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Our Experiences With Universal Orlando
Last Fall, we became Universal Orlando pass-holders. We had some friends visiting from another state and decided to go for it. After a few months of visiting the parks, we decided to book a short vacation to Universal’s Cabana Bay Beach Resort.
When we first started visiting Universal, we weren’t sure what kinds of allergy-friendly offerings there would be for Isabelle. A couple of years ago, we wrote a guide to eating gluten-free and allergy-friendly at the Walt Disney World resort. We had some very good and some very bad experiences accommodating Isabelle’s food allergies (especially soy) and usually had to do either an expensive sit-down meal or bring snacks in order to survive.
Of course, these prior theme park experiences were a big concern. However, we’ve tried quite a few different options by this point, and we have to say… Universal’s allergy options really impressed us.
While we haven’t tried every single restaurant in the parks, we’ve tried everything from grab-n-go to quick service, to full-service restaurants. Today’s post will focus on those first two options (mainly quick service), and next week we’ll talk about full-service dining.
Grab-N-Go Options at Universal Orlando
Most of our breakfasts on our recent Cabana Bay trip were either snacks we brought with us or the grab-n-go section of the Bayliner Diner at the resort (more on that in the next section).
There were several grab-n-go areas within the quick-service restaurant, including an entire gluten-free wall. If you’re only gluten-free, then you’ll have more options than we did. They had gluten-free muffins (which did not have any ingredients listed, so we couldn’t try them), chips, trail mix, snack bars, and Bob’s Red Mill quick oatmeal cups.
Isabelle usually went for Bob’s Red Mill oatmeal (most of which she could eat) and some fruit. We didn’t have a microwave in the room, but there was an area to get hot water in the diner’s seating area. Our resort also had a Starbucks, which does have a small selection of gluten-free snacks (like chips and almonds). Although Starbucks can have some cross-contamination with the milk steamers, they do have a good selection of non-dairy milk depending on your preferences or allergies.
Quick-Service Options at Universal Orlando
Quick service restaurants are usually what scare us in theme parks (and just generally) because there’s often pre-made food and a lot of soybean oil. However, the Universal quick-service restaurants we’ve tried have been amazing. We’ll be covering: Bayliner Diner, Leaky Cauldron, The Three Broomsticks, and Bread Box.
Bayliner Diner
The main restaurant at Cabana Bay is Bayliner Diner. It was really nice for us to have a quick-service option that we liked because a lot of our days on vacation we were tired and/or sunburnt from the parks and the pool.
Version #1 of the ahi tuna bowl.
Version #2 of the ahi tuna bowl.
There were several counters to pick from, including pizzas, burgers, etc., but Isabelle went to the “international” section both times. She had the ahi tuna bowl, which the restaurant was able to adapt for her. While the restaurant did have the dreaded soybean oil, they also had canola oil in the back and were more than willing to make accommodations.
Our first dinner at the Bayliner Diner, the chef subbed out the cilantro lime rice for fries – which he fried separately in canola oil in the back. The second time, we had a different chef who just made a separate portion of rice. The tuna itself was totally safe for Isabelle, as was the coconut sauce that went with it. We both really enjoyed our meals there, and Isabelle actually managed to have enough food.
Leaky Cauldron
Located in Diagon Alley at the Universal Studios park, Leaky Cauldron has a lot of pub fare. The first time we went, Isabelle had assumed that she could maybe get a fruit cup if she were lucky. However, the chef came out and talked to her about other options, including adapting the fish ‘n’ chips. Rather than battering and frying it, they cooked a separate piece of fish in a pan in the back and gave her a salad and a fruit cup.
This restaurant is definitely our go-to quick-service place in the parks. You get a good amount of food, and they have some options that we both really like.
Side note: Both this restaurant and the next carry butterbeer. It is gluten-free but it’s not 100% non-dairy due to the topping. Isabelle has some, but she usually braces herself for a minor dairy reaction.
The Three Broomsticks
Continuing with the Harry Potter theme, The Three Broomsticks is located at Hogsmeade in Universal’s Islands of Adventure. The biggest difference between this restaurant and The Leaky Cauldron is the size of the portions. We could have easily split one meal between us had we known.
Smoked rotisserie chicken, potatoes, and mixed veggies (with a side of butterbeer) at The Three Broomsticks.
This restaurant actually had quite a lot that Isabelle could eat with little or no change. The chef was ready to walk us through the menu and negotiate, but we were really happy with our options. Isabelle had smoked rotisserie chicken (they give you half of a chicken there), potatoes, and (subbed out for corn because of her corn allergy) mixed veggies.
Bread Box Handcrafted Sandwiches
Despite its name, Bread Box at Universal Orlando’s CityWalk is another go-to option for us. From what we’ve heard, they do have gluten-free bread for sandwiches but, again, Isabelle usually has to avoid this because of corn, soy, dairy, and so on.
What we both order and recommend at Bread Box is pretty much the opposite of what we’d recommend. For example, neither of us likes turkey in basically any form. However, Bread Box’s turkey is so good that we both choose that over other options. Isabelle also really likes the cobb salad there, which has the restaurant’s house-made turkey, their house-made bacon, eggs, veggies, and so on. It’s really filling and definitely one of the best salads she’s had
Additional Tips & Tricks for Eating at Universal Orlando
One thing that helped us out at all of these restaurants was having allergy cards with us. She’s been doing this for years and always makes extra copies in case the restaurant wants to hang onto it. If you’re dealing with a smaller list of allergies, then this may not be necessary, but it has come in handy in some of the busier, louder restaurants, or when there’s been a long line of people to deal with.
Conclusion: Gluten-Free Quick Service at the Universal Orlando Resort
By this point, we think it’s clear that Universal Orlando had some really great gluten-free dining options, as well as they were able to accommodate quite a few allergies. Compared to our experiences at Walt Disney World, we also had more consistently good food, and more options for Isabelle, and the prices were lower (check out that review if you want to see more). Stay tuned for next week’s review of full-service dining at the Universal Orlando Resort.
We’d love to hear your recommendations for gluten-free and allergy-friendly options at Universal Orlando restaurants!
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