A Sad But True Gluten Free Update On Disney’s 50s Prime Time Cafe At Hollywood Studios

Our second day in Disney was fantastic, from an early start in Epcot riding some rides and meeting and greeting some of my daughter’s favorite Disney faces to tasting new and exotic treats around the World Showcase leading up to a gluten free lunch at Tutto Gusto. With little one wide awake after a lunch in Italy, we took our time and wandered through the remaining countries, visiting characters and taking in all of the beautiful topiaries. Soon enough, my little girl’s full belly made her incredibly sleepy allowing mommy and daddy some time to get a drink and enjoy the beautiful sights and sounds that Epcot has to offer. 

After some meandering through air conditioned stores throughout the rest of the world, it was time for us to head over to Hollywood Studios for dinner at 50s Prime Time Cafe. Having fallen in love with this restaurant the past few times that we visited Disney in the gluten free phase of my life, it was a no brainer to make an advanced dining reservation here. For the past few months I’ve been craving their delicious, gluten free crispy fried chicken, something I’ve only ever been able to enjoy thanks to Disney! To say I was extremely excited heading over to 50s would be an understatement! 

By the time we reached Hollywood Studios little one was still sleeping so we scooted into 50s Prime Time Cafe, checked in, and were quickly seated with a sleeping toddler by our side. A quick once over of the menu to just make sure the fried chicken still made an appearance and I was ready to place my order with the chef. Much to my dismay, as I was discussing my menu options with him and tried to place my fried chicken order I was told that they no longer could make the gluten free fried chicken. My mouth literally fell open as I turned to my husband sitting across from me. After some prodding, the chef went on to explain that they no longer keep any of the ingredients in the restaurant so you would need to order your meal with them far in advance. He went on to say that additionally they don’t make this dish anymore because of hazards with the fryer along with the lengthy amount of time that it takes to prepare the dish. Needless to say I was very confused after a number of different excuses were thrown at me, I mean could I order the fried chicken in the future if I call three months ahead and place my order or even after that when I am finally there to enjoy my ordered ahead meal will I be told it’s not safe to make this dish?

After the shock wore off, I asked the chef what else I could order off of the menu and learned of the meatloaf and pot pie without the crust, neither of which I’ve ever really enjoyed prior to my gluten issues so they weren’t really options for me. One item that did catch my eye was the pot roast which sounded quite tasty, however I was told that wasn’t a possibility either due to the flour dusting. Instead, I ordered a Chicken Caesar Salad with blue cheese dressing, not nearly a satisfying and substantial substitute for my beloved gluten free fried chicken. Nonetheless, we were there and enjoying the atmosphere so I was determined to eat something gluten free and end with their amazing brownie dessert. 

I’d like to say that their Chicken Caesar Salad was the best I’d ever eaten but it didn’t even come close. The portion was pretty small for the price and the main component of the dish, the lettuce, was odds and ends of romaine. As far as salads go it really wasn’t that bad, unfortunately though it didn’t hold a candle to what I had set my heart on. Thankfully though as dessert rolled around and little girl was still resting her eyes, my husband and I shared the gluten free Dad’s Brownie Sundae, which consisted of a gluten free brownie, vanilla ice cream, whipped cream, sprinkles, m&ms, caramel pop corn, and probably a number of other toppings that I missed. This was delicious! So delicious in fact I forgot to take a picture before we dove in. Trust me though, it’s a work of art, definitely worth saving a little bit of room for at the end of your meal. Just a note though, it is pretty big so you might want to consider sharing it if you’re not too hungry still. 

All in all, 50s Prime Time Cafe was disappointing this time around. They’ve developed such an impressive reputation online among the food blogs for their ability to cater to gluten free diners in a unique way, providing options that you really can’t find anywhere else. Their fried chicken was so crispy and moist and really put other restaurants who were unable to make this gluten free at home to shame. Sadly it looks as if I can’t really say that anymore. The explanations that the chef provided were confusing and unclear so I suppose in our future Disney trips I’ll have to call and speak directly to a chef months ahead and see if I can possibly enjoy this dish again. The sad truth that I’ve learned traveling, mainly cruising, while gluten free is that many restaurants require advanced notice for a gluten free dish so they can acquire the ingredients. Although these restaurants advertise and develop notoriety because of their gluten free menus, they still do not carry gluten free items for their menu on a day to day basis. This, in my opinion, remains as one of the major pitfalls in dining out gluten free where you have to do so much homework before being able to enjoy a meal with your loved ones at a restaurant.

This situation reminds me a bit of my gluten free travels over the past few years. My husband and I enjoy cruising and have done so several times while eating gluten free. Although they for the most part, with some exceptions, have been phenomenal in catering to a gluten free diet, they required advance ordering at every restaurant prior to our reservation. For me, this just kind of takes away from your meal a bit when you have to hunt down a chef days ahead to place an order for your dinner a couple days away; not to mention, who knows if I’d still be in the mood for a dish that I ordered a couple days ago. Sadly it looks like 50s Prime Time Cafe at Hollywood Studios may be adopting a bit of this approach, at least when it comes to this unique gluten free dish. The funny thing though, I really didn’t mind and wouldn’t mind ordering in advance if I knew I could get an amazing dish that I would enjoy, which in the case of our cruises happened more often than not. Here’s to hoping that 50s Prime TIme Cafe can still put together a fantastic plate of Gluten Free Fried Chicken just like I remember with a little bit of advanced notice. We’ll be visiting Disney again in the next few months so I’ll report then if I have any success!

Keep watching for our next Disney food adventures from Dole Whips and Pop Corn to dinners at Kona Cafe in the Polynesian, Epcot’s Mexico and England, and one of our favorites Cinderella’s Castle!

Have A Magical Day,

Lindsay