Docking Bay 7 Dinner Review [NEW 2024 Menu]
*These gluten free dining experiences took place in May and June 2024. It includes information about dairy free options, as well as fish/shellfish, peanut/tree nut, chicken/turkey & cabbage allergies.
Dinner at Docking Bay 7
Docking Bay 7, located in Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge at Disney’s Hollywood Studios, is a quick service restaurant that serves up galactic inspired fare that will keep you fueled for for a day of exploring a galaxy far far away. It’s one of our go-to spots in Hollywood Studios for a quick meal, and in this review we’re highlighting two dining experiences at Docking Bay 7, including some new menu changes for 2024.
Atmosphere
Like everything in Galaxy’s Edge, Docking Bay 7 has tons of theming inspired by Star Wars and the planet of Batuu. The restaurant is themed after a working hangar that also doubles as a restaurant. The back story even includes a character called Chef Strono “Cookie” Tuggs who operates Docking Bay 7 and who has created a menu inspired by the flavors across the galaxy.
Docking Bay 7 - Ordering Area / Photo Taken by Gluten Free & Dairy Free at WDW
We definitely recommend spending some time looking around the restaurant after you order. There’s some fun Easter eggs for Star Wars fans and just lots of detail all around.
Docking Bay 7 - Interior Decor / Photo Taken by Gluten Free & Dairy Free at WDW
We especially love that you’ll find various dates on crates around the restaurant that reflect the dates that the original trilogy films debuted.
Docking Bay 7 - Interior Decor / Photo Taken by Gluten Free & Dairy Free at WDW
We do really love the indoor dining so that we can look at all the amazing theming inside the restaurant. Plus, it’s air conditioned — which is definitely important on a hot Florida day!
Docking Bay 7 - Outdoor Seating Area / Photo Taken by Gluten Free & Dairy Free at WDW
If seating inside Docking Bay 7 is full, they have ample outdoor seating too. We actually really love this area for a quieter, relaxed experience — but it can be a bit warm out here depending on the time of day and season that you’re at Disney World.
Docking Bay 7 - Outdoor Seating Area / Photo Taken by Gluten Free & Dairy Free at WDW
Many of the outdoor seating areas do include some shade with awnings and umbrellas helping to minimize the direct sun, which we really appreciate. Our favorite seats are the booths when it’s a bit cooler out. They’re cozy and very spacious.
The Food
In addition to great theming, Docking Bay 7 also has some very tasty eats. Because this is a Disney-owned restaurant, there is an allergy-friendly menu. You can also always speak directly to a chef at this location if you have questions or want to review any ingredients. On both visits in this review, we did speak to chefs, especially for Brandon’s special dietary needs to ensure he could still eat a few dishes that he was interested in.
We always find the chefs so helpful at Docking Bay 7, and these visits were no exception. They helped us navigate the menu and made some modifications so that we could both enjoy safe meals.
Docking Bay 7 - Batuuan Beef and Crispy Topato / Photo Taken by Gluten Free & Dairy Free at WDW
On a previous visit to Docking Bay 7, Brandon ordered and really loved the Batuuan Beef and Crispy Topato entree. This dish is marked Gluten Free and safe for Egg, Fish/Shellfish, Milk, Peanut/Tree Nut, and Sesame allergies on the allergy-friendly menu.
We do always recommend confirming that a dish is safe for your special dietary needs, because the quick service menus can be a bit confusing sometimes — and items that may indicate they are safe for one allergy may not be for another if a specific modification is made. For instance, the gluten free pita at Ronto Roasters contains dairy — which means you can’t get a ronto wrap GFDF (unless you order it wrapless).
On this visit, we confirmed that the Batuuan Beef was gluten free, dairy free & safe for Brandon’s allergies, which includes chicken/turkey & vegetables in the cabbage family (among others).
While Brandon liked this dish, he didn’t love it like he did the previous visit. I was able to try it too, and both of us agreed that the flavor profile just wasn’t our favorite. Brandon loved the yuca served with this dish but otherwise said he’d skip it next time. I would say if you’re looking for a hearty dish, this one definitely fits that bill.
Docking Bay 7 - Fried Chicken Tip Yip Youngling Meal / Photo Taken by Gluten Free & Dairy Free at WDW
I wanted to try a few dishes, so I ordered the Kids' Fried Chicken Tip Yip Youngling Meal which comes with White Rice and Roasted Vegetables (and a bottle of water). This is marked Gluten Free and safe for Egg, Fish/Shellfish, Milk, Peanut/Tree Nut, Sesame & Soy allergies on the allergy-friendly menu.
Overall, I thought this dish was fine but not amazing. The crispy chicken itself was very crispy and tasty, but everything else was pretty plain and bland. I would have loved to see a different veggie blend that is kiddo friendly but had a bit more to it. I also think this dish could benefit from a sauce or at least a side of sauce depending on your kiddo’s preferences. A sweet & sour type sauce would have been great with this dish. But, I think most kiddos would enjoy this, and the portion size was pretty good for a kids’ meal too.
If you’re into spicy food, check out the Pirjanad Hot Chicken Tip Yip, which I got on a previous visit to Docking Bay 7 that was good but had a major kick to it!
Docking Bay 7 - Falucian Kefta & Garden Spread (NO longer on the menu) / Photo Taken by Gluten Free & Dairy Free at WDW
On our first visit, Brandon and I split our favorite Felucian IMPOSSIBLE Kefta and Hummus Garden Spread. This was modified to be Gluten Free. It was also the restaurant’s plant-based entree — but we were served GF pita on this visit which contained dairy (the rest of the entree was DF).
We were both sad to learn from the chef on this visit that this entree would be going away in a few days and replaced by a new dish. So, we knew we had to enjoy every bite of this entree. Though it’s no longer on the menu at Docking Bay 7, we will always hope that it makes a comeback someday. It was so so good!
Docking Bay 7 - Felucian Falafel and Hummus Garden Spread / Photo Taken by Gluten Free & Dairy Free at WDW
Because we knew that the restaurant had a few new menu items, we had to go back to Docking Bay 7 the following week to check it out. The IMPOSSIBLE Kefta was replaced by a Felucian Falafel and Hummus Garden Spread. This was marked Gluten Free and safe for Egg, Fish/Shellfish, Milk, and Peanut/Tree Nut Allergies.
If you’re gluten free, the restaurant is not currently offering the GF pita as a side with this, so you can either get carrot sticks or no side with the dish. Our version was served without, which was fine, as we split this and felt the portion was very hearty overall.
Both of us were, admittedly, a bit dubious about this entree. Neither of us are huge fans of beets, so having a beet hummus and raw beets wasn’t the most appealing to us. But, we were absolutely blown away by how much we enjoyed this plant-based entree.
The falafel itself was crispy on the outside and moist on the inside — something that can be hard to do with falafel, which can often be dense and dry. The flavors in the falafel were very good. The hummus had a great flavor and wasn’t overly beet heavy — just a bit of earthiness to the taste but nothing overpowering or unpleasant. The raw beets were probably the least favorite part of the dish, but honestly, everything else came together so well that we didn’t mind them there.
Overall, we were both pleasantly surprised and both agreed that we would not hesitate to go back and get this entree again. It was a winner and a worthy replacement to the IMPOSSIBLE Kefta previously on the menu. Plus, it just looks fun to eat too!
If you want to hear more about our experience at Docking Bay 7, check out the vlog we did for our YouTube channel for more information. We also include information in this vlog about Ronto Roasters too.
Overall
We always find that Docking Bay 7 has solid and plentiful gluten free and dairy free options for guests visiting Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge. The chefs are always super helpful, and we love that they continue to create a menu that is very allergy-friendly. Plus, the food we’ve had at Docking Bay 7 is very tasty. We would love to see the menu get updated a bit more (beyond the small menu changes this year) and an allergy-friendly dessert too. But, if you’re looking for a solid set of options for the whole family, this quick service location is a great option at Hollywood Studios. We can’t wait to go back and get the new falafel dish again too.
Have you been to Docking Bay 7? What was your experience dining there with special dietary needs?