In an effort to appeal to a wider variety of tastes and dietary preferences, Walt Disney World recently rolled out a ton of new vegan, plant-based menu items, complete with a cute new leaf icon to help vegan and vegetarian guests easily pinpoint their options. That’s right, the days of obscure vegan menus and having to stand around waiting for a chef are a thing of the past, and with vegan food items now out in the open, even the omnivores are getting curious.
Today, we’re at Disney’s Animal Kingdom (because what better place to offer plant-based offerings than the crunchiest park on property) checking out all of the new vegan offerings. So far, we’ve surprisingly enjoyed the new Sicilian-Style Pizza Slice at Pizzafari. Next, we’re headed over to Flame Tree Barbecue for the only vegan entree on the menu: the Hot Link Smokehouse Sandwich!
At first, it was hard to detect the vegan offering amidst all the barbecue…
Look closer…
Oh, there it is. Let’s eat! [Puts on leaf-icon bib.]
Hot Link Smokehouse Sandwich (Served with French Fries) – $10.99
The sandwich features a robust, smokey sausage that’s bursting with flavor. It’s nice and spicy, and pairs excellently with the slaw and soft roll. Breads from quick service spots are usually a hit or miss, but this vegan roll was definitely fresh.
The French fries rounded out a meal we’d definitely consider having again. You still get that feeling of having tasty barbecue, without the heavy feeling of half a rack of ribs in your stomach.
While vegan brands vary greatly throughout property (one moment it’s Daiya and Gardein, the next it’s Chao and Lightlife), the sausages used for these hot links are Beyond Sausage brand, which explains why they have that great crisp exterior and hearty interior.
We’d definitely recommend this sandwich to anyone looking to switch it up while at Flame Tree Barbecue, vegan or not. If you try out any of these new plant-based offerings, let us know what you thought in the comments!
Fake sausages. Ahhh, the incoherence of a vegan…ever pursuing the emulation of that they claim to detest.
What an absurd statement. Vegans and vegetarians are attempting to enjoy all kinds of foods with various flavors without having to slaughter animals to do so. While not a vegan myself, I have immense respect for those who choose not to eat animals, and I’m happy to see Disney offer delicious options to those who choose what is, in my opinion, a morally elevated lifestyle.
There are a great number of people who go vegan for environmental or animal cruelty reasons. Not because they are opposed to meat and its taste. Meat is delicious, no doubt, so items like this are a guilt free option. Fake meat are also a quick processed food that we can all eat.
It’s just a recipe using plant based ingredients that, hey, happens to taste similar to sausage. Why not call it vegan sausage. Vegans aren’t necessarily trying to emulate meat. They are just making something that tastes good and has a familiar shape and taste to appeal to a broader audience. If everyone ate at least 1 plant based meal a day, it would help the environment greatly. No need for animosity here. We just want to eat less animals for one reason or another and we cant just eat kale and celery all day.
We all have our pet peeves, I reckon. For example, I’m no fan of fake presidents and the incoherence of some voters, yet I carry on…never as silently as others might prefer, however. But I digress. Savor your freedom of speech and all those “thumbs down” votes coming your way. You’ve earned them. And have a magical day!
They’re should have meet and greets of sprig from amphibia and Pip and freddy from T.o.t.s
I’m glad Disney is taking plant based options seriously. I am not vegan, but appreciate the new menu items to choose from when I’m looking to eat lighter.