Disneyland just made a series of changes across three of its popular restaurants, all of which offer great vegetarian options. With these changes, many items were removed, including a big fan-favorite, and no equivalent replacement was provided.
Some menu items were swapped out for updated versions or new replacements, but many vegetarian options were removed completely. Mickey Visit brings you the latest Disney news and planning resources, including an upcoming event that Disney fans should mark on their calendars and a surprise Disney ticket sale.
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Disneyland Removes Fan-Favorite Sandwich and More
I’ll start first with the most devastating news. According to a recent menu update, the popular Battered & Fried Triple Cheese Monte Cristo was removed from the Cafe Orleans menu. This sandwich is one of my favorite vegetarian options at Disneyland, so I went ahead and cancelled my upcoming reservation at Cafe Orleans.
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This is unfortunate news not just for vegetarians but for cheese lovers who may have preferred this meatless option regardless of dietary restrictions. It’s becoming increasingly common for the only meatless entrée options on restaurant menus to either feature Impossible-branded “meat” or a mushroom-focused dish. For folks who do not like either option, this is an upsetting trend. Vegetarians deserve more than one choice!
The Battered & Fried Triple Cheese Monte Cristo is one of the highlights I look forward to on every Disneyland trip. It has become such a favorite of mine that my family has made it a tradition to enjoy dinner there on our last day at Disneyland on every visit.
Other removals at Cafe Orleans also included the Provençal Bean & Herb Pesto Salad, but it was swapped out with a Plant-based Fall Squash Soup. Other menu switch-ups included the swap out of a Blackened Shrimp Alfredo Pasta with a NOLA BBQ Shrimp option.
But the Battered & Fried Triple Cheese Monte Cristo was the menu item that did not get an equivalent replacement. I don’t necessarily find a soup a fair equivalent to a large entree like the Battered & Fried Triple Cheese Monte Cristo, especially when the Monte Cristo is such an iconic menu item at this restaurant that vegetarians no longer get to participate in.
We reached out to Disneyland officials, and they shared with us that they take into account multiple factors when updating menu offerings, such as the availability of seasonal products along with guest feedback and seasonal availability. They also shared that Disney makes it a point to offer one plant-based menu offering at all their table service restaurants, and guests can seek out assistance from cast members to inquire about modifications or substitutes.
Other Disneyland Meatless Options Removed
I’ve lamented the loss of the free bread service that was available at Blue Bayou prior to 2020 for years. When it came back, even at a charge, I was delighted. However, this war on my favorite bread service has returned as the Artisanal bread has now been removed and swapped out with a Garlic Cheese Dip & Boule.
In a more relevant loss, with no equivalent swap-out, vegetarians lost the Vegetable Hearts Salad at Blue Bayou as well. Other menu changes were slight changes, with a Roasted Chicken becoming a Lacquered Chicken, but bread lovers were left out in the cold again. At least Blue Bayou offers a vegetarian entrée, but I had to call out the bread loss!
A more stark reduction of meatless options continued at Disney California Adventure with the Spaghetti Aglio Olio removed from the Wine Country Trattoria with no equivalent meatless replacement. Currently, there is no vegetarian pasta salad entrée listed on the menu. The only options for vegetarians are salads and soups. This could also be a mistake since the Disneyland app separately lists items as Plant-Based, but underneath it, a sausage-based entrée is there along with soup or salad. Perhaps another update is incoming.
Lastly, Lamplight Lounge -Boardwalk Dining also received the biggest menu shakeup, including the loss of two meatless options. The Beer-battered Onion Blossom and the Cauliflower Wings were both removed from the menu with no equivalent meatless replacement.
While a sweet item and not a savory, the Lemon Blueberry Cobbler Donuts were also removed. Now the menu offers just one vegetarian option, Plant-based Dan Dan Noodles, instead of two.
The menu generally shifted away from its previous lineup of shareable favorites, replacing items like Plant-based Cauliflower Wings, Cauliflower Wings, Beef Sliders, Beer-battered Fish Tacos, and Korean-style Chicken Wings with a stronger Asian-inspired focus. New additions include Plant-based Dan Dan Noodles, Dan Dan Noodles, Crispy Chicken Wings with Kimchi Buffalo Sauce, Bao Banh Mi, and Shrimp Tacos.
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While keeping menus fresh for guests is a welcome effort, I must object when these menu changes remove meatless options without replacing them with something substantial. It is true that these table service restaurants still retain at least one meatless option, but reducing it to just one thing robs vegetarians of more choices, like any guest would appreciate having. At Wine Country Trattoria, only being given the option of soup or salad is rather disappointing. I imagine modifications here are easier than at other restaurants, though, since it is pasta-based items.
While Disney states we are welcome to ask for modifications and substitutions, my experience doing this at multiple restaurants, including many of those included in the above removals, has not been consistent. I’ve had some experiences that were fabulous with the chef personally asking me my restrictions, but that’s a rarity. I’m more often told that modifications are not allowed, and in some cases this is because items are premade. This is what we were told on Thanksgiving at Blue Bayou, which was a pretty rough realization considering the expense of the pre-fix holiday meal.
Let’s hope the removal is temporary, but for now, I will be cancelling my reservation. At the very least, the Battered & Fried Triple Cheese Monte Cristo has been a fan-favorite on the menu for years, and it’s the only way vegetarians can experience the iconic Monte Cristo sandwich. Perhaps it’s worth inquiring on your visit to see if they can remove the meat from the ham version. Please report back if that is the case.
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