Thursday, June 19, 2014

My Favorite Quick Service Restaurants at Disney World

This post was last updated September 23, 2018 

My family prefers to dine at table service restaurants when we vacation at Disney World, but we do have some favorite quick service spots that we visit when we return to our former home twice a year. I am going to start with quick service restaurants at Disney Resorts and Disney Springs, which anyone can visit without a park pass. You can click on the names of the restaurants to see my latest reviews.




The quick service restaurant we visit the most is Sassagoula Floatworks and Food Factory at Disney's Port Orleans Resort - French Quarter, because of their delicious gluten free beignets. Be sure to order them with dipping sauces. Our two favorites are the chicory coffee ganache, and their strawberry sauce. Besides the beignets with dipping sauces, I also love their shrimp and grits, which is available for breakfast, lunch, and dinner.



Sanaa Breakfast - Animal Kingdom Villas - Kidani Village

I am nervous to recommend any restaurant that serves gluten free waffles right now, because so many restaurants at Disney World are switching to Golden Malted gluten free waffle & pancake mix, which I do not enjoy, but when we visited Sanaa in July, they made me amazing Simba waffles with fresh berries. Sanaa is one of our favorite table service restaurants for lunch and dinner, but for breakfast, they have quick service options with a great view of Sunset Savanna if you sit at a window table. We are also big fans of The Mara, the quick service restaurant at Disney's Animal Kingdom Lodge.


D-Luxe Burger - Disney Springs

When it comes to burgers at Disney World, D-Luxe Burger is my top pick, and they have amazing fresh cut french fries too, with an interesting array of dipping sauces. Their lettuce wraps are so good, I have no interest in getting a gluten free bun, but I have heard they are very good if you choose that option.



Gluten free fish & chips, and onion rings - need I say more? Raglan Road's quick service restaurant also makes gluten free battered burgers and chicken tenders, that I have heard are amazing. You can read my friend Sarah's reviews on her blog Gluten-Free & Dairy-Free at WDW



You can't beat the theming of Be Our Guest in the Magic Kingdom. Dinner is pricey, and advance dining reservations are very hard to come by, but you can visit Be Our Guest for a quick service breakfast or lunch. For breakfast, we enjoy the Feast a la Gaston and the open-faced bacon and egg sandwich. For lunch, my favorites include potato leak soup and the braised pork. 



Columbia Harbour House in the Magic Kingdom has always been my favorite Disney quick service restaurant for allergy-friendly chicken tenders and fries. They recently started using a new brand of gluten free chicken nuggets, which are the best I have had since my celiac diagnosis.



My family loves dining at La Cantina de San Angel at the Mexico Pavilion in Epcot. They have several gluten free entrees to choose from, and if you eat there for lunch, you can dine inside neighboring La Hacienda de San Angel, which has air conditioning, and beautiful views of the World Showcase Lagoon. Another great quick service restaurant at Epcot is Sunshine Seasons in The Land, especially if you are looking for healthier options. If you are interested in burgers and chicken tenders, I suggest Liberty Inn at the American Adventure Pavilion. 


In July, we had breakfast at Woody's Lunch Box in Toy Story Land at Disney's Hollywood Studios. Their s'more sandwich and breakfast bowl are great gluten free choices in the morning, and they have several sandwich options for lunch and dinner that I plan to try when we return to Disney World over Thanksgiving Break. 



Satu'li Canteen - Animal Kingdom

Satu'li Canteen is located inside Pandora - The World of Avatar at Disney's Animal Kingdom. Their build-your-own bowl options are a favorite of many special diets guests, and are perfect if you need a break from more typical quick service fare.


Flame Tree Barbecue in Disney's Animal Kingdom has great ribs, chicken, and pulled pork, but my favorite menu item might be their watermelon salad with mixed greens, feta, pickled red onion, and white balsamic vinaigrette. I love to make this dish at home, but I serve it with arugula instead of mixed greens, which is originally how this salad was made at Flame Tree Barbecue.

Mobile ordering is now available for people with special diets at select quick service restaurants. You can read more about mobile ordering on Disney's website, and find links to all the restaurants that offer it here. After you go to each restaurant's page, click "view menu" to see gluten-friendly options, which appear after the regular menu. 

What are your favorite quick service restaurants for gluten free dining at Disney World?  


12 comments:

  1. Completely agree with a bunch of these! Great recommendations!

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  2. In order to get the gluten free products from Port Orleans French Quarter, such as the beignets and the waffles, do you have to tell them the exact time you want to eat them roughly or do they generally have them on stock?! Just curious how that works. Thanks in advance!

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    1. Waffles are available during breakfast hours, beignets all day. No advance notice needed. Ask to talk to a chef.

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  3. Hi Alexis! Thank you so much for this post and for the rest of your site. My husband was diagnosed with celiac in November of 2013 and, as you know, going out to eat ANYwhere is challenging. We know Disney is amazing with their allergy-free offerings but we're also concerned with taste, price, and variety. We are visiting WDW in May but, since we are west-coasters, we need to rely on WDW locals to help plan our dining options. I appreciate your honest and thorough reviews, as well as your perfectly placed photos. As a blogger myself, I know how blogging can seem very solitary and I just wanted to know how valuable your posts have been to my family :) Great job!

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    1. TerriAnn - Thank you so much! I appreciate your feedback. I am very jealous that you live near two of my GF favorites - Mariposa Bakery and Pica Pica Arepa Kitchen. :-) Have a great trip to Disney!

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  4. I'm recently diagnosed with CD and going to Disney in less than 60 days... I've been in a panic over what and where to eat since we made our reservations at 90 day out. This post has made me feel SO much better! Thank you!!

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  5. I'm starting to believe that I have some sort of allergy, as I'm starting to realize that maybe I SHOULDN'T always have digestive issues and feel generally awful after every meal, that maybe it's just Gluten (which would make a lot of sense!). So, for the first time, I'm going to try Disney World GF and see if I can get through a meal without an intense stomach ache afterwards. We leave in 5 days, so I'm definitely going to try out these options and generally keep your blog bookmarked. Thank you for the great information!

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  6. My 16-year-old daughter loved the chicken fingers and fries at Restaurantosauraus. She missed those foods so much and was ultra happy to eat to her heart's content. Other great meals she had during our trip were cheesy pasta at Mama Melrose, a huge selection at Skipper's Canteen, and enchiladas at Bongos!

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    1. Disney is a celiac’s paradise! I love that I can get gluten free beignets, churros, Mickey waffles, fried calamari, and so many other amazing foods!

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