Are you looking for gluten free dairy free food at Walt Disney World or Disney Springs? During a trip to Orlando for BlogHer 2017, I had a chance to dine at Disney Springs with friends. For the first time, I visited The Boathouse to try to find the best gluten-free dairy-free food at Disney Springs.
The Boathouse is just one of many restaurants at Disney Springs that is safe for celiacs, and easy for a gluten-free dairy-free diet. Previously I had written about Raglan Road at Disney Springs, where they offer gluten free dairy free fish and chips.
You can easily access The Boathouse by parking in the Lime Parking Garage, and head straight into the heart of Disney Springs. You’ll walk by
Erin McKenna’s 100% Bakery, which you should definitely save for dessert.
I love the theme of the Boathouse. It’s very vintage sailor style, and I had to refrain from purchasing everything adorable nautical-themed item at the gift store. I particularly loved the Oyster Bar sign.
The menu does not indicate what is free from allergens, but the waiter told us that we just had to talk to our server and they could tell us what was gluten-free. I typically dislike this option, because I hate choosing something that might be more unsafe than another option available. However, I do like the creativity it allows the chefs, and all of the options that open up for us, the diner. Our server automatically asked for the chef, as it seemed as he was not as well-versed in allergies as the chef. Luckily the chef had everything under control.
The chef, however, was a total badass. He works with allergies all day long, and prides himself on being able to make anything the customer wants, with any food allergies or dietary restrictions. He told me I could choose most of anything off the menu, as it can all be modified. He told me specifically not to choose something just because I think that it would be easy to make gluten free and dairy free – he really wanted me to enjoy my dish.
He was also able to deal with a nut allergy, mushroom allergy, and shellfish allergy at the table. He was incredibly well-versed in what dishes contained allergens and what could be modified. I ended up choosing the Fish Tacos – without the crema sauce that contained dairy. Other than that, the meal was naturally gluten-free. However, he assured me that mine would be prepared separately in its own pan, with the fish never touching a shared grill. There was an awesome tangy slaw and avocado paired with the white fish. While the tortilla completely fell apart (because it wasn’t grilled), I was happier that I was safe from cross contamination).
I used the Nima Sensor to test not only the fish, but also the tortilla. Both tested under 20ppm according to the Nima Sensor. Another diner also used the Nima on the tacos and they came up safe. I definitely trust The Boathouse for gluten-free and dairy-free options. Unfortunately, their fries are fried in a shared fryer, so I wish that they could have small fryer for allergen-friendly fries like other restaurants in Disney Springs.
I would definitely recommend the Boathouse solely on the attention that we received from the chef that seemed overjoyed to feed us safely. It’s rare to find a chef with this type of passion for feeding his guests.
**While Nima Sensor is a Celiac and the Beast sponsor, I did not receive compensation for this post, and I paid for my Nima Sensor and test capsules.**
