Disneyland
Last verified 3/09
General Food Policy: No food or drinks are allowed to be brought into the park except for baby food or in the case of specific dietary restrictions.
Chef Chris Justesen oversees the restaurants in the Disneyland sections of Tomorrowland, Fantasyland, Toontown, and outdoor vending.
For guests with Celiac
there are lists available of gluten-free foods found throughout the Park
at City Hall on Main Street. They have lists for Disneyland, Disney's California Adventure and our
three hotels.
For more information, please call 714-781-4650 or chris.justesen@disney.com .
On their website they state: "Special dietary needs — including vegetarian and medically restricted diets — can often be accommodated at select table-service restaurants. Please request special meals at least 24 hours in advance at (714) 781-DINE (3463)."
The hotel restaurants in the Disneyland complex have made
a great effort to accommodate gluten-free diners, including the use of gluten-free
products such as GF breads, pancakes, and waffles.
Chef Bill Orton is the head chef for the hotel restaurants in the Disneyland complex. He is very knowledgeable about the gluten-free diet, including cross-contamination issues. He states that the three main restaurants that have gluten-free products on hand are the Storytellers Café at the Grand Californian Hotel, Disney’s PCH Grill at the Disney’s Paradise Pier Hotel, and Goofy’s Kitchen at the Disneyland Hotel. Other hotel restaurants can accommodate a gluten-free diet as well, especially if you let Chef Bill know ahead of time.
Chef Bill recommends that you contact him before arriving at the restaurants.
This allows time for him to discuss your plans and give a head’s up to
the chefs at the restaurants where you will be dining. Leave a message on his
phone (714-239-5610) and he will return your call. Or email him at Bill.Orton@Disney.com.
It is not necessary to contact Chef Bill ahead of time, but it could greatly
smooth your dining experience, including wait times for meals. You will still
need to make your own reservation at the restaurant(s) of your choice.
John J. 6/09
"You have several people listing the Disneyland popcorn as GF. The Disneyland popcorn is NOT GF!
Hard to trust your site when you have wrong information."
John
Rebecca T. to SillyYak site, 4/09, 8 years GF
"We went to Disneyland 22 times last year! Yes, you can easily eat GF in the parks. However, it will cost you and arm and a leg! You can freely bring your own food and drinks into the park. They will check your bags but not take your food. They will not allow coolers. We always pack all our food for the day in disposable baggies/shopping bags. That way we can eat cheaply, without standing in lines, and not have to keep the containers in a locker which is inconvenient and costs $10 a day. Good foods to take include fruit, veggies, hardboiled eggs with a little baggie of salt and cayenne, sandwhiches (I make PBJ), crackers, pretzels, fruit snacks, candy, raisins, nuts, etc. Something that doesn't need to keep cold and wont crush too much. Since we had annual passes with free parking, we could go to DL for the day and only pay for gas! Have a great trip!"
Heidi to SillyYak site, 4/09
"We just returned last night from a week at Disneyland staying in the Paradise Pier Hotel. The hotel room has a small refridgerator, which works well for storing snacks and you can call the front desk the week before you come and ask them to do a deep cleaning of your room prior to your arrival. Tell them you have a child with food allergies. This means they will wipe out every drawer, double vacuum, and clean every nook and crannie.
We ate at the Lilo & Stitch Character Breakfast at the PCH Grill in the Paradise Pier Hotel. They were able to make our GF toddler eggs to order, guten-free pancakes (from the Bob’s Red Mill mix), brought her bananas, strawberries and melons form the back that hadn’t been on the buffet. They also served huevos rancheros so she was able to get a bowl of black beans. The chef even fried here some potatoes separate from those on the buffet and brought her fresh bacon from the back. He couldn’t confirm the sausage was gluten-free and advised us not to feed it to her. The best part was our dd is 19 months old and eats free at the buffet and they did this for her anyhow!
We also did the Character breakfast at the Plaza Inn in Disneyland. There our little girl got a gluten-free Mickey Mouse Waffle (they would have made her as many as she wanted), scrambled eggs, bacon, sausage, grapes and hot chocolate. Everything for her was directly from the chef to her plate.
When you make reservations through the Disney Dining number be sure to tell them you have a gluten-free member of your party and you will be well taken care of. You can make reservations 60 days in advance, but we did ours the week before with a group of 10 and didn’t have trouble getting in.
We also ate at the Hamburger place next to Soaring over California in CA Adventure Park, she had a hamburger on a gluten-free bun and fries. At the French Market in Disneyland she had a kids meal of grilled citrus chicken and rice with grapes and carrot and celery sticks. This wasn’t on the gluten-free menu but after talking to the servers we felt comfortable with her having it. We did ask the food prep people to change their gloves before preparing her food. We shared turkey legs with her from the vendors, had a gluten-free pizza in Tomorrowland and her favorite was the Dole Pineapple Float Whip from the Tiki Room by the Indiana Jones ride. Other than that we brought food in with us. Overall the trip was great."
Brenda to SillyYak site, 4/09, on eating inexpensively
"
You know, it really depends on what you get... The DH and I were really surprised at how inexpensive the GF pizza was- on par with regular and very, very tasty. I would personally not bother to bring food onto the site... especially if you have to pay extra for a locker and worry about it. The fancier places will cost you but you can get cheaper things like turkey legs, popcorn, and pizza and spend a reasonable amount (for a theme park)... Just avoid the theme breakfasts and fine dining."
Keri in CA to SillyYak site, 4/09
"Disneyland was the easiest plave we have ever eaten with our GF son who is 4 1/2. When you get to the park go to City Hall on the left side of Main Street righth past the train station and ask for the list of GF foods. They will give you a 5 or 6 page handout that breaks down what each restaurant has to offer and what snacks from the carts are GF. There are tons of kid friendly foods like hot dogs and hamburgers, both with and without buns depending on the restaurant, pizza, pasta, quesadillas, grilled chicken sandwiches,salads, tacos, french fries. Breakfast choices are eggs, bacon, fruit, sausage, yogurt.
All of the character breakfasts or lunches have even more options. We did Goofy's Kitchen for breakfast one day and the chef came out to our table to ask my son what he wanted, and they made him GF pancakes, scrambled eggs, and bacon. Disneyland is the best place to eat GF for kids! I told my husband we have to go more often just because it is so easy. Good luck, and if you have any more questions please feel free to email me. We were there just a year ago. Also, we did take in some of our own food and did not have any problems with that at all!
J. to SillyYak site, 4/09
"We visit Disneyland quite often as we have annual passes. My six year old is the Celiac and we have had great experiences there. I can't wait until you talk to chef Chris he is awesome and so wonderful and will make you feel confident. My recommendation would be that if you have any particular places that you know you want to eat a meal at to definitely call ahead because they will be able to give you more gf options, but most places can accomodate you without notice. If you eat at any of the quick service places, be prepared to wait about 10-15 minutes for your food, but well worth the wait. We regularly eat the following meals and treats.
Popcorn (from cart)
Mickey's Premium Ice Cream Bar, Frozen Banana, Raspberry Sorbet (from cart)
Various items at the fruit carts
Hot dog with gf bun from the place at the end of Main Street
Hamburger or Cheeseburger with bun and fries at the Tomorrow Land Cafe
Pizza Port (our favorite) you can get pizza (cheese or pepperoni) or pasta with marinara sauce and they have salad too (raspberry vinegarette is what they say is the gf dressing, but I suspect others are as well)
We also love the Storyteller's Cafe in the Grand California Hotel. GF bread, pasta, etc. very good, but for a "price."
Disneyland also does a birthday celebration and you get to decorate your own cake. It used to be about $10pp not sure what it is now and includes a mini cake and drink for each person. Pretty fun for the kids and this you would want to call and make a reservation and ask for a gf cakes. We have done every character meal we were interested in and have never had a problem. they even made gf mickey shaped pancakes. Have a great time...I love going somewhere that I don't have to be so stressed about the food."
Julie to SillyYak site, 4/09
"I was just there (in Anaheim) with my celiac daughter (13) for a volleyball event. She had to stay and eat with her team and I was in the background to help with questions. To our surprise many of the restaurants had a gluten free menu or have gluten free options. Her favorite was the Rain Forest cafe where the kitchen manager came out and helped her with her order and gluten free options. The atmosphere is fun for the kids and they are located 'Downtown Disney'."
Keri in CA to SillyYaks site, 4/09
"We went to Disneyland last April with our sons, ages 3 1/3 and 10 months. It was the first trip there since my olde son had been diagnosed. I worried a lot about going, and after getting there realized I should not have worried at all because they are so wonderful. I know other people have told you about picking up the list at City Hall which is a great help.
The one meal we found the hardest to do in the park was breakfast, because unless you pay for the character breakfast, which is pretty expensive, you are pretty limited. I think all the places could do eggs, bacon, and potatoes and they also had fruit. We were there for 5 mornings, so it got old for my son. I had made his favorite muffins at home and bagged them individually to take with us, as well as individual bags of dry cereal. That way he could have his muffin, some fruit, and a bowl of cereal with milk if he didn't want eggs. We did Goofy's Kitchen on our last morning and they make him GF pancakes which were very good."
Heather I. in Orange County CSA newsletter, 7/08:
"My family and I went to Disneyland recently. . .We decided on Tortilla Joes in downtown Disney (for dinner). When we started looking over the menu we noticed that they had gluten-free items! They were also more than happy to cook the fajitas gluten-free for us (they had to use fresh oil.) The service was so fast, the people were really nice and the food was awesome! We were able to finish out the night with out any gluten reactions for the 3 of us (myself and my two boys.) Please spread the word!"
Trudy to SillyYak site, 7/08
"You can go to City Hall just inside the park for the GF info. They will also give you buttons if it's your birthday, anniversary, first visit...etc.
Dinner reservations are a good idea, especially for the more popular places. I loved the princess lunch in California Adventure - I got the best pasta dish there! We've gone to the Blue Bayou twice - the restaurant inside Pirates of the Caribbean. I highly recommend lunch over dinner. I wasn't all that thrilled either time, but dinner was very pricy and they had a different menu. They are famous for their monte cristo sandwiches and they weren't on the dinner menu - DH was very disappointed. I don't know if they will make a GF Monte Cristo, but it might be fun to ask.
Every time I go, we go to breakfast at the Grand Californian. It's a buffet, but they will walk you along and tell you what's safe. You can also order GF waffles and pancakes. LOVE IT!
When you call for reservations, they will actually ask if anyone has any food issues. Doesn't that make it so "normal" for a change?
Poster to SillyYak site, 7/08
We went to Disneyland 22 times last year! And ate GF each time. Often
we just took our own food to save money. They are fine with you
bringing in your sack lunch. They do not like you to bring in big
coolers/ice chests. We often ate a Rancho Del Zocolo. But each time I
would talk to the manager. Because sometimes it was the chicken that
was GF and sometimes it was the beef. He was always very well informed
and careful about CC for me!
I brought an energy bar in my purse (I almost always do), which came in handy. Also, near the entrance are lockers where you can store food you bring in (for a fee, of course).
Book of Yum blog, 6/08 - Vegetarian and GF
This GF blogger, Brenda, describes her anniversary trip to Disneyland and the different meals they had. http://www.bookofyum.com/blog/gluten-free-vegetarian-adventures-at-disneyland-our-6th-anniversary-at-blue-bayou-1925.html
Roxie, 11/07
I needed to wait in a line at City Hall to get the list of GF foods. Also be aware that you often have to wait a little longer for your GF food to be prepared. I ordered a grilled veggie sandwich that they adapted to be served on a GF hot dog bun in Tomorrowland, which was great. Everyone was done with their meal by the time I got mine, but I was still happy to have that GF option.
Molly, 2/08
In anwer to" Did anyone have trouble bringing any food into the park? I want
to bring some snack type items for him just in case."
"No, we had no trouble at all. I mixed trail mix (raisins, nuts, GF
cereal, etc.) and portioned it in little ziploc bags every morning.
Having those small bags of trail mix was wonderful. #1, the kids had
something to do while standing on lines. #2, the snacks allowed us to
manipulate when we ate our meals so the restaurants weren't crowded
like at normal mealtimes. #3, the kids got plenty of dried fruits so
their eating stayed relatively balanced. #4, I knew we could always
find us something safe to eat, even if it came from my backpack ;-) Have fun!"
Unknown to SillyYak group, 2/08
"We go to Disneyland once or twice a month! We always bring our lunch
and snacks in clear plastic bags with bottles of water in our
backpack. There has never been a problem bringing the food in and our
bags are checked by security every time. (A friend once tried to
bring a whole cooler into the park and the security asked her to put it
in one of the lockers in the picnic area adjacent to the front
entrance.) We often see others eating their homemade luches around the
park. Disneyland is very GF friendly. I would bet they would send you
any GF info if you contact their customr service people."
Michele Vargas, 5/07
Storyteller Cafe, Grand Californian Hotel, Disneyland
"I know that much has
been written about GF food experiences at Disneyland, but I can't emphasize
enough how knowledgable and accomodating they are there. I have actually spoken to both chefs
who
are responsible for all of this, and they deserve some kind of award!!
The Storyteller Cafe is located right in the hotel, so if you're just in the
area, you could eat there without actually going through the park. I had
lunch off of their regular menu, as they had just stopped serving their
buffet,
which also would have had some GF choices. I didn't call ahead, but the
hostess wrote a request on our ticket for the chef, who then came out to our
table.
He knew all about GF, and offered the GF pasta, but I opted to have the
salad greens (I brought my own dressing), with a chicken filet sauted (in a
clean
pan) with olive oil, pepper, salt and garlic. This was a simple meal, but
the chicken was absolutely delicious and tender! So far, I've had nothing
but good dining experiences at Disneyland since I was diagnosed, and this
is one more to add to the list!"
Trudy, 11/06
"So I just had to report back from Disneyland. We went two weeks ago and I almost
cried tears of joy. I had called ahead and made reservations at various locations
- lunch at Blue Bayou (Disneyland), lunch at Ariel's Grotto (California Adventure)
and breakfast at the Chip & Dale character breakfast at the Grand Californian
hotel. Every time I checked in, the hostess would highlight the place where it
said I had celiac. Then when the server would come by to greet us, she would
immediately tell me she would send the chef out to discuss my food with me. It
was so cool!!!
Blue Bayou was a bit disappointing, only because I should have
called ahead and didn't. I ended up with some tasty roasted chicken and asparagus,
but she said she could have done more with some advance notice.
Ariel's Grotto
was awesome! The chef talked about the menu with me and told me what he had
available in the kitchen. I ended up with the pasta with a tomato
cream sauce because he had rice noodles. OMG! YUMMY! This chef really impressed
me because he told the server to let him know right away when she had my
order in case he needed to heat up separate oil for French fries.
Grand Californian
was a breakfast buffet. The chef came out and told me what was GF on the
buffet. Then I found out he could make me GF pancakes, waffles,
etc! They keep that sort of thing on hand! This is when I almost cried
- when
I bit into a pancake that tasted like a regular pancake. And the omelets
were to die for - the kind where they make it to order.
Oops - almost forgot - we went to Ralph Brennan's Jazz
Kitchen at Downtown
Disney. So delicious! And they knew about celiac as well. It was a
bit pricy but well
worth it. I had filet mignon, twice-baked potatoes with parmesan, shredded
carrots with some kind of sweet glaze, and asparagus. We ate there
last year too, and
had similar raves about it."
Maureen, 3/06
"Call Disneyland guest services and ask for the food liason
(or whatever they call him/her now). I did this before we went to Disneyland
and had several phone conversations with both one of the chefs and an informed
guest services rep. They gave me over the phone a list of meal ideas for
us,
and a number to call when we were ready to eat.
At the park, I talked by cell
phone with one of the chefs, found out which restaurant he was cooking in,
and he personally fixed our lunches. The person
who took our order didn't even seem phased by the special requests - said
they often make special medical meals. Lunch was at the hamburger place
near the Dumbo ride. Son had a basket with hot dogs, fruit and (I think) fries.
I had a salad.
The chef also asked what we wanted to do for dinner, and
we decided on spaghetti w/ red meat sauce. The resataurant in Tomorrowland
is a pasta
place, and
keeps GF spaghetti. The chef contacted them, so they
pre-cooked the pasta, and then when we went there, they heated it in
fresh boiling water and their regular sauce was GF.
Disneyland is very
accomodating IF you call ahead and give them advance notice."
Laura, 3/06
"You are in luck...Disneyland is a great place with kids with celiac...we go
2-3 times a year (in laws live nearby) and we have never had a problem..this
is what I do:
1. Call Chef Chris (Chris Justesen)...he is one of the head chefs
for the park (calling is better...he does not respond to email quickly and
he prefers to talk
with you) and he will go over what is available by land, etc.....his number
is 714-781-3569 and his email is chris.justesen@... say he is helpful is an
understatement
and he had pushed for more GF food to be available in the park...he will give
the details but here are some of our favorites:
2. Some of our favorite places
to eat in the park are as follows:
a. Pizza place in Tomorrow Land - near Space Mountain - makes GF pizza for
you using Kinnikincik GF pizza crust...They are very careful...have a sperate
oven for jus tthis purpose...it was so good that we went there 3 times in
3 days.
b. I have small children so we always eat at Ariel's Grotto in California
Adventure - they make a GF pasta there that is yummy.
Hamburger buns and hot
dog buns available in a few areas in the park...so take advantage of it..they
are great (kinnikinnick again I think).
All the restaurants are very accommodating...Chef
Chris will tell you want to do (basically, for a casual/fast food type restaurant,
as a busboy to
get a manager so your order is taken care of correctly...and for the
nice restaurants,
make a reservation at the Disney dining number - don't have it but Chef
Chris will - and note on the reservation that you have need to have GF
food...the
chef will come out and make anything you want...I kid you not...)
We always
have a great time and I think it is the most GF friendly place we have come
across so far.
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