Spice Mill -- Lunch -- Quick Service -- SeaWorld Orlando

*This gluten free dining experience took place in December 2017.

Lunch at Spice Mill

Spice Mill is a quick service restaurant at SeaWorld Orlando. It offers burgers, fries, and salads in a cafeteria-style setting. Whenever we visit SeaWorld, this is usually my go-to spot for a meal since it offers burgers that are both tasty and can be accommodated easily gluten free. Recently, we went to SeaWorld for their holiday festivities and stopped by Spice Mill for a quick lunch.For those who aren't as familiar with SeaWorld's special diets accommodations, they are good but not quite as good as Disney World. One of the things that I like the most is that they have worked with FARE to ensure proper training of staff on how to handle food allergies. They have allergy cards that are provided to guests. And, they even have a designated food allergy dining facility, Sharks Underwater Grill, a table service restaurant with a lot more options for guests with special dietary needs. You can read more about SeaWorld's food allergy and special diets accommodations on their website.

Atmosphere

Spice Mill is designed in a Spanish architecture style. You'll see this reflected on both the inside and outside of the restaurant.One of my favorite things about Spice Mill is the outdoor seating area with really nice views of the water. It's a great spot to sit, especially during the holiday season when you can watch the Sea of Trees decorated with holiday decorations and placed on the water.On this visit, we opted to eat inside which has lots of booths and tables to choose from.

The Food

When we arrived at Spice Mill on this visit, I noticed that the menu had changed quite a bit. I wasn't actually sure if they could accommodate me anymore. So, we went to the cash register and asked for a chef or manager. The chef on hand told me that they could still make me a cheeseburger or hamburger on a gluten free bun and that they still had a dedicated gluten free fryer. She also mentioned that every dining location at SeaWorld is required to have at least one gluten free dish available, which is nice to know.Once I placed my order, the chef went to prepare my food in the back.Because I've reintroduced dairy back into my diet in limited amounts, I decided to get a Cheeseburger with Bacon on a Gluten Free Bun with French Fries. This could be made dairy free by omitting the cheese.Overall, I have to say that the burgers at SeaWorld are actually pretty good. They were thick and have a lot of nice flavor to them. Both Brandon and I thought they were a step up from the standard burgers at Disney World and heads and tails above the ones at Universal Orlando (which we think are the worst of the bunch). The French fries were also really well cooked. And, Brandon liked mine better than his (they looked a bit thicker than the ones he had).

Overall

While I wouldn't say the food options at SeaWorld are super impressive as far as culinary variety goes, their burgers and fries are nice options for a solid and safe meal. I hope to go visit Sharks Underwater Grill someday to see what other options might be available there. I've dined at Seafire Grill there too, and didn't really enjoy my meal there. So, Spice Mill is definitely a good go-to for me.Want to learn more about SeaWorld with special dietary needs? Check out the Gluten Free Options at SeaWorld guide that I have here on the blog.Have you been to SeaWorld Orlando? What dining options did you try when you went there?

Spice Mill — Dinner — Quick Service — SeaWorld Orlando

*This dining experience took place in December 2016.Spice Mill, a quick service restaurant at SeaWorld Orlando, serves burgers, fries, and sandwiches cafeteria-style. I tried Spice Mill a few months back and was really impressed with the chef interaction and the burger that I had.On this visit, Brandon and I had been enjoyed SeaWorld's Christmas festivities -- which are so much fun & I would highly recommend. But, of course, we needed to grab a bite to eat in the midst of all of the fun.I really love the interior of Spice Mill. Despite the fact that it's a cafeteria style restaurant, there are a lot of nice touches and decor that help boost up the ambiance.I also like that Spice Mill carries several allergy friendly snacks. Not all are gluten free, but they do have several options. They can easily be found behind the counter at most quick service locations.Because I was starving, I went with a double cheeseburger and fries, thinking it would be similar in size to those served at Disney World. I was mistaken because it was huge!The bun, which is usually Udi's Gluten Free, was fine -- nothing special there. The fries were good and piping hot. The winner for me was the cheeseburger, which was unbelievably good. I have to give it to SeaWorld for having the best in-park burgers of all the theme parks in the area. I really don't like the ones at Universal and the ones at Disney are often not so great either. The burgers at SeaWorld are always really juicy and nicely seasoned, making them an actual tasty meal.Overall, I really like Spice Mill at SeaWorld Orlando. It's definitely quickly becoming my go-to meal choice when we visit the park for consistently good burgers and decent portions.Have you been to Spice Mill? What do you think of the options here? 

Seafire Grill -- Dinner -- Quick Service -- SeaWorld Orlando

*This dining experience took place in December 2016.The Seafire Grill, located at SeaWorld Orlando, is a quick service restaurant with a decidedly Tex Mex flare. Serving up fajitas, sandwiches, and salads, Seafire Grill is the spot at SeaWorld Orlando to get a Tex Mex inspired meal.I've been wanting to check it out for a bit after having a really good dining experience at Spice Mill at SeaWorld.Brandon and I were spending time at SeaWorld for their Christmas celebration and needed to grab a break in between visiting with Rudolph & Friends in the park. When we arrived, the restaurant was surprisingly busy, though only one side of the cafeteria style restaurant was open -- making it even more crowded.Most of SeaWorld's restaurants are cafeteria style, so it makes dining with a special diet, a bit more challenging. I typically try to find a team member in advance to talk about options, instead of waiting in line, as the delays get even longer when you get a special dietary need involved. This time, I wasn't able to speak to anyone until getting up to the ordering portion of the line.The manager on duty greeted me, and they said everything was gluten free in the fajita rice bowls and the only thing to avoid were the tortillas, which are served separately and pre-packaged/wrapped in foil.I decided to order the Chicken & Steak Fajitas served with white rice, black beans, roasted corn, and peppers and onions. On the side, I was given cheese and pico de gallo (if you want, you can also get sour cream).Because I've been adding dairy back into my diet a bit, I did get the cheese, and I'm fairly certain the onions and peppers may have contained dairy. However, I think you could easily get a gluten free & dairy free version of this rice bowl.Overall, I wasn't very wowed by this. It was pretty bland and tasteless. The best part was the chicken, but the steak was really rubbery and tough. All of the other accompaniments were just bland and plain. It was a large portion, but that was about the only really positive part of this dish.While I love Tex Mex food, I found the rice bowl at Seafire Grill to be woefully lacking in flavor and substance. I'm glad I tried it, but I will definitely skip this one on my next visit.Have you been to Seafire Grill? What did you think of the options? 

Spice Mill -- Lunch -- Quick Service -- SeaWorld Orlando

*This dining experience took place in July 2016.As a SeaWorld Passholder, I have been visiting the park for the past year, but haven't had a chance to dine there yet. On this visit, I finally got a chance to check out the dining options and how SeaWorld Orlando handles special dietary needs.My first meal was at Spice Mill, a quick service restaurant that serves burgers, sandwiches, and salads.Before I arrived at SeaWorld Orlando, I emailed the Culinary Operations Team at SeaWorld. You can find out more information about special dietary needs at SeaWorld on their website, including allergen cards and how to contact them for more informaiton.After connecting with the Culinary Operations Team, they sent me a document listing all of the gluten free options at the quick service locations. This was really helpful, as I could cross-reference things and pick the choice that both Brandon and I would have options at.Spice Mill's options included:

• Potato Salad
• Pulled Pork Sandwich on a Gluten Free Bun
• Pickles
• Fresh Fruit
• Hamburger on a Gluten Free Bun
• Chop Chop Salad
• Cheeseburger on a Gluten Free Bun

For the Kids' Menu, gluten free options included:

• Hamburger on a Gluten Free Bun with Carrot Sticks and Fruit or Applesauce
• Hot Dog on a Gluten Free Bun with Carrot Sticks and Fruit or Applesauce

Throughout the SeaWorld Park, they have allergy friendly information cards that you can pick up. They include information about training, where to eat, and even include a food allergy information card that you can share with the culinary team at whatever restaurant you dine at.All team members seemed to be very used to this, as the team member at the cash register asked if I had one filled out when I inquired about a gluten free meal.A chef also came out to speak with me about options and prepared my food in the kitchen. Spice Mill is cafeteria style, so having my food make safely in the back was really great. The chef did tell me that I could get French fries, as they are made in a dedicated fryer. I opted for a gluten free cheeseburger (since I've been reintroducing a bit of dairy back into my diet), along with fries.The restaurant also had several food allergy friendly items to purchase behind the cash register including Beanitos and Divvies. Some locations also carried Rich's Gluten Free Brownies, which are also dairy free.I had a fairly short wait for my food. Once I got my burger and fries, I did check out the condiment station, which consists of all pre-packaged condiments. This is great because you can enjoy ketchup, mustard, and mayo without worry of cross contamination.Both Brandon and I got burgers, and we both really enjoyed them. We commented that they were actually better than some of the burgers you'd get even at a Disney quick service location in one of the parks. My burger was served on an Udi's Gluten Free bun, and the entire meal could have easily been made dairy free by removing the cheese.Overall, I was really impressed at how SeaWorld Orlando handled my special dietary needs. I think they're doing a great job at following cross-contamination procedures and having options available. I will say that I was even more impressed that a chef came out to speak with me. That doesn't happen at other Orlando theme parks (except Disney) like Universal Studios, where I'm usually just working with the cashier/team member at the front and an ingredients binder.Now that I've dined at SeaWorld safely, I can't wait to check out the other restaurants when I visit again. As a passholder, I feel really confident now that I'll be able to dine safely throughout my visit in the park. I'll be posting a fuller review of the overall special dietary needs accommodations in another post, including information about options at other SeaWorld Orlando restaurants for gluten free diners.Have you been to SeaWorld Orlando with special dietary needs? What did you think of your experience?