though a bit sweeter than I like. The mermaid tail was just bad (those of us who sampled it took healthy swigs of water afterward). Overall, the taste was completely off, sort of a cross between toothpaste, corn syrup and white chocolate. At a price of almost $6 when you figure in tax, it’s best to let this mermaid swim away and focus your plant-based hunger elsewhere.

However, don’t fret if you are looking for some alternative bakery options at Disney World. Head to the Erin McKenna bakery in Disney Springs to enjoy all sorts of sugary treats that are vegan, kosher and gluten-free — including a variety of doughnuts.

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It isn’t all healthy, but it is allergen friendly. (photo by Lindsey Campbell)
Bottom Line
Disney deserves props for the evolution of its menus in the Magic Kingdom. Salads were hard to find even a few years ago, and the new plant-based menu at many locations now goes far beyond a typical salad. Being vegan in a theme park generally has meant, until now, packing your own food or being pretty hungry. Not only has Disney World broken that code for the Magic Kingdom, the menu makes it easy to track down these items across the parks.

The menus themselves are a brand-new item, so a few of the staff we came in contact with weren’t 100% sure where to locate one. That’s something I would expect Disney to improve upon relatively quickly.

If you’re in a pinch and can’t find a plant-based cuisine guide, you can always rely on my favorite vegan item. Yes, pineapple Dole Whip is vegan. You can bet I’ll be “eating healthier” at Aloha Isle and passing on the Mermaid Donut next time.

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All photos by the author except where indicated.

Ed Pizzarello covers family travel for TPG Family and also blogs at Pizza in Motion. You can find him podcasting at Miles to Go and eating doughnuts on Twitter and Instagram.
 
My 180 days came up this morning & with all this Extra Extra Magic Hours, I had a last minute change of plans.

I actually decided we could do Disney Springs after a 6am HS morning (and after a nap of course) and I actually booked Wine Bar George for dinner. Do any Veges have any experience? The menu looks limited for Vegetarians, but I saw that dole whip moscato and HAD to try it.
 
Looking for recommendations for a hot vegan breakfast. We are staying at Pop and will probably visit MK or Epcot on that day. Table service or buffet restaurant is fine. Anywhere have a good tofu scramble? Thanks.
 


Looking for recommendations for a hot vegan breakfast. We are staying at Pop and will probably visit MK or Epcot on that day. Table service or buffet restaurant is fine. Anywhere have a good tofu scramble? Thanks.
Have you seen the new vegan breakfast at Ohana?
 
Looking for recommendations for a hot vegan breakfast. We are staying at Pop and will probably visit MK or Epcot on that day. Table service or buffet restaurant is fine. Anywhere have a good tofu scramble? Thanks.

Pop should have vegan waffles (but it's a request, you won't see it listed on the board I don't think), and should have fruit and maybe potatoes that would go with it. I had a vegan breakfast wrap at Sunshine Seasons in EPCOT. I've not seen a tofu scramble at Pop, I have recently read though that "JUST Egg" is starting to appear at different hotels, so there may be a chance of that being available at different spots as well.

ETA: Here is the ingredients for the wrap: Wild Rice, Sweet Potatoes, Blueberries, Avocado, and Tofu. It was good, not fantastic, but did the trick.
 
This is such a fantastic idea, especially since I have recommitted myself completely as a vegan a short while ago (not going back this time, I am in it for good). My husband is vegetarian, but still eats vegan most of the time.

I'll be travelling with another vegan couple in the fall, so I'm really excited that we'll have three vegans with us! Now, when I contacted the Disney Dietary Hotline via e-mail, I was really curious about a couple things.

- Could the smoothies at any of the restaurants offering them be made without the dairy?
- Does the Saratoga Springs Resort offer any vegan entrees? There weren't any listed on the menu.

I got a very helpful e-mail back, and I received a yes for both inquiries.

The biggest frustration I had when I attempted to do an entire vegan week in Disney was being met with less than cooperative chefs and wait staff. Some seemed to be kind of put out by it, and even disgruntled. The vegan couple that I'll be doing Disney with this fall recently just returned from their vegan honeymoon, and said that their biggest issue was having less than enthused wait staff tell them that they didn't have anything, or they couldn't make something vegan.

What should you do if you're met with less than cooperative wait staff? I can become easily intimidated, because I dislike bringing attention to myself, but I don't want to compromise my lifestyle. What do you do if you're met with those unwilling to help you out?

(Thanks for this thread, awesome!)
Love this! Thank you!!
 
Can anyone recommend a good sit down restaurant in Disney Springs. We’ll be 3 omnis and 2 vegans ( but we’ll eat vegetarian at a restaurant if the options are only salad and water, lol )

The Edison serves the Impossible Burger. I've never been but have heard it's very good :)
 
I saw an avowed carnivore on YouTube review it this past weekend. It was hilarious how hard he was trying to hate it. He finally grudgingly accepted that it was good - not a perfect reproduction of meat, of course (he was reviewing the 1.0 version of the burger).
 
I am looking for vegetarian options for my wife, she is the only one, but would love to find something good for her. Is there a way to find the best vegetarian food listed and ranked somewhere by each park and or resort?
 
How have I never seen that Plant Based menu before? I was just there! That's awesome.
 

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