Regal Eagle is here and I am IN LOVE with their food allergy options.
Y’all. Texas toast. Beef brisket. Sweet tea. I am in BBQ food allergy heaven!
It TRULY is a salute to all cook offs but mostly Barbecue!
Ok ok, let’s talk about the newest quick serve addition to Epcot!
Located in the American Pavilion, it replaces the Liberty Inn that was previously here and joins the Sunshine Season as a quick serve that has an allergen menu.
It was more of a soft remodel- lots of interior stuff. But let’s not talk about the decorations, let’s talk about the FOOD!
Specifically the allergy friendly food. Honestly- you’re going to be surprised, because there’s something for everyone here! Soy free options, dairy free options, gluten free options… in fact they have Top 8 safe options *cue the tears because I cried I was so happy*
First things first. There’s a BBQ smoker out in the courtyard, and that’s important to know for later when we talk about cross-contact because everything is cooked together (with a few exceptions).
Next up, this is a Quick Serve. Quick Serves have less options than Table Service locations (see the Food Allergy FAQ for a better explanation) and the options can be somewhat limited if you manage Multiple Food Allergies. I highly recommend Coral Reef Restaurant if you are at EPCOT and want a more custom experience.
While there are a lot of restaurants to choose from (and many that are really good for you!) there are some I would recommend over others and then ones I’d skip. For the current list of ones to skip, check the Restaurant Skip List.
⭐ 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
***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.***
Food Allergy Menu for Regal Eagle
Egg, Peanut, Treenut, Fish and Shellfish are very easy to accommodate here.
Milk has some off limit items, as does Soy and Gluten.
They typically have the Top 8 Friendly and Gluten Free Bloomfield Farms Bread to modify the options. BUT sometimes they carry the Udi’s allergy and gluten free brand that contains Egg. This varies week to week.
You can also find Enjoy Life Cookies here normally (top 14 free dedicated facility) or Home Free Cookies (allergy friendly, some options contain soy lethcin)
Gluten Friendly
Several of the spices, and some of the BBQ sauces have natural flavors and are not labeled gluten free. See ingredients in person to determine your comfort level.
Milk Friendly
Soy Friendly
They do use highly refined soy oil on the fries, these are premade that way. So all the fryers and the fries have soy oil. If you are all forms soy, get the Sandwich with Watermelon and Enjoy Life Cookies.
Do I recommend this location?
Yes! This is one of three Quick Serve locations that I’d recommend to someone with a Moderate to Severe Allergy, as this is owned by Disney. Many of the other Quick Service locations are owned by operating participants and have different allergen procedures.
The other two quick serves at EPCOT I’d recommend for most are Connections Eatery (active bakery- skip if you skip bakeries at home) and Sunshine Seasons.
My Allergy Review
BUT to be able to have some of these options that are NEW to Disney World for Allergy Friendly options (and some things my son has never had) is just priceless! Seriously- Garden Grill is my favorite in Epcot and this just might be my new favorite quick serve. (Did Epcot just become my favorite park? Between this and the sorbet and the kakagori...)
It was easy to talk to a manager (who had food allergies herself!) and navigate the menu. This is some serious COMFORT FOOD that y’all are gonna want to enjoy!!!
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What we had that was Soy Free, Gluten Free, Dairy Free, Shellfish Free, Peanut Free 😋
Here we have the Texas Toast Beef Brisket… soooo good yall. I actually dreamed about it. SO GOOD.
The BBQ burger (without sauces or fried onion) with fries for the hubby. He said it tasted like Sonny’s BBQ, something we haven’t had in a long time.
Then there’s the kids’ plain burger with Texas toast and fries. (We’re going to talk more about this below!) My son ate it without complaints- he LOVED the toast. Seriously a dream come true.
Side of these crazy good and unique pickles (the cast member talked me into it!)
Berry Sparkler (nonalchohlic) from the outside bar. Absolutely Delicious and I can see this being a total favorite on hot days walking around the world showcase. Perfect for throwing in your reusable water bottle and keeping you cool! (P.S. no straws or lids here so the reusable bottle is a MUST!)
And last but not least, enjoy life cookies, side of watermelon and some condiments. (And while we love getting enjoy life cookies at the parks, we also like to bring our own ahead of time!)
OH YEAH! AND Vegan and Gluten Free Mayo!!!!! (my son has never had mayo so this was new for him!)
Let’s talk about the ALLERGY toast (not regular toast) 🍞
And I know what y’all have been dying to know… YES THE TEXAS TOAST IS TOP 8 free 🥰🎉 BUT where there is reward, there is sacrifice and none of the toast is corn free.
I’m amazed that they found a bread that is gluten free and soy free and dairy free AND egg free. (Because Udi’s includes that I thought everyone else would too.)
The toast is from Bloomfield Farm and they have a FAN! The toast is totally fantastic and they cover it with the soy free earth balance butter (so the toast is also vegan and totally plant based 🎉🎉)
IT’S JUST SO THICK. (update for 2021, same toast, not as thick)
I know this picture totally sucks- but look how GIANT this toast is!!!
Plant Based too
AND they have the beyond burger with jackfruit BUT the burger is cooked on the same service as the toast (not the meat) so cross-contamination for those that are gluten free AND vegan is there.
The alternatives for Gluten free vegans is to have extra jackfruit. There’s no way to cook the burger without exposing it to gluten.
But what about the sauce?!? 👀
Only the pit boss BBQ has a common allergen (corn) the other three sauces are totally common allergen free!
MSG was NOT listed, but there are quite a bit of natural flavors so proceed with caution if glutamates are an issue.
So let’s talk about the sauce! There’s 4 different flavors. The pit boss is the one that they are rubbing on everything (and that’s predone- remember the smoker above where they cook most of the meats?)
Then we have the other three flavors.
Savory Spice Sauce
Sweet Mustard Sauce
Vinegar Base Sauce
I did try a little taste of each (and then the sweet mustard sauce on my sandwich because that looked the safest) they all taste pretty typical for BBQ sauces and not overly tangy.
And the Rubs 🍖
There’s a lot of spices and rubs going on here- which for some is exciting and for others (like myself) it causes a bit of anxiety!
Out of the different meat options, we went with the Beef Brisket Sandwich (no sauce or rub) and the BBQ Burger. But the burger is cooked on the same surface as the other Burgers that have the rub so CC is an issue.
The chicken (including the kids) comes complete with rub/sauce combo that is preapplied and precooked. (Everything about the chicken was giving me the heeby jeebies! You’ll have to see what your comfort level is with all the prepared foods and elusive ingredients.)
The fries also have a spice/rub sprinkled on them, and that can be left off as well.
The Rub is not specified on the ingredient sheet, it says, ” spices include paprika, salt, dehydrated onion, and garlic. Kosher salt.” with a soy and corn allergen warning. Definitely check on this when you get there!!
Now the Main Courses 🍽️
They didn’t have allergen menu’s out in print (but they are on the MyDisney App!!! )
There’s:
Sliced Texas Beef Brisket Sandwich
Smoked Half Chicken
Chopped Smoked Pork Butt
Smoked Sausage Sandwich
BBQ Burger
American Platter (three meats from above and you can double up!)
And the sides… 🍟
House Made Pickles (top 8 free) plant based
Garlic Toast (we already talked about that above how it was safe for gluten and the other top allergens MINUS corn)
Mac and Cheese
Seasoned French Fries (cooked in soy oil)
Beer Battered Onion Rings
Baked Beans with Burnt Ends
Let’s talk about allergen procedures ⚠️
For one, do they have a dedicated fryer?
Technically yes, technically no.
So how this works is, they have a fryer, but the fryer is ONLY for fries, but it’s technically not an allergy frier, because it does all the fries for the entire place.
SO- I spoke with the manager and felt comfortable TODAY because it was totally fresh. But I’m also a little worried, because they do have onion rings here that are fried and accidents happen. (Especially when things aren’t clearly label- lots of kitchen workers that aren’t chefs that are just doing their regular job might not understand how important it is that it’s a dedicated fryer.)
This is something you absolutely have to check on when you visit.
Also, it’s a shared kitchen like everywhere else, but the thing that gets me is that the meat is prepared elsewhere. (Which makes me feel more like the epcot festivals where it’s bussed in.) This is something else to consider depending on your comfort level and allergies.
We got our watermelon from the back (it’s stored in a shared fridge with lots of other items).
But what about Dessert?
So it looks like they have a smores brownie- and looking at the allergen sheet- it has warnings for Gluten/Wheat, soy, dairy and egg. It’s a meringue/chocolate/graham cracker dessert.
There there’s a Banana Pudding- which also has some allergen warning’s you’d need to check!
For the rest of us, we’ve got ole’ faithful- enjoy life cookies and watermelon (not together because I’m not sure how that would taste!)
What I liked… 👍 and what I didn’t 👎
What I really liked (ok, loved) was how inclusive it felt. This is another one of those places that offers great 1 to 1 options for people with food allergies and people without.
Sitting there with my son while he enjoyed Texas Toast for the first time was beyond anything I’ve ever hoped or dreamed. (This is personal because my late mother in law loved her some BBQ and gave it up for my son because he couldn’t eat it.)
What I was surprised to see were the portion sizes. Don’t get me wrong- the portion sizes are normally WAY too much food. I was just surprised to see that Disney is actually decreasing how much they give you.
Kids meal came with exactly one side and a drink, and the adult portion was the same.
There will be no sharing of these meals unless you treat them like a snack- they are perfectly portioned.
I didn’t like how the food retrieval was set up. It’s similar to most quick service spots that you pay, then you stand at the counter. But instead of clearly marked entrances and exits, and plenty of room between the cash register and the window. It was elbow to elbow. We were so packed in there and getting out and navigating it with a tray was crazy.
Hopefully they fix that soon!
Overall, I’m impressed with opening day procedures, but this isn’t going to be my new favorite place just yet. I’m interested to see how the allergen procedures develop!
Allergen Menu
For the most up to date allergen menu, head over to Disney to grab it.
Here’s how…
Go to My Disney Experience (either in the app or on desktop) and search for Regal Eagle. Bring it up and select menu. Scroll to the bottom and find all of the allergen menus!
Have you been to Regal Eagle? What was your favorite food allergy friendly item on the menu? Comment below with your recommendations!