One one hand, the internet forums make it seem like Disney with Food Allergies is a magical escape from your kitchen, on the other hand, there’s so much unknown and unsaid that could set you up for failure.
While we could talk all day about fun facts related to Magic Kingdom, let’s talk about the allergy-friendly offerings inside of the parks that we’ve personally experienced. We’ll provide pictures, tips and details about doing Disney World Food Allergy Style and hopefully give you the confidence you need to take the trip!
While you can catch a monorail from Magic Kingdom to check out the other allergy friendly eats close by (and some you can walk to!) it’s often easier to stay inside the park and check out one of these yummy places for breakfast, lunch, dinner or a tasty snack!
Ready to plan your dining? See this post: Best Food Allergy Restaurant Recommendations at Disney World.
***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.***
✅ My recommendations for Food Allergy Friendly Eat’s at Magic Kingdom
There are a few places that seem to consistently offer safe food- we all know that this depends on Chef’s and Menu’s but when a cast member runs a tight ship- it shows. I’ve talked about this more in Food Allergies at Disney World Made Easy– you’ll want to get a copy so your prepared for your trip!
For Quick Service I highly recommend Peco Bills and Pinocchio Haus. These two quick serve have quite a number of good options for the top 9 allergens.
At these two places you can get food that generally accommodates the top allergens without much issue. Just gluten free folks will likely enjoy Columbia Harbor House, and we have decent luck at Cosmic Ray’s (tho soy oil is an issue there).
Table Service gives you some more allergy friendly options.
Tony’s Town Square is a great 1-1 allergy vs. non-allergy restaurant in that you and your party can get identical meals without telling much about who has the allergy and who doesn’t! I love when these kind of options come together- and Tony’s also has dessert options for all of the top 9 allergens making this a nice place to enjoy a family meal without being worried about accommodating everyone.
In 2021, I still think it’s one of the top places in Magic Kingdom for good safe eats!
we LOVE Jungle Skipper Canteen with it’s unique cast members and lots of great food for all of us that are free from! It’s got items like steak, fish, and plant based protein, plus it’s one of the few locations that has appetizers (soup for those that are top 8 free) that most people can have!
It *is* pretty hard to get into though… which leads me to…
The Plaza Restaurant! This is a great option for most people, and the views are fantastic!
We love this gluten free double decker sandwich, it’s my husbands favorite, and it’s found at The Plaza Restaurant!
Still waiting on Character Meals to come back in full force… right now they are operating with modified (or no) characters (or will bring them back modified hopefully in the next few months).
I’d skip these for now and focus on other Disney Experiences as the food is just *part* of what makes a character meal worth it!
But if you do want to go for your Beauty and the Beast fan, see the updated review of Be Our Guest at Magic Kingdom (including the current character restrictions!)
Crystal Palace changed their menu, and the price since they are not currently filled with Characters! It’s not at the top of my list, but still a good options for some OK foods and a place to sit in the A/C.
Desserts and Snacks- Allergy Friendly options that are free from gluten, soy, dairy, egg, nuts, and sea items at Magic Kingdom
For dessert, you’ll find a lot of the same options. Namely * raspberry sorbet* which has become the allergy friendly scapegoat. It’s everywhere!
Over at the Plaza Ice Cream Shop, there’s no gluten free cone but you can find regular ice cream, dairy-free Tofutti (rice dream is gone) and raspberry sorbet. They’ll scoop it for you from the back!
I’ve checked a few times this year and they haven’t had enjoy life cookies for “mickey ears” but they used to. Instead head over to the Main Street Confectionary and purchase a ton of Enjoy Life Products. These are safe for the top 14 allergens.
Chocolate Covered Bananas are found in Frontier Land, they do contain nuts, soy and are processed on shared equipment.
The Lefou Brew (modified to avoid food allergens) is a pretty popular and satisfactory treat. Bonus: Gaston’s Tavern also sells fruit, prepackaged cheese, and other little snacks to go (not right now as of January 2022)
Plus other fun drinks like the Little Mermaid at Eric’s Market, Dole Whip items (with and without dairy) in Adventureland, and a few 50th anniversary treats, like the Doom Berry.
I always recommend bringing a few snacks in with you to help with the hunger pains- but don’t be ashamed to stock up on minute maid frozen lemonades (safe for most top 9), popcorn (contains only corn and coconut ) and turkey legs (sometimes contains dairy or gluten)
There are LOTS of carts and kiosks and stands around the parks where you can get prepackaged goods, like at the Liberty Market (they have a lot actually!) and the popcorn which is safe for most people (excluding corn and coconut oil.)
🏰 What Do I need to know before heading to Magic Kingdom
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 Magic Kingdom.
I ALWAYS recommend snacks for everyone that deals with an allergy or intollereance 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.
Luckily you’ve got the inside scoop (see below!) with the best allergy friendly magic kingdom eats BUT you’ve got to bring some snacks just in case you get the hungry grumbles and need some allergy safe food.
Second thing is that you need to know that the menus and food allergy offerings can (and will) change especially when talking about allergy-friendly food. Sometimes it’s 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 magic kingdom is prefrozen and then cooked for you!) And for those of you wondering about other options, check out the Ultimate Beginner’s Guide to Food Allergies at Disney World!
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 Magic Kingdom 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!
Some of my favorite include this table service over at The Contemporary and this food allergy friendly quick serve at the Grand Floridian.
Most importantly though, you’re only a 10 minute bus ride to these mind blowing allergy friendly and gluten free beignets (and top 9 free)
But, if you want to stay inside Magic Kingdom from Rope Drop to the Kiss Goodnight, you can do that (yes, even with food allergies!)
You might also like: Galaxy’s Edge Food Allergy Guide for Hollywood Studios
What to expect when ordering at Magic Kingdom with food allergies
There’s a lot of planing involved when you have foods that you avoid, an upset stomach, an serious avoidance or someone that is anaphylactic and has to obsessively watch for allergens because it could be a life or death situation… trust me when I say that all of these people have gathered and enjoyed Disney World.
It is going to look different for those of you that have an intolerance/ethical preference vs those of you with a non negotiable allergy.
For most people, you’ll be able to eat foods listed on the allergen menu (where available). This means that for some people, speaking with a chef won’t even be necessary because ordering from the allergy menu that most locations have will be enough to avoid gluten based products.
If you have a NON NEGOTIABLE allergy, things will be *slightly more complicated* because you’ll need to speak with a Chef/Manager and be diligent in confirming that your food is actually gluten free. Always double and triple check with everyone you talk with that you have a life-threatening allergy and confirm that food comes out separate (and likely with a little allergy skewer)
Special Events at Magic Kingdom and Food Allergies! 🎃🎃🎃
There’s lots of great events that happen at the Magic Kingdom through the year, but the holidays are some of the best festivities you’ll see!
At Halloween time, prepare to be spooked with this hard ticket event, Mickey’s Not so Scary Halloween Party. Check out this allergy friendly guide to Mickey’s Not so Scary Halloween Party to see if you’d enjoy getting your own teal mickey bag and trick r treating.
For the Holidays, Disney does a Hard Ticket event called Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas. This event typically only has apple juice and enjoy life cookies for those with food allergies, but I hope they add more in the future.
Christmas at Disney World is one of my favorite times to visit! There’s so many reasons a Christmas celebration is the best time of year.
FAQ
Can you bring your own food into Magic Kingdom?
Yes you can bring your own food inside Magic Kingdom! We always bring snacks in and I’ve known other families to bring in entire meals. Disney does limit things by not allowing glass, things that need to be heated (minus baby food) and no loose ice or large hard sided coolers. I’d recommend an insulated backpack and grab a locker to keep your food out of the hot Florida Sun. And for those of you wondering about other options, check out the Ultimate Beginner’s Guide to Food Allergies at Disney World!
How do I find Menus For Magic Kingdom?
The quickest and easiest way to find menus is to use the My Disney App, however, most of them do not include the menu for food allergies! On my site you’ll find links to reviews + menus + our experience with food allergies at each location.
Conclusion
I’m sure there’s something I left out (and please leave a comment below!) but overall, dining with food allergies at Disney World is not only doable- it’s also enjoyable. You can also head to Universal Orlando , Legoland Orlando , and Seaworld Orlando with food allergies!
The Skipper Canteen was a great choice for us. The server and chef helped make the experience wonderful. I was provided with a delicious steak meal prepared free of soy, nuts and garlic. The kids dessert lava cake was unexpectedly filled with red dye, and since my daughter cannot have dye the server gave her a special brownie topped with ice cream instead. Thank you for your suggestions that helped make our dining experiences safe and magical!