Sunshine Seasons Dinner Review

*This gluten free dining experience took place in May 2019. It includes notes about dairy free modifications.

Dinner at Sunshine Seasons

Sunshine Seasons, located in Epcot, is a food court style quick service restaurant in the Land Pavilion in Future World. If you're looking for quick service options that aren't burgers and fries, Sunshine Seasons might be a great option for you. It's been ages since I've dined at this restaurant. And, we recently decided to get dinner there on a whim while in the park getting photos from the 2019 Gluten Free & Dairy Free Guide to WDW.

Atmosphere

Unfortunately, I somehow managed to not get any photos of the actual seating area of food court area while we were there. But, if you've been to the Land Pavilion in Epcot, you'll recognize the seating area and food court areas too.

Sunshine Seasons Sign / Photo Taken by Gluten Free & Dairy Free at WDW

For me, the theme is fairly basic. But, I do enjoy that the restaurant has ample seating. I especially love the back area near the Living with the Land attraction. It's a nice quiet spot to rest and recharge.

The Food

Sunshine Seasons is one of the few Disney-owned restaurants in Epcot. Because most of the World Showcase restaurants are owned & operated by outside companies, you won't usually find allergy-friendly menus. Sunshine Seasons not only has an allergy-friendly menu, but they also have chefs on hand to chat about options.

Sunshine Seasons / Photo Taken by Gluten Free & Dairy Free at WDW

One of my favorite things about Sunshine Seasons is that their Grill Station has been entirely gluten free for many years now. This means that it's a really safe bet for guests with celiac disease and for avoiding cross-contamination. Unfortunately, on this visit, I noticed that they have introduced gluten-filled corn bread at the station (they used to make a GF cornbread). So, do be sure to consult with a chef and ask for items from a separate area if you are concerned about cross-contamination.

On this visit, I ordered the Oak-Grilled Salmon with Cheese Grits and Andouille Corn Succotash. This is marked safe for Gluten/Wheat, Egg, Peanut/Tree Nut, and Soy Allergies. The grits do contain dairy and cannot be modified. But, they will let you swap out sides if you ask.

Overall, I really enjoyed the dish. The salmon had a great grill flavor and blackened spices on it, and the grits were really good too. I also was pleasantly surprised by the succotash which was super flavorful and also had a good bit of spice to it thanks to the andouille sausage. Although I thought the presentation was pretty lackluster, I'd definitely get this dish again.

Pork / Photo Taken by Gluten Free & Dairy Free at WDW

Because Brandon has multiple allergens, including uncommon ones like chicken & turkey, we did ask to speak with a chef. He was interested in getting the Pork Chop and was able to get it safely minus the barbecue sauce. On his plate is Pork Chop with Mashed Potatoes. This entree was safe for Gluten/Wheat, Fish/Shellfish, and Peanut/Tree Nut Allergies. It is also chicken & turkey free.

He really enjoyed this entree and said the pork and mashed potatoes were both very good for a quick service restaurant. The portion was also fairly big, as the pork chop was super thick cut.

Sunshine Seasons / Photo Taken by Gluten Free & Dairy Free at WDW

We did notice a few grab and go allergy-friendly snacks in Sunshine Seasons on our way out -- like these Surf Sweets Fruity Bears. We opted to skip any additional snacks. But, this is a great location for grab and go allergy-friendly options.

Overall

While our meal wasn't anything fancy and was fairly no frills, we both enjoyed the dishes we got. The food court style experience isn't our favorite, but I am always really glad to find a lot of safe, non-sandwich options when we visit Sunshine Seasons. Add in that you can talk to a Disney chef too, and you have a great quick service location for guests with special dietary needs in Epcot.

Have you been to Sunshine Seasons? What did you think of the special diets options there?

Sunshine Seasons -- Lunch/Dinner -- Quick Service -- Epcot

*This dining experience took place in April 2015.Sunshine Seasons located at the Land Pavilion in Epcot's Future World continues to be one of my favorite quick service restaurants on Disney property. In addition to getting a chance to consult with the culinary team instead of a manager, this quick service dining location is also known for being fairly flexible at customizing dishes during lunch and dinner. For several years now, their grill station has also been entirely gluten free and usually only has one item that contains dairy (the mashed potatoes). So you can imagine what a great go-to quick service this is in Epcot.Over the years, I've rotated ordering the rotisserie chicken, slow-roasted pork and grilled fish (which used to be mahi mahi). And on this particular occasion, I decided to go with the grilled salmon which I had not had on their menu before. When ordering, the chef confirmed with me that everything was gluten free and dairy free, with the exception of the mashed potatoes which contained dairy. Even the sauces that accompany the dishes are gluten free and dairy free. That's win-win!The grilled salmon typically comes with roasted potatoes, green beans with garlic, and a tomato chutney. I decided to skip the chutney on this visit, primarily because I haven't loved the sauces that Sunshine Seasons makes over the years. I found that the simple grilled fish, potatoes, and green beans were still flavorful.The grilled salmon was nicely cooked (a little overcooked, but I did expect that a bit) and the roasted potatoes were delicious. I enjoyed the green beans a lot, as they were full of garlic. If you are not a garlic fan, you might want to ask for another side with your entree. The cast members at Sunshine Seasons are always willing to swap sides too!Though I didn't get dessert, I loved that directly next to the grill station is a special diets grab and go section with lots of sweet treats, including Enjoy Life Foods Crunchy Chocolate Chip Cookies. They have quite a few gluten free and dairy free options (and many free of other allergens, as well).In addition to the grill station, there are also other gluten free (and dairy free) options at the other stations. You can read about the soup & salad options and the Asian noodle station options on Gluten Free in Orlando's website.Overall, I love being able to stop at Sunshine Seasons. They serve quick service meals that aren't just burgers and fries, and I love having that option when I'm in Epcot.Have you been to Sunshine Seasons? What did you order when you dined there?

Sunshine Seasons -- Quick Service -- Lunch/Dinner -- The Land -- Epcot

*This dining experience took place in April 2013.

Sunshine Seasons offers a variety of foods

Sunshine Seasons is located in the Land pavilion at Epcot. As the quick service location here, it offers a tremendous variety of fresh and seasonal foods that will appeal to most folks. It is also known as being particularly friendly for special diets. If you are gluten free & dairy free, the grill station offers the most comprehensive variety of choices. I'll be honest, I don't try to venture into the other areas on the menu, so for me, the grill station is where it's at. I have heard reviews from other guests who have enjoyed the tuna (modified to be served without the noodles) and salads.The grill station often rotates it's choices--but it's usually some type of chicken, some type of pork and then some type of fish. If you've seen some of my older reviews, I have liked some of the dishes and some I've been thrilled when they rotated off (ughh that succotash was so gross). I had been really loving the seasonal fish with green beans and potatoes and was hoping to get it this trip--only to find they've modified it some.

New changes on the menu

The fish has changed from mahi mahi to salmon and the pork is now more bbq inspired. The chicken has some new topping. When I spoke to the chef, he said everything at the station at this time is gluten free (including the sauces) which is great. Two of the sides were not dairy free--the mashed potatoes I knew and expected, but now the green beans have butter in them. Bummer!I ended up getting the slow roasted pork with the bbq sauce on the side (which turned out to be a good thing) and roasted potatoes instead of the mashed potatoes.

Slow roasted pork (that wasn't quite so tender)

I wish this dish would have had a veggie component; it felt like it was missing something. The roasted potatoes were nicely cooked, I believe they were yukon golds, which I love. They have great depth of flavor. The pork chop was a nice thick portion; however, it was grossly overcooked. Like almost shoe leather consistency. I've had the pork chop in the past, and it has been fine, but this was pretty bad. I did make it through the pork chop (thankfully with all my teeth intact!) but I would hesitate to get it again. It just seemed like it got way too overcooked and sat too long. The bbq sauce that came with it was not my favorite. It was very vinegary. I personally like a more ketchupy bbq sauce (if that makes any sense), so this was not for me.  Good thing I got it on the side.In general, Sunshine Seasons is a great choice for quick service meals at Epcot. It's Disney owned so they do a nice job with handling everything. I just didn't like the seasonal changes or the overcooked meat on the dish I got. I'll still go back--and probably try the fish again.On a side note, this location has a nice little special diets section, although they moved it close to the grill section away from the other areas, so it's a little hidden. I also think they scaled back on the variety of items they had.

Grill station and the special diets items--you can see how far off the beaten path they are

I would encourage you to visit Sunshine Seasons for something more than just burgers and fries. They offer a decent meal that is seasonal and delicious. A solid 8 out of 10 for me in general; this experience was more like a 6 out 10 because of the tough pork chop.Have you been to Sunshine Seasons before? What do you recommend?

Sunshine Seasons -- Snacks -- Quick Service -- Epcot

*These dining experiences took place in July and August 2012.I mentioned in Podcast Episode 004 that one of my favorite places at Walt Disney World for gluten free and dairy free snacks is Sunshine Seasons in the Land Pavilion at Epcot. This review shows you a variety of items that I have found at this quick service location that are allergy friendly. What I find the most appealing at Sunshine Seasons is it's ability to provide a lot of individually packaged and quick to-go allergy friendly options. They have, in my opinion, the largest selection of such products and they even have gluten free beer! Here's a run-down of some of the products that might good for food allergies.First up are the Enjoy Life products. I love this company because they provide really tasty products that are very inclusive of food allergies as they are free of the top 8 common allergens. How awesome is that? Recently, I've noticed that Sunshine Seasons (and many other locations on property) have begun to include more variety of Enjoy Life products. Here are some that I found:

Variety of Enjoy Life Products

Only a few lonely boxes of cookies on this shelf--they get scooped up fast!

Chocolate chip cookies in individual packages and individual candy bars

As you can see, you can purchase full-size boxes of Enjoy Life products. From Lemon, apple, chocolate brownie and chocolate chip cookies, there are definitely a variety of flavors that you can purchase. My personal favorite are the chocolate chip cookies and the chocolate brownie cookies, but then I'm a sucker for chocolate!You can also see that they offer individually sized chocolate chip cookies and rice milk chocolate candy bars. The chocolate candy bars are awesome and on the last trip, I enjoyed one while taking a break from the hot weather.

Crunchy chocolate chip cookies! Yum!

Ricemilk crunch candy bars...

My snack one afternoon...before I scarfed it down!

Surf Sweets Candies

Another company that provides allergy friendly snacks on property is Surf Sweets. They are great because their products are allergy friendly, peanut free, and gluten free. These really hit the spot when you are looking for something that's sweet, but not chocolate.

Caramel corn

Another product you'll find is Rocky Mountain Popcorn Company. This is a great one if you like that salty sweet combination in a snack. Their products are gluten free and nut free. They do make dairy free flavors (and the caramel corn is one of them), but it is processed in the same facility as products with dairy, so possible cross contamination could occur.

Nestle Triple Blast Ice Pop

If you're looking for something cool, you can always check out the Nestle Triple Blast Ice Pop. This is one I like to get when it's really hot outside!This quick service location also has fruit and applesauce as other great options for snacks. I didn't take a photograph, but they also have Redbridge Gluten Free beer.Overall, Sunshine Seasons has a terrific amount of allergy friendly offerings. This is just a few of the items you can get if you are looking for a snack while in Epcot. My hope is that in the future other quick service locations will follow suit and add more allergy friendly products. I did check out the new food court at Art of Animation and I found that they offered a fair amount of products, but still not quite as good as Sunshine Seasons. A definite 8 out of 10!

Sunshine Seasons -- Quick Service -- Lunch -- Epcot

Oak Grilled Fish with Seasonal Vegetables

Sunshine Seasons offers a lot of great choices for food allergies. I really enjoy the grill section, where I've had some really great chicken. Sometimes it is a little bit of a miss, depending on the seasonality and choices. I wasn't a huge fan of the previous menu (see the review here), but I'm liking the new one a lot. One of my new favorite options is the Oak Grilled Fish with Seasonal Vegetables. So far, I've had it twice and the veggies include green beans and tomatoes with roasted potatoes. Yum! The fish, I believe was Mahi Mahi the last time I was there. What I like most about this option is that it is very light, yet filling. It offers a tasty alternative to burgers and fries. It typically comes with a black olive tapenade, but they weren't sure if it was safe or not, so I passed on it.The pork and chicken have some new options too, so be on the look-out for more reviews with those!And check out the new Enjoy Life! products that I found in May 2012 at Sunshine Seasons...

Enjoy Life! products

More options from Enjoy Life!

**These dining experiences took place in November 2011 and May 2012.

Sunshine Seasons -- Epcot -- Counter Service

*This dining experience took place in October 2010.

On my last trip, I had a terrific meal at Sunshine Seasons in the Land Pavilion at Epcot. I thought it was a delicious and great counter service meal alternative to fries and burgers. However, this trip, I discovered that they had changed several of the items on the menu at the rotisserie area (which I love), and I was not so thrilled with the changes. While the food quality itself was still good, I just didn't like the flavor combinations. Upon entering, I spoke with the manager who said I could eat the chicken, salmon, and pork. The only dairy in the side dishes was in the mashed potatoes. I had the chicken the last time, so I went with the pork. The pork came with stewed fruit (big pieces of cinnamon and fruit), which I asked for on the side, since I'm not a huge fan of sweet sauces with meat like that (I love sweet and sour sauce, but fruit compote on meat is not my thing). I also got the rice. My mom and brother (who have no dietary restrictions) got the chicken which had a succotash with it and rice. Unfortunately, none of us were too impressed with the food. We all thought the changes were not for the better at this counter service. The meat was OK, but the sauces and sides were just yucky. I didn't like the fruit compote, and the succotash was rather unappetizing too. The rice was pretty greasy, and I'm not particularly sure why. Overall, we all agreed we didn't think we'd eat there again for a while until they made some menu changes. We just didn't like the accompaniments that came with the meat. Disappointing b/c I think Sunshine Seasons has a real opportunity to have upscale counter service and provide healthy options. I'll still give it a shot, but maybe wait for the menu to rotate again. Overall, very disappointing 5 out of 10 for lackluster food.

Pork with rice and fruit compote (on the side) and a French Meadow brownie

Chicken with succotash and rice--the dessert is NOT gluten free/dairy free but this main dish is.

Sunshine Seasons -- Counter Service -- Epcot

Following the advice of the WDW Special Diets sheet, I decided to give Sunshine Seasons a try for lunch one day. I'm glad that I was able to try this one too! It did not disappoint. I would give this an extra thumbs up for being better and more nutritious than a lot of the typical counter service restaurants. I chose to go to the grill section where there were several options that looked safe: rotisserie chicken and pork chops in particular. When I went up to the CMs, I mentioned my allergies and asked for anything safe. The one CM said he thought the chicken and pork chops were safe and that he would ask the chef. A lovely chef (with a fantastic Scottish accent!) came to assist me. He was very helpful. He pointed out that yes, the chicken and pork chop were safe. He also said the rice as a side was safe, but not the carrots as they had butter in them. He said that if I wanted he could make me steamed broccoli. I decided to get the broccoli, but found it only lightly steamed and ended up giving most of it to my family members (the crunchiness is hard for me to digest with the Crohn's), but the rice was tasty as was the chicken. I only wish I would have gotten the pork chop! I will know for next time! Also, though I did not get it, Sunshine Seasons carries gluten free beer! They also have French Meadow brownies.

Very tasty chicken!

Overall, I'd give this a 9 out of 10 for variety and excellent service!