There are a truly ridiculous amount of restaurants and snack spots in Disney World.

How do you even know where to begin? And if you’ve got dietary restrictions, the already overwhelming prospect of picking a Disney World restaurant to eat at can become even more stressful. So, take a seat, put up your feet, and allow us to do the work for you. Today, we’re taking you through the ultimate guide to eating gluten-free in Disney’s Hollywood Studios so you know exactly where to go, what to try, and what to do to make sure your needs are met!

What to Know

Let’s start with a little bit of an overview of eating gluten-free/friendly in Disney World in general. If you are eating a gluten-free/friendly diet, know that there ARE snacks, entrees, appetizers, etc. for you in the parks. You don’t need to bring your own snacks/food (unless you want to).

We actually have a full page dedicated to eating gluten-free throughout Disney World, so you can click here to check that out and get more information. We’ve also got a gluten-free dining guide for Magic Kingdom and EPCOT already which you can review for your days in those parks.

If you’re eating gluten-free/friendly anywhere in Disney World, the main thing you’ll want to do is be extra clear about your dietary needs and ask Cast Members for assistance. When ordering your food, looking at a menu, etc. be specific about what you can and cannot eat. If you don’t see anything on the menu that meets your dietary needs, or if you are concerned about specific ingredients, etc. do NOT hesitate to ask!

You may be able to speak with a Cast Member who has a greater level of knowledge about the ingredients that go into a dish, or you may be connected with a manager or chef who can better address your needs. The point here is to ASK! Disney really does work to meet dietary restrictions as best as they can so don’t “give up” if the menu doesn’t quite have what you need.

Here are three steps you should generally follow when dining gluten-free/friendly in Disney World:

1. When you make Advance Dining Reservations, note your gluten-free diet on every single reservation (you can try to mark it online or call 407-WDW-DINE)
2. Email or call the Special Diets department before your trip so they can answer any questions you might have ([email protected] or 407-824-5967)
3. Talk to a manager or chef when you arrive at a restaurant so they can give you details about the food

Alright, now let’s hop into specifics about Hollywood Studios’ gluten-free dining!

Click here for our FULL PAGE with details about dining gluten-free throughout Disney World!

Best Gluten-Free Quick Service at Hollywood Studios

We’ll begin with gluten-free dining at Hollywood Studios’ Quick Service restaurants — these are the restaurants where you order your food at a counter or use Mobile Order to order your food in advance, pick up your food, and take it to your own table.

When you’re deciding where to eat in the park, scroll through the restaurant menus on the My Disney Experience app. Typically, near the end of the menu or within the Mobile Order process, you can see Allergy-Friendly options.

When placing a Mobile Order, you’ll see an icon with a triangle around a fork that says “Allergy-Friendly” — tap that.

Once you tap it, you’ll be taken to a screen that shows all of the Allergy-Friendly dishes divided by the specific allergy type. Tap the Gluten/Wheat Allergy-Friendly icon for more information.

That’ll take you to a list of the specific items at that restaurant that can be made in a gluten/wheat-friendly version.

Found an item you like? Tap it to learn more about the item. You will see a little alert that asks you to confirm your dietary needs with a Cast Member upon arrival.

And note that you can further customize some dishes to really make them right for you.

Don’t see something there that meets your needs? Don’t stress. Disney notes that if you cannot find an option that meets your dietary needs or you just want to talk to a chef or Special Diets-trained Cast Member, you can order in person at the restaurant.

Also, just note Disney’s own disclaimer about how they use reasonable efforts in the preparation and handling of the food to meet allergy/dietary needs but they do NOT have separate allergy-friendly kitchens so they can’t technically guarantee that a dish will be totally, 100% free of allergens. That’s just something to keep in mind if you do have a severe allergy.

Again, for any concerns, ask to speak with a chef or special diets-trained Cast Member.

In terms of the “best” gluten-free counter service options at Hollywood Studios, one of our highest recommendations would be Woody’s Lunch Box. There, you can get gluten-friendly versions of the YUMMY grilled three-cheese sandwich and tomato-basil soup (a WINNING combination), as well as a gluten-friendly version of the amazing BBQ Brisket Melt and those fabulous potato barrels.

Another great pick is Ronto Roasters. While the options here aren’t plentiful, you can get a gluten-friendly version of the AMAZING Ronto Wrap and also the delicious Zuchii Wrap. For breakfast eats, note that there are gluten-friendly versions of the Ronto Morning Wrap and Triple Suns Breakfast Wrap too!

Basically, to become gluten-free many of these are served without a wrap.

In terms of having a greater amount of options, Docking Bay 7 Food and Cargo is a good pick. Here, you can get 7 items that are gluten-friendly, including the Fried Endorian Chicken Tip-Yip, the Pirjanad Hot Chicken Tip Yip (which we’d totally get again), Peka Tuna Poke, and the Batuuan Beef and Crispy Topato Stir Fry.

Backlot Express is a decent option as well in terms of variety, offering gluten-friendly versions of the Smoked BBQ Pulled Pork Burger, Cheeseburger, and Chicken Strips. This could be a good place for the whole family to find something that’ll please their palette, though many of the dishes here might not necessarily “WOW” you.

ABC Commissary also has some dishes that can be made gluten-friendly, including the flavorful Mediterranean Salad with Chicken. They also have a Chicken Club Sandwich and California Burger that can be made gluten-friendly. The options aren’t quite as plentiful as other spots but that Mediterranean Salad may be worth the visit.

At Rosie’s All-American Cafe you can find gluten-friendly options to satisfy picky eaters, like a gluten-friendly cheeseburger and gluten-friendly chicken strips. Catalina Eddie’s is similar, offering gluten-friendly versions of pizza and Caesar salad.

And while we don’t necessarily recommend the pizza at PizzeRizzo, if you have a little one that will ONLY eat pizza, they do have gluten-friendly versions there! Plus, there’s a gluten-friendly version of the Antipasto Salad we’ve really enjoyed from here before.

Remember to scroll through all of the menus before deciding what might be best for you!

See our list of ALL of the Hollywood Studios restaurants here

Best Gluten-Free Table Service at Hollywood Studios

When it comes to Table Service restaurants, there aren’t all that many in Hollywood Studios. But you will find gluten-friendly items at many of them.

A few key things to keep in mind — first, Table Service restaurants are your traditional sit-down and be-served restaurants. You will want to make an Advance Dining Reservation for these. Don’t forget to note your gluten-friendly diet when making the reservation (either by noting it online or by calling Disney at 407-WDW-DINE). If you call, tell the Cast Member you want your dietary restriction noted CLEARLY on your reservation.

Forget to make a reservation or want to grab a last-minute spot? Check the My Disney Experience app for any openings, and consider using the Walk-Up Waitlist feature on the My Disney Experience app to see if there are any walk-up spots. You can ask the Cast Members at the restaurant too just in case they have more details on walk-up availability.

Before picking a restaurant to eat at we once again advise checking out those online menus. Scroll down to the bottom part of the menu where there should be allergy-friendly options. You can also use a word search for “gluten” to see what is identified as gluten-friendly.

Many menus online list gluten-friendly options, but keep in mind that some might only say that allergy-friendly menus are available upon request. If you encounter that, reach out to Disney before your trip to get more information.

When you arrive at the restaurant, ask to speak with a Chef or manager to get more information about the menu options.

If you’ll be dining at a buffet-style restaurant — Hollywood & Vine is a buffet-style character dining restaurant in Hollywood Studios — ask the Cast Members, chef, or manager about what might be gluten-friendly on the buffet line. You can also speak with them to see if something else that is gluten-friendly can be made for you.

Based on what is listed on the menu, one of your better options for gluten-free dining is probably The Hollywood Brown Derby. This spot has 1 gluten-friendly appetizer (shrimp cocktail), but 6 gluten-friendly entrees, and 2 gluten-friendly sides/enhancements.

Even the FAMOUS Cobb Salad at this spot can come in a gluten/wheat-friendly option, and you could get some filet mignon, delicious braised short rib, and oh-so-yummy spoon bread in a gluten-friendly version too.

Your next best bet in terms of sheer numbers might be Mama Melrose’s Ristorante Italiano, where you’ll find 4 gluten-friendly appetizers and 2 gluten-friendly entrees on the menu (as well as 4 gluten-friendly desserts!).

The Vine-ripened tomatoes and fresh mozzarella is a tasty appetizer pick that can be made gluten-friendly, and the plant-based Polenta Cake, Mushroom, and Herb Cauliflower KNOCKED one of our reporter’s socks off when they tried it.

Sci-Fi Dine-In also has some solid options with burgers, a salad, and a wrap that can be made gluten-friendly, so you don’t have to miss out on that burger-in-a-drive-in experience. Plus you can get a gluten-friendly milkshake or hot fudge sundae to wash it all down!

The burgers and shakes are really the way to go here, so it’s good to know that you can still take in the atmosphere and eat in a way that is friendly to your diet.

At 50s Prime Time Cafe there is 1 gluten-friendly appetizer listed on the online menu and only 3 gluten-friendly entrees listed on the menu, so that’s something to keep in mind. Cousin Megan’s Traditional Meatloaf would probably be our recommendation from the gluten-free entrees listed online! It’s a moist & tasty dish Mom would approve of!

Also, note that there is a character buffet in Hollywood Studios for breakfast and lunch/dinner at Hollywood & Vine. As we noted above, just be sure to speak with the team about what items on the buffet would be friendly for your diet, or see if special items can be made for you to enjoy.

Keep in mind that our descriptions above about how many gluten-friendly items are on the menus are based on the online menus we reviewed. But menu offerings can change AND Disney may be able to make gluten-friendly options beyond those just listed on the menu. Just be sure to check with the managers/chefs at the restaurants to get full details.

Best Gluten-Free Snacks at Hollywood Studios

And finally, we get to one of the best parts of a day in Disney — the SNACKS! Hollywood Studios has some great gluten-free snack options. First and foremost, it’s important that you know that several classic Disney snacks you’ll find throughout the parks are generally gluten-friendly, including Mickey’s Premium Ice Cream Bars and standard popcorn. Look for these at snack stands throughout the park.

If you’re looking for some gluten-friendly fruit, head on over to Anaheim Produce, where you can find assorted fresh fruit that’ll keep you refreshed in the hot Florida sun.

If you want to grab some soft-serve ice cream that is generally gluten-free, hop over to Gertie’s Ice Cream of Extinction (when open). Just be sure to skip the cone to make it gluten-friendly.

And don’t forget that you can get gluten-friendly versions of the Ronto Wrap, Zuchii Wrap, and Andoan Fruit with Muja Sauce (delicious!) at Ronto Roasters — which could be a meal or snack! Or stop by in the morning for gluten-friendly overnight oats and breakfast wraps.

Just remember to check with a Cast Member or manager before ordering/eating any of these items as Disney can update its menus and ingredients.

Overall, you’ll find a variety of gluten-friendly options in Disney’s Hollywood Studios if you know where to go! Remember to ask for ingredient lists or details as you need them, and note any allergies/special diet needs on reservations. We’ll continue to keep an eye out for more news and share all of our tips with you!

Check out our guide to eating gluten-free in Disney World here

What are your best tips for eating gluten-free/friendly in Hollywood Studios? Tell us in the comments.

The post Hollywood Studios Gluten-Free Ultimate Guide for 2023 first appeared on the disney food blog.