Disneyland - Vegan Style!

One thing you should know about me: I love Disneyland almost as much as I love eating. Each time I go there, there is some new challenge: a new ride, holiday decorations, a new park. This time around would be my first time going as a vegan, so, naturally, the challenge would be how to eat vegan in Disneyland. I did extensive research; I went through blogs, I combed through all of the menus available online. The result was a three-page document telling me where I could get vegan food in every land of the park, in California Adventure, and Downtown Disney. I have to say, that I was extremely impressed with the level and amount of vegan food available there...if one knows where to look and has a plan.


Thursday - Dinner

On our first night there, we didn't get to the park until evening and we were all starving for dinner. We didn't make it past Main Street before everyone needed to eat. My choices were a *possibly* vegan soup and a *possibly* veganizeable veggie melt at the Carnation Cafe or a Penne Pasta w/ Marinara Sauce at the Plaza Inn. I picked the latter. The portion was so giant, that I shared it with my brother. It was not terribly nutritious, but the sauce was flavorful and the food was filling. Make sure to ask for it with no cheese and skip the cheese bread that comes with.

Friday - Lunch

I was a little worried when everyone got hungry the next day in Tomorrowland, because my options were pretty limited over there. I had the option of getting the same Penne With Marinare Sauce (the same stuff I'd had the night before) at Redd Rockett's Pizza Port or *possibly* veganizing the Roasted Portabello and Vegetable Sandwich at Tomorrowland Terrace. I opted for the latter. I asked to see the ingredients list, which only told me about what went into the roasting of the veggies (lemon, olive oil, salt, pepper, garlic) but nothing about the bread or the aioli. I asked to speak to the chef who told me that the bread was vegan, but the aioli was not. So, I got the sandwich and put a little bit of mustard on it. It was probably one of the most delicious things that I ate in the park. It comes loaded with mushrooms, zucchini, peppers, and onions and is served on the best whole wheat bread I've ever had. Make sure to order it without the cheese & aioli.

Friday - Dinner

Luckily, we were in New Orleans Square at dinnertime, which happens to be the most vegan-friendly land in Disneyland. I was DYING to try the Vegetable (vegan) Gumbo in a bread bowl (vegan) at the Royal Street Veranda. This dish was a tad on the salty side for me (which is pretty standard for DL food), but otherwise it was completely delicious and filling. I ate every last bite of this yummy thing.

Saturday - Lunch

My mom and I both were stoked to eat at Rancho del Zocalo, in Frontierland, for the lunch the next day and planned our day, accordingly. Why are ethnic restaurants so much more vegan-friendly than your standard American fare? There were a couple of things I could've eaten here (the veggie burrito comes to mind), but I opted for veganizing the Vegetable Tostada Salad. I called the chef out and she confirmed that the tortilla, beans, and vegetable preparation was vegan. I just had to eliminate the cheese, sour cream, and dressing business. Again, this was a fantastic AND nutritious meal for DL standards. I really loved this salad.

Saturday - Dinner

We finally made it over to California Adventure, which is even more vegan-friendly than DL. We hit the Wine Country Trattoria. My mom ordered the Quattro Pomodoro with vegan pasta (two of the offered options are vegan, including a gluten-free, rice pasta) and I ordered the Broccolini Aglio Olio with vegan pasta. I thought my mom's was plain and under-seasoned, but my dish was freaking fantastic. The servings here are very generous. Beware, though, that they have absolutely no vegan bread, which I found to be weird and dumb.

Sunday - Lunch

One of my most anticipated, yet disappointing meals, was the Vegetable Po' Boy at the River Belle Terrace. This was supposed to be a yummy, vegan, BBQ sandwich. It was vegan and BBQ, but not yummy in any way. The bun was this crappy, stale, white thing and the veggies weren't properly cooked and were under-seasoned. The sandwich comes with the yummiest vegan baked beans, a pickle, and a choice of sides: coleslaw (not vegan), fruit cups (vegan), and a delicious-looking lentil salad that should be, but is, unfortunately, not vegan. If you wind up at this joint, my advice is to skip the sandwich and see if they'll let you order a giant bowl of the beans, as they were the true highlight here.

Sunday - Dinner

Since Sunday was mom's 60th birthday, I made reservations at the swankiest restaurant that DL has to offer: the Blue Bayou along the "banks" of Pirates of the Carribean. I ordered the Portabello Mushrooms and Couscous Maque Choux and (aside from being slightly over-salted), it was delightful. It was a great end to a my vegan tour of DL.

In addition to these (mostly) great meals, there was much snacking to be done. The popcorn at the DL parks and the soft pretzels, as well as some of the candy and cookies inside the stores are also vegan. If you are going to Disneyland, there is literally a plethora of great vegan options, just do your research and BYO breakfast foods. If you'd like a list, please place your email in the comments below and I'll happily send it to you!

Unfortunately, there were many items that I didn't even get to try: veggie burgers, ratatouille, pomme frites, & vegetable skewers. And that doesn't include the unexplored items of DCA and Downtown Disney. Here's looking forward to next time!