It finally happened, I have finally made my way to the West Coast to visit Disneyland! I was fortunate enough to go there this month for our annual agency education trip, which happened to be Disneyland this year. I had four days in the parks and stayed for four nights. This is going to be a long one, so you have been warned!
The first day I spent with a friend who lives out there. She took me around the parks and then we had dinner at the Royal Street Verandah in Disneyland. I had the Vegetarian Gumbo in a bread bowl which is vegan as is.
The bread bowl was delicious. One thing I found out is that Disneyland loves their bread, and I do too! The gumbo had a good flavor, I added some tabasco sauce to it too for a kick. It really hit the spot on a chilly rainy evening.
Day two I started off with some resort vegan Mickey Waffles and potatoes. We stayed at Disney’s Paradise Pier so I got these from the Surfside Lounge to go and ate in the room. They also had soy milk readily available for coffee. The waffles were pretty good, the gooey inside and not weird cake donut-like.
This day was really special as our agency owner treated us to a surprise VIP Tour, which meant we got to go in Fastpass lines for as long as we were with them. They were also full of knowledge and incredibly friendly, thanks for the great day Nataly and Ruben, and the surprise Casey!
During our tour we stopped for lunch and I ran over to Harbour Galley to try the special meal for the Get Your Ears On event. Here they have a Vegan Hot Diggity Dog, which is vegan as is. The dog is a Field Roast Frankfurter and is topped with a lentil chili. This was incredibly delicious and I could have eaten a ton of them.
The Vegan Hot Diggity Dog is served with a Cuties orange and grapes. I didn’t notice any spice to the chili, but have seen others say they could taste it.
That night we stopped at Tortilla Joes in Downtown Disney to see if we could get in and found out it was a 2 hour wait, so we headed to their quick service location, Taqueria. I asked about vegan options here and was told everything was safe (except for the obvious like cheese). I ordered a burrito and we took them back to our room to eat because it was in the 40s.
The burrito was okay. It wasn’t super flavorful, but it was a cheap and filling meal. The vegetable mix was odd, it was normal things like squash and onion but then also green beans.
Our next morning (day 3) was a free day so we started the morning at PCH Grill, which is the character breakfast at Paradise Pier. When we checked in the host asked if we had any allergies, I told him I was vegan. He then told me I wouldn’t have many options on the buffet and if that was okay, he said he didn’t want me to spend the money to be disappointed. I thought that was very nice of him, but being a vegan who is used to Disney breakfast buffets, I knew what I was in for.
After being seated I asked my server if I could speak with a chef. Quickly a chef came out and told me he would make me vegan Mickey waffles and could make me a tofu scramble. He then told me that the potatoes on the buffet were vegan, and my only other option up there was fruit.
I got my plate of potatoes and fruit and waited for my waffles. It took a while but he eventually brought them out, a few minutes later came my tofu dish. The waffles were okay, one of them wasn’t very cooked on the inside. The scramble wasn’t a tofu scramble at all, but what was in the center was very delicious. The tofu was very soft and not really seasoned, but the salsa type middle portion helped a lot.
The restaurant was basically empty when we were there so we interacted with the characters about 4 times. I just couldn’t get over how cute Minnie’s Lifeguard outfit was.
After breakfast we went to Disney’s California Adventure for the morning. Before I left to meet some friends, I grabbed a GIANT Mickey head sourdough loaf. They have these all over the park, some are in different fun shapes (I saw Mater during our stay), as well as just plain bread loaves. I highly recommend getting one these because this giant thing was only $8 (when I was there). I got mine next to the Boudin Bakery.
When I got back to Disneyland I met up with my coworkers for dinner at Lamplight Lounge in Disney’s California Adventure. We didn’t have a reservation, but only waited about 25 minutes for a table of four.
Once seated I told our server I was vegan and he suggested the Impossible Burger, veganized Nachos and even veganized Potato Skins. I just got the burger because I wasn’t feeling great that evening. I’ll describe the burger better later on because I didn’t really get to enjoy this one. I did however let my coworkers try it and all three (meat eaters) said it was absolutely delicious.
Day 4 was an agency day where we got to tour resorts and even see one of the Signature Suites at the Disneyland Hotel. We started our day at Goofy’s Kitchen, which reminded me of the Disneyland version of Chef Mickey’s. A chef gave me a tour of the buffet, which had a ton of vegan options. Various salads, potatoes, oatmeal, and of course Goofy’s signature PB&J Pizza! He also offered to make me vegan waffles.
By the time I took photos of the buffet and grabbed a plate of food, my vegan waffles were already there waiting for me. I have never received the allergy waffles so fast.
I didn’t try any of the salads. I was really just excited to try the PB&J pizza (our son has a peanut allergy so I haven’t eaten peanut anything in well over a year). The waffles were okay, they were a little burnt. I would absolutely eat here again on another trip.
That day for lunch we ate at Napolini in Downtown Disney. I confirmed that the dough was egg free and got a pizza without cheese. This was easy and quick, they even treated mine as an allergy and got my toppings and sauce from a separate area.
Later that day when we were heading back to the Disneyland Hotel, we pit stopped at Salt & Straw in Downtown Disney. Salt & Straw is a unique ice cream shop which has a handful of vegan flavors at all times. When we were there the vegan options were Dandelion Chocolate Hazelnut Cookies & Cream, Freckled Mint TCHO-colate Chip, Roasted Strawberry Coconut, and a seasonal Nibble’s 85% Peruvian Chocolate Sorbet. I opted for the Dandelion Chocolate Hazelnut with a sugar cone, which are the only vegan cones. This ice cream was ah-may-zing. I wish we had this in Disney Springs.
For dinner that night we ate atTangaroa Terrace at the Disneyland Hotel. I asked the server if anything was vegan other than the Edamame and Lentil Garden Bowl. She said that and french fries were it. So I had edamame and the lentil bowl, both of which were great.
The Lentil Garden Bowl was super simple but had a great creamy coconut sauce hiding between the lentils and rice. I would absolutely eat this again.
My last day (day 5) I just did a quick in room breakfast of a luna bar (I can only eat so many Mickey waffles) and opted for a big coffee downstairs with soy milk. I had a free day until the evening for my flight home to Orlando. We park hopped all over until lunch, which we decided to head to Lamplight Lounge again.
This time a chef spoke with me and said I could have the Impossible Burger, and could modify the Ratatouille and the salads. He didn’t mention any of the appetizers, but my heart was already set on the burger again. He mentioned one of the salads had a Shitake ‘Bacon’ topping, I asked if I could have it on my burger and he said that was do-able.
The burger here is so good! The patty has a nice crispy edge to it, and the avocado on it was delicious and creamy. I couldn’t really taste the ‘bacon’ on it either. The fries here are thick cut and very well seasoned. Maybe next time I’ll try the nachos, maybe.
Disneyland was amazing. I absolutely loved everything about it, the attractions, theming, and the food! If you’re headed to Disneyland be sure to check out the Happiest Vegan on Earth, her site was a lifesaver during my trip. I can’t wait to go back with my guys next time!
If you’re thinking about a Disneyland trip, I am here to help book and plan your vacation. My planning services are complimentary and it costs the same to book with me and my help as it is to book it on your own. You can fill out your no-obligation quote request here.
February 2019
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