Gasparilla Island Grill’s new vegan options

Gasparilla Island Grill is one of our favorite spots for lunch. This is a great spot if you’re at Magic Kingdom or on your way there from Epcot because it’s on the monorail line at Disney’s Grand Floridian Resort and Spa. They were one of the original locations to have a vegan menu by request, but with the new plant-based options in the parks they updated their options and have them up on the menu now instead of a secret.

We were eager to try some of these new/updated options, and between all of us we all tried them on different occasions and all loved what we got.

When Corey and I went we opted for the Smoked Gouda Grilled “Cheese” Sandwich, the Blackened “Chicken” Sandwich, and the Pizza “Formaggio”. We also grabbed a Chocolate Coconut Pot de Creme out of the dessert case.

The grilled cheese was cooked in a convection oven, so while the bread was not that golden color, the cheese was melted. They use Follow Your Heart gouda for this and it was like, 3 slices per side of bread. The sandwich itself was very good, but the gouda flavor is strong if you aren’t a fan. The sandwich comes with house made chips, I was able to confirm that they are cooked in a shared fryer, if you avoid those I imagine you can swap your side for something else. That being said, the chips were delicious. They were almost kettle-cooked style and seasoned well.

The Blackened “Chicken” Sandwich, in my opinion, is a huge improvement from their old chick’n sandwich. The old version had some vegan mozzarella shreds and a raspberry mustard. The new version has the chick’n (gardein) coated in spices, topped with the vegan gouda cheese (although the menu said cheddar), and then lettuce, tomato, and onion. I could do without the massive slices of raw red onion, but overall I really enjoyed the sandwich. The chick’n was cooked well and flavorful.

The Pizza “Formaggio” was just okay. The old flatbread was a margarita style which was loaded with tomatoes and a pesto style spread. The new one is just vegan cheese. It tasted fine, it was just boring compared to what we once knew.

There is also a Farmhouse “Burger” which is an Impossible burger on the menu. While Corey and I didn’t have this, both Bridget and Matt, and Marci and Andrew had it and said it was good and very thick. Just like the chick’n, the burger said it was going to be topped with “cheddar” but it was also the same vegan Gouda. We plan on trying this one next time.

As for another option here you can always build your own salad. Previously you could top it with vegan chick’n, we did not ask about it this time but will be sure to try next time as it was a nice option to have.

Now for dessert they have an unmarked Chocolate Coconut Pot de Creme. The ingredients are listed on it which is how we know it’s safe, but otherwise there is not “plant-based” logo on it. The dessert was pretty good. It was basically a pudding with a mousse on it. I don’t know if I would get it again for the price, but we’re happy to see a vegan dessert at a quick service.

When Matt and Bridget dined here they opted to use mobile ordering and had no problem getting their sandwiches. The dessert (and other grab and go items) are not listed on mobile order though. I am so thankful we can actually mobile order options like this now, especially at resorts!

Price $
Review from November 2019.