Vegan/Vegetarian Restaurant/Dining Help Thread

[DaymanX]

The CS restaurant (I think it's called Restaurantosaurus) at AK near Dinosaur: Countdown to Extinction has a pretty good veggie sandwich. Pretty great condiment bar as well.

 

[disneyholic family]

i didn't check in advance to find out if TJ would be at 1900 last night..
actually, i'd completely forgotten about it..

but we lucked out!!!!!!

they said the chef would come to our table and there he was...
the man himself! TJ!!

everything that's been said about him doesn't come close to how incredible he is!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

preparing the most amazing delicacies you can imagine..

and this was on a night when 1900 was way oversold (they usually get no shows but they didn't last night)...

anyway, TJ is amazing..actually he's a god!!!! he's that good....actually better than that...

no words to describe him..

unfortunately we forgot our camera, so i ran and bought one of those kodak disposables....i'll develop the film when we get home and try to scan and upload....but it will take a while..

one question - i really felt like we should tip him...but he's a chef, so we decided we shouldn't tip him....that it wouldn't be appropriate....
but we still feel like we should have tipped him..

does anyone know what's appropriate? Should we have tipped him?
i could go back there on a night he's there to tip him....
what's appropriate? tip or no tip????????????????????????????????

 

[disneyfav4ever]

The CS restaurant (I think it's called Restaurantosaurus) at AK near Dinosaur: Countdown to Extinction has a pretty good veggie sandwich. Pretty great condiment bar as well.

Thanks, I always passed that restaurant by before cause I always figured it was just burgers, but I'll have to check it out.

 

[DaymanX]

i didn't check in advance to find out if TJ would be at 1900 last night..
actually, i'd completely forgotten about it..

but we lucked out!!!!!!

they said the chef would come to our table and there he was...
the man himself! TJ!!

everything that's been said about him doesn't come close to how incredible he is!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

preparing the most amazing delicacies you can imagine..

and this was on a night when 1900 was way oversold (they usually get no shows but they didn't last night)...

anyway, TJ is amazing..actually he's a god!!!! he's that good....actually better than that...

no words to describe him..

unfortunately we forgot our camera, so i ran and bought one of those kodak disposables....i'll develop the film when we get home and try to scan and upload....but it will take a while..

one question - i really felt like we should tip him...but he's a chef, so we decided we shouldn't tip him....that it wouldn't be appropriate....
but we still feel like we should have tipped him..

does anyone know what's appropriate? Should we have tipped him?
i could go back there on a night he's there to tip him....
what's appropriate? tip or no tip????????????????????????????????

Congrats! Sounds awesome!

I'm going to try to call ahead to see if TJ is working at 1900 when I'm at WDW.

I'll also ask when I check in for our ADR. If he's not working, it's cool to just leave with no penalty, right?

 

[KJay]

to disneyholic family-

Glad to hear your meal was so incredible! I hope I get to try something he's created!

And no- you do not/should not/cannot tip the chef.

 

[Li-sa]

We thanked chef TJ for our meal in person and also asked our server to send our compliments to the chef.

 

[disneyholic family]

to disneyholic family-

Glad to hear your meal was so incredible! I hope I get to try something he's created!

And no- you do not/should not/cannot tip the chef.

thanks! that's what we thought...
that it would be insulting to try to tip him..

he was so wonderful it was amazing...
he kept coming back to the table to check on us...

and it was such a crazy night at 1900.....so oversold that we had to wait an hour and a half to get a table....the place was a complete zoo..

but still TJ kept coming out to us to check on us and bring more food...

and at the end - we were the second to last table left, he came out again just to say bye to us.....we took a zillion pictures with him....i hope that kodak disposable camera works....been years since we used a film camera!

 

[cherylp3]

you can write a letter to disney though, it will go in his file if they give promotions,etc..

 

[Vegcentric]

Just got back from Disney this week and...well we ate at a LOT of places! I don't think I'll be doing a full blown review this time because that was just too much work last time and I don't have that kind of times on my hands anymore, but I would like to touch on some of the ups and downs:

- The chocolate chip cookie sandwiches over at Babycakes were AMAZING. If I could, I would have eaten five of them. They were delicious and you must go get one.

- The veggie burgers at Fresh-A-Peel (the place that shares space with Babycakes and that chicken place) are very, very tasty. They are not vegan, and even if you left off the cheese I still don't know if they are vegan, but they are vegetarian and tasty. They also have a 3 bean vegetarian chili that wasn't bad, either.

- We were very underwhelmed by the Hollywood Brown Derby. I had seen some so-so reviews of the place in the past, but that noodle bowl was not worth $24. The tofu, while tasty, was waaaay too small and the bowl itself had very little flavor. I am confident I could have made something tastier at home.

- Crystal Palace buffet was VERY vegetarian and even vegan friendly. Lots of good stuff here, I highly recommend it.

 

[Li-sa]

Thought I'd post a bit of my blog review here, in case it helps anyone...if anyone else blogs about Disney-related stuff, please pop along and link up here (linky at the bottom of this post): http://wedonteatanythingwithaface.blogspot.com/2011/08/vegetarian-dining-in-disney-world-part.html

Our favourite places to eat in Disney World (on DDP) were:

Table Service

• Tusker House, Animal Kingdom - African/Asian buffet with lots of salads, rice, vegetable samosas, fresh fruit etc.
• Boma, Animal Kingdom Lodge - African buffet with lots of hot and cold vegetarian options. Dishes are generally sweet in taste with cinnamon, mild spices and dried fruits.
• Wolfgang Puck Cafe, Downtown Disney - Italian/American with several vegetarian pasta options, plus the offer of making omitting meat from a couple of other dishes.
• Raglan Road, Downtown Disney - Irish pub food which serves real chips (not fries!) and fabulous desserts.
• Sanaa, Animal Kingdom Villas - South Asian/Indian food with a good choice for vegetarians and vegans. Dishes are quite spicy, so might not appeal to children.
• Hacienda, Epcot - Mexican with a separate vegetarian menu including 4 main courses (you need to ask for this as it's not on display).
• Cape May, Boardwalk/Crystal Palace, Magic Kingdom character breakfasts - Similar foods available at both with plenty of delicious pastries, breads, waffles and fresh fruits.
• Crystal Palace, Magic Kingdom lunch/dinner - Lots of tasty salads, fruits, pasta and desserts. Limited vegetarian hot food.
• 1900 Park Fare, Grand Floridian - Great for characters and to sneak a peak at the Grand Floridian Hotel, but generally quite limited vegetarian options (pasta, salads, fruit and vegetarian sushi). Fantastic food if chef TJ is working there.

Counter Service
We weren't particularly impressed with the quick service options available, as the vegetarian options were often limited to one choice. We were very glad that we only got one counter service (CS) meal each day on our dining plan. The quick service dining plan (QSDP) includes 2 CS meals plus 2 snacks per day, which really wouldn't have suited us.

Our favourite CS locations were:

• Earl of Sandwich, Downtown Disney - Sandwiches, wraps and salads with a few vegetarian options.
• Wolfgang Puck Express, Downtown Disney - Vegetarian pasta and flat breads/pizza available.
• Restaurantosaurus, Animal Kingdom - only one vegetarian option (veggie sub with sweet potato fries) but it tasted good and there was a toppings bar available.
• Boulangerie Patisserie, Epcot (cheese tartine) / Main Street Bakery, Magic Kingdom (mozzerella and tomato focaccia roll) - again limited vegetarian savoury options but great pastries!
• La Cantina de San Angel, Epcot - one vegetarian option (cheese empanadas) but it was tasty and filling.

Boma Buffet

Tusker House Buffet

 

[coltsfanatic]

So I keep thinking of little questions-no big deal but I'd love to know answers.

LTT veggie pot pie-is it vegan?

GF Cafe orrechettie vegetarian pasta-what's it like?

WP Cafe the cafe-can they make a vegan pizza? veggie spring rolls vegan?

Thanks for ALL of the help!!

 

[Vegcentric]

So I keep thinking of little questions-no big deal but I'd love to know answers.

LTT veggie pot pie-is it vegan?

GF Cafe orrechettie vegetarian pasta-what's it like?

WP Cafe the cafe-can they make a vegan pizza? veggie spring rolls vegan?

Thanks for ALL of the help!!

According to someone in this thread earlier, the pot pie at LTT is vegan. It's also extremely delicious and huge so make sure you're hungry!

 

[MamaPotts]

WP Cafe the cafe-can they make a vegan pizza? veggie spring rolls vegan?

I can't speak to the Cafe, but last summer we ate at Wolfgang Puck Express and the pizza was out... either because the sauce or the crust had cheese. BTW, it was not a good experience (their idea of beans was green beans ) and, unfortunately, turned out to be the worst meal of our 10-day trip.

 

[coltsfanatic]

Sounds great! Will have to try!

Aww..sorry your experience at WP Cafe was bad. Why can't they be more accomodating?!

Thanks for the replies!

 

[tmm09]

I just returned from Disney yesterday. I had mostly good experiences at the restaurants, which was very nice!

Our first night there, we had dinner ressies at 1900 Park Fare. Chef Robbie was working and he was the least accomodating of all the chefs I encountered. I had indicated a milk/dairy/egg allergy on my ressie and then I told Chef Robbie that I also do not eat meat. He took me through the buffet and pointed out all of the "safe" items, which included many meat options that were dairy/egg free. Frustrating. He said for dessert he'd give me some Divvies, but he forgot and I had to ask my server for those.

At Biergarten, the chef was VERY nice. He made me a rice/bean patty (2 of them) and took me through the buffet to see what else was available. I had plenty to eat here. He also gave me cookies and allergy free chocolate bars (which I couldn't really take with me in the 100 degree heat!).

At Tusker House, the chef made me vegan waffles and a beautiful plate of fruit. I was also give two choices of silk soy milk for coffee or cereal. The server and chef were very helpful here, too.

At Sanaa, they had a "dairy-free" menu. The chef said he gave it a quick glance and didn't see any egg products, so I just ordered the meat free options and was safe. The chef said he'd review my order to make sure it was dairy/egg free. I LOVED this restaurant and the food. Unfortunately, they were out of tofutti that night, but they did have raspberry sorbet...I just don't like raspberry sorbet! I was stuffed anyway, so I was not disappointed!

At Boma, I had a few options, but I was surprised at the amount of items that included butter (couscous??). Their "allergy specialist" showed me around and made sure I had Divvies and Tofutti for dessert. Very good food here, too.

We also went to Paradiso 37 at DTD and Earl of Sandwich another night. Both had veganizable options, so I didn't starve! Paradiso 37 had a really good salad that I was able to switch beans in for chicken.

CS in the parks was ok, too. Some of the items took longer, though. For example, at Pizza Planet, they have a vegan pizza, but it took a lot longer to make and it held up my whole party's order, which they said it would not.

Overall, I was happy. I ate pretty healthy and didn't have to eat plain salads all week.

I think the "allergy" designation helped, though. I'm not sure how accomodating they are for "vegan." Oh well, now I know what is available!

 

[danijake]

I am going to start booking my reservations. What might be the best option for dinner at Epcot? The places I'm interested in going to are: Rose and Crown (was there years ago, and they had a yummy vegan curry), Les Chefs de France, Via Napoli and Tutto Italia.

Thanks in advance.

 

[ls15]

Hey guys!

I am in the middle of booking my ADRs and need some ideas! I posted this as its own thread but thought I might get some other input here.

I am a vegan and a celiac. My mom has some food allergies but they are always very accommodating. So I'm not worried about those, but as long as somewhere has a good chef, they can make a good vegan meal.

We're staying for 2 weeks so we have a lot of room. So far, we have:
Dinner: Boma, Sanaa, Kouzzina, Citricos, 1900 Park Fare, La Hacienda.
Breakfast: Boma, Kouzzina

We are looking to add the following:
- I would love somewhere that does good vegetarian sushi, along with other choices. Would Kona Cafe be the best option? It looks delicious.
- We want to do a Dinner Show. Are any vegetarian/vegan friendly? It really doesn't seem like it!
- We are thinking of Brown Derby or Hollywood and Vine - either of those good ones?
- Are there any other fun meals, like the Sci-Fi place, that you'd recommend?

We do not want to eat at Jiko, California Grill, Boatwrights, 50s Prime Time or Tusker House. Those we ate at last year.

Thank you!!!

 

[Teresa Pitman]

You can get a vegan meal (and I'm sure gluten-free, too, if you ask) at the dinner shows. We did Hoop-dee-doo for the first time a couple of years ago and I had no problems getting a vegan meal. Let them know when you book.

I've generally had good experiences at the Brown Derby. We went to Hollywood and Vine for breakfast once and I was so frustrated because there was almost nothing on the buffet I could eat; the chef finally brought me some food from the lunch menu. If you are not going for breakfast it will probably be fine.

I think you have some great choices there! If you are looking for another place, I really like Narcoosee's. The vegan meals I've had there were beautifully presented and very tasty.

For danijake, if you are vegetarian, you'll probably be fine at any of those restaurants, but if you're vegan I think your best option is Rose and Crown.

Teresa

 

[ls15]

Thanks Teresa! Do you remember what you had at the Hoop-Dee-Doo? DId you like the dinner show in general? I'm not sure which to choose, between that and Aloha.

Just booked Narcoosee's! Looks great, and my mom did say she wanted lobster one day, so she'll be pleased!

 

[Teresa Pitman]

The only thing I remember about my meal at Hoop-dee-doo was that I had a big bowl of fruit for dessert, and ended up sharing it with my grandkids because they liked it better than the strawberry shortcake they were given! I think it was a vegetable stirfry. Nothing spectacular, but okay.

I did enjoy the show - it was lots of fun. Just the kind of corny humour you'd expect, and lots of audience participation.

I've also been to the Aloha show at the Polynesian. The food there is a buffet, and they did have vegan options, but unfortunately I ended up really sick after that meal. I have a shellfish allergy, and there must have been some cross-contamination because I had a serious reaction (epi pen to the rescue). That was quite a few years ago but I haven't been back. If I did go back, I'd ask to have a separate meal prepared in the kitchen. That show is also good, but very different, so it depends on what you enjoy. For me, the Hoop-dee-doo show was better and more entertaining, but I'm sure there are plenty of people who feel the other way.

Teresa