Lotus House — 2016 Flower & Garden Festival Booth
*This dining experience took place in March 2016.Please note that the Flower & Garden Festival booths have increased risks of cross contamination.
This year's Epcot Flower & Garden Festival marks another year of flowers, fun, and food. One of my favorite booths is the Lotus House, for one very simple reason...Beijing-style Candied Strawberries.This sweet and refreshing dessert option is delicious and a festival favorite (you can read more about it in my review from 2015.) For many years, it was listed as gluten free, but in the last couple of years Disney has not marked it gluten free on the marketplace passports that you pick up at the marketplace booths.Like last year, I checked with the manager on-site at the Lotus House (which is not operated by the Disney Company but by an outside vendor), and they confirmed that the recipe has not changed and that they are still gluten free and dairy free. Hurrah!Here is the list of gluten free (and dairy free) offerings at the booth:
- Beijing-style candied strawberries – Vegetarian, Gluten Free, Dairy Free (*Note: This is not marked gluten free on the marketplace passport; however, the manager at the Lotus House advised me that these are still gluten free, like they were on previous years – March 2, 2016)
As usual, these strawberries were amazing this year at the Festival. I got them the first day and plan to get them again throughout the festival. The candied sugar coating is sweet but beware, they pack a sharp punch and can be a bit hard to bite into (My friends the Disney Hipsters call them Razor Strawberries & that's pretty accurate!). Still, they are a must-do if you visit the festival and like strawberries!Read about the gluten free Epcot Flower & Garden Festival options on my main festival page, and you can also check out Gluten Free in Orlando's festival page too.Looking for even more fun? Check out my YouTube video walkthroughs of the Festival!