Vegan Restaurants near DISNEYLAND!
Posted by weelittlebuddy on Jun 05, 2007 · Member since Oct 2006 · 304 posts
I've never been to an all vegan restaurant and was hoping one of you would know if there is a vegan restaurant near Disneyland in Anaheim, CA.
The hotel we are staying at is on Harbor Blvd.
Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated!!
Thanks!!!!! ;D ;D
It depends on how close is close. Anaheim isn't really a vegan type of place. Costa Mesa is about 15 miles away and Huntington Beach is about 20 miles away (close distances by SoCal standards), but don't drive anywhere on freeways in that area during rush hour, take surface streets instead (it's less distance by surface streets, anyway).
Costa Mesa (take the 5 south to the 55 west)
Native Foods: 2937 Bristol St., Costa Mesa, CA 92626 (vegan)
Huntington Beach (take the 5 south to the 55 west to the 405 north)
Good Mood Food Cafe: 5930 Warner Ave., Huntington Beach, CA 92649 (raw vegan)
I'm not sure if there are any vegan options (I was last there pre-vegan), but the Blue Bayou inside Disneyland is a really cool place to eat. It inside the Pirates of the Carribean ride near where they get on and off the boats, so it's a good place to cool off in the summer. It takes forever to get seated, but you can make advance reservations to Disneyland restaurants by calling 714.781.3463.
(http://disneyland.disney.go.com/disneyland/en_US/parks/dining/detail?name=BlueBayouDiningPage&bhcp=1)
There's also a Whole Foods in Tustin that's about nine miles from Disneyland.
Take the 5 south to the Newport exit, which is the first exit after the 55. Turn left (go northeast) on Newport for about a mile to Holt (which is just after 1st Street) and turn left. Whole Foods will be to your left. It's an older, smaller Whole Foods, but will do in a pinch if you're having problems finding good food.
Also, if you're willing to drive a little further, Saskia listed some good vegan eats on another thread: http://vegweb.com/index.php?topic=16646.0
Thanks, Humboldt_Honey. I was just about to direct weelittlebuddy to that thread. :)
At the Disneyland park itself, it shouldn't be hard to find a green salad. There's fruit salad at a few places, too. I think I got a baked potato at one place, possibly in or around Frontierland. Still, you should pack yourself trail mix, fruit or vegan cookies because you may not want to wait in long lines at the park behind the impatient, sweaty, super-size me omnis waiting to be served up a side of slaughter.
You can get also steamed vegetables at Blue Bayou (near Pirates of the Carribean) but be prepared for a long wait, even if you do make reservations early in the day. The ambience is memorable, sipping mint juleps while watching the pirate boats sail by, but it's not worth the wait if you're hoping for an impressive vegan dish.
If you don't want to get in your car while at Disneyland, your best bet is to take the monorail to one of the nearby Disneyland Hotels. Their salads and other vegetable dishes, while still limited, are more creative and flavorful.
The Paradise Pier Hotel, I think, houses a Japanese restaurant where you can get vegetable tempura, edamame, cucumber rolls. I ordered a garden burger at another Disneyland hotel but I was a vegetarian then and can't say with certainty that they use a vegan patty.
Nearby Downtown Disney is fun(House of Blues, bath products store, and there's even a bookstore!), but I have yet to find a vegan friendly restaurant. Even Rainforest Cafe has a pretty meaty menu.
Next time I go to Disneyland, I will likely opt for a happy, hearty meal at one of my favorite Orange County restaurants suggested in the aforementioned thread.
I recently found a great vegetarian/vegan cafe about 15-20 minutes from Disneyland in Fullerton called Sidney's Cafe. Not completely vegan, but vegetarian and practically all items can be made vegan. Check it out www.sidneyscafe.com.
There is also a Buca di Beppo nearby that has some vegan options.
Hope that helps.
-kdr