What a headline – it’s not been that long ago that Mrs Oh! Spent most of her two week vacation eating french fries, fruit and salads (providing she could convince them to not put the chicken in or the bacon bits on top) – fast forward to now and Mrs Oh! Had her first hot dog from the famous Casey’s Corner in Main Street USA Magic Kingdom – the vegan hot dog – and what a treat it was.
So finally Orlando and the theme parks have caught up with the rest of the world and started offering vegetarian and vegan menus and options. There have been a few offerings here and there but there seems to be some confusion about what constitutes a vegetarian dish or more importantly a healthy vegetarian dish. So there’s a veggie option sometimes but then they tell you it’s cooked in the same oil as the meats, or the “protein” element of the normal meal is left out but not replaced with a vegetarian or vegan protein and instead its replaced with a carb – so you end up eating bread, pasta and fries – super carb heavy and leads to us vegetarians dragging our bellies around the theme parks feeling as heavy as a brick.
But no more – vegan and vegetarian options are everywhere. Snacks, treats, meals, non-dairy ice-creams, you name it they’ve got it. We think it is probably at its best right now with a recent big push on vegan options in WDW, Universal and the various restaurant chains and resort menus. As a result Mrs Oh! Absolutely cannot wait to go on our next trip to try some of the new offerings.
We have been watching loads of vlogs and reading lots of information about new food options and new places to try. We like watching DFB guide, and Allears.net for information about restaurants, resorts, park offerings and super new fancy snacks and themed produce. There is loads of it about and it is themed towards either characters, or holidays or celebrations. The current offerings for Christmas holidays look out of this world, and the Halloween ones before that looked amazing. We are also following Vegandisney on Instagram.
We’re going to have to make a note of some of the things Mrs Oh! Wants to try the most – and there’ll be a lot. Super happy to be staying in Disney Springs – ridiculously close to the vegan bakery Erin McKenna’s. The joy of being able to select anything off the menu is almost too much to bear! We may have try everything just to be on the safe side and for the purposes of research!
The new boys on the block are the ‘’plant based menus” – these include the new and often talked about ‘Impossible Burger’ so called because it’s impossible to tell the difference between that and a meat based one. We are really looking forward to trying this, after all it’s not to too much to ask for a decent burger in the HOME of the burger is it??
You can find the best Vegetarian food in the most unexpected places. We popped into Top Golf for a birthday treat for Mr Oh Orlando’s son Ashley and what a delightful surprise to see on the excellent menu a cauliflower base vegetarian pizza. Mrs Oh Orlando was so excited to see food like this in a sports bar. When the pizza came out it was treat for the eyes and the tastebuds, thin, light and delicious, she finished the whole thing and that’s a rarity indeed. We cannot recommend this place enough.
At WDW menu items are able to be customised via the My Disney Experience app, you can swap items and custom build your meal by swapping things. Mr Oh Orlando was swapping his french fries for crunchy green beans in garlic butter and was amazed at the difference it made to the meal. It’s little things you can do that make all the difference. Just ask a cast member what the choices are and they will do their very best to make it happen.
Our best advice really is to just ask. Many many options are now available across all parks and restaurant chains. The plant based revolution is in full swing in Orlando! Even sweet treats don’t escape, there is a lovely ice cream parlour in Hollywood Studios called Hollywood scoops. They do a chocolate and vanilla Tofutti, you have to ask for it as its not on the menu. This is the one problem in most places, they probably will actually have a decent vegan/vegetarian option or even full separate menu but they don’t actually tell anyone so you have to ask. Bonkers really.
Some treats are a ‘two for one’ such as the superb Beignets available from Scat Cats in Port Orleans. The vegan ones are also gluten free, and the dipping sauces are almost always vegan. The thing to check here is whether they are cooked in a shared fryer, lots of restaurants now have vegan/vegetarian dedicated fryers and hot plates just for these foods but they have only recently started doing this so you will need to double check if you are a strict vegetarian or have food allergies. But they have stepped up how food is cooked and served, and about time!
One place we are REALLY looking forward to visiting is Blaze Pizza over in Disney Springs, the menu again is available to swap and switch toppings and sauces. Mrs Oh Orlando has been looking at the ‘Veg Out’ pizza. This little treat contains Courgette, Mushrooms, Red Onion, Mozzarella, and Red Sauce Dollops. You can add Gluten free dough for an extra $2.00. Bargain. And this pizza is only $9.95. You can also build your own pizza for $9.95 (again, adding gluten free dough for an extra $2.00)
So, the way forward is to keep asking for the vegan/vegetarian options. Then they will have no choice to keep updating and posting new and exciting menu items. If you are not sure just drop the restaurant/parks an email or call them. We’ve got friends who have had some amazing meals simply by asking to see the chefs and asked them for ideas. So don’t be shy!!
See you all soon for the next blog, and we’ll keep you updated with our planning for the coming summer’s adventure.
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