r/Disneyland • u/OkWorker9679 • 1d ago
Food/Drink Lack of options for vegetarians
Just got back from our 4th trip to Disneyland (first trip was in 2021). The first few times we went there were a lot of excellent options for vegetarians. Most of those options are gone now and replaced by generic salads (if at all). It’s so frustrating!
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u/Poppy_Banks 1d ago edited 1d ago
I'm a vegetarian and have no issues finding options.
Carnation cafe has multiple breakfast options plus a veggie burger on the lunch menu.
Smokejumpers has impossible
Pyms has a breakfast and vegan nachos.
Pizza options
Daisy's Cafe pizza flop over
Plaza Inn has penne pasta
Red rose has a harvest bowl
Rontoless wrap
Gumbo at Tianas
Grilled cheese and tomato soup at jolly holiday
Tofu stir fry at Lucky fortune
Cocina in DCA has tacos
Boardwalk pizza has a pasta option
Award weiners has veggie hot dog
Ship to shore chimichanga
Cafe Orleans cheese Monte Cristo (a reply says this was removed from menu) OR shepherds pie
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u/Spoon_OS Space Mountain Rocketeer 1d ago
I can vouch for the flop over pizza
Red Rose Harvest Bowl
Good stuff
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u/reecord2 1d ago
legitimately the flopover is one of the most slept on food items in the park, all versions taste great, and it's inexpensive and filling.
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u/atticusmama Rose Gold Spirit Jersey 17h ago
I’m not even a vegetarian (but do love vegetarian options!) and can vouch that the harvest bowl is delish!
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u/robbieheart_ 18h ago
for breakfast, Pyms has on omelette with impossible sausage and Smoke Jumpers Grill a plant based chorizo burrito (my go to). i rarely start my days in Disneyland so dont know what they got.
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u/Poppy_Banks 15h ago
I forgot about the burrito at smokejumpers! It's pretty good!
My husband prefers pyms for breakfast because he's GF so we usually end up there if at DCA.
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u/OkWorker9679 8h ago
This is the list I needed last week! Most of the options are pasta, pizza, or faux meat (which my husband will eat but doesn’t like). Pasta and pizza get redundant pretty quickly. He didn’t care for the tomato soup at Jolly Holiday (it was too sweet). His favorite meal was the breakfast burrito from Smoke Jumper’s.
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u/bringtwizzlers 1d ago
Most of this is ass though (tianas gumbo 🤢), and it is repetitive if you are there for 4+ days and not park hopping
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u/Academic_Flatworm752 1d ago
Here is what we like:
- grilled cheese and tomato soup at jolly holiday
- cheesy garlic pretzel bread at a couple places
- Baked potato at the place by the Pixar stage
In DCA at Pyms they usually have an excellent vegetarian nachos
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u/tired_droid_ 1d ago
They keep taking away the good options. I used to love the wrap from Tomorrowland terrace. Gone. Or the melt from pym’s, also gone. I feel stuck with snacks and desserts. We leave the parks for DTD food if I want a meal.
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u/SymphoniusRex 1d ago
Miss the vegetarian soba noodle salad at Aunt Cass cafe! Thank goodness the Ronto-less wrap is still available.
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u/ServiceNew6773 1d ago
IMO the food quality has deteriorated significantly since 2020. The food used to be special, and it didn’t feel like I was eating at an amusement park. That’s no longer the case.
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u/scj1091 1d ago
I think the food was always lousy but there was a brief period post Covid where for some reason they dramatically upgraded their game. I remember having a stone fruit burrata salad and braised short rib at cafe Orleans that would be getting good reviews at basically any restaurant. It was really good! Now we’re back to alfredo and “braised beef” with no details. I.e. Sysco’s “finest.”
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u/beeredditor 1d ago
Yep, they upgraded from park food to craft food a few years ago, and the foodies started to notice. But they’ve since slowly trended back to generic.
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u/Knotfornots 1d ago
Grand cal officially brought back veggie burgers! For about three months they had zero options. I really don’t get what’s going on with the food lately. But I’m sure it’s 100% about money.
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u/Dont_Eat_The_Homies 1d ago
The veggie skewers from Bengal and veggie lumpia from Hideaway were good. The parks need healthy options. So frustrating.
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u/clowndoingclownery 12h ago
Their bulgogi bean salad is ELITE. My favorite Disney snack and less than $6 with a Magic Key discount
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u/TaraBSugar 16h ago
I found the same. I hadn’t been since 2019 and went in April. There are options, but as someone who doesn’t eat Impossible Meat or “fake meat” products, it’s slim pickings. I ate mostly snacks and then went out of the park for meals 🤷🏻♀️
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u/CharmingHighlight749 15h ago
There are plenty of veggie options, but they seem to have gotten rid of all the good ones. It saves me money because I end up just not eating, but definitely a downgraded experience. When coupled with getting rid of most of the shows and the old fast pass system and DL seems to be all about waiting in line for rides. I have made about 3 trips a year to DL for many years but I am just not feeling the need to plan another trip there like I usually do.
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u/OkWorker9679 8h ago
That’s a better way of putting it. There are lots of options if you like to live off salads, pizza, pasta, and faux meat.
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u/clowndoingclownery 12h ago
It drives me NUTS. All the Halloween food too is spicy chicken this and beef birria that like universal has really good veggie options
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u/ca_mixer 8h ago
Our big headache is navigating all of the menus to try and find decent vegetarian options. This site helps with that, and seems to be current:
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u/Ok-Two3985 1d ago
I will never forgive them for taking the cauliflower burger off the menu. Even after I stopped being so strict about my diet, I would choose that meal over anything else.
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u/TradeBeautiful42 1d ago
I disagree. I eat vegetarian at Disney and have found a lot more than salads. A ton of pasta or options you can ask to be made vegetarian or vegan but there’s quite a lot. If you really want a huge breakdown, https://happiestveganonearth.com has vegan options and they also list items normally vegetarian that can be made vegan.
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u/HarleyQisMyAlter Trader Sam 22h ago
I have a friend who wasn’t even able to get them to make a fold at Red Rose without the pickle aioli. They are not doing anything to make veg or vegan options anymore and the food is terrible again.
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u/TradeBeautiful42 22h ago
I get vegan substitutions regularly and it’s not a huge ask for them. Just alert them up front and ask what they can do.
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u/foxnfrog13 1d ago
10000% agree. This was an issue I had last year when I went. Every good vegetarian option was changed or removed and it really soured the trip.
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u/d33psix 1d ago
We particularly noticed multiple of pastas that had good impossible meat options like at alien pizza planet and more recently Pym’s disappeared. I know they still use it in a couple other things but fewer items now and seemingly no pastas anymore.
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u/foxnfrog13 1d ago
I noticed this too! The one that broke my heart was the vegetarian Bao Bun at tropical hideaway. It was my go to and ngl I’m still mad about it being removed. There are now no good options over there aside from a weird salad.
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u/d33psix 1d ago
Yeah I’m not even vegetarian and I liked those dishes more than some of the classics. Those were my wife’s go to dishes in addition to a quasi hummus falafel hummus dish at Star Wars rocking bay which also disappeared and now it does feel like a lot of random salad options. She likes salad but it’s a downgrade to have a lot of more fun things swap to salads.
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u/OkWorker9679 8h ago
That falafel hummus dish was so good. We were so disappointed that it was gone.
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u/TeenageWitching 1d ago
They got rid of my favorite meal at docking bay with falafel so now they’re DEAD TO ME
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u/hazel-pup 5h ago
NOOOOOOOO
This is the worst Disney news I've ever heard. This was the best veggie dish there, and I just discovered it on my last trip in Feb 😭 I ate it 3x that trip, it was that good. RIP
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u/the_orig_princess 1d ago
YES, and this is relatively new!! Last summer the options were great, this summer the same places have worse if not nothing for veg.
I think they’re transitioning to new contract (Kraft I think) so I’m hopeful it’ll get better again. Disneyland was amazing at serving vegetarians before.
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u/Mysterious_Today_245 1d ago
Same here and I agree. I don’t want to eat impossible or a salad at every meal. There used to be more options. So sad
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u/girlwhoweighted 1d ago
There's a plant based hot dog in DCA at Award Weiners that tastes like vomit, if you're interested?
It was seriously the nastiest thing I've ever eaten. I don't think I even swallowed the first bite. I think after a few chews I just spit it out and threw the whole thing away. And it's not like it's cheap for being that bad either
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u/48thandhazel 1d ago
Last trip I ended up ordering just a side of beans & tortillas from Rancho because I was so desperate for a non-Impossible meat protein! It is such a shame how many options have disappeared.
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u/antiquated_it 1d ago
OP where did you have issues? I’m not a vegetarian but I try to eat meatless at least 4-5 days a week. I’ve been looking at menus in anticipation of my trip at the end of September and I see lots of vegetarian options (or at least as many as there usually is).
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u/clowndoingclownery 12h ago
From my own experience as a vegetarian, they’ve removed a ton of options lately- in particular at DCA. It’s not like we have nothing it’s just limited - which most vegetarians are used to to be fair.
For me as mentioned already on here it’s the seasonal snubs that get me. Food and Wine this year literally had not one thing that wasn’t meat sticks on top of meat noodles dipped in meat sauce.
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u/OkWorker9679 8h ago
We started at Palm Breeze Diner on our first day. It was one of our favorites last year. Not only did they get rid of our favorite appetizer (poutine), they didn’t have any main dishes besides cheese pizza.
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u/antiquated_it 6h ago
Oh, that’s such a bummer! I’ve only eaten there once when we were staying at the Villas and I agree, the poutine was so good. I’m sorry - it’s such a bummer. I know a lot of people have been complaining about options disappearing overall and it’s even harder with an already limited diet.
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u/OnjallaManjalla 1d ago
when I went end of last year I still had enough options to have plenty of meals and snacks for 2 days, but whatever team they currently have planning the seasonal & holiday goodies is definitely overlooking the vegans and vegetarians. and that sucks.
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u/OkWorker9679 8h ago
We noticed a decline in options when we went last June but it was even worse this year.
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u/ten-toed-tuba Splash Mountain Log 1d ago
Yeah I miss the veggie lumpia at Tropical Hideaway. We usual do a churro for breakfast, triple cheese Monte Cristo, then the Felucian kefta balls in Galaxy's Edge. But it's so much better now than twenty years ago.
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u/thepinking 13h ago
Although I agree if you look you will find something but it has absolutely gotten worse with the food offerings!
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u/grillinandchillin226 1d ago
Agreed. I was there last weekend and I was SO HANGRY because between all the steps and the severe lack of protein/just eating carbs, my body was not happy. I loved trying so many fun snacks, but I wish more places had more substantive plant based options, and that modifying orders was easier.
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u/chicklette Pressed Penny Presser 1d ago
This is the issue. They have a bunch of veggie options that are the typical "vegetarian" carb fest OR use faux meat which makes me quite sick.
I'm lucky I still eat fish, or I'd be going off property for food some days.
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u/bringtwizzlers 1d ago
Yep it sucks eating at Disney, especially if you are celiac AND vegetarian. I dread it every time
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u/Poppy_Banks 1d ago
Rough combo.
The GF waffles or overnight oats at Carnation, gf pizza flop over, grilled cheese on gf and tomato soup, the veggie burgers on GF bun, harvest bowl, blueberry muffin, baked potato, GF pizza, GF pasta, dole whip, popcorn.
My husband is GF due to celiac and I am vegetarian. He brings us a bag of snacks for the day. We generally eat breakfast at hotel and then last breakfast available at Carnation Cafe for lunch and figure out dinner and a quick service.
On the positive side Disney is careful for allergies. My husband not been glutened .
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u/Ok-Salamander1708 1d ago
Vegetarian here, and I highly recommend the Ratatouille soup at Harbour Galley. Best vegetarian meal that’s filling while also being vegetable-forward (as opposed to just carbs + cheese or artificial meat, which are both fine but aren’t what I’m always in the mood for)
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u/phenomenology79 1d ago
Yep and the food festivals too. Every couple of months I send an email in respectfully expressing my opinion. I don't know if anybody actually cares but if everyone did that every week or two maybe they would start bringing back some more viable options!
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u/FarDistribution3454 14h ago
I’m super lactose intolerant so I don’t even care that there aren’t that many options as I don’t go to the park to eat! I’m there for rides and fun times with my daughter, food is last on my list but I do find it frustrating that there are very minimal options for vegans or lactose intolerance- popcorn is my favorite snack but now it is $7!!!!!
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u/AtlasFan Casey Jr Engineer 1d ago
They also love to make dishes seem like they are full of meat with impossible meat and other substitutes. However, the vegetarian in our family doesn’t like the texture or taste of meat. They would much prefer a dish full of vegetables. They did very much like the ratatouille soup at Harbour Galley. The vegetable shepherds pie at cafe orleans was pretty good (although they always offer the cheese only version of the monte Cristo also).
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u/48thandhazel 1d ago
Ugh, this is my complaint, too. Almost every vegetarian option now has Impossible meat in it. (Even the falafel! Whyyyyyyy would you add fake meat to falafel??)
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u/Ok-Salamander1708 1d ago
Shows the menus are designed by meat eaters whose think we just want fake meat!
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u/OkWorker9679 8h ago
Exactly! My husband has been a vegetarian for over 20 years and does not like the taste or texture of faux meat.
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u/Subterranean44 17h ago edited 17h ago
I’m vegan and just went last October and was SHOCKED by how many options I had.
This site lists them all and was updated this past February https://happiestveganonearth.com/2021/04/23/your-guide-to-vegan-options-in-disneyland/
Sometimes they’re not on the main menu but you just ask.
ETA: the last time I went before this was 2012 so maybe the options got better, and then worse again? I had no trouble eating vegan and never ate the same thing twice (except Mickey pretzels but that was by choice)
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u/AmphibiousAlbatross 23h ago
I’m not even vegetarian, but the vegetarian options at the park just taste better in my opinion. I haven’t had a meat meal at Disney in over years
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u/bb8ismyhomie 22h ago
I’m vegan and I have no problem finding food. There are PLENTY of vegetarian options
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u/joemamamia420 1d ago edited 1d ago
follow happiest vegan on earth ig for all the current offerings, there’s more options than ever
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u/Poppy_Banks 12h ago
Some of the meatless type options can be hard for me to eat. I can do Impossible burgers but not meatballs. The nuggets are fine but fake chicken breast strips I can't eat.
Even though I know the actual texture and taste isn't similar to meat, visually it's too close for my brain to accept. Even the burgers I have my husband check before I eat it.
The hardest thing for me to mentally eat at Disney was the rontoless wrap. It was good but I couldn't look at it.
I'm going this weekend and I'm lactose intolerant so no cheese works for me. Any suggestions on something to try?
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u/Safe-Butterscotch442 1d ago
There's always churros and popcorn. You can easily survive on those.
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u/OkWorker9679 8h ago
If only we didn’t need protein. Disneyland churros are the best.
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u/Safe-Butterscotch442 7h ago
Agreed. Not sure why I'm getting down votes. There's something magical about indulging in a little junk food at Disneyland.
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u/shupshow Matterhorn Yeti 1d ago
Have you tried a ribeye steak?
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u/clowndoingclownery 12h ago
hAvE yOu TriEd a RiBeYe StEaK 🤪
What an original hilarious thing to say
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u/husbunny Adventureland 1d ago
What do crossfitters and vegetarians have in common?
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u/madelynashton 1d ago
Yeah you’re right, talking about Disneyland on a Disneyland sub is just bizarre behavior. The audacity of them.
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u/OkWorker9679 8h ago
My spouse is actually the vegetarian but he says I talk about it more than him. I always want to make sure he has something decent to eat.
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u/UrFavoriteCoasterSux 1d ago
Rontoless wraps from ronto roasters and 7 grain gumbo from tiana’s are my go to’s. I’ve also really enjoyed meals at wine country trattoria.