Ady & Meg.
As a person with Coeliac Disease, we couldn't help but feel concerned about whether Meg would be suitably catered for in Disneyland. We had heard lots of horror stories, received next to no information in advance from Disneyland itself and were scared that Meg would spend our two days there hungry, or worse, very ill.
We were however pleasantly surprised when we attended the character breakfast at Plaza Gardens. Our main concern with this restaurant was that it was buffet style - meaning that even if the food was cooked in a 'coeliac-safe' way, this certainly couldn't be guaranteed once the general public (whom we refer to as 'muggles' 🙃) had been double dipping the serving spoons...
Right from the entrance (where we had to pay before we'd even sat down) we made it very clear to the cashier that eating from the buffet was not an option from us (admittedly we used words like 'allergy', which isn't technically correct, but it was important that the staff understood the seriousness of the situation). The cashier told us that this wouldn't be a problem, noted 'gluten' on our receipt and presented us with a red allergen folder. Inside this folder was an 'x' against every item which contained gluten (with similar columns for other allergens).
When our waiter showed us to the table, we again were very assertive and made our point clear. Our waiter again confirmed that this wouldn't be a problem and brought us a 'special plate' of gluten free bread and crackers. He then took us (and the folder) up to the buffet and asked us what items we would like. He then checked the allergen folder to confirm that they were indeed gluten free, and then spoke to the chef behind the counter asking him to cook our items fresh and deliver them straight to our table.
We then returned to our table for around a 20 minute wait for our food - which arrived piping hot and that along with the wait gave us more confidence that the food had indeed been cooked fresh. This was also perfect timing as it meant that we saw the characters before our food came out.
The only potential niggle we feel we need to mention is the baked beans. The folder stated that they were free from gluten, yet we received tomatoes instead of beans. This could of course have been a language barrier issue, but knowing that all too often beans aren't gluten free we did wonder if the chef spotted the mistake (but if this was the case, at least they weren't served to us).
Would it be nice if there were a few more options for us? Of course! Would it be better if Disney would confirm that any of their restaurants were safe for coeliacs? Definitely! But all in all, this was a great experience and we came away full and most importantly, reaction-free!
Obviously as always, please use your own judgement - this is a restaurant which contains gluten and we completely appreciate that it's often the staff member that you deal with who make the experience. On this occasion, we were very satisfied customers.
Flossie.
I was not invited on this adventure ☹
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