Universal Orlando with Food Allergies & Special Diets

Traveling with food allergies or dietary restrictions is hard, thankfully Universal Orlando offers a wide array of dietary options. This article will cover the top counter service restaurants for allergy-friendly items at Universal Studios Florida, Islands of Adventure, and CityWalk. We based our recommendations on reader ratings and the amount of allergy-free items offered.

We stand by the accuracy of this information at the time of posting, but we advise guests to talk to Team Members at restaurants about allergies and food options. For any questions and the most up-to-date list of allergy-free items at Universal Orlando email Food.Allergy@universalorlando.com.

Finally, allergy-friendly options are made without the ingredient, and cross-contamination in the kitchens can still occur.

Full-Service Dining

All the full-service dining locations in the parks, CityWalk, and resorts have allergy-friendly options. Notify your server about allergies or dining restrictions and a chef will come out to discuss your options.

Kosher & Halal Items

Universal offers made-to-order kosher and halal meals at their resorts and parks. All meals must be ordered at least 72 hours in advance by emailing food.allergy@universalorlando.com. For the latest pricing and menus visit Universal Orlando’s kosher menu site.

Gluten-Free

Our favorite Gluten-Free restaurants at Universal Studios Florida are the Today Cafe and Richter’s Burger Company. All of Today Cafe and Richter’s sandwiches have a gluten-free bread option and salads can be customized to avoid gluten. In Islands of Adventure, we suggest Thunderfalls Terrace as that menu features no items with gluten.

In addition to the above suggestions, the following restaurants also have gluten-free fryers:

Universal Studios Florida

• Leaky Cauldron
• Lombard’s
• Mel’s Drive-In
• Richters

Islands of Adventure

• Blondies (fries only)
• Burger Digs
• Cafe 4
• Captain America Diner
• Circus McGurcus Cafe Stoo-pendus
• Comic Strip Cafe
• Confisco Grille
• Fire Eaters Grill
• Green Eggs & Ham
• Three Broomsticks
• Thunder Falls Terrace
• Wimpy’s

Volcano Bay

• Bambu
• Kohola Reef

CityWalk

• Bigfire
• Breadbox
• A Tribute to Bob Marley
• Cowfish Burger & Sushi Bar
• Hot Dog Hall of Fame
• Margaritaville
• Moe’s Southwest Grill
• NBC Sports Grill Brew
• Toothsome Chocolate Emporium

Dairy-Free

All the sandwiches at Richter’s and Today Cafe in Universal Studios Florida can be customized to be dairy-free. At Islands of Adventure Blondie’s, Burger Digs, and Captain America Diner can customize their sandwiches with no dairy. Also in Islands of Adventure is Comic Strip Cafe, which recently updated its menu to include several dairy-free Chinese, Japanese, Italian, and Amerian options.

Unfortunately, the one item that cannot be made dairy-free is the iconic Butterbeer drink served in the Wizarding World. The good news is the other themed drinks are all dairy-free.

Egg-Free

For egg-free meals in Universal Studios Florida, we suggest Today Cafe (minus the egg breakfast sandwiches and Caesar Salad), Louie’s Italian (except Caesar Salad), and Richter’s Burger Company (sub Kaiser bun). Next door at Islands of Adventure visit Thunder Falls Terrace or Captain America Diner as neither feature items with eggs on the menu.

Nut-Free

Ok time for some good news: nearly all Universal counter service restaurants are nut-free. It is actually easier to list what to avoid than what to get:

Univesal Studios Florida

• Central Park Crepes: Strawberry Hazelnut crepe
• Fast Food Boulevard: Coconut Shrimp
• Leaky Cauldron: Potted Cream
• Today Cafe: Check with Team Members

Islands of Adventure

• Burger Digs: Herbivore and Vegan Burgers
• Three Broomsticks: Strawberry Peanut Butter Ice Cream
• Thunder Falls Terrace: Chicken Salad (includes pecans)

While we suggest Today Cafe for most allergy-friendly meals we cannot for Nut-free options.

Soy Protein-Free

Soy proteins are featured in a surprising amount of items around the resort, from pizza to pasta to burgers. Richter’s in Universal Studios Florida and Green Eggs and Ham in Islands of Adventure do not serve any items with soy protein in them. All of Thunder Falls Terrace’s menu is soy protein-free except for the turkey leg.

Fish & Shellfish-Free

Just like with nut allergies, most Universal counter service restaurants do not serve fish or shellfish of any kind. The exceptions are below:

Univesal Studios Florida

• Fast Food Boulevard: fried fish options
• Leaky Caulton: fish & chips, Fisherman’s pie
• Louie’s: Caesar Salad
• Today Cafe: Salmon Lox and Bagel

Islands of Adventure

• Blondie’s: Tuna fish sandwich
• Cafe 4: Caesar Salad
• Comis Strip Cafe: Caesar Salad
• Three Broomsticks: fish & chips

Sesame-Free

For Sesame-free options, we suggest Leaky Cauldron (excluding the Scotch egg) and Central Park Crepes at Universal Studios Florida. Over in Islands of Adventure, we suggest Three Broomsticks and Thunder Falls Terrace but avoid Comic Strip Cafe due to sesame buns and sesame in the Asian dishes.

Do you have a favorite place to visit with food allergies? Any tips or tricks? Leave them in the comments below!