The Complete Guide to Eating Healthy at EVERY Disneyland Restaurant
Whether you’ve been to Disneyland or not, you probably know from Instagram or word-of-mouth that the Disney parks have some pretty epic-looking foods. Their over-sized churros, corn dogs, turkey legs, and they’re adorable character-themed cake pops, make just a dent in Disney’s vast selection. If you are planning on going to the Disneyland Resort in Anaheim, CA, you may be a bit worried about over-indulging, or keeping with healthy eating, if that’s the lifestyle you strive to lead. Which is why I have created this handy, comprehensive guide to eating healthy at EVERY. SINGLE. RESTAURANT! Since other people with you on your Disneyland trip may not have the same eating habits, I find it super helpful to know ahead of time that you can find healthy options at nearly every Disneyland quick service and table service restaurant, so you’re never in a bind! You can use this guide to plan your eating stops ahead of time, or bookmark it on your phone and pull it up on a whim when you’re at the park! (I’ve categorized the restaurants by land to make this easy for you to do)
Now don’t get me wrong, although I LOVE eating healthy and crave the energy my clean-eating lifestyle provides me with, I now and then like to indulge in a treat. In fact, since I eat clean 90% of the time, when I do have a treat, I feel satisfied after fewer bites, and I enjoy my indulgences even more, since I know I take care of my body on a typical day! So if you want to indulge in a Disney treat or two, go for it! It’s all about moderation!
Unless you purchase whole fruits, nuts, etc you can’t 100% know the sodium, sugar, and fat contents of your food at Disneyland. Therefore, the list I present to you are the healthiest options compared to other menu items at the parks, separated by land:
Key:
Vegetarian
Vegan
Main Street USA
1) Carnation Cafe (Table service):
Breakfast Options:
–Oatmeal, but without brown sugar. Ask for some honey instead, so that you can avoid using refined sugar.
–My favorite Carnation Cafe breakfast entree is their spinach and tomato egg white frittata! It comes with breakfast potatoes and fresh fruit. Carnation Cafe is known for their Mickey-Shaped waffles. And lets face it, the main attraction to their waffles is their shape. I love that this healthy breakfast dish is also Mickey-shaped, because as you fellow healthy foodies know, clean eating can be fun!
Lunch & Dinner:
-Spinach Salad with grilled chicken (Can be vegetarian if you request no chicken)
–Chef’s Vegan Burger, choose to have with fresh fruit or side salad. If trying to eat lighter or low on carbs, eat with a knife and fork without the top bun. NOTE: I am unsure if the bun is vegan or not. If not, you can order as a lettuce wrap.
-Roasted Turkey Sandwich, with fresh fruit or side salad. If trying to eat lighter or low on carbs, eat with a knife and fork without the top bun.
-Romaine Salad with shrimp (you can ask to have this served with light dressing, or a different dressing, as the one it comes with is on the richer side; blue cheese and creamy ranch).
Shrimp salad for @sleepeng76 !! #delicious #carnationcafe #mainst #disneyland #anaheim
A photo posted by Hai-En Peng (@joonggook) on
2) Market House (aka Main Street Starbucks) (Quick Service)
Breakfast Options:
–Spinach, Feta, and egg white whole wheat wrap
Snack Options:
-Almost every Disneyland quick service restaurant or food stand offers fresh fruit, but Market House is my favorite to go to for fruit! In addition to the traditional melon and grape fruit cups, they also have containers with just grapes, and containers with strawberries. Right outside the market house is a stand with dried apples and whole fresh fruit offerings as well.
3) Jolly Holiday
Lunch & Dinner:
–Grilled vegetable and whole grain salad
–Strawberry and goat cheese spinach salad (I would ask if you could have this with their basil vinaigrette)
4) Plaza Inn
Breakfast:
–Eggs, toast, and fruit
Lunch & Dinner:
-Fresh catch of the day with vegetables
Tomorrowland
1) Galactic Grill (aka Tomorrowland Terrace, Quick Service)
Breakfast:
–Breakfast burrito, ask for this without chorizo
Lunch & Dinner:
–Wicket’s Wicked Veggie Wrap with fresh fruit
2) Pizza Port (Quick Service)
Lunch & Dinner:
-Nebula Noodle Salad (Chicken breast with edamame, green beans, mint, cilantro, red cabbage, carrot, and cold soba noodles) (Vegan without chicken)
Fantasyland
1) Edelweiss Snacks (Snack Stand)
–Chili Lime Corn on the Cob
2) Red Rose Taverne (Quick Service)
-Garden Vegetable Hash
Lunch & Dinner:
–Enchanted Cauli-Flower sandwich served with apples
-Grilled Chicken Sandwich with fresh fruit.
Toontown
-For Toontown, there is a small section of snack stands (Clarabelle’s, Pluto’s Dog House, Daisy’s Diner). None of them have very healthy meal options, but they have healthy snack options, such as fresh fruit and some yogurts, and the Kid’s Power Pack (which includes a yogurt, banana, string cheese, and goldfish crackers).
Frontierland
1) River Belle Terrace (Quick Service)
Breakfast:
-This restaurant is pretty good at letting you customize in terms of breakfast, so if you stick with leaner options like Scrambled eggs and toast with nut butter you should be good! And it’s easy to go vegetarian, too.
Lunch & Dinner:
-River Belle’s Chopped Salad (this can be vegan by getting tofu and ask for a different non-cream based dressing).
–BBQ Tofu w/ veggie side (Ask for them to coat the tofu lightly in BBQ sauce, or just cook in oil)
2) Rancho del Zocalo (Quick Service)
Lunch & Dinner:
-Citrus Fired Grilled Chicken (Ask for black beans and brown rice instead of refried beans and Spanish rice)
-Hacienda Caesar Salad, ask for light dressing (can be vegetarian without chicken)
-Tostada Salad with Chicken, order with black beans instead of refried beans. You also have the option of ordering without the tostada bowl, and you can even ask for veggies in place of chicken to make vegetarian!
A photo posted by MoMo (@momosfoodjournal) on
-Baked Fish Tacos
–I love the kids meal as an option! It’s a small bean and cheese burrito on whole wheat tortilla, apple sauce, raw veggies, and brown rice. Perfect if you’re needing help with portion control, want a killer deal, and want to eat totally clean!
Critter Country
1) Harbour Galley (Quick Service)
Lunch & Dinner:
-Fisherman’s Salad
-Shrimp Salad
2) Hungry Bear (Quick Service)
Lunch & Dinner:
-Turkey Caesar Wrap (ask for no Caesar dressing, and dip your wrap in mustard instead!)
Adventureland
1) Bengal Barbecue (Snacks)
Snacks/Lunch:
These are supposed to be snacks, but in the past I have gotten two skewers and have eaten them for lunch instead, since each skewer is under $5.
-Chieftain Chicken Skewer
-Hummus Trio
-Bengal Rice plate (with 2 skewers and rice)
–Outback Vegetable Skewer
2) Tiki Juice Bar (Snack Stand)
Dole whips are dairy-free! Their sweet taste mainly comes from the naturally sweet pineapple!
-Dole Whip
-Fresh Pineapple spear
3) Tropical Hideaway (Snack Stand/Quick Service)
–Dole Whip
–Spiced Vegetable Bao
-Chicken Bao
4) Tropical Imports (Snack Stand)
-Pretty much anything at this stand! They have delicious mango, watermelon, pickles, hummus, strawberries! Lots of vegetarian and vegan options.
New Orleans Square
1) Royal Street Veranda (Quick service)
Lunch & Dinner:
–Vegetarian Gumbo, to make this extra lean ask for it without the bread bowl. I am unsure of the sodium content (most restaurant soups are pretty high), but with it being packed with veggies, it is a healthier alternative compared to many other theme park foods.
2) French Market (Quick Service)
Lunch & Dinner:
-French Market Chicken (ask to substitute an additional non-starchy vegetable side in place of mashed potatoes)
-New Orleans Salad, without bacon
3) Blue Bayou (Table Service)
Lunch & Dinner:
–Portobello Mushroom and Louisiana Popcorn Rice, ordered with a side salad
-Pan-Seared Salmon, without the crispy onions. If you are trying to stay light on carbs, ask for this without the potato side dish, swapping for a different vegetable.
4) Cafe Orleans (Table Service)
Lunch & Dinner:
-Crescent City Salad with blackened chicken or salmon, without the carmelized pecans. This could be made vegetarian, ask if they can add extra veggies in place of meat.
–N’Awlins Vegetable Ragout (ask to be light on the cheese)
-N’Awlins Vegetable Ragout with pan-seared Atlantic salmon or blackened chicken (ask to be light on the cheese)
Additional Healthy Eating Tips
Restaurants to Avoid at All Costs:
-The Golden Horseshoe (Frontierland)
-Gibson Girl Ice Cream Parlor (Main Street)
-Mint Julep Bar (New Orleans Square)
-Corn Dog Cart (Main Street)
-Refreshment Corner (Main Street)
-Stage Door Cafe (Frontierland)
The above restaurants are the ones where there aren’t any healthy alternative eating options, so if healthy is what you’re looking for, you won’t really be able to find it at these places.
Healthy Customizations
Disneyland is prepared to accommodate guests with a wide range of allergies, sensitivities, and lifestyles. If you don’t see an option on the menu, always ask! I have discovered some of my favorite dishes by customizing my meals. Here are some of my customization tips:
-If something is offered in a sauce, ask if it can be just grilled in oil instead.
-If something is offered with refried beans, ask if black beans are an option.
-If something has a bun, ask for a lettuce wrap.
-If a dish sounds delicious but meat is the main course, you can often make a dish vegan or vegetarian by asking for veggies or tofu to replace it.
-Ask for your dish to not be cooked in butter.
-Instead of Spanish rice, ask for brown rice.
-Ask about salad dressing options.
-If you are looking for a healthy and affordable snack, ask quick service restaurants about the Kid’s Power Pack. It has a myriad of healthy snacks that you can have either all at once or snack on throughout the day (and for a great price).
Re-Cap
Favorite Healthy Restaurants:
-Carnation Cafe, Table Service (Main Street)
-Pizza Port, Quick Service (Tomorrowland)
-Rancho del Zocalo, Quick Service (Frontierland)
-River Belle Terrace, Quick Service (Frontierland)
-Bengal Barbeque, Snack Stand (Adventureland)
-Tiki Juice Bar, Snack stand (Adventureland)
-Tropical Imports, Snack stand (Adventureland)
-Red Rose Taverne, Quicke Service (Fantasyland)
Most Difficult Restaurants (but that still have options):
-Hungry Bear, Quick Service (Critter Country)
-Plaza Inn, Quick Service (Main Street)
-Jolly Holiday, Quick Service (Main Street)
-Royal Street Veranda, Quick service (New Orleans Square)
I hope my complete guide on eating healthy at every Disneyland restaurant is helpful for you, whether you’re a Disneyland first-timer or novice! Do you have any other healthy eating tips? Or any other secret menu favorites?
