Hollywood Brown Derby a Walt Disney World

The main reason for our February trip to Walt Disney World was to celebrate our 20th wedding anniversary and to eat at our honeymoon and 10th anniversary restaurant, Hollywood Brown Derby. It is one of our favorites and we always have wonderful service and amazing food here. This time was no different. We ended up splitting appetizers and desserts this time, instead of getting large meals and it was perfect.

Pan-seared Sea Scallops with Roasted Pork Belly - it was a little too spicy for me but the scallop was really good.

Deanna gluten free rolls with salted butter. I could have just had this for dinner :)

Their famous chef salad. So fresh, crisp and tasty.

Hubby had Curried Butternut Squash Soup - too hot for me but he really enjoyed it and would have it again.

I decided to get the special sweet drink, Malibu Beach, the only one without soda in it and it happen to come with a light up ice cube. Silly but fun. Honestly the drink was way too sweet and even though I could get a refill, I did not.

Sorbet with fruit.

Something neither one of us remembers the name but it was good, especially the whipped cream.

As I said this is always a favorite of ours and it is our honeymoon dinner so it has personal meaning to us. We did have an amazing server and service.

The only downfall, is that they changed their dining room set up and we ended up basically eating with someone else, so the romantic nature of our meal was definitely hindered. At least he was very nice, if not too talkative, and finished before us so had a little alone time to reminisce about previous trips to celebrate our anniversary. Until 2025!

Snacks at Walt Disney World

Oh how we love our snacks at Walt Disney World. Our February trip had us seeking out L'Artisan des Glaces in the France Pavilion of Epcot World Showcase. Alexis’s Gluten Free Adventures wrote about these and it was now my mission to find them and try them.

Macaron ice cream sandwiches!

Strawberries and cream was the flavor of the day and I have no words good enough to describe how incredible these were. The macaron was crunchy, airy and so tasty. The ice cream was strawberry and vanilla and it was creamy and sweet. I could have eaten a dozen of them and I am definitely glad we didn’t share one of these ;)

Later we went to find the Maple popcorn at the Canada Pavilion in Epcot.

It was a chilly night so this really hit the spot. It smelled soooo good and tasted just as good too.

The next day, we got one of my favorite treats. 

This always hits the spot and I make sure to get at least one each time we visit.

Our last night we were determined to get more fresh popped popcorn.

Unfortunately (for our want of fresh popped popcorn) we ended up staying in Star Wars Land until after closing and missed out. It was definitely worth it though since we got to ride Smuggler’s Run with only a 20 minute wait, photos with no one else in them by the Millennium Falcon and an invite into Oga’s Cantina with no wait and we got a table!!

Anyway, back to the popcorn...So we got the next best thing from our hotel gift shop. And even though we really wanted plain popcorn, this kettle corn flavor was perfection. It was neither too sugary nor too salty. True Disney magic but once again.

Sanaa Animal Kingdom Lodge Walt Disney World

I am not an adventurous eater. Well I wasn’t. I have gotten better in the past few years. Sanaa is not a place I would have gone to 5 years ago for sure. But I was willing to try some new things this time in Disney World and it went on the list. We could not make a reservation for the day and time we wanted so we decided to try and just walk-in.

We headed to the lodge well before sunset and checked in at the desk. A wonderful woman helped us and I told her that we would love a window table, that we were gluten free, that it was our first time at Sanaa and also our 20th wedding anniversary, which she could see from our pins. I thought I would lay it all out there and see what happens.

More Disney magic for us!! She told us she could have a window seat ready for us in about 20 minutes. YES!!!

We went to check out the animals from the walk out off the lobby and waited for her to text us. Apparently we were so into the animals that we missed her text and she came to get us. She laughed and said it wasn’t the first time she has had to do this.

She walks us to our table and not only was it a window table, I would gather it is the BEST window table in the place. Smack dab in the middle of everything. And sunset would be coming - mind you we were facing east but we knew the colors could be awesome anyway.

Our server was fantastic and she was training someone new who was also just a joy. They interacted with us over everything from the animals outside, to the gluten free food choices to being from our area in Pennsylvania.

Ok on to the food. We ordered the gluten free Naan bread service with a nine spreads and we forgot to do our sharing meal and we each ordered a meal. In retrospect I would not do that again. One it was too much food and two we had no room for dessert and I really wanted to try their desserts. Oh well, we will just have to go back again. Although I would still get the gluten free Naan bread service and then split a meal... or just skip the meal and just get dessert :)

I found the menu a little confusing so our server had her work cut out for her.

Our server told us that the Butter Chicken with Aloo Masala and Basmati Rice I wanted wasn’t hot at all, in fact it was on the children’s menu. I was happy to hear that as I am not a fan of spicy hot food. Well I don’t know what children eat here but my dinner was spicy hot, NOT terribly so but my tongue was dancing :) But it was also DELICIOUS! I would definitely order this meal again but be better prepared for the spice.

Hubby had the Mozambique Chicken, which is Roast Piri Half Chicken with Sweet Yam and Roasted Vegetable Hash and it was amazing. The flavor from the outside of the chicken somehow soaked all the way through the piece of chicken and it was divine.

We saw tons of animals

 and we saw the sunset in the clouds and reflecting in the hotel room windows across from the dining area. It was so amazing that hubby did run outside to try and get photos but he was still not facing the right way to capture it.

So not only did Sanaa have it’s own Disney magic to offer us, the food was incredible, the service impeccable and the view was heavenly. I doubt we could ever match this situation again but we will be back for more Naan and to try dessert.

Nomad Lounge Walt Disney World

Top of my list for this Disney visit was getting the gluten free churros as Nomad Lounge in Animal Kingdom. Every time I saw someone else post about them, I was determined I would have them too.

We stopped in and tried to find an outside table. Nothing.
We went inside. Nothing.
I was sticking it out though and after standing at the front of the patio finally a table for two opened up. We were so excited because it was outside and it was near the railing so we have a beautiful view.

We ordered the churros and hubby got their press coffee.

It took a little while to get our food but we didn’t mind. It was nice to sit in the comfy chairs where it was somewhat quiet for Disney.

The churros came out and they were warm and perfect. Plain or with the vanilla sauce, I could have eaten them all day. I guarantee next time, we won’t share. We will each get our own order. Absolutely delicious and just a great setting.

Kringla Bakeri Og Kafe - Norway Pavilion Epcot - Walt Disney World

Our special stop in Epcot was to get the chocolate cake with banana mousse.

Well worth the trip!!!

We even got a lovely outdoor seat where I didn't even know there was seating.

Chocolate cake mmmm
Banana mmmm
Chocolate shell mmmm
in my world what more could I want.

This was so good. And while it was sweet I wouldn't say it was overly sweet. I thought it was just right. A wonderful treat as we watched the sunset on our day. And the perfect dessert to follow up our Mama Melrose late lunch.

And I am so glad we got it on the day we did because when we went back to Epcot on the weekend (the Food and Wine Festival day) the line wrapped around the building and I am not even sure if this would have been available with all the people ordering it. More Disney luck and magic for us.

Mama Melrose's Walt Disney World

I really wanted to eat at Mama Melrose's in Hollywood Studios but for some reason the day we chose to go, we could not do a walk in. The place looked empty but the girl swore there was no room. She advised us to try for a reservation same day as something might open up. So we stepped outside and after fighting with the app, we had a reservation for an hour later. We were starving so we went and got popcorn to hold us over.

It was worth the aggravation to eat here though and I would eat here again in a second! Excellent service, lots of options, great setting and wonderful food.

I got the strawberry lemonade and we had gluten free rolls to start, along with the Margherita Flatbread. We tried not to stuff ourselves but it was all so delicious.

Then we split the Wood-grilled Chicken and Penne Pasta with four cheese sauce. Soooo delicious. My mouth is watering just thinking about it now. It was a huge serving which I think they did because we were splitting it but if you were one person eating the serving we got you would be stuffed! Just the right amount of chicken and the cheese sauce was gooey and warm and cheeeeesy.

I have to say though the place never filled up, so I was still stumped as to why there were no walk ins being taken but it worked out for us and I was so happy and stuffed.

We didn't get dessert here because we were headed to Epcot for something special.

Skipper's Canteen Walt Disney World

Another place that is mentioned many times for gluten free eating is Skipper's Canteen in Magic Kingdom. 

I'll be honest I would never choose here without hearing all the rave reviews from others. Nothing against the place, it is just not a well known place to me and it is pretty nondescript even walking past it. But it was walking past it and seeing no one waiting that made us decide to definitely try it out this trip. Our wait was 5 minutes! And we got a window table.

Our server was awesome. She basically said "whatever you want, we can do, what do you want?"

We started with two non-alcoholic drinks:
Punch Line Punch and Schweitzer Slush
I loved the punch and was just ok on the slush. The slush was too bitter for me but the punch was nice and sweet. They were both cold and it was a warmer day, so they hit the spot.

Then hubby got the soup of the day and I will be darned that I can not remember the name or ingredients. I do know it was too spicy for me but he really enjoyed it.

Then we took awhile to decide on our main course. It was something we would split so it had to appeal to both of us. We went with the easy "Hardy Har Char" Siu Pork. Yummy!! Basically it is pork chops flavored like Chinese food with Jasmine rice and a vegetable that I can't remember even with the photo. It was delicious. The pork was tender and we received three pieces so we had a piece and a half each. It looks less on the plate but it was a lot of food.

Then the real reason we stopped in... dessert. I had heard so many things about these two desserts that I had those picked before we even entered the place.
Monkey Bites
Quick Sand!!!

Monkey Bites are chocolate covered bananas with candied chocolate sunflower seeds, pistachio cake and fresh whipped cream. I have decided I really like pistachio. This was a dessert I would come back for every trip. I loved it. Different and so very tasty.
And the Quick Sand is a jasmine rice pudding with mango sauce, lemon curd, hibiscus meringue and pineapple. So refreshing and delicious. I have never had anything like this before and I would definitely have it again... but Monkey Bites first :)

Overall I am really happy we stopped in here and it is now on my list of places to check out for our next trip to see if there will be any new items on the gluten free menu.

Pinocchio Village Haus Walt Disney World

Alexis of Alexis Gluten Free Adventures raved so often about the chicken nuggets and fries at Pinocchio Village Haus at the Magic Kingdom in Walt Disney World that it was my mission to be sure I tried them on our trip this time.

As we were riding the carousel, I saw the Haus off to the one side. I watched the crowd to see how it might be and then I told the hubby that we were going to have lunch there. He was all in.

We walked up to the ordering area and mentioned needing a gluten free menu and food and we were directed to a specific line and order taker/cashier. We waited a little longer due to the change in lines but it was going to be worth it.

We ordered just one order of chicken nuggets and fries to share because we did have a big breakfast and we would have a big dinner. We found a great table and waited for our food.

What seemed liked hours but was only 10 minutes, we had our food.

It looked crunchy, warm and good and oh my goodness they were. No idea why these nuggets and fries are so extra special but they are. The flavoring of the nuggets is perfect and the ratio of coating to chicken is just right and the fries, oh my goodness the fries... crunchy outside and potatoey goodness inside.

I would eat these every day of our trip if I could and if there wasn't so many other foods for us to try for the rest of the trip. But this definitely goes on the list of foods to get when we come back again on another trip.

The Crystal Palace Character Breakfast Walt Disney World

Our only breakfast not at Port Orleans French Quarter was the character breakfast at The Crystal Palace in Magic Kingdom.  The characters are: Winnie the Pooh, Tigger, Piglet and Eeyore. One of my best friends swears by this breakfast and neither my hubby nor I had ever done it before.

Upon check in we restated we were gluten free and we were given an allergen handout. It was very helpful and does reduce the need to see the chef ... which I didn’t realize until after we had seen the chef.

We ordered a full plate of the gluten free baked goods and then checked out the buffet. At first I thought it was s HUGE buffet until I realized it was two sides of the same. I found some things to have but overall the buffet was not worth the price for me. The baked goods were great and the buffet foods were good but there just was not enough for the price ... which was very steep.

But we did get all four characters and even Tigger twice, so that more than covered us.

It is also a beautiful place and we had a glorious sunshiny blue sky day for sitting under one of the glass domes. And I thoroughly enjoyed watching all the children react and interact with the characters. It was a highlight of our trip for sure.