The Wave Lunch Review
*This gluten free dining experience took place in February 2020. It includes information about dairy free options, as well as a review of fish/shellfish free, peanut free, cabbage free, hazelnut free, and chicken & turkey free options.
Lunch at The Wave
The Wave, located at Disney's Contemporary Resort, is a favorite in our family. We love it for both breakfast and dinner, but it's not one we go to as much for lunch. Recently, my family came into town to celebrate my birthday, and we decided to try The Wave out again for lunch.
Atmosphere
I've written a lot of posts about The Wave, so I won't go into a lot of detail about the restaurant itself. I have a blog post from late in 2018 where I took a ton of photos and discussed that theming that you might be interested in if you're less familiar with the restaurant.
The Wave - Restaurant Entrance / Photo Taken by Gluten Free & Dairy Free at WDW
Because the restaurant is inspired by the ocean and "waves," you'll find lots of touches throughout the restaurant from the moment you step in the restaurant. Somehow I forgot to take a photo of the entrance this visit, so here's a photo from a previous visit (in December with holiday decorations!)
The Wave - Interior / Photo Taken by Gluten Free & Dairy Free at WDW
As you can see, there are waves everywhere you look in the restaurant -- even the chairs!
The Wave - Interior / Photo Taken by Gluten Free & Dairy Free at WDW
You'll even find those wave touches on the napkins in the restaurant too.
The Wave - Interior / Photo Taken by Gluten Free & Dairy Free at WDW
And, probably the most subtle of the wave touches is in the lighting fixtures.
The Food
Like most Disney owned restaurants, The Wave does offer an allergy-friendly lunch menu. Guests with special dietary needs can also always speak directly with a chef for additional questions that you might have too.
The Wave / Photo Taken by Gluten Free & Dairy Free at WDW
On this visit, both Brandon & I ordered fairly simple options -- both of which were listed on the allergy-friendly menu. For my lunch, I ordered the Grilled Chicken Sandwich which includes Herb Marinated Chicken Breast, Avocado, Applewood-smoked Bacon, Lemon Ailoi, Lettuce, and Tomato on an Allergy-Friendly Bun. This is marked safe for gluten/wheat, fish/shellfish, milk, and peanut/tree nut allergies. It was also served with waffle fries made in a dedicated fryer.
Overall, this sandwich is really good. This is the second time I've ordered it, and it's a sandwich I'd definitely get again. My only slight negative on the sandwich is the bun. The Wave currently uses Local Oven gluten free & dairy free buns, and I found the bun to be very crumbly. It fell apart pretty quickly into eating the sandwich. I'll admit, I've gotten spoiled by some of the newer bun options on property, like the Bloomfield Farms one served at Three Bridges Bar & Grill. The flavor & texture of that bun is a lot better than the one served at The Wave.
The fries are made in a dedicated fryer, and they're the same ones served at Geyser Point Bar & Grill. Since we knew that's what they served at The Wave too, we actually ordered a side order for me & Brandon to split too! You can't go wrong with waffle fries!
The Wave Food in photo is NOT Gluten Free / Photo Taken by Gluten Free & Dairy Free at WDW
Brandon ordered the Signature Burger which can be made gluten free, but in this case, it was served on a regular gluten-filled bun. The Burger includes Signature Blend of Beef, Applewood-smoked Bacon, Cheddar, Red Onion, House-made Pickles, Lettuce, and Tomato and is served with waffle fries. This burger was safe for fish/shellfish, peanut/tree nut, cabbage, and chicken & turkey allergies. If you're gluten free & dairy free, swap out the bun and omit the cheese.
As an aside, both Brandon and I raved about the thick cut bacon served on both of our sandwiches. It's nice to have decent bacon at a Disney restaurant and not that stringy Disney bacon we normally get served. So, if you're into good bacon, The Wave has got you covered.
The Wave - Erin McKenna's Bakery NYC Baby Yoda Cake / Photo Taken by Gluten Free & Dairy Free at WDW
Because it was my birthday, my mom special ordered a cake from Erin McKenna's Bakery NYC in Disney Springs to be delivered to The Wave. You can find out more information about pre-ordering a cake by visiting the bakery's website or calling them directly.
This cake was a Baby Yoda inspired cake that featured mint green frosting (that was mint flavored) and a chocolate cake decorated with Baby Yoda ears. It was a super delicious cake, and one of the best ones I've ever from Erin McKenna's Bakery NYC. It tasted super fresh and held up pretty well for a few days afterwards too.
Overall
While I wouldn't say The Wave's lunch menu features the restaurant's strongest offerings, it's still a great, affordable option for those who want a table service restaurant that is a little bit out of the way. Breakfast and dinner are still the best meals at The Wave, but I'm always glad lunch is an option too. Shoutout to our server Tim too who was awesome and really helped make the meal and the birthday cake surprise extra magical!
Have you been to The Wave? What's your favorite meal there?