Gasparilla Island Grill Gluten Free Review

We were pleasantly surprised with the wonderful food at Gasparilla Island Grill, the quick service location at the Grand Floridian Resort and Spa. There were so many options, and nearly all of them could be made gluten free!

I mentioned previously that the Polynesian Village Resort is mine and my family's favorite resort to stay at while visiting Disney World. But I also mentioned if they could switch the quick service options with the Grand Floridian, the Poly would be the perfect resort.

I do love some of the menu items at Captain Cook's, the quick service location at the Polynesian. But I found SO, SO many options and really great quality food at Gasparilla's that I declare it my new favorite quick service location in all of Disney World!!

It was a piece of cake to order gluten free at Gasparilla's! I never did ask for a menu so I don't even know if they have any. I just walked up to the counter and told them I needed to order gluten free. They immediately told me the manager would come to take my order.

At one point, the manager came out and said "all you want is fries? I was really excited to make you something elaborate!" And I do believe he was sincere, as all the cast members I came in contact with at Gasparilla's were just as enthusiastic. He told me I could order pretty much anything from the boards on the wall and they would make it gluten free.

Our Final Meal at Gasparilla Island Grill

This last trip to Disney in February/March of this year was almost two weeks long. All of the 12 members of my family got there on the same day, but everyone left at different times. The last four "survivors" were my mom and dad and me and my son.

We had a few hours to kill before our Magical Express came to pick us up for the airport, so we decided to grab a bite to eat at Gasparilla's. And I'm so glad we did! We had eaten a few snacks here and there and some Mickey waffles for breakfast, but not a full meal.

Like I said before, I never did ask for a menu so I don't know if they have written gluten free menus because all the managers I talked to over the course of our stay told me they could accommodate anything I wanted. For the full menu, check out Disney's website here. I chose the Chicken and Brie Sandwich as my lunch.

Lunch at Gasparilla's

When the manager brought my sandwich to the table (which is always what happens with allergy orders), I was pleasantly surprised just by the looks of the sandwich.

The sandwich consisted of grilled chicken topped with ham and brie. Everything else was served on the side, including the mayo, spinach, and raspberry mustard. It also came with french fries, which were on a separate plate.

The chicken was a nice-sized piece of chicken breast that was juicy and flavorful. Topped with the ham, it reminded me of chicken cordon bleu. One of my favorite melty cheeses is brie and there was a hefty slab of melty brie right. Mmmm, mmmm! Spinach added a great crunch to the sandwich, but that raspberry mustard was my favorite thing. It was tangy and sweet and I could have slathered it on a flip flop and liked it, haha!

I ordered french fries quite often from Gasparilla's during this trip so I had already had the shoestring-style fries they serve. It was just the savory snack I needed when we were taking a break in the middle of the day. We didn't schedule lunches because usually breakfast would fill us up and we didn't want to be too full for dinner. So french fries were the perfect mini meal. And Gasparilla's fries remind me of something I haven't had in a long while--McDonald's french fries! They were always crunchy--just the way I like my fries.

When Disney World opens up again, I hope you get a chance to swing by Gasparilla Island Grill for a casual bite to eat. They're very accommodating for allergies and enthusiastic about it. The food is above the level of most quick service locations we've been to, as is the service.