How to Find Vegetarian Food in Disney World

Vegetarians often find it difficult to eat at a theme park. The standard carnival-like fare generally offers a plethora of choices for meat eaters and relegates vegetarians to ordering cheese pizza or peanut-butter-and-jelly sandwiches off the kids' menu at every meal. Disney World stands out among theme parks for the quality and variety of food offerings. Here's how to find vegetarian food in Disney World.

Instructions

Difficulty: Moderately Easy

Magic Kingdom

1. Head to Cinderella's castle for breakfast with the princess herself. The morning buffet offers potato casserole, eggs, French toast and danishes for vegetarians.
2. Dine at Cosmic Ray's Starlight Café in Tomorrow Land for lunch. The veggie burger is out of this world and the toppings bar features standard condiments like pickles and onions and gourmet additions such as sautéed mushrooms.
3. Explore Tom Sawyer's Island and stop for ice cream at Aunt Polly's. The apple pie sundae and ice cream floats are especially tasty.
4. Eat dinner at Tony's Town Square on Main Street. This is one of the most popular restaurants in Disney World, as it is where Lady and the Tramp shared their romantic meal. Start with the tomato and mozzarella salad and try the eggplant rotini as an entrée.

Animal Kingdom

5. Start your day at the Rainforest café. Most breakfast items on the menu can be made vegetarian, just ask your waiter for details. The Mexican breakfast pizza with cheese, tomatoes and cilantro, and the cinnamon French toast topped with fruit and nuts are yummy vegetarian treats.
6. Stop at Pizzafari for lunch and order the cheese pizza and breadsticks with marinara. Pizza is typical theme park food, but Pizzafari is quite good. You will find that Animal Kingdom offers fewer vegetarian options than other parks at Disney World.
7. Grab a refreshment at Royal Anandapur Tea Company. To cool off, order a chai freeze or lemonade. To warm up, have espresso or pick an exotic hot tea. The stand also offers a small assortment of pastries.
8. Order the vegetable sandwich at the Tusker House for dinner. Disney World restaurants range from counter service to formal, sit-down settings. This restaurant is casual and does not require reservations.

Epcot

9. Enjoy breakfast at the Akershus Royal Banquet Hall in Norway. This is another princess breakfast, but the buffet is quite good and features eggs, hash browns, pastries and an assortment of cheese and fruit. Epcot offers few breakfast choices, so if you opt to skip the princess breakfast, eat before arriving at the park.
10. Have lunch in Morocco at the Tangierene Café. The vegetarian platter, with couscous, tabouleh, lentil and olive salads, hummus and pita bread, is delicious. The world showcase at Epcot is where guests find some of the best vegetarian food in Disney World.
11. Sit on the streets of Paris while enjoying a treat from the Boulangerie Patisserie in France. This bakery offers fresh French pastries ranging from Mickey Mouse cookies to giant Napoleons and cream puffs.
12. End your day with dinner at Tempura Kiku in Japan. Try edamame as an appetizer and vegetable tempura as a main course. Skip the sumashi soup that comes with the tempura and ask for a double order of rice.

Disney-MGM Studios

13. Grab a quick breakfast at the ABC Commissary. The buttermilk pancakes without bacon or sausage and the yogurt-and-berry parfait are vegetarian.
14. Dine at the Brown Derby on Hollywood Boulevard for lunch. Vegetarian options include a noodle bowl with coconut-crusted tofu and vegetables. Delicious desserts abound, like the double-vanilla-bean crème brulee.
15. Sip on a shake and munch of fries at the Sci-Fi Dine-In Theater. Sit in a parked car under the stars and watch portions of black-and-white sci-fi thrillers while enjoying your afternoon snack.
16. Conclude with dinner at Mama Melrose's. You'll find vegetarian options ranging from bruschetta and vegetarian minestrone appetizers to an eggplant Napoleon entrée. If you're not maxed out on desserts, have the honey-hazelnut-and-ricotta cheesecake.

Tips & Warnings

• Disney World strives to accommodate guests with special needs. Call restaurants in advance for information about vegetarian menu items.
• Although the Animal Kingdom has few vegetarian meal options, the Animal Kingdom Lodge features an outstanding buffet with several meatless offerings. You can reach the lodge by bus if you are staying in a Disney World resort.
• During peak season, sit-down restaurants fill up quickly. Make reservations several months in advance to ensure seating availability.
• You can find vegan and kosher options at most Disney World restaurants in addition to vegetarian specialties. If you don't see something on a menu that fits your needs, ask for assistance.