Welcome to the world… the future is EPCOT! Epcot with food allergies can seem intimidating since there’s all this countries, lots of foreign type foods, and more alcohol than you’d want to see on a weekend night.
But things are actually doable at this iconic ‘giant golfball’ when it comes to dietary restrictions, and with all of the transportation options, you can even find a place super close if nothing in the parks works out for you!
Below we’ll talk about the Top 8 allergens officially recognized by Disney. They are: Wheat/Gluten, Dairy/Milk, Soy, Egg, Peanut, Treenut, Fish and Shellfish (with notes for Sesame and Corn as I find them!)
Just Gluten Free? Head over to Gluten Free EPCOT.
⭐ If this is your First Time to Disney World, you’ll want all the insider tips and done for you plans found in the Food Allergies at Disney World Made Easy Guide , If you’ve been here before and just need the best places to eat and snacks, see the Touring Plan and Snack Guide. Just Gluten Free? There’s a guide for that too!
***As Always, please speak to a qualified restaurant employee when ordering food. In order to see the most accurate ingredients and risk assessment, you will need to confirm allergy safety in real-time. This is my personal experience, I am not employed or endorsed by companies or brands mentioned.***
Quick Look, Top Allergy Friendly Locations in EPCOT
World Showcase: Regal Eagle Quick Service in America Lunch and Dinner
Close to the Main Entrance: Coral Reef Table Service
Prefered Lunch Quick Service: Sunshine Seasons in the Land Pavilion
Best Character Meal at EPCOT: Akershus
Water Bottle Refill Locations: Several (the most out of any park!)
Best Allergy Quick Serve Options at EPCOT
First up, a helpful quick reference of all the Quick Service locations that have an Allergy Menu:
- Sunshine Seasons (only for lunch)
- Connections Eatery
- Regal Eagle
These locations are Disney Owned, the other quick service locations with allergy guides are third party owned and your service may vary.
Other Parks, Like Magic Kingdom, Animal Kingdom and Hollywood Studios have more Allergy Quick Serve Locations.
Reviews for Allergy Friendly Quick Service at EPCOT
Connections Eatery just opened in 2022. This is a new quick serve location. Good news, They do not have peanuts, or shellfish. Only treenut is coconut. It is an active bakery, so I’d recommend skipping it if you don’t go to bakeries regularly. See what options are available and some recommended favorites you’d enjoy here.
Sunshine Seasons- Located in the Land Pavilion on the bottom floor, by Soarin Ride. Somewhat hard to access if you use a mobility device. Features multiple dishes and items in a cafeteria style only for lunch.
Regal Eagle- Located at the back of World Showcase in America Pavilion. Features classics like Pulled Pork and BBQ.
YorkShire Fish Shop in the UK
This location is owned by Disney but doesnt have an Allergy Menu. The location is Peanut and Treenut free. The fryer is a dedicated french fry fryer and those are made without gluten.
This location is owned by Disney but doesnt have an Allergy Menu. The location is Peanut and Treenut free. They carry a Gluten Free/allergy bun for use on the Bratwurst. Plant Based (no Dairy, no Egg) Pretzel. The location is small so cross contact is likely.
There are quite a few others, like Katsura Grill in Japan and Nine Dragons in China and La Cantina de San Angel. These are third party owned and have their own version of Allergy Menus.
EPCOT Allergy Friendly Table Service Reviews and Recommendations Disney World 2023
Table Service locations are the sit down locations. These do take longer than quick service options (as those are more Fast Food grab and go style), but they also have more options for modifications. Table Service locations are also *more likely* to have dessert options (though not guaranteed).
For Starters, Allergy Friendly EPCOT Breakfast
When you first come to the park from the main entrance, you can enjoy some Joffrey’s Coffee or head to Starbucks. The Starbucks is called Connections Cafe and it does not have much to eat. They carry fruits and the Gluten Free Rice Crispy Bars.
The other option is at the Kringla Cafe in Norway. There you can find yogurts, apple sauce pouches, gluten friendly rice cream (contains milk and soy) and fruits.
Since EPCOT reopened in 2020 breakfast isn’t really an option here and can be hard to find.
You can head to the Boardwalk which is the International Gateway Entrance (the back entrance) and enjoy Trattoria Al Forno table service or the Boardwalk Deli Quick Serve Breakfast. Or you can always grab food or bring food before you come to the park.
Allergy Friendly EPCOT Lunch and Dinner
Below you’ll find written reviews and recommendations, if you’d like video reviews, see GlutenFreeDairyFree WDW’s EPCOT playlist on Youtube.
The first option you’ll come to is Coral Reef when coming in the main entrance, and it’s a top recommended meal for us (As well as many in the allergy community!) There’s something for everyone there, but they do serve a lot of seafood in addition to beef, chicken and plant based items.
Inside World Showcase, you can head to Mexico and enjoy a tasty meal at San Angel Inn. They have a dedicated gluten free fryer for chips (and the quick serve in Mexico is easy to modify for allergens). These options are good, but not owned by Disney. They are towards the bottom of my list as allergen procedures are not exactly the same as what you’d get at a fully Disney Owned Restaurant, and I have personally had issues here in the past related to no allergy menu, low lighting, and language barriers.
For a Food Free way to experience World Showcase, look into the Free KIDCOT activities. We love using this to explore the different Worlds without getting hung up on food finds.
If you are looking for a dedicated Gluten Free Margarita (using certified GF tequila) in Mexico, head inside to La Cava del Tequila. They take allergies seriously there! Unfortunately the Margarita Booth and the quick service in Mexico have mixed the GF tequila with Gluten ingredients.
Speaking of not owned by Disney, several of the options around World Showcase are not owned by Disney. Nine Dragons in China is very hard for allergies (they do have a binder and can make some accommodations).
Next up in countries is Germany. The Table Service option there is Biergarten, a Disney Owned Buffet.
Then Italy. Italy has several options but none of these are owned by Disney (all third party operated). At Tutto Italia they can do Gluten Free noodles, but other options are limited. You can learn more about Gelato in Italy here (which I don’t recommend).
No Table Service in America, and I haven’t dined at the ones in Japan (Teppan Edo and Takumi-Tei)
Then in Morocco we have the Spice Road Table. This has one of my favorite shellfish dishes and some fantastic dolmas. This is truly a ‘spicy’ restaurant and I love the real flavor. This is owned by Disney, no dedicated fryer, can speak to a chef, and limited menu.
I’d recommend that you skip the entire France Area. I have personally dined at the Crepe Restaurant (Le Creperie de Paris) , The Table Service Restaurant (Chefs de France), eaten at the Patisserie and the Ice Cream Shop (L’Artisan des Glaces). I am constantly told multiple different things, allergy options are always changing, and I dislike how they refuse to accommodate certain things.
In the UK there’s the Rose and Crown Table Service Restaurant. This is owned by Disney, has an allergy menu, has a dedicated gluten free fryer, and has quite a few modifications. I do like this location and have dined here several times!
Last is Canada, with Le Cellier Steakhouse. This is a Signature Dining Restaurant, so still sit down, but at a higher price tag. It’s a scratch kitchen, meaning everything is house made, and that makes it easier to get modifications.
Character Meals are Table Service Options too
There’s two Character Meals at EPCOT! Garden Grill in the Land Pavilion and Akershus in Norway!
Garden Grill is one of my favorite low stress, comparable allergy-to-non-allergy meals, fun character meals! Find this location for lunch and dinner.
Akershus has just finally reopened in EPCOT and features an authentic Nordic Inspired Dinner.
Best Allergy Friendly Treats and Snacks in EPCOT for Food Allergies
There’s several small options and things to enquire about. There’s one of my favorite treats ( it’s basically shaved ice) called Kakagori in Japan. This shaved ice is friendly for all of the top allergens and it’s a favorite for the kids since it’s dairy free! Plus lots of questions about the funnel cake (spoiler, it’s not really allergy friendly).
More dessert options include sorbet and macaroons in France! These are produced in a shared facility thought, so the dessert option in Sunshine Season (it’s currently a vegan mouse that can be made without gluten) might be the better option. And then this gluten friendly fun dessert in Norway.
Finally, you can find Snacks with Characters (relabeled but still certified allergy free) in Creations Shop at EPCOT. I always grab them as a snack on the way out to have for the resort or ride home!
Food Allergy Friendly Epcot Festivals
Festivals are all the rage at Epcot and for good reason! They are so much fun! They are fun for everyone, from dedicated things for the kiddos, to events and live music for the adults.
And when it comes to allergy friendly food, Epcot Festivals are in a category of their own.
There are a lot of people that will tell you there’s only a few options (or that you shouldn’t eat there) and this WAS TRUE before 2022.
But things change, and the Allergy Procedures have changed in 2022 for the better! You can see the full breakdown of what changed and what to expect here.
There’s 4 festivals currently
- International Festival of the Arts run Jan-Feb Here’s the review for 2022
- The Flower and Garden Festival runs March- June Here’s the review for 2022
- The Food and Wine Festival runs July- November Review for 2022
- The International Festival of the Holidays Nov-Dec Full Food Allergy Review for 2022
What you should know about Epcot with Food Allergies
Before we talk about stuff in the parks, let’s talk about what you should know before you get into the park, especially when we talk about free from eating.
First things first, you can (and should ) bring in some snacks or even meals to Epcot.
Please, bring snacks for everyone that deals with an allergy or intolerance because, out of the 300 times I’ve eaten at Disney World in the last year, almost 1 in 50 meals was totally wrong and had to be remade, or I had to leave and find better food elsewhere.
Accidents happen, you miss a bus, or a ride breaks down, or you get distracted. Having a few snacks on hand gives you peace of mind. It’s like an insurance policy for your stomach to make it through your expensive vacation!
Second thing is that you need to know that the menus and offerings can (and will) change especially when talking about allergy friendly food.
Sometimes its that the suppliers dont have it on hand, sometimes it’s that they aren’t selling the food (though most of the allergen friendly food at Epcot is pre frozen and then cooked for you!)
Lastly, there are a number of great places within a short walk (or a monorail ride!) or you can catch a bus or ferry to the resorts.
I like to leave the Epcot and head to the nearby resorts for a much needed A/C break and the resorts tend to have more options on hand for food allergies, especially gluten free food, dairy free food and other yummies in the top 8. I
‘ve also found that if you are in the top 14 allergens that the resort table service options definitely handle allergies better than the busier options in the parks!
So if you head to the Boardwalk (through the back entrance to Epcot called the International Gateway and where you exit the Skyliner) you can enjoy Boardwalk Deli and Trattoria Al Forno.
More where that came from!
Everyone should eat well on vacation! Learn more common questions and concerns in the Food Allergy FAQ or the Gluten Free Disney FAQ.
Plus the latest Disney News when it comes to Food Restrictions, eats, and offerings. Connect with the MouseEarMemory Allergy Community at the socials listed below or @Mouse.Ear.Memories