Dairy/Egg Free (Vegan) Foods and Snacks- CP and KI
Does anyone know what types of foods and snacks there are in the park that are meat, egg, and dairy free? I looked at their special dietary needs chart on the website, but I wonder if there are any "insider" treats that aren't mentioned, such as a sorbet or soy ice cream in any of the ice cream parlors, or other snacks around the park? Looking for specific ideas, such as exactly where to go and what I could get.
For example, is it easy to request a pretzel with no butter or is that a big deal? Anywhere that has just pasta with red sauce (no meat/cheese) or special order salads without cheese and dairy free dressing?
So far the only ideas I have that are for sure egg/dairy free are an Icee, a pretzel (without butter if that's an option), and fresh fruit. The french fries and veggie burgers are listed under dairy free, but not the egg free section, though certainly the french fries are egg free, right?!
Of course I realize that I can pack my own meal, but I will be with people who are definitely eating all of theirs in the park, so I would have to leave the group and go out to the car alone, or pack all my food in a backpack.
I am asking about CP, but we are also going to Kings Island this season if anyone has any suggestions to try there.
Thank you!
(After some research, it appears rainbow ice Dippin Dots are dairy free and maybe there are sorbets in yogurt plus?)
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Answers
Went a couple years ago with my Vegan wife. We had a great time but honestly bring some food if you are staying on point. Of course you can eat fries, but over the course of a whole day you will need real food. Pink's has a Vegan dog that was pretty good. A great meal we had was on the drive there. In Sandusky, in the Walmart Plaza there is a Vietnamese restaurant that was awesome. Worth eating there and taking something to go and reheat later. Other than Fried food, most people on the point won't have much of an idea of how anything could not contain an animal product and be edible. So my overall advice is bring your major food sources in and munch on park snacks throughout the day.
Two years ago the park tried offering many different options of fresh and healthy snacks and foods throughout the park. It failed horribly, despite what people say they want, their actions proved otherwise.
Coco -
Thank you for the awesome suggestions! I didn't know about Pink's having a vegan hot dog. Very cool! And I'll have to try the Vietnamese restaurant some time when we are in town again. It's too bad, but maybe options without animal products will be a normal thing. I say this as I devour a pint of chocolate almond milk ice cream which tastes like I remember Rocky Road :)
Being a vegan is one missed steak. (Kidding, just wanted to say the pun.)
I believe the French fries are egg free, as are the veggie burgers, however, I'm not positive. The sodas are pretty vegan, as is the water... Midway Market should have just psta with red sauce, but i don't know if it's worth paying for a buffet to just eat pasta.
Be careful with pasta sauces. I worked at an"Italian" restaurant a while back and had a large party of Hindu folks come in. They were all ordering pasta with different sauces and all kinds of veggies. It then dawned on me that they were trying to avoid beef. I spoke up while taking their orders that almost all of the sauces had beef stock in them. I thought there was gonna be a riot, and I got in trouble because they left. Also a lot of red sauces have Parmesan cheese in them.
Coco -
Shane, that's too bad you got in trouble for being honest! I fully appreciate a server's honesty and those with food allergies do as well. And then there's the confused (?) people...a chef came out to my table once (I'm not that kind of person, he did it on his own!) after a server asked him if there was dairy or eggs in the Italian salad. He assured me there wasn't. So then the salad comes and I noticed bits of Parmesan cheese in it, so I didn't eat. I wasn't going to mention it, but the server noticed I didn't eat the salad and asked if something was wrong, so I politely said there was dairy in the salad with the cheese. And she assures me, "Oh no, that's just Parmesan!" Two slightly confused folks right there lol.
Yeah I didn't work there much longer. That was ridiculous. The customers even wrote a letter complaining that I ruined their favorite restaurant, they had eaten there several times before and nobody ever said anything. I thought they would be happy I was respectful of their culture. I guess ignorance is bliss.