Dealing with Dietary Restrictions at Disneyland

Light Meter by Lisa K. Berton

Last week I relayed information about dining out at Walt Disney World when you have dietary restrictions and food allergies. Today, we’ll look at how the Disneyland Resort handles the same situation.

First, for those unfamiliar with Disneyland and California Adventure, these parks are smaller than their siblings in Florida. Meaning there are fewer places to eat and kitchens are rarely shared. In addition, calling to make a dining reservation is simpler. Call 714-781-DINE (3463) and the Cast Member will take all of your info. Advise the Cast Member of food allergies, special diets, and dietary restrictions. There’s no lengthy reservation number to worry about forgetting to take with you, your name is enough. Should you forget your name, the First Aid station is on Main Street, U.S.A. in Disneyland and in the Pacific Wharf section of California Adventure.

When you check in at the restaurant, remind the host/hostess that you’ll need to see a manager of chef. You’ll be asked to advise your server who will then act accordingly. In some cases, depending on the menu and your allergies, it might not be necessary to seek out a chef but have the server act as your liaison.

An advantage that the Disneyland Resort has over Walt Disney World is because they deal with fewer Guests and special requests, it is easier to contact the restaurant itself in advance. I have personally spoken to chefs and managers days before my arrival so they know what they’ll need ahead of time. In one instance it meant not marinating a piece of salmon. In other instances it meant grabbing food from another kitchen that’s not connected. To locate a restaurant’s phone number, try calling Guest Relations 714-781-7290 or dining reservations 714-781-DINE (3463).

The almighty book of ingredients (Can I get an Amen?!) does not exist at Disneyland. Why? I’m glad you asked. The Disneyland Resort relies on various vendors for food supplies and it changes somewhat often. Suppose they need to order chicken strips and vendor A can’t fill the order. Disney will then contact vendor B. Vendor A’s chicken strips could be marinated with spices while vendor B’s chicken is plain. See the problem? What happens at counter service eateries in my experience, is the manager will literally cut the label off the box of chicken (or other food) and bring it to you. Now you know exactly what you’re getting.

Something else to note is to never assume something is safe. Pasta is cooked with black pepper (or white pepper) at Red Rockett’s Pizza Port. That never would have crossed my mind but in talking to a chef there, I learned the easy way. They accommodate me every time by cooking my pasta separately.

During my last visit, my friend Yoli and I had brunch at Goofy’s Kitchen. The chef walked me through the buffet pointing out what was and wasn’t safe. Then he asked what did I want that wasn’t pre-made. He made me a pizza with my selection of ingredients, American cheese, black olives, mushrooms, and zucchini, hold the sauce. Other food came my way and as usual, the chef made too much for one person in one sitting. Did you know that if your food is not from a physical buffet, you can take your leftovers?

Always allow for more time to eat since your meal will be made under supervision and separately from menu items.

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Remember, you can bring your own food into the parks but Disney cannot heat or refrigerate (certain exceptions apply, call Guest Services) it for you.

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2 Replies to “Dealing with Dietary Restrictions at Disneyland”

  1. Thank heavens my name is already filled in on the blog. .Anyway, that pizza looks great!

    I know we had some issues at Napa Rose and Andrew (Chef Extraordinaire!) gave us such awesome service, that my little nephew wrote him a thank you note and gave it to him later. He was so pleased!

    Lisa responds: That’s great!

  2. Thanks for the valuable information. I’ve always wondered what to do if I were visiting Disneyland Resort and suddenly forgot my name.

    Lisa responds: That’s what I’m here for. Well, that and the VIP treatment from my imaginary friends.