A few years ago, I visited Austin, Texas; I was there for a music festival, but one of the things I remember best is the food trucks. It was the first time I had seen anyone serve “grown-up” food from a vehicle. (Trust me, these were nothing like the ice cream trucks I chased as a kid!) Today, Food Trucks seem to be everywhere, though much to my dismay, they’ve been in short supply at the Walt Disney World Resort. Until now.
I’m delighted to share this delicious tidbit: Food Trucks are coming to Downtown Disney! Even better? They’re rolling in faster than you might expect, with the first truck expected later this fall.
I recently sat down with Chef James Kleinschmidt and Downtown Disney Area Manager for Food & Beverage, Matt Fisher, who have been working closely with our Walt Disney World Food & Beverage partners on the concept. They shared some early details with me and, of course, I wanted to pass along every morsel of information to you! According to the duo, there will be four trucks, each themed to portray the essence of a different Disney Park. Here’s what’s in the works:
- “Enchanted Fare” will serve favorites from Disney Parks around the world; think Croque Monsieur from Magic Kingdom Park, Glass Noodle Salad from Hong Kong Disneyland and (my favorite!) Hand-Dipped Corn Dogs from Disneyland park.
- “The World Showcase of Flavors” is expected to feature items from the Epcot International Food & Wine Festival such as Grass-Fed Beef Sliders, Pierogies with Kielbasa and Lobster Rolls. Yum!
- “Superstar Catering” will shine the spotlight on a wide array of meatball options fit for a Hollywood set; the Lamb Meatball Flatbread with Tzatziki sounds especially credit-worthy.
- “Namaste Café” plans to feature a nice mix of spices with dishes including Butter Chicken, Slow-Cooked Beef Short Ribs and Tandori Spiced Shrimp. (I hear they’ll all come with Naan Bread, so you can’t go wrong!)
In the coming weeks, we’ll share additional details about the food trucks and hope to have photos of the menu items to whet your appetite. In the meantime, I’d love to know which truck you’re most excited about – I honestly can’t decide!
Comments
Sounds Great Darcy are this trucks Owned by Disney ? We have a Food Truck we run in Central Florida we would like to sign up with you if Possible for Future Events . Our Truck was feature on the Daily Buzz they love our truck and food
Enchanted Fare – we just happened to be at Disneyland many years ago and randomly picked up some corn dogs at a cart near the front. They were the best we have ever had and we are junk food junkies. We thought maybe we were just very hungry but as it turns out, they are just that Great.
Looking forward to them coming to Disney World. Hope they are there by Feb/2014, our next visit.
Love this idea – what a great addition to Downtown Disney
Please have some vegetarian options!
The Namaste Café Truck sounds especially great!
Looking forward to food trucks (we are local at at DD all the time) but really hope to see some vegetarian options. Having recently traveled to India it seems that the majority of the fast food & street food I saw was vegetarian, so a Namaste truck should theoretically have at least one…..
To those who have asked about vegetarian, vegan and gluten-free options … as with any Disney location, guests with a food allergy or dietary restriction can (and should!) ask to speak with a Chef or Manager regarding their specific needs; the food trucks will be no different. And, good news, I’ve been told that future offerings will be based in part on guest feedback, so menu items are subject to change based on demand 🙂
Please say that one of the items served will be a Dole Whip!
All sounds fantastic. Preliminary menu items sound great. Can’t wait to see the announcement of their arrival.
Rick T
Disney and Food Trucks – can’t think of a better combination! Can’t wait for my trip in January! Curious as to whether this will be a permanent thing or just while the construction is going on?
Jeanne, I’m with you – Disney and food trucks is a great combination! I think they’ll be quite popular and I don’t see them driving away anytime soon.
When we were at Downtown Disney in August we saw at least one food truck there. I think it was selling tacos. Personally I’d rather see more casual sit down places. So many restaurants require reservations. It would be nice if there were more air-conditioned casual places where you could just walk in to take a break from shopping and have lunch or dinner.
There are already kiosk places selling snack type foods. I don’t see these food trucks as being much different than that except they are moveable and have more substantial menus.
Yay! Yay! Yay! I love food trucks! This is a fun adventure for Downtown Disney on a down day, or just a fun night! Yay!
And nothing for vegetarians or vegans. It’s a shame Disney has for few offerings in this department..
So excited for this! What a great, quick option after a long day in the parks! Cannot wait to try out some food from around the world and food & wine festival goodies!
I’m so excited about this! Can’t wait for this to launch! I love food trucks!
Croque Monsieur from Magic Kingdom? Where do they serve it? I’ve had it at France in Epcot and at Disneyland Paris. Is it in New Fantasyland at Gaston’s?
Tara, you can find the Croque Monsieur at Be Our Guest Restaurant in New Fantasyland. I enjoyed it during lunch recently and it was incredible!
Will the food trucks be at Downtown Disney in late December? I’d love to be able to try them then!
Colleen, you’re in luck! Look for more details about the trucks, including location information and photos of the menu items, to come out over the next several weeks.
Love my Austin food trucks! Hope the food is just as good!
Excited about the concept; curious about the location. Where at Downtown will they be located…in which part…Marketplace, PI, or West Side?
How long will they be there? Would love to check them out in December!
I’m interested to know if the truck will accept the Dining Plan credits as well. Any news on that so far?
Angela, I haven’t yet heard about whether or not the trucks will accept Dining Plan credits; I’ll let you know if I hear anything.
UPDATE TO THE UPDATE: For once, I’m glad I was wrong! I learned early today that the food trucks WILL be accepting the Disney Dining Plan. Sorry for any confusion.
Squeeeeal, this is GREAT!!! We watch Food Truck Road Show on the Food Channel. It’s so exciting and I have a giant list of food trucks in So Cal I want to chase down. I can’t wait for the World Showcase truck. I’d love to go to F&W every year if I could. I second adding the Monte Cristo to the Enchanted Faire truck. This will be such an exciting addition to DTD.
I agree with Gregory, the Monte Cristo would be awesome, as well as the Countdown Chicken Fusilli from Pizza Port. 🙂
Sooo excited for Disneyland corn dogs on the East Coast! They are the best!!
Please Please Please put the Monte Christo on the menu! I had one out at Disneyland and I remember having one back in the old days at WDW but they don’t appear to be available anywhere any longer in Florida.
I cannot express how excited I am about this. THANK YOU for bringing the famous corn dogs to Disney World. And double thank you for Epcot Food and Wine food being available all year long (LOBSTER ROLL!!!!).
Megan, I know! It’s crazy how good those Disneyland corn dogs are … I can’t wait to have one right here at Downtown Disney!!!
Do you know if they will be accepting Dining Plan credits??
Will the trucks be following Disney’s great food allergy policies so those with food allergies will know if there are safe options???
We are leaving for Disney the first week of October. I hope they are going to be open then.
Thanks for the details! LOVE Be Our Guest Restaurant’s Croque Monsieur at lunch, so that’s what I’ll try first. Fun addition to Downtown Disney.
Sarah, a few weeks ago, I tried the Croque Monsieur from Be Our Guest for the first time. I am still dreaming about it. This is going to be a delicious addition to Downtown Disney!
Really wish there were some vegetarian options as well…..often it seems this is ignored
wondering if these trucks will be able to prepare food for people with food allergies…I would be curious to know….
Love to see the Austin influence! 🙂 I plan to hit each of these trucks. Yummy
For the life of me I just don’t understand the recent appeal of “food trucks”. I know this is heavily promoted on TV and the Food Network and in magazines, but it feels weird to me to eat out of a truck. I’d rather go to a restaurant or a “snack shack” that is permanent in one place. It feels unhygienic to eat something out of a truck. To me it’s just a bigger version of a hotdog vender’s cart. I am totally not a part of the crowd that loves food trucks I guess.
These sound great! I hope they’ll be linked in with the Disney Dining Plan.
Darcy, this is an awesome idea and addition to the Disney experience! Will these venues cater to Food Allergies especially Gluten? If not it will be a huge disappointment.
As great as this sounds, I will play devil’s advocate. Does this diminish how special the Food and Wine Festival is?
Having said that, I can’t wait to get a hand dipped corn dog in Florida, I think I had 3 on my last trip to Disneyland.
Sounds exciting and yummy!!! I wish that they would bring the YUM YUM Cupcake Truck to Downtown Disney!! They bring it into ESPN Wide World of Sports and I would love to go get some delish cupcakes from them while they are there but I just can’t justify buying a entrance ticket to go get some cupcakes.
This sounds great! Do you know if any of the trucks will offer gluten-free options for those with food sensitivities/allergies?
Epcot Food & Wine Festival and now this?! I have recently lost 30 lbs and we are heading to WDW October 26th. For 9 glorious days the diet is off!! I’ll be hopping off the Magical Express like Animal from the Muppets trashing at my chains yelling “EAT FOOD!! EAT FOOD!!” It’s also our 1st time staying on Disney property and having the dining plan. OI!! Good thing Epcot makes you walk for your food and wine. The food trucks will be a wonderful addition to DTD adding some nice variety for groups with varying appetites 🙂
Darcy, you made my morning. The thought of getting a Disneyland hand-dipped corn dog at WDW is so exciting. Can’t wait!!!
Blair, I’m so thrilled that you’re as excited as I am. Fall has always been my favorite time of year in Florida and with the debut of these food trucks, there’s even more reason to love the season!
The Enchanted Fare truck concept is great. Love the idea of sampling favorites from the other Disney Parks. This would also be a neat idea to work into the Epcot Food & Wine Festival.
I am most excited about The World Showcase of Flavors. Food and Wine Festival all year long…PLEASE and THANK YOU!
Kim, right? The Epcot International Food & Wine Festival is, hands-down, the Park event I most look forward to every fall. Having the chance to sample some of my favorites from the Festival all year long is amazing!
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