Gluten Free Character Meals at Disney World

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Disney World offers a unique and enchanting dining experience where you can meet iconic characters and have a meal. Join us as we journey into the world of Gluten Free Character Meals, ensuring that your dietary needs are met while you create magical memories with Mickey, Cinderella, and many more of your favorites.

***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 food safety in real-time. This is my personal experience, I am not employed or endorsed by companies or brands mentioned.***

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List of the Best options for Character Meals at Disney

Here’s the quick guide of places I’d recommend for each occasion:

*Note that these are Inside AND Outside the Parks. Some may require a Park Ticket, and other’s may require Transportation Arrangements.

  • ➡️ Best Gluten Free Breakfast: Topolinos, ‘Ohanas
  • 🥳 Best for a Birthday Celebration: Topolinos or Chef Mickeys (but go where your favorite character is!) 
  • ❄️ Best for Halloween and Christmas: Hollywood and Vine seasonal Lunch/Dinner
  • 😎 Best for all you care to enjoy food: Garden Grill or Akershus
  • 📚Best for theming: Storybook Dining at Artist Point (though Be Our Guest is also cute!) 
  • Best for Toddlers: Disney Jr Breakfast at Hollywood and Vine
  • Best Budget Friendly Options at Magic Kingdom: Crystal Palace
  • ❤️ Best for Character Interactions: Topolinos or Garden Grill (the others have a dance number that consistently cuts into meeting time, while Topolinos has dances, I’ve never been rushed with characters in the 7+ times I’ve been!) 
  • Great Last Minute Option: Cape May Cafe Breakfast
  • Locations that are NOT a Buffet: Storybook Dining at Artist Point , Akershus, Be Our Guest, Topolinos, Cinderella’s Royal Table. See here for eating safely at the Buffets.
  • Not mentioned was Tusker House Lunch and Dinner, and Tusker House Breakfast… which has some pretty good eats and fun characters. It’s towards the bottom of the list as the food is fantastic for those looking for Authentic Flavor inspired by African Cuisine, but the dingy lighting, hard to access Chefs, and limited ability to modify make a less desirable option.

Can every Disney World Character meal accommodate for Gluten Free?

If you are a ‘go with the flow’ gluten free foodie, you’ll be happy to know that all the Character Meals at Disney World can accommodate basic Gluten Free options. Some locations will have more availability than others and some have some limited location favorites.

If you want the sit down flavors without the Characters, see the other Table Service locations with Gluten Free Menus.

GF Food options found at the Character Meals

There are so many options at the Character Meals!

You can expect Appetizers, like Salads and Breads at Lunch and Dinner, and Fruit and yogurt for Breakfast (and some locations carry pastries from this bakery!) Most locations have quite a few Entrees (generally at least 5), and all have some form of dessert that isn’t fruit. Sometimes that Ice Cream or a Brownie, other times it’s a special dessert found only at that location!

For more information see the Gluten Free Reference Guide.

Tips for Gluten Free Character Meals

1.Plan for more time!

Character Meals take a lot of time on their own, but when you add in Gluten Free options, you should budget an extra 30 minutes. So if you think it will take about 45 minutes for your family of 4, add in another 30 minutes to be safe. If you are traveling with more than 5 people, or more than one Special Diet Allergy Need, you should plan for 90 minutes.

2. If you get a Chef or Kitchen Support Staff, be sure to ask about Dessert

It can be hard to get a Chef back to the table, so ask about Dessert while they are there! Almost all Character Meals (including Breakfast) have special sweet treats to enjoy.

3.If you are Contact Reactive, consider that food may be on the Characters because of other Guests.

Kids and Adults with Sticky fingers and Mouths full of food are hugging the Characters, so some food transfer onto the Character should be expected. When in doubt, just get a picture without the hug.

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