Vegetarian and vegan offerings at Disneyland include vegan Impossible banh mi sandwich, left, at Pacific Warf’s Lucky Fortune Cookery; “Star Wars” blue and green milk at the Galaxy’s Edge Milk Stand; and the Garden Wrap at Ronto’s Wrap.
(Stephanie Breijo / Los Angeles Times; Dania Maxwell / Los Angeles Times)
16 of the best vegetarian options at Disneyland and California Adventure
Once upon a time, the lack of plant-based options at Disneyland would have had herbivore diners ready to walk the plank at Pirates of the Caribbean. Today, in keeping with widespread updates to the parks, finding an above-average meat-free meal is easier than ever.
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We recently ate our way through Disneyland Anaheim resort. To our surprise, we continually found the vegetarian options more impressive than their meaty counterparts, using surprising, fresh ingredients while still remaining substantial and filling. Most restaurants are even equipped with allergy-friendly menus for those who require gluten-, nut-, or soy-free options — just ask.
From towering burgers to cheesy enchiladas, bread bowl stews and fruity soft serve, you’ll find at least one vegetarian option at just about every food spot at Disneyland and California Adventure. Here are 16 of our favorites.
Note that menus at Disneyland food establishments change frequently. Ask about additional vegetarian or vegan options if one isn’t available when you visit.
Genie+, Magic Band+ and other add-ons have introduced a new feeling at the Happiest Place on Earth: the sense that you could be having more fun if you shelled out more cash.
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(Amy Wong / Los Angeles Times)
Adorable Snowman Frosted Treats
Anaheim Confections $
Almost every offering at this stand on Pixar Pier is plant-based, so head here if you’re looking for a vegan sweet treat. If you can’t decide between the two soft-serve flavors offered here: The lemon is more like an Italian ice, while the mango tastes more like a traditional, creamy soft serve. Want something even sweeter? The Pixar Pier Frosty Parfait mixes the lemon soft serve with a blue raspberry swirl, making for a vibrant slushy mix.
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(Stephanie Breijo / Los Angeles Times)
Boardwalk Pizza & Pasta
Anaheim Italian American $
Located just off the water in California Adventure’s Paradise Gardens land, Boardwalk Pizza and Pasta’s vegan and vegetarian items are some of its best — primarily the pastas, which is where this quick-service restaurant really shines. The spaghetti and Impossible meatballs can be topped with either dairy- or plant-based Parmesan. The meatballs are massive, plump and come two to an order, and they’re juicy and better than the Impossible meatballs found elsewhere in the parks; while the pomodoro sauce is overly sweet, the pasta isn’t overcooked. The vegetarian pesto-laden ravioli is one of the better meals I found in the park, meat or no: Large five-cheese ravioli swim in basil pesto with a scattering of toasted pine nuts, a snowing of parm and a drizzle of sweet balsamic, served with garlicky bruschetta, for a meal that skews more mature than most nearby options.
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(Lucas Kwan Peterson / Los Angeles Times)
Cocina Cucamonga Mexican Grill
Anaheim Mexican $
Credit where credit is due. These are good fried tacos with a creamy potato filling and a heaping of accouterments that complement the dish well: a cabbage slaw, a mild, tangy salsa and a nondairy crema. The QuesaBirria tacos are the real star at Cocina Cucamonga, but if cheese or meat are outside your diet this is the way to go.
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(Dania Maxwell / Los Angeles Times)
Docking Bay 7 Food and Cargo
Anaheim Global $
The fictional chef-owner Strono “Cookie” Tuggs picked up a few culinary tips and tricks from his travels around the galaxy, and one must have been how to properly whip up an entirely plant-based meal. One of the best dishes at Docking Bay 7 Food and Cargo — the large counter-service restaurant in Galaxy’s Edge — is in fact vegan, serving a take on a mezze platter. In the Felucian Kefta and Hummus Harden Spread, three perfectly spherical, hardball-sized Impossible meatballs are tender and flecked with quinoa for texture and more protein. They’re placed atop an herby hummus alongside a tomato-and-cucumber salad and pita wedges for a refreshing, well-seasoned and filling bite that’s one of the best to be found on Batuu.
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Fruit carts
Anaheim Snacks $
Chances are, if you’re the type of person who wants fresh fruit or other nutritious snacks on hand during your Disneyland visit, you’ve likely packed them ahead of time, but just in case you need additional options, there are several fruit carts dotted around Disneyland and California Adventure. I’m partial to Mortimer’s Market near the entrance of California Adventure, with its vintage-inspired awning that advertises fresh fruit and cold drinks. Antique cans line the shelves, with bags of mandarin oranges, packaged pineapple spears and bananas representing some of the fruit options, as well as lemonade, juices and other bottled drinks.
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(Betty Hallock)
Galactic Grill
Anaheim American $
You’ve probably entered Tomorrowland to stand in line for Space Mountain or to find the hidden Mickeys on Buzz Lightyear’s Space Ranger Spin. I’m here for the mushroom Philly at Galactic Grill. The plant-based sandwich is in keeping with Tomorrowland’s futurist take on ecology — did you know that all of the plants in this part of the park are edible (as a nod to humanity making the most of its resources)? This vegetarian version of a Philly features mixed mushrooms, provolone cheese, onions, peppers, mayo, chives and crispy onions. It’s one of the best sandwiches at Disneyland.
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(Betty Hallock)
Harbour Galley
Anaheim American $
This mushroom stew was a surprise find at Harbour Galley in Critter Country. Mixed mushrooms with farro and vegetables is a great vegetarian option on an otherwise all-seafood menu that hews to a nautical theme. Mushrooms aren’t usually associated with dockside food, but they’re savory and meaty. The stew has a lot of tang, the fresh herb garnish is a nice touch, and the sourdough bread bowl is a bonus. It’s filling — so no vegetarian will go hungry here.
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(Amy Wong / Los Angeles Times)
Lamplight Lounge Boardwalk Dining
Anaheim Seafood $$
This is the perfect place to grab a sit-down drink or bite if you’re spending a more leisurely day at the park. Lamplight Lounge Boardwalk Dining is slightly more casual than the adjacent lounge, though both require reservations and boast full breakfast, lunch and dinner menus. The unsung hero of its offerings might just be vegan chorizo nachos. Plant-based chorizo and cheese sauce, along with black beans and salsa sit atop a bed of fresh, crispy tortilla chips, ideal for sharing with a group.
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(Stephanie Breijo / Los Angeles Times)
Lucky Fortune Cookery
Anaheim Asian $
The Impossible banh mi at Lucky Fortune Cookery on Pacific Wharf has a distinct flavor — maybe it’s the manufactured heme — that seems to imbue a lot of Impossible meat-based dishes, but I’d eat it again. This is a solid sandwich; what’s lacking in liver pâté is made up for by a good, crunchy slaw and a tangy pickled cucumber salad.
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(Stephanie Breijo / Los Angeles Times)
Milk Stand
Anaheim Shakes/Smoothies $
Though the blue and green milks that Luke Skywalker swigs come fresh from banthas and thala-sirens, the varieties served in Galaxy’s Edge are entirely plant-based. Frozen varieties of the tinted drinks seen in “A New Hope” and “The Last Jedi” can be found at a casual, industrial-looking stand near the First Order’s base. Both milks are made using a blend of coconut and rice milk, and are refreshing and icy like a slushy but with more texture. The blue milk tastes creamy and fruity with notes of pineapple and dragon fruit, while the green milk, verdant and bright, leans citrus and carries almost lemon grass-like tones. Want to level up Luke’s beverage of choice? Opt for either as a swirl: blue served with sour mango candy and mango gel, green with chile-lime flecks, fruit gel and sour mango candy.
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(Lucas Kwan Peterson/Los Angeles Times)
Pacific Wharf Cafe
Anaheim American $
The Asian tofu salad from the Pacific Wharf Cafe, which features a hodgepodge of vegetables, including edamame, broccoli, cucumbers and red and green cabbage in miso dressing, is a little unfocused but about as good a vegetarian option you’ll find in the park. Don’t those little mandarin orange segments and chow mein noodles make everything taste good? You’ll even get some sourdough slices along with it.
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(Stephanie Breijo / Los Angeles Times)
Pym Test Kitchen
Anaheim American $
If you find yourself at the Avengers Campus in the morning, the plant-based breakfast at the Pym Test Kitchen is a good way to begin it. I actually prefer the meat-free breakfast to the regular one. This version escapes the trap of rubbery buffet-line eggs with a surprisingly good plant-based omelet and Impossible breakfast sausage. Check it out before you dive into the comically big or comically small menu items that are this restaurant’s specialty.
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(Stephanie Breijo / Los Angeles)
Rancho del Zocalo
Anaheim Mexican $
This colorful al fresco restaurant in Frontierland offers one of the more inspired vegan options in the park. Perched on a corn tortilla, the cauliflower in these tacos is cooked until tender yet it retains a satisfying crunch. It’s topped with chopped onions, cilantro and tomatillo salsa, with refried beans, Mexican rice and limes served on the side. If you want something cheesy without the meat, go for the red chile enchilada platter that comes with three cheese enchiladas drenched in red chile sauce and the same sides.
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(Dania Maxwell/Los Angeles Times)
Ronto Roasters
Anaheim Wraps $
While the sausage stand in a galaxy far, far away might serve up ronto, of the gargantuan, mountable creatures native to Tatooine, the fast-casual dining option at Galaxy’s Edge offers “ronto-less” options too. Found at breakfast as well as afternoon into night, the vegetarian and vegan items are sometimes even better: The ronto-less garden wrap follows the same format of the stall’s pork (er, ronto) sausage wrapped in pita but kicks it up a notch with unique toppings that are even more flavorful and memorable than those on its meaty counterparts. The plant-based sausage is textured and substantial, while gochujang sauce and kimchi slaw add heat and rounds of tangy pickles cool it off. It’s bright, fresh and provides contrast in texture and flavor, while another variant, which tops grilled zucchini with a chickpea-and-onion slaw, slathers it all in garlicky tahini and a breakfast take swaps out zucchini or vegan sausage for plant-based egg and tomato sauce. These are wraps even the most die-hard ronto fans can enjoy.
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(Stephanie Breijo / Los Angeles Times)
Smokejumpers Grill
Anaheim American $
With an exterior that recalls a camp general store and a menu pulled straight from a roadside diner, you’ll want to arrive at Smokejumpers Grill hungry — or at least prepared to share. The double Impossible cheeseburger is entirely vegan with two Impossible patties, melted dairy-free cheddar, a thick round of grilled red onion, crunchy pickles, shredded lettuce and a vegan Thousand Island-inspired sauce, served with crinkle-cut fries or mandarin oranges, but pro-tip: you can also substitute onion rings as your side.
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(Stephanie Breijo / Los Angeles Times)
Stage Door Cafe
Anaheim American $
This quick-service spot in Frontierland boasts one of the best values in the park with Impossible chili cheese fries that are entirely vegan — including the shredded cheddar and drizzled sour cream — for just $8.49. They’re the obvious choice if you’re looking for something hearty, quick and surprisingly delicious. If you’re not opposed to dairy, you might order a funnel cake to round out your meal.
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