Raglan Road -- Lunch/Dinner -- Table Service -- Downtown Disney

*This dining experience took place in December 2012.

View of Raglan Road in Downtown Disney

I've been getting recommendations from blog readers for a while for Raglan Road at Downtown Disney. Everyone has been raving about gluten free/dairy free fish and chips and onion rings. If you're gluten free/dairy free, you know that getting anything fried out in a restaurant is often a tricky situation--especially when cross contamination is concerned. Disney is probably one of the rare exceptions where you can occasionally get french fries, fish and chips, and other deep fried dishes with a lower cross contamination risk.I've had the fish and chips at Cooke's of Dublin, the quick service location next to Raglan Road. Having really enjoyed them, I hoped to check out the dinner at Raglan Road for more offerings. We ended up heading here for a mid-afternoon lunch/dinner. We got there just before 3pm, so we were given the lunch menu but after looking at both menus they don't seem that different. Since Raglan Road is non-Disney owned their allergy procedures are just slightly different (but still very good compared to most restaurants outside of WDW!). Our server asked if anyone had an allergy (I noted it on our reservation, but it didn't translate to the table--they don't print out sheets like Disney owned locations). I told him that I can't have gluten or dairy. He took our drinks and then told me that most of the entrees are easily made gluten free and talked about the gluten free fish and chips and onion rings. He also said he would get the manager.

Raglan Road main dining room

The manager came over and was very helpful. He told me that they can easily work with gluten free and that dairy free would also not be too difficult. He asked what I was interested in, and I told him about the onion rings and fish and chips. He said they use sparkling water and chickpea flour for the mix. I decided that it made sense for the first time to check out those fish and chips--and since other blog readers had raved about the onion rings, I should try those too (turned out a little too much deep fried goodness). He said I was a really easy order but that I should enjoy the meal. (On a side note, I loved his Irish lilt--always nice to see someone who is Irish working at an Irish restaurant!).

GF/DF Onion Rings

First up were the onion rings. Yum! I admit, I don't eat something like this very often and I found these a little greasy. But they tasted divine. I wish they had some sort of dipping sauce, but in general, they were really good. You can see from the picture that they use some sort of greens in it (parsley, I think); it added a nice zip to the batter. The batter was very light and flavorful and the onions were sweet and tender. Very good! At first, I asked the server if these were the GF/DF ones (ok, I'm suspicious when it looks so "normal") and he said yes. My family test tasted them too and they assured me that they were GF/DF batter (evidently my taste buds have changed so much, I have difficulty telling when it tastes really good! lol). I would definitely order these again, but maybe not order the fried entree to balance out the grease.

Bar in Raglan Road

Next up came the entree. Oh yeah!! I could tell the fish and chips used the same batter for the fish. This was good, as I really enjoyed that. The chips looked pretty much like the ones I had at Cooke's of Dublin (and also tasted the same). First up is the fish. It was a large portion! I found the taste to be really good and the fish to be flaky. I did like the batter a lot. The fish was less greasy than the onion rings. The french fries really didn't seem greasy at all to me. They rocked. I loved these--they had the perfect amount of salt too. And then, the best part--the tartar sauce. OMG this was so good. I admit, it was my favorite thing of the meal. I should have asked for a second dish of it (seriously, I was drowning my fries and fish in it). It tasted like it could have been homemade mayonnaise. So good. This was definitely the big winner for me. In fact, if I go there I will ask for it for french fries even if I don't order the fish and chips. Seriously!

Fish, Chips and that amazing tartar sauce!

Overall, I wouldn't hesitate to head back to Raglan Road. I loved the restaurant decor and the food. The service and manager assistance was also very good. I like that it's a good option at Downtown Disney and that they can easily accommodate. And fish & chips and onion rings!? Why that's a big plus for many GF diners. Now, I have heard that Rose & Crown has a fish & chips that they can do too--I need to head there to compare :) The only downside to this meal for me was the greasiness, but that's because I normally don't eat fried foods much. With gallbladder removal, my stomach's a little more sensitive to it, so I think I'd do one or the other next time.I'd give this a solid 8 out of 10! Definitely a DTD must-do!!

Other Bar section of Raglan Road