Jan 21, 202312 min read

What I Ate on Keto At Walt Disney World for a Week

When I was planning my November 2022 trip to Walt Disney World, I mentioned that it would be the first time I'd be going while fully committed to a ketogenic diet. Well, the verdict is in. I was able to maintain ketosis while spending a week at a theme park! Not only that, but I actually lost weight in the course of that week, even with a few (well planned) cheats.

Walt Disney World makes following a special diet about as easy as one can expect a theme park to make it. There are the traps that anyone whose followed a keto diet is probably well aware of, like sugary sauces, or even meats brined in brown sugar (I'm sending a dirty look at YOU, turkey legs!). But I had some really great food and maintained my energy, with some planning.

In this post, I'll be breaking down for you what I did to prepare, what I ate, and how keto-friendly I found the dining locations I visited.

How I Prepared

I am so thankful to have a coach on the keto journey, and one thing my coach made abundantly clear was to bring some snacks for the airport, for the jet, and finally, for anytime hangry struck. And hangry did strike. I had only been on keto about three weeks, so my appetite was still not fully adapted and was unpredictable. I ended up bringing the following:

IQ Bars. These are meal-replacement bars, and came in handy on days when I needed something for breakfast.
Dang Bars - made from coconuts, almond flour, and stevia, these were good for a light breakfast or a snack. I almost always had one with me in my park bag.
Roam Sticks - These meat sticks come in three flavors, bacon, jalapeno, and pineapple pork, all of which are good. The pineapple pork does have a minimal amount of pineapple in it, but seems to be a decent carb trade for the outstanding flavor.
Cheese crisps - Any cheese crisps will do such as parm bites or moon cheese, but for space, I ended up going with larger discs that came in boxes.
BHU keto cookie bites - I considered these fat bombs and used them as such. Since they are made from chocolate, they do melt in the heat, so I primarily kept them in the room.
Lily's chocolate bars - Chocolate bars sweetened with stevia. I used these whenever I felt sad that I wasn't enjoying dessert. I was traveling with my mother who has a very sweet tooth, so she'd have have a cheesecake mousse, and I would have a few squares of a Lily's bar.
LMNT packets - These were my salty drink packets because anyone on keto knows that getting sodium is important, especially if it's hot outside or you're exercising a lot, both of which are to be expected at Walt Disney World. I made sure to have at least one a day.

That might sound like a lot of extra food but it was all non-perishable, and it all fit in a small quarter of my carry-on bag.

Expectations I Set For Myself

I have to come clean and say that I didn't always follow PERFECT keto. Meaning, I didn't track my macros, which some would call dirty keto. I consider it less dirty, though, because I actually had a ketone meter with me, so I could actually TEST whether I was in ketosis or not to check whether I was on track. That said, I was in ketosis most of the time.

I did allow a few cheats (and those cheats knocked me out of ketosis, as expected). I planned my cheats ahead of time so that I couldn't fall into a pattern of telling myself I cheated once and therefore had no willpower and I would cheat some more. I knew what my cheats would be going into things, and that made a lot of difference to not making any other excuses outside of those planned cheats.

I justified relaxing on the macros and planning a couple of cheats because I would, after all, be exercising far more than I usually do by walking 10 miles or so each day (my average on this trip was 9-11 miles/day with only arrival and departure day coming in less at 6-7 miles). The exercise does help with the fat burning, not gonna lie.

What I Ate

Below I'll go through each meal of the day, including snacks, and what/where I ate.

Departure day

Breakfast: I had coffee with heavy cream and a Dang bar at about 5 AM because our flight was at 6 AM. Later, at the Atlanta airport, we went to Sweetwater Grill, and I had scrambled eggs and bacon (asked them not to bring the toast or breakfast potatoes).
Late Lunch: We were staying at the Riviera Resort, so we went to the pool bar, Bar Riva, while waiting for our room. I had cabernet sauvignon, and the vegetable skewers with chicken. This ended up being a surprisingly tasty meal that we actually came back to get a second time. And by "we", I mean my mother and I split it and we both really liked it. Keto rating: Excellent.
Dinner: Ale & Compass at the Yacht Club. I had the brick chicken and asked for extra broccolini to replace potatoes. I also had another wine: This time a malbec. This was enough food to make me feel quite full. Keto rating: Excellent.

Vegetable skewers with grilled chicken at Bar Riva. (I did not eat the flatbread)

Brick chicken with extra broccolini at Ale & Compass

Day One

Breakfast on the go: Dang bar somewhere inside of Disney Hollywood Studios when I started to get hangry.
Lunch: Hollywood Brown Derby. I had the salmon and tomato burrata salad. It was tasty, but this time when I asked for broccoli instead of the rice (after confirming they had broccoli), the substitution didn't come out of the kitchen that way and I got the rice. So the only thing I could eat on my plate was the salmon.. This meant that after my entree, I actually ordered the tomato and burrata salad because I just wasn't full on 4 oz of salmon. Keto rating: Just okay.
Snack: Grabbed a cheese plate from Primo Piatto at the Riviera resort. This is yummy - three different kinds of cheeses and some berries or grapes, and crackers. I gave my grapes and crackers away. This lasted me two days as I slowly made my way through the cheeses and berries.
Dinner: Pecos Bill's at the Magic Kingdom. This is a quick service location recommended by many keto forums, and they are right to recommend it. I ordered chicken fajitas with extra beans instead of rice, and a side of guacamole. Another substitution gone wrong: I got extra rice and no beans. But despite that, the chicken, fajita veg, sour cream, and guacamole were filling enough and made a well balanced keto meal. Keto rating: Very good.

Burrata salad at the Hollywood Brown Derby

Day Two

Breakfast: Joffrey's at the World Showcase plaza at EPCOT. I got a breve which is a latte with heavy cream instead of milk, and it was delicious. I also ate one of my Dang bars again. This is by far the best Joffrey's, in my opinion, for keto because they actually make the drinks by hand and have several creamer options available. Keto rating: Very good.
Brunch: This was a planned cheat at La Creperie in France at EPCOT. La Creperie is all about crepes and galettes, so unless you want to miss out on the main feature and get a salad, this is not a place where you can easily stick to keto. We made the ADR well before I went on keto (like you do for Disney World), so I knew this would be a cheat. I savored the prix fixe menu of a salad, a galette, and a crepe. I stuck with a crepe that I didn't think was TOO sugary, but, you know, they all have sugar. It was a cheat, and it was worth it because it was delicious, but... Keto rating: Poor.
Dinner: Sanaa at the Animal Kingdom Lodge. I was worried about this one, but there were actually a few keto options that were okay for me. I could've had the sustainable fish as well, but I ended up going with the Potije-inspired which is two dishes (one vegetarian and one meat) and rice. I got collared greens and butter chicken, and asked what they could do about the rice. Our very skillful server suggested tri-color cauliflower which was *chef's kiss*. And our server checked back shortly after food was delivered to make sure I felt everything was as I liked it. Keto rating: Excellent.

Potije-inspired at Sanaa with collared greens, butter chicken, and tri-color cauliflower in place of rice

Day Three

Breakfast on the go: Coffee from the room and a Dang bar. We were in the Magic Kingdom and aside from Starbucks which is always packed with long lines, there was not a decent enough coffee place to make me a breve, so it was what it was.
Lunch: Chef Art's Homecomin'. I was SO excited to eat here, but I really wish I wasn't on keto since the best options are very obviously the fried chicken and moonshine. I went with the church lady deviled eggs appetizer (very yummy) and the harvest salad (pretty plain). One thing in their favor was their willingness to make me one of their mixed drinks and omit the simple syrup, which made it keto friendly (it was vodka, ice, and cucumber juice with a squeeze of lemon). If you're on keto, though, you might feel like you are missing out here. Keto rating: Not the greatest.
Dinner: Food & Wine Festival! We were lucky to be at EPCOT during the Food & Wine festival, so we snacked around World Showcase. I really appreciate that they have booklets so I could identify keto friendly things ahead of time. I had the Le Cellier filet mignon from the Canada pavilion, lettuce wrapped pork shoulder from the Swanky Saucy Swine, and Piri Piri shrimp, and coffee roasted beef tenderloin from the Kenya pavilion. Festivals make it easy to find all sorts of small bites you can eat. Keto rating: Excellent.

Church lady deviled eggs and cucumber drink at Chef Art's. Le Cellier filet mignon at the Food & Wine Festival

Day Four

Breakfast on the go: Once again at Disney Hollywood Studios, we found a Joffrey's and I walked them through how to make me a breve. I also ate some of my Roam sticks.
Lunch: Docking Bay 7. I love Docking Bay 7, but the keto option here is just pretty plain. Nothing wrong with it, just not exciting or super tasty. I had the Endoran Chicken Salad, which is basically like a grilled chicken ceasar salad. Keto rating: Just okay.
Snack: Grabbed a whole strawberry cup at Primo Piatto at the Riviera Resort. It's just a cup of fresh whole strawberries. Yummy. This place had a lot of options including charcuterie and salads too. Keto rating: Excellent.
Dinner: Topolino's Terrace at the Riviera. Best meal of the trip (with the price tag to go with it). I splurged and had exactly what I wanted, which was two glasses of red wine, the filet mignon, and a side of scallops. Everything was so succulent. Only issue was once again I asked if they could give me extra broccolini instead of the potato, but I guess the chef is very proud of the potato having invented the cooking method, and the substitution didn't happen. Pretty common by this point. But it's okay. I was stuffed anyway an the food I did eat was amazing. Keto rating: Excellent. And spendy.

Endoran chicken salad at Docking Bay 7. I would love to have shared pictures of my dinner at Topolino's but by the time I remembered, it was half eaten!

Day Five

Breakfast: There is a Joffrey's at the Animal Kingdom on the way into Dinoland. We considered Creature Comforts (Starbucks in disguise) but the line was out the door, so Joffrey's it was. I asked for a breve and was told I could only have a latte because "the machine makes it so we have no control". Harumph. So I got a latte. Mistake. Made my tummy hurt. Milk is high in natural sugars. I also got a sausage and egg breakfast sandwich and took the bun off. Keto rating: Just okay. Get plain coffee.
Lunch: Yak and Yeti. Again, a really great meal. I had the roasted vegetable bowl with more broccoli on the bottom instead of rice. They got the substitution right, and it was a delicious and much needed bowl of veg after so much protein the previous several meals. Keto rating: Excellent.
Dinner: Satuli Canteen. I had the garlic shrimp bowl with the "hardy salad" base and the creamy garlic sauce. These bowls are customizable, so very good options. I could have had any meat, but I will say the hardy salad base and the creamy garlic sauce are the only keto friendly bases and sauces. Even then, the base has a small amount of quinoa in it. This seemed to me to be like one tablespoon of quinoa, so I didn't let it bother me and just ate it. It did not kick me out of ketosis. Keto rating: Very good.

Vegetable bowl from Yak and Yeti, and garlic shrimp bowl from Satuli Canteen

Day Six

Breakfast: Coffee in the room and an IQ Bar. Back to Animal Kingdom and I wasn't going to mess around with their Joffrey's this day.
Lunch: Back to Bar Riva at the Riviera resort. This place is a little gem. This time, I got the grilled chicken sandwich which has spinach and artichoke dip on it. Took it off the bun and asked for greens on the side. Keto rating: Excellent.
Snack: La Petite Cafe at the Riviera resort. Went because my mother wanted one of their gorgeous pastries. I don't blame her one bit. And I was able to get a wonderful breve with sugar free vanilla syrup which was heavenly. Keto rating: Excellent.
More snacks: Food & Wine festival take two. I had the charcuterie and wine flight from the Spain pavilion. Keto rating: Excellent.
Dinner: We had a later dinner this evening at the Space 220 Lounge. I allowed myself a single item cheat because I HAD to have the Big Tang drink, which is astronaut inspired. It has a Tang base and a tiny square of freeze-dried astronaut ice cream sandwich on the rim, and I'd been dreaming about it ever since I heard of it. Everything else was keto friendly. I had the deviled eggs and spare rib sliders (took the buns off). I'm afraid the bacon on the deviled eggs might have been candied. Other than that, though, this can be workable as there are lots of options. Keto rating: Very good.

The Big Tang (not keto!), and deviled eggs from Space 220 Lounge, and the charcuterie from Spain at the Food & Wine Festival

Day Seven

Breakfast: An IQ bar and an iced breve from the La Petite Cafe at the Riviera resort.
Lunch: The Plaza restaurant at the Magic Kingdom. This was a last minute ADR as this was our departure day. I had the plaza burger. It was a pretty normal burger... the patty was even a little thing. I took it off the bun of course. Keto rating: Just okay.
Snack: This was a fail. I attempted to go the Main Street Ice Cream Parlor because I had heard they carried a sugar free flavor every day. I stood in a long line only to learn they were out of it when I reached the front of the line. So I left empty handed and on my way out noticed the sign that listed the sugar free flavor, and that is was also fat free. That's a keto no-go anyway. I ate some BHU cookie bites instead. Keto rating: Fail.

The plaza burger at the Plaza restaurant. I took the onion ring and bun off.

At this point, we left Disney and ventured into the greater Orlando area and Universal for the duration of the trip. I have to say that the other eats I was able to obtain didn't live up to Disney standards. For the next two nights, I lived off of three party platters (charcuterie, cheese board, and veggie platter) while a tropical storm rolled through. By the evening of Day 9, I was very ready to eat something other than party platters from the grocery store.

I had some excellent shrimp at a seafood restaurant, and some really excellent Indian-Mexican fusion takeout after a frustrating day trying to find keto eats at Universal, so those were highlights. Lowlights were... Universal Studios. Their food game just doesn't live up to Disney's food game when it comes to special dietary needs. Inside the parks, aside from sit-down meals, most things appeared to be standard theme park fair of pizza, hot dogs, tacos, burgers, etc. I had a burger that I waited an hour for one day. The next day I had the saddest caprese salad known to man (it had two sliced of mozzarella and two slices of tomato total), and then caved and got a foot long hot dog that I took out of the bun because I was staaaaarving. Sit down meals were perhaps better. The only one we did was Margaritaville where I had a burger (taken off the bun) that was just okay. I was glad I always had some snacks with me.

My advice if you are going to Universal is to order before you get hangry and stick to burgers. Or go to Citywalk and find a sit-down meal.

I do hope that this blog post, which I realize is very lifestyle and food focused this time, shows those of you with dietary needs that Disney IS in general very accommodating. If your dietary needs are more serious due to allergies or medical issues, you can go a step further than I did and ask for the allergy menus at every location, or put your dietary restrictions on your ADRs so chefs know. For example, if I were diabetic, I might have questions sauces or marinades a bit more than I did, and the allergy menus list every single ingredient in every component of a dish so you can more easily see what you are eating.

Rest assured, though, for a simple keto diet, Disney is VERY do-able with just a small amount of planning.

I hope you enjoyed this week's post. If you did, come follow our page on Facebook where you will see when now blogs are posted each week. Until next time...