Gluten-free Menu at Nomad Lounge in Disney’s Animal Kingdom
When perusing the gluten-free menu at Nomad Lounge in Disney’s Animal Kingdom, I was pleasantly surprised to see options for appetizers. We’ve captured their allergy friendly menus for your enjoyment. Keep reading for our review of our tapas and beverages.
The cocktail menu is world class and the lounge is built for travelers to tell their tales around comfortable couches and tables. My three-year-old declared, “This chair is SO soft!”
The Small Plates allergy menu at Nomad Lounge is impressive. The allergy-friendly menu features a selection of choices that are safe for gluten, peanut, tree nut, shellfish, soy, and milk allergies. If you’re gluten-free like us, your options range from rice bowls to pork ribs to churros.
Small Plate Menu
Nomad Bowls featuring Steamed Rice, Red Cabbage Kimchi, Ginger-Scallion Oil, Crimini. Choose between Chicken Manchurian – $13 ; Beef Short Rib– $18 ; Togarashi-Spiced Tuna – $15
For Gluten/Wheat, Peanut/Tree Nut, and Shellfish Allergies
Beef Sliders with Tomato-Pear Jam and a side of Yucca Fries – $16
For Fish/Shellfish Allergies
IMPOSSIBLE (trademark) Sliders with Chipotle Aioli and Yucca Fries – $15
For Shellfish Allergies. Contains gluten.
Smoked Pork Ribs with Sweet Soy-Glaze and Apple-Jicama Slaw – $10
For Gluten/Wheat, Egg, Fish/Shellfish, Milk, and Peanut Allergies
Charcuterie featuring a board of the Chef’s Selection of Cured and Smoked Meats – $18
For Egg, Fish/Shellfish, Milk, Peanut, and Soy Allergies
Selection of Artisanal Cheeses featuring the Chef’s Selection of Accompaniments – $16
For Egg, Fish/Shellfish, Peanut, and Soy Allergies
Fish Tacos featuring Crispy Halibut, Pico de Gallo, Pickled Jalapeno, & Radish – $15
For Peanut/Tree Nut and Shellfish Allergies
Poutine featuring Smoked Boneless Rib, French Fries, Kungaloosh Gravy, Cheddar Cheese Curds – $14
For Peanut and Shellfish Allergies
Tiffins Bread Service featuring Tadka, Spicy Coriander Yogurt, Ginger-Pear Chutney – $12
For Peanut/Tree Nut and Shellfish Allergies
Churros with Vanilla Crema, Chili-Strawberry for dipping – $9
For Gluten/Wheat, Peanut/Tree Nut, and Shellfish Allergies
Can you get Tiffins food at the Nomad Lounge?
Yes, and no.
For adult fare, you cannot enjoy the small plates menu from Nomad Lounge at Tiffins, nor can you eat Tiffins food in the lounge. However, the children’s menu is the same at both Tiffins and Nomad Lounge!
Read about our gluten-free review of Tiffins.
Our daughter enjoyed the food from both. The allergy-friendly children’s menu for both is fairly decent. However, our child with sensory issues would have struggled to find something gluten-free he would enjoy.
Gluten-free Kid’s Appetizers
Kid’s Garden Vegetables with Dipping Sauce– $5
For Gluten/Wheat, Egg, Fish/Shellfish, and Peanut/Tree Nut Allergies
Kids’ Falafel with Garlic Yogurt with Garlic Yogurt– $5
For Gluten/Wheat, Egg, Peanut/Tree Nut, And Shellfish Allergies
Kids’ Soup of the Day with Garlic Yogurt– $4
Allergy-friendly.
Gluten-Free Children’s Meals
All meals come with a choice of drink (small lowfat milk, small Dasani water or Minute Maid apple juice) and 2 side items (see below).
Kids’ Shredded Beef Tacos with Queso Fresco Mel– $14
For Egg, Fish/Shellfish, Peanut/Tree Nut, and Soy Allergies
Grilled Chicken Breast (Mickey’s Check Kids’ Meal)– $10
Allergy-friendly.
Sustainable Fish (Mickey’s Check Kids’ Meal)– $14
Allergy-friendly.
Grilled Shrimp with Ginger-Tamari (Mickey’s Check Kids’ Meal)– $15
For Gluten/Wheat, Egg, Fish, Milk, and Peanut/Tree Nut Allergies.
Kids’ Impossible Foods Bunny Chow Meal– $12
For Egg, Fish/Shellfish, Milk, and Peanut Allergies.
Side Dishes
Allergy-Friendly:
- Green Beans,
- Roasted Potatoes,
- Basmati Rice,
- Seasonal Vegetables,
- Fresh fruit.
White Cheddar Macaroni and Cheese
For Egg, Fish/Shellfish, Peanut/Tree Nut, and Soy Allergies
Cookie and Cream Brownie
For Gluten/Wheat, Fish/Shellfish, and Peanut/Tree Nut Allergies
Strawberry Shortcake and Marshmallow Cream
For Fish/Shellfish, and Peanut/Tree Nut Allergies
What should we know about autism and the gluten-free children’s menu?
The only meals that were not gluten-free were the shredded beef tacos and the Bunny Chow. Essentially, the only sides that my gluten-free child could not have is the macaroni and cheese and the strawberry shortcake. The only issue was that the food was a little extravagant for children with sensory needs. Our autistic son only liked the macaroni and cheese!
Is the atmosphere at the Nomad Lounge autism-friendly?
Beyond the availability of gluten-free food, the restaurant atmosphere was ideal for our son’s sensory needs. The decoration and story behind the lounge is extravagant in a way that only Disney can provide. He was enraptured with the tales of travelers who had come before him.
Each table features a lamp, perfectly themed for going out and exploring. It is easy to picture the Disney Imagineers going out and exploring Asia and African when creating Animal Kingdom park.
The lounge itself is open and airy, with gorgeous linen curtains that invite you to look outside. The outside has seating on the spacious balcony where you gaze into lush greenery.
What is the backstory with the Travel Banners?
In the center of the Nomad Lounge hang banners that state answers from Disney Imagineers who were in the process of building Animal Kingdom. The wall of the lounge has questions inscribed on the white portion that wraps around. These questions are designed to inspire conversation with your fellow travellers, such as “What was your best animal encounter?” or “What was the most memorable food?”
Hanging above the bar are small flags, given by patrons like you. These mini-banners cost only a dollar and contain your travel memories to inspire future travelers. Nearly 90% of the purchase price goes towars the Disney Conservation Fund.
Are there cocktails?
If you are exasperated and looking for a quiet place to sip a cool drink, you are in luck!
The list of libations is interwoven with an adventurer’s scrapbook of photos, drawings, and notes. As I turned each page, I longed for the days of the adventurer’s club.
Even the cocktail menus tell an exceptional story about travel and adventure:
“Welcome Travelers, to the Nomad Lounge, a place tos hare stories about travel and adventure. The work of Disney’s Animal Kingdom requires travel, both by the artists who create teh park and the animal experts who care for her inhabitants. Our trips are about research, but they are also about understanding cultures, exploring environments, and having unique experiences. These trips are important to the work, but they also change us in unexpected ways.”
“Travel has a way of doing that. In fact, the concept of being transformed by adventure is a key idea behind the design of this park. Travel opens and inspires as many questions as it provides answer. Now it is your chance. We want you to enjoy Nomad Lounge, and feel comfortable sharing your own stories of travel and aventure. If you’ve traveled the world or stayed closer to home, it does not matter, the spirit of travel is the same.”
“Consider the questions around you. If you’d like to leave your story behind, nad support the work we do to help animals around the world, you can purchase a mini-banner and write your own story. We can then hang it over the bar to inspire others.”
What cocktails pair well with adventure?
The lounge has a full list of fabulous cocktails, expansive and fine wines, and a diverse menu of beers. However, if you’re gluten-free, your only beer choice is Culver & Jack Hard Apple Cider.
If you’re looking for cocktails, the Gluten-free Menu at Nomad Lounge in Disney’s Animal Kingdom does not have a list of drinks.
Jenn’s Tattoo
While the name is creative, the drink is fruity and refreshing. The taste of alcohol is masked by notes of hibiscus. Jenn’s Tattoo contains Ketel One Vodka, watermelon, hibiscus, and lime juice.
Note: It’s important to note that Ketel One vodka is made from wheat. While the gluten is removed through distillation, there may be small amounts in the end product. If you are Celiac or gluten-sensitive, you should avoid this drink.
The drink is garnished with a lime and a hibiscus flower soaked in syrup.
From the top, the drink looks like a mix between an angry Troll head (Thanks, children) and a flowery boat. It’s beautiful and festive.
While the flower adorns the drink like a Disney princess crown, the syrup laden hibiscus flower tastes like a gummy flower or a fruit roll-up.
Yup. Proof I went there for you all.
Boto-Rita
Next up is the margarita-like Boto Rita.
The smoky and sweet Boto-Rita is made with Zignum Reposado Mezcal, Combier Grapefruit Liqueur, Guava puree, and lime juice. 
The drink is gorgeously presented, pink with bright red seeds sprinkled on top.
While the seeds resemble pomengranate seeds, they actually have a very spicy and smoky flavor resembling pepper seeds.
Hightower Rocks
If you started with Jenn’s Tattoo, the perfect follow-up cocktail is the Hightower Rocks. Both feature watermelon, but are slightly different flavors.
The Hightower Rocks is made with Caso Dragones Blanco Tequila, Watermelon, Sweet and Sour, and lime juice. Suprisingly, the drink was more along the lines of a watermelon cocktail than a margarita.
The drink is incredibly refreshing and the slice of watermelon on the side is a lovely touch.
Sinaloa Sangria
For enjoying my super sweet Churros, I paired it with a flavorful Sangria. The Sinaloa Sangria is a South American Sangria made with Susana Balbo ‘Crios’ Rosé, Barsol Quebranta Pisco, and fresh fruit. 
What I loved about this sangria is that it was made right in the Nomad Lounge. This sangria was one of the most fresh and flavorful that I’ve had!
Kids Veggies and Dipping Sauce ($5)
For gluten-free kids appetizer, we got the vegetables and dipping sauce. Our daughter loves vegetables more than anything. She is a very adventurous eater, especially with trying new fruits and veggies, and even she struggled a bit with the purple and yellow carrots.
She was excited to try yellow and orange tomatoes, though, and ate them right up. The dipping sauce was a little too sweet for any of us.
Smoked Pork Ribs with Sweet Soy-Glaze and Apple-Jicama Slaw – $10
The only disappointment of our meal at Nomad Lounge was that the smoked pork ribs were gluten-free came slightly burnt. The meat fell off the bone and was not fatty at all. The soy glaze had a good flavor but was not messy on the fingers. The jicama slaw did not have a ton of flavor, but the slaw and scallions were an attractive garnish on the pork ribs plate.
Gluten-Free Churros with Vanilla Crema and Chili-Strawberry sauces for dipping – $9
The crispy and sweet churros were the smash hit at our table. First of all, we haven’t had churros since we went gluten-free. The fact that we could have them was incredibly novel. Secondly, they were some of the most delicious churros I have ever had.
The accompanying sauces paired nicely. The vanilla crema was rich, and you could see the black flecks of the vanilla bean. The Chili-Strawberry sauce was more of a glaze. While it started sweet, it finished with a nice kick. We mixed the sauces for the ultimate in flavor!
Even our son liked the churros. This tiny little reviewer gave the churros two baby thumbs up.
If you’re looking for the Gluten-free Menu at Nomad Lounge in Disney’s Animal Kingdom, we feel you. Living gluten-free on vacation is our life, and we are grateful that Walt Disney World is so accomodating.
We enjoyed our cocktails and appetizers here. It seems that the small plates menu has changed many times since opening in 2016. If you want to check the most recent menu update, see the formal Walt Disney World website.
We will return to enjoy the atmosphere and cocktails. However, if you are starving- I would venture elsewhere!
What is your favorite small plate or cocktail in Animal Kingdom?
