Your Guide to Vegan Options in California Adventure! (June 2019 Update)

Welcome to Disney California Adventure (DCA)! Let’s eat some vegan food!

These are the options to the best of my knowledge as of June 2019. Please be aware that I try to update as thoroughly as I can, but the food options change regularly at Disneyland Resort, so the information becomes out of date at some point. Please check the main page of this blog (https://happiestveganonearth.com/) if you are reading this more than a couple of months in the future, and use the most current version of the blog post so that you have the most accurate info for your visit to the park 🙂

Please contact me if you find that something has changed and that a previously vegan item is no longer vegan so that I can update the post! Messaging me on Instagram (@happiestveganonearth) is the quickest way to contact me.

Table of Contents (Jump to a section!)

 

  • Clarabelle’s Ice Cream Parlor (Buena Vista Street)

Currently, the only vegan option on the permanent menu is the mixed berry sorbet bar, but the dark chocolate dip contains dairy. A long time ago, probably going on two years now, it was vegan, but they changed suppliers and I have been asking regularly, and each time they tell me it has dairy.

This is a good opportunity for us to send an email to Disneyland to let them know that we care about vegan dessert options and hope that they will change it back to the dairy-free dark chocolate. Also, when you’re in the park, and if you have time, you can stop by Chamber of Commerce (DCA) or City Hall (Disneyland) to let them know how you feel as well.

The sprinkles have confectioner’s glaze, which is usually made from shellac beetles. The other toppings have either confectioner’s glaze or dairy unfortunately.

They usually have the Mangonada on the specials menu, especially in the summer. It is mango sorbet topped with chamoy sauce and tajin, and that is vegan by default:

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The Sandianada on the specials menu is made with a Watermelon gelato/sorbet that contains egg whites in the ingredients list.

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Update (September 2019): There is an apple sorbet on the Halloween Menu (as part of a Hard Cider Float), and I asked the chef about it, and he said that the apple sorbet contains egg whites, just like the watermelon sorbet. You can read more about the Halloween Time 2019 vegan options here: Your Guide to Halloween Time Vegan Options at Disneyland and California Adventure (2019)

  • Starbucks / Fiddler, Fifer, and Practical Café (Buena Vista Street)

This has all of your standard vegan options at Starbucks! Almost any drink can be veganized with either soy, almond, or coconut milk. Watch out for some of the syrups that have dairy, such as the pumpkin spice. Google “vegan at Starbucks” for a comprehensive list of vegan options.

  • Sourdough Bread throughout the park

The Boudin Bakery makes variously shaped sourdough loaves that are sold throughout the park! This one is Groot with olives for eyeballs. They also do Mickey, Lightening McQueen, and Mike from Monsters. They’ll do seasonal ones as well, such as snowmen and candy canes for Christmas. They are all vegan, except for the versions that have cheese baked on the top (there were 2 versions of Groot, for example — one with cheese baked on top, and one without). You can find the bread at the Fairfax Market on Hollywood Blvd, at Mortimer’s on Buena Vista Street, and by the entrance to the Boudin Bakery in Pacific Wharf.

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  • Carthay Circle Restaurant (Buena Vista Street): Table Service, Reservations Recommended

This is a fancy table service restaurant and reservations are a must for the upstairs restaurant area. The downstairs lounge area takes walk-ins though, and they have appetizers on the menu.

All of the vegan options are off-menu, so you won’t see them on the menu, but they will make them for you if you ask!

Normally they bring you out complimentary bread before the meal, but they didn’t have any vegan bread for this, so they brought us out some free fruit instead:

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Below is the off-menu veggie tower. It is made with seasonal veggies, so it changes slightly depending on the day. It doesn’t photograph very well, but it tasted delicious!

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They also have a housemade veggie burger, which is available on the lunch menu, but not the dinner menu. They do have a vegan bun for it as well.

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On both the lunch and dinner menus, they have an off-menu vegan pasta with seasonal veggies:

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For dessert, there was nothing vegan on the normal dessert menu, but I asked about vegan desserts and our server told us that they had some mango sorbet:

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  • Carthay Circle Lounge (downstairs, no reservations required):

This menu changes with every season, but this is what is currently on the menu as of June 2019:

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Three items are vegan or easy to veganize:

  1. Spanish Roasted Cauliflower with Hazelnuts, Capers, Golden Raisins, Mint and Lemon: They had run out of this last time we went, so I don’t have a photo, but our server said that it should be vegan as-is, just to verify that the sauce they are using is vegan.
  2. Garden Spring Roll with Portobello Mushrooms, Hummus, Red Peppers and Dragon Sauce: Our server said that this one should be vegan as-is, just to make sure to verify that the sauce that is currently being used is vegan and substitute if necessary.
  3. Mediterranean Artichoke Hummus with Garden Vegetables and Garlic Naan: The Naan contains dairy, so ask for a double portion of vegetables instead.

Garden Spring Roll:

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Mediterranean Artichoke Hummus:

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There are many vegan cocktails on the menu! Below is Rose Petal Soda, which was ridiculously delicious. It’s non-alcoholic and has an edible sugar rose petal in it! Make sure to ask for “no straw” if you’ve brought your own 🙂

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  • Studio Catering Co. Truck (Hollywoodland, near Monsters Inc.): Counter Service

They recently changed the menu here and I think it’s a lot better!

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The Backlot Nachos are made to be customized, so here is how to order them vegan:

  • Choose the Plant-Based Protein
  • Substitute the vegan (cashew) cheese sauce for the red pepper cheese sauce.
  • Specify the vegan crema (which normally comes on the plant-based tacos).

Pictured below are the veganized Backlot nachos in the back and the plant-based tacos in the front:

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Veganized Backlot Nachos:

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The Frozen Pineapple Horchata was originally vegan when they first brought out this new menu, but the suppliers have changed a couple of times, so sometimes there is actually milk powder in the ingredients list, so it may or may not be vegan, depending on when you’re reading this. Please verify with the cast members.

It normally comes with whipped cream, so make sure to specify no whipped cream on top.

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Also, you can order the Backlot Nachos and the Plant-Based Tacos from the beer stand across the way from the truck as well. They have the sign here. So it could be convenient if you want to order a beer from the stand as well — it would save you from standing in line twice if you want something from both places:

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Update (September 2019): They also have a Halloween Time specialty drink at the Studio Catering Co Truck right now, the Eerie Elixir. You can read more about that here: Your Guide to Halloween Time Vegan Options at Disneyland and California Adventure (2019)

  • Award Wieners (Hollywoodland): Counter Service

They recently changed the menu and we now have a fully vegan hot dog here! This is a huge step up over the old vegan option, which as an off-menu hack that consisted of french fries and grilled mushrooms/onions.

The new vegan option is called the Plant-Based Philly Dog. It is a Field Roast hot dog in a housemade (Boudin) vegan bun, topped with grilled onions, peppers, and mushrooms, and a vegan crema, which is a sort of creamy mustard sauce. The sauce is quite mustardy, so if you don’t like mustard, you can ask to leave off the sauce, and add ketchup afterwards if desired. It is served with Filmstrip Fries, which are my favorite fries ever.

Mobile order is available here, which is a great choice for a situation like this, when it is vegan with no modifications.

I loved everything about this dog — Field Roast are my favorite vegan hot dogs (they are seitan based I believe, and seitan is my soulmate), and all of the toppings are just so good. The toasted bun is crispy on the outside and nice and soft and warm on the inside. 10/10 would get again!

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  • Schmoozies (Hollywoodland): Counter Service

The Mango Madness, Berry Schmoozie, and Strawberry Banana Sensation smoothies can be made vegan by omitting the yogurt.

They also have some specials on the menu right now (summer 2019), and the Mangonada Smoothie can be made vegan. It is similar to the Mangonada at Clarabelle’s mentioned above, but this one is a drinkable smoothie, as opposed to scoops of sorbet. So the Smoothie is basically a version of the Mango Madness Smoothie (make sure to omit the yogurt), topped with chamoy sauce, mango pieces, and a chile lollipop. See the photo below for the ingredients on the lollipop.

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I asked about the Sandianada Smoothie that is also on the seasonal menu, and the cast member said that it is made with a vanilla ice cream (dairy) and can’t really be made without it.

They also make espresso drinks at Schmoozies, and you can get them with soy or almond milk. I got an iced latte with soy milk the other day and it was delicious! A great alternative to Starbucks if the line at Schmoozies happens to be shorter.

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They have seasonal lemonades that change a few times a year, but the current one (summer 2019) is sort of an orange creamsicle one that is made with dairy.

  • Cocina Cucamonga (Pacific Wharf): Counter Service

This menu is not as good as the previous version in my opinion, but you can get a decent bowl of rice and beans. They have potato cakes that have cheese pre-baked into them unfortunately. So the best vegan option here to my knowledge is the Cocina Bowl with no meat, no potato cakes, and no cheese. I asked for extra beans in place of those and they were happy to comply the first time I asked, but on subsequent visits, they have said no. They also have chips and guacamole here, so that would be a good side with this. So it’s black beans, roasted anaheim peppers, cilantro-lime rice (I asked about chicken stock; they told me it’s just water), roasted corn, and cucumber-tomato slaw.

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They use plastic forks and spoons at this location, so what you see there on the right is my steel spork that I  bring with me. It’s by Light my Fire Sweden.

They serve Micheladas here, which is beer and tomato juice/clamato, and I asked to see the ingredients on the tomato juice — it has anchovies in it.

  • Lucky Fortune Cookery (Pacific Wharf): Counter Service

The menu here at Lucky Fortune changed recently and the new vegan option has become my favorite sandwich ever! It’s the Vegan Banh Mi:

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It is made with Before the Butcher plant based meat, pickled vegetables (carrot and daikon), cilantro, and Jalapenos on a French Roll served with Cucumber Salad in Lemongrass Vinaigrette.

The Kid’s version, the Kid’s Vegan Banh Mi, is a smaller version served with vegetables, steamed rice, and a drink.⁣

This means the tofu bowl from the old menu is gone now. But the old one was there for around 10 years I think?! It was definitely time for a change, and even though I am a tofu addict, I think this new vegan dish is much much better! ⁣

The bread is nice and crispy on the outside, and the b4thebutcher meat with the sauce is super satisfying and delicious! And with the crunchy veggies and housemade vegan mayo sauce.. perfection!!⁣

A note on Pacific Wharf Cafe:

I will quickly mention Pacific Wharf Cafe here (bread bowl/soup place near Lucky Fortune and Cocina Cucamonga). Of course the sourdough bread bowls are vegan, but none of the soups are vegan, and theoretically you could modify the salad that they put in the bread bowl, but the cast member told me that they don’t have any vegan dressings. Their only dairy-free “allergy” dressing still contains honey. So you could get a bread bowl with salad and no dressing, but with Lucky Fortune right next door, I’m not sure it would be worth it. I’m trying to think of a menu hack for this — maybe get a dressing from somewhere else in the park? Let me know if you can think of anything!

  • Ghirardelli Soda Fountain and Chocolate Shop (Pacific Wharf): Counter Service

Here you can get a raspberry sorbet (I checked the ingredients list) as the Marina Raspberry Sorbet Sundae. The hot fudge has dairy, and omit the whipped cream. You can substitute a few different toppings. I did the strawberry and pineapple purees, but you can also do crushed almonds. They top it with a 72% dark chocolate square, which is vegan!

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I walked around the entire shop again recently (June 2019) and checked the ingredients lists on all the chocolates. The only one that didn’t have milk in it was the 72% dark. All of the others, even the other dark chocolates, contain dairy.

  • Lamplight Lounge (Pixar Pier): Table Service, Reservations Recommended

This restaurant is very popular, so a reservation is recommended. A small party willing to sit at the bar should be fine with a walk-up though. Even if you don’t have a reservation, it’s worth it to try your luck. There is usually a short line to talk to the host/hostess, and then they will give you a pager that will buzz when your table is ready.

The upstairs part, formerly the Cove Bar, has only the “Bites” and drinks. My favorite here is the vegan nachos, which are a modified version of the lobster nachos, with grilled veggies in place of the lobster. So you say no lobster, no crema, and vegan cheese. The server and chef should know what you mean when you say “vegan nachos.”

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The vegan cheese isn’t very visible in this photo, but I promise there is a huge layer of vegan cheese in the middle.

They are freshly made chips, and the cast member told me that they actually have 2 fryers — one for the chips and potatoes, and one for the animal products.

Another great appetizer is the veganized version of the Potato Skins. Some people have said that they can get it with vegan cheese, but mine just came out without it. They were still amazing though!! They are so crispy on the outside and soft and warm on the inside. They were very well seasoned. I was so surprised at how amazing they were.

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Downstairs, with the bigger menu (“Bigger Bites”), has several great options. First is the Ratatouille, and you can order the vegan version by saying no cheese and no aioli, and then add tofu if you like! Of course I added tofu.

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The mushrooms looked a bit like chicken at first and it freaked me out! So just be prepared for that! It’s a really delicious dish, the smoky tomato sauce is incredible.

They also have the Impossible Burger on the secret menu, but sometimes it is a Beyond Burger, because Impossible foods has had trouble keeping up with demand lately, and whenever Disneyland can’t get enough Impossible burgers, they serve Beyond Burgers instead.

You won’t see a vegan burger on the menu, but ask your server and they can to make it for you. I checked on the the bun, it’s vegan! And then the do melted vegan cheese on top. I asked what kind of cheese it was, and the chef brought me out this card to assure me that it was vegan.

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Another option is the Spinach Salad with Warm Mushrooms and Shiitake “Bacon.” Yes, they even put “bacon” in quotation marks on the menu! That seems so vegan of them! Hopefully they will get better about actually using the V word on the menu to make it clearer for everyone. The dressing is vegan, a charred vinaigrette. Modifications needed on this are omit the egg and omit the blue cheese toast.

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You have to be a big mushroom fan to like this one! It’s very mushroomy!

Also, the Peanut Butter and Jelly Rolls from the kid’s menu are vegan as-is. They come with hummus and dipping vegetables as well:

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There are so many cocktails here — and they’re all vegan! Here are a few of them:

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The Teaser: Greenbar City Bright Gin, Greenbar Hibiscus Liqueur, fresh Lime Juice, and Agave Nectar topped with Tonic Water.

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The Open Ocean with a Splash: a Frozen Cocktail made with Bacardi Raspberry Rum, Bols Blue Curaçao, Liquid Alchemist Orgeat (Almond), Agave Nectar, and fresh Lime Juice.

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The Short: Plymouth Gin, fresh Lime and Lemon Juice, Agave Nectar, and Seasoned Veggies.

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The Morning Glory: You can see the ingredients in the photo — the Bloody Mary mix is vegan!

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Final with a Fix: Greenbar IXÁ Reposado Tequila, St. George Raspberry Liqueur, Cointreau, fresh Lime Juice, Agave Nectar, and a dash of Del Maguey Vida Mezcal.

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Over Budget: Grey Goose Vodka, Liquid Alchemist Passion Fruit, fresh Lime Juice, Agave Nectar, and Ginger Beer.

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The Scream Canister: Bacardi 8 Años Rum, Cream of Coconut, Pineapple and Orange Juice with a mist of Angostura Bitters.

Here is the ingredients list on the Cream of Coconut — it even has the vegan certified label!

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I also took a photo of the ingredients list on the Angostura bitters — it’s a bit hard to see, but it’s alcohol, water, sugar, gentian [a root], natural flavors, caramel color, and added colors. Of course, “natural flavors” is always a bit mysterious, so I looked it up on Barnivore, and there is an email from the company saying that it is vegan! http://www.barnivore.com/search?keyword=angostura

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Those are all the drinks I’ve had so far. If you get the Infinity Fizz, there are “Cherry Pearls” in that, and I took of photo of that ingredients list: water, fructose, pomegranate syrup, calcium lactate, seaweed extract, citric acid, pomegranate flavor, beta carotene, potassium sorbate.

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As far as I can tell from my research, calcium lactate is vegan, it is the calcium salt from lactic acid, which is made from cornstarch or beet sugar.

Also, they recently started serving brunch on the weekends here at Lamplight Lounge! It is on Saturdays and Sundays, from park opening to 12 noon.

The vegan as-is option is the Potato Flautas. They have plant-based chorizo (soyrizo), vigan piquillo crema, serrano-tomatillo salsa, arugula salad, and escabeche:

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These are quite spicy because of the sauce and the soyrizo. If you’re unsure if it might be too spicy, you can request to get the sauce on the side and add a smaller amount just in case.

They are made in a shared fryer (downstairs), but if you prefer, you can request to have them made in the upstairs fryer, which is only used for chips, and not for animal products.

A couple of other items could be modified — I haven’t tried it yet, so I’m not sure how much they would be worth the price after the modifications, but I wanted to list them here and I will get them next time to try them out and tell you if they’re worth it!

Lamplight Chilaquiles: Omit the egg, cheddar, and queso, and substitute them with the vegan cheese (Daiya) and add soyrizo:

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New York Avocado Toast: Omit the steak, egg, and butter sauce. The confit potatoes normally are made with cheese and garlic oil, but you can request for them to make a fresh batch without the cheese.

And here is some info about the specialty drinks on the brunch menu:

Beermosa: This is made with Latitude Blood Orange IPA, which is listed vegan on Barnivore.

Morning Glory: This is the same Bloody Mary that they have on the regular Lamplight Lounge menu since it opened last summer, so it is the same Bloody Mary mix ingredients that you can see the photo of above — no fish or anything; it is vegan.

Overall I was very impressed with this new menu! The flautas were truly a special dish, very much worth writing home about!

 

  • Bing Bong’s Sweet Stuff Confectionary (Pixar Pier): Counter Service

Here they have a lot of packaged candies that are vegan and some fancy frozen drinks called Memory Refreshers. The cast member checked the pearls (boba balls) and read the ingredients list to me — they are the same company that makes the pearls as you see above in the Lamplight Lounge Infinity Fizz. The only strange ingredient in them is calcium lactate, which is non-dairy, as far as my googling can tell me.

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So here’s a rundown of the drinks at Bing Bong’s:

  • Gloomy Blues: Vegan! (Blueberry pearls)
  • Slow Burn: Vegan! (Mango pearls)
  • Imaginary Pal: The cast member said that the flower topping has egg, so order it without
  • Rainbow Unicorn: It’s topped with Nerds, which have carmine (insects)
  • Sunshine in a cup: It has yogurt balls with dairy.

This is the Gloomy Blues:

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Slow Burn:

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Imaginary Pal, minus the flower topping:

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Here is the menu board:

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They also have a lot of the same packaged candies that you’ll find elsewhere in the parks right now — Buena Vista Street, Main Street, Pooh’s Corner, and Marceline’s (Downtown Disney). Some of them have beeswax or confectioner’s glaze (shellac, from beetles). I took photos of the ones that don’t have those.

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  • Adorable Snowman Frosted Treats (Pixar Pier): Snack Stand

Lemon Dole Whip, like all the flavors of dole whip, is vegan! You can get it as the Pixar Pier Parfait, or just by itself in a cone. The cones are vegan! The “snow cap” is an add-on of white chocolate that contains dairy. It comes without it by default, but it doesn’t hurt to say “no snow cap” just in case.

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This is the Pixar Pier Parfait – no modifications required!

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The cherry doesn’t have carmine or anything like that, it has red food dye. Food dyes are sometimes controversial since they may have been tested on animals — I don’t really know how to find out for sure — but if you’re avoiding the cherry because of food dye, then of course you’d have to avoid the dole whip itself, since it’s dyed as well. Here is the ingredients list on the cherries:

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Here is the ingredients list they showed me — it shows everything except for the white chocolate snow cap, which the cast member told me has dairy. But you can see here that the cones are vegan:

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  • Jack-Jack Cookie Num Nums (Pixar Pier): Snack Stand

Here they have soy milk and almond milk! Which is pretty cool, but all of their cookies, even the gluten-free one, have dairy. I wrote them an email to let them know that we would love a vegan cookie! Please write to them if you have a moment!

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  • Boardwalk Pizza and Pasta (Paradise Park): Counter Service

It’s not on the menu, but if you ask the cast member, they will get the chef to make you a pizza with vegan cheese (daiya)! Just be prepared to wait 10-15 minutes for them to prepare it. I always ask for the sauteed veggies on mine. In general the chefs to do that here at Boardwalk Pizza, but not at Pizza Planet in Disneyland. But sometimes they won’t add the veggies at Boardwalk Pizza either, it just depends. I’ve always had success with that request at Boardwalk. One time my sister ordered it as “pizza with vegan cheese and veggies” and the chef asked her if it was an allergy or preference, and she said preference, and then the chef put the veggies on. I think if you have an allergy, they are afraid to put the veggies on because they don’t prepare them in the special allergy section of the kitchen.

The breadsticks with marinara are vegan as well.

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You can also get the spaghetti with marinara sauce from the pasta station — just say spaghetti with no meatballs, and they can give you some daiya cheese to mix in upon request as well!

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  • Paradise Garden Grill (Paradise Park): Counter Service

This menu changes seasonally, and as of this update (September 2019), we are now in the Halloween Time menu, which is Plaza de la Familia and themed to Coco. You can read about the Paradise Garden Grill menu in my latest post, which covers all of the Halloween Time food offerings. Spoiler alert: for the first time ever, they have a fully vegan entree for Halloween!

What is usually at Paradise Garden Grill when we are between seasonal menus is the Tofu and Vegetable Skewers, which I’m a big fan of! The only modification needed is to switch out the rice pilaf (the chef told me that it has egg in the bits of pasta in it) for regular white rice. Then choose either the chimichurri sauce or the spicy chili sauce, they are both vegan (the tzatziki sauce contains dairy). The chef said that the pita bread is indeed vegan.

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The Greek salad can be modified to be vegan — remove the cheese — but the dressing has honey, so the chef said that upon request they can get you a plain balsamic dressing from Boardwalk Pizza and Pasta next door.

  • Bayside Brews (Paradise Park/Pixar Pier)

Most beers are vegan nowadays, but there are still a few outliers (for example Newcastle) that are hanging onto their isinglass. Karl Strauss is found all over DCA and they’re entirely vegan, except for “cask conditioned” ones, which are seasonal, as I understand it. I just wrote to them to ask for updated information, since the listing on Barnivore is quite old now.

All of the beers currently at Bayside Brews are vegan, even the cider. Ace does make a “honey cider” as well, and that’s their only non-vegan cider, so watch out for that one. Also, they do serve the Michelada here, which has anchovies, as noted above.

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  • Wine Country Trattoria (Paradise Park): Table Service, Reservations Recommended

The bread that they usually bring out to the table isn’t vegan, but on request, they will bring you out some vegan French bread!

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The vegan entree is the Spaghetti al Oglio. It’s not very impressive to look at, but it is seriously very flavorful! Some of the most delicious noodles I’ve ever had!

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They also have a Mushroom Bruschetta that is easily veganizable, just omit the cheese!

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They usually keep raspberry sorbet in stock for dessert as well.

  • Alfresco Tasting Terrace (Paradise Park)

This is a hidden gem above the Wine Country Trattoria restaurant. For years I saw that staircase and I thought that it just led to more seating for Wine Country, but a while back I learned that it is actually its own thing! It’s a bar with a lot of wines, many of them from vineyards owned by Disney family and friends, a full bar where you can get the standard cocktails found elsewhere in the parks (also the secret menu from the old Cove Bar, like a Fun Wheel), and there’s a small menu. There isn’t anything explicitly vegan on the menu, but they can make a veganized version of their bruschetta, just omit the parmesan. I remember it being very garlicky, which I love:

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  • Sonoma Terrace (Paradise Park)

This is a little counter just past the Wine Country Trattoria Restaurant, where there is a lot of seating, and before you get to Little Mermaid. They have beer, wine, cocktails, and a few snacks. The only vegan thing is this Bavarian Pretzel. It’s pretty good if you’re a pretzel fan, but a bit pricy (6.99). The cheese cup is an extra 99 cents, so it’s not even like you’re paying to omit something.

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They also have some Halloween Time offerings as of this update (September 2019), so head over to my Guide to Halloween Time Options for more about that.

  • Smokejumper’s Grill (Grizzly Peak): Counter Service

This location had a jackfruit sandwich for a couple of years, but it has now been removed and what we have is the Veggie Burger. They recently updated the menu boards so that the jackfruit sandwich is now gone, and the Veggie Burger is pictured:

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It is an all-vegan patty by a local vegan meat company called Before the Butcher (@b4thebutcher on Instagram). It is the same plant-based meat company that they use for the Vegan Banh Mi, but it is seasoned very differently there.

The Veggie Burger should come with the vegan potato bun (pictured here) instead of the non-vegan ciabatta bun, but double check when you’re ordering, just in case. It doesn’t come with any sauces on it — you just take it over to the burger bar after you get it and load it up with the toppings of your choice: ketchup, mustard, pickles, onions, lettuce, tomato, etc.

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The patty isn’t super meaty tasting like Beyond Meat or Impossible. It does look a lot like Beyond Meat, but the taste is quite different. It is quite mild tasting, so I don’t imagine it would be too uncanny for those who generally feel that Beyond or Impossible are too close to meat.

  • Cozy Cone Motel (Cars Land): Snack Stands

They have vegan chili at the Chili cone — the sign only says “beef chili,” but secretly they also have veggie chili that is vegan. The cone contains egg though. So to order this vegan, you need to have them put it in a cup instead, and hold the cheese that is usually sprinkled on top. Also tell them to hold the spoon, if you’ve brought your own.

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There is popcorn at the Popcone cone, but only the regular flavor is vegan — all the others have dairy, as a cast member told me once. So you could get popcorn here, but that is nothing special, since it’s the same as the rest of the park.

  • Flo’s V8 Café (Cars Land): Counter Service

This place has super limited vegan options, but if the rest of your party really wants to eat here, there are a couple of options.

For breakfast, ask the chef and they can make you a side of breakfast potatoes and a side of fruit. The chef also brought me out some regular french fries so I could see the difference.

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My friend Veggies on Vacation came up with a cool hack to upgrade this: go over to the Chili cone at the Cozy Cones across the street, grab a cup of chili (no cheese), and then add it to the potatoes:

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On the lunch/dinner menu, basically what they can do is make you a pared-down veggie sandwich. Speak with the chef and they should be able to put something together for you. But again, it’s not going to be one of the better options in the park; I would only do it if the rest of my party for some reason really wanted to eat there.

 

  • Ramones (Cars Land): Snack Stand

     

They recently started offering slushies here and they are quite pretty!

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Pictured above are the Red’s 4 Alarm Fire (left) and the Groovy Glacier (right). The Popping Pearls are the same Tea Zone ones used elsewhere in the park (see above, for example, in the section on Lamplight Lounge).

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The other two drinks on this menu aren’t vegan (the Nerds contain carmine/insects; the dinosaur gummies contain gelatin), but you could customize these drinks however you like, with any combination of slushie flavors and popping pearls.

 

  • Dark Chocolates and “Snacks with Character” throughout the parks

You can find these bagged dark chocolates at the candy shop on Main Street and Pooh’s Corner, as well as the candy shop on Buena Vista Street in California Adventure. The two vegan options are the Dark Chocolate Nonpareils and the Cocoa Dusted Dark Chocolate Almonds. Recently (September 2019), the Nonpareils have been been out of stock for a while, and it’s not clear when or if they might be back. But the Cocoa Dusted Dark Chocolate Almonds have been there consistently.

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At these locations with the chocolates, you can find various “Snacks with Character,” which I think are mostly repackaged Enjoy Life products that are made for people with allergies. Here is what is currently available from Enjoy Life, pictured below:

  • Chocolate Protein Bites
  • Chocolate Marshmallow Grain & Seed Bar
  • Banana Caramel Grain & Seed Bar
  • Dark Chocolate Bar
  • Ricemilk Choco Bar
  • Chocolate Chip Mini Cookies

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Sweet Potato Tortilla Chips and Sweet Chili Tortilla Chips:

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Mountain Mambo Seed & Fruit Mix:

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Also a few other bagged nuts and pretzels.

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And the accidentally vegan lollipops and other candies:

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The bagged Kettle Corn is vegan, but all of the other flavors currently (September 2019) contain dairy.

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  • Mickey Pretzels, Popcorn, Pickles, Fruit (Snack carts throughout the parks)

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The Mickey Pretzels are vegan! Just make sure to get the version without the cheese sauce. Get some mustard packets instead!

Here are the ingredients lists for the pretzels:

This is the regular Mickey Pretzel, so obviously just say no to the cheese:

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Below is the ingredients list for the cinnamon pretzel. It is just the ingredients list for the dough, and then the cinnamon/sugar mix is added afterwards. Note that this is the one that is not stuffed with cream cheese, but the one that can be ordered with a cream cheese dip. There are only two pretzel carts where you can get this vegan cinnamon pretzel where it doesn’t have the cream cheese stuffed on the inside: the Frontierland and Small World pretzel carts in Disneyland. So if you are at a pretzel cart, make sure that you’re getting the one that doesn’t have cream cheese on the inside, and then just don’t order the add-on cream cheese dip, and it will be vegan.

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The fresh popcorn made at the popcorn carts throughout the parks is vegan too. It’s with oil instead of butter; see the ingredients list below.

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When you see the bagged popcorns in the various candy shops, the only one of those currently that is vegan is the Kettle Corn, and all the other flavors have dairy (caramel often has dairy). But I was super surprised to find this popcorn cart on Buena Vista Street, near the entrance to Hollywood Blvd, making fresh caramel corn. I thought for sure it would have dairy, but I decided to ask anyway, and it turns out that it doesn’t! The cast member showed me the ingredients list and it actually turned out to be vegan!

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So just look for the Popcorn Cart that is on Buena Vista Street, on the side near Hollywood Blvd, and that is the only one that has this vegan caramel corn.

I like to bring a little tupperware of nutritional yeast and sprinkle it on top of my popcorn! I leave a trail of yellow pixie dust behind me 😉

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And of course the pickles you’ll find at the fruit stands! Another perfect opportunity to sprinkle some tajín on there!

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Many people ask me about the churros, so here is the ingredients list of those — they contain both milk and egg:

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And of course there are bananas, apples, oranges, pineapple spears, grapes, mango, etc. at all of the snack carts throughout the parks.

  • Ice cream carts throughout the parks

Here is Olaf’s Strawberry Lemonade Bar, which is available at all of the ice cream carts:

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There is also currently a Sweet Tarts popsicle bar that can be found at many of the ice cream carts that is vegan. The carts typically also have a few vegan candies, like Sour Patch Kids, Red Vines, etc.

Those are all of the DCA options that I know about at the moment! Also check out my other most recently updated comprehensive guides:

Your Guide to Vegan Options at Disneyland! (June 2019 Update)

Your Guide to Vegan Options in Downtown Disney! (June 2019 Update)

Your Guide to Vegan Options at the Disneyland Resort Hotels! (June 2019 Update)

Please let me know if this has been helpful and feel free to message me on Instagram (@happiestveganonearth) if you have any questions. I hope you have a great time in the park and eat all the delicious vegan foods!

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