River Belle Terrace Gluten-Friendly Breakfast
Tucked away in the corner of Frontierland sits a small restaurant with a beautifully natural lit interior called the River Belle Terrace restaurant. The River Belle Terrace has been at Disneyland since opening day in 1955, although back then it was sponsored by Quaker Oats and known as Aunt Jemima’s Pancake house. Although Aunt Jemima (who sometimes visited the restaurant) and the name have long changed, the ambiance of the restaurant with excellent views of the Rivers of America from the outdoor patio is always worth a visit. On this trip, we opted to start our day with a filling River Belle Terrace gluten-friendly breakfast.
Now, if you have already looked down at the allergy-friendly menu below, you are probably wondering how we could order a gluten-free breakfast when nothing gluten-friendly is on the menu. Do not worry, Disney chefs to the rescue. Many dishes can be substituted out for a gluten-friendly or paleo friendly option.
For my River Belle Terrace gluten-friendly breakfast, I went for the Short Rib Skillet with some substitutions to make it GF. Our chef explained that the short ribs are gluten-friendly, but do contain herbs, seasonings, marinade, steak sauce, milk, and eggs in the dish. The signature potatoes were switched out for three gluten-friendly pancakes due to possible cross-contamination in the fryer. The Texas toast and onions and peppers were switched out for the seasonal fruit option as well as the blistered cherry tomatoes.
The entire meal was fantastic. The pancakes were the standard gluten-friendly pancakes served across the property made with Bob’s Red Mill mix. Remember to always ask about the brand if you have allergy concerns, as that can change. Be careful not to fill up on them before getting to the main dish: the eggs and short rib. The eggs are served atop the short rib so be sure to get them in one bite. To be honest – the short rib is one of the best things I have had in the parks. It is perfectly
You might think that the Bone-in Pork Chop would work, but the chef told us that it is marinated in buttermilk and would not be good pan-fried.
The other meal we ordered during our River Belle Terrace gluten-friendly breakfast was the Mark Twain. You can choose either chicken sausage or applewood-smoked bacon, both of which are gluten-friendly. The chef did offer to make fresh potatoes in the oven, but you need to plan on an extra 20 to 30 minutes preparation time for that. Again, we substituted fresh fruit and the tomatoes for the potatoes and biscuit. As you can see, the chef also gave us both the bacon and the sausage – both of which were excellent. Because the restaurant does not have extra virgin olive oil on hand for a paleo diet, the dish was cooked with butter. It is important to note that the tomatoes already have seasoning and oil on them.
The only criticism is that with such a small restaurant, the staff was not very attentive to the tables. Our water cups remained empty for the later part of the meal. That aside, the chef was more than able to assist with any dietary restrictions. I would highly recommend getting a River Belle Terrace gluten-friendly breakfast if you are looking for a quieter breakfast away from the bustle of the park.