Recently, the fam and I took a trip to Southern California to ride some roller coasters. Before we even left, we knew the main park had two restaurants with Beyond burgers. At this point, that’s pretty much what we’ve come to expect.
I was actually excited that one of those restaurants was Johnny Rockets. The location I went to in Vegas had a full vegan burger, so I figured this one would be similar.
Nope.
The park version was a Beyond patty on a bun. No cheese. No sauce. Just a dry burger and a handful of ketchup packets. Like a lot of amusement park “vegan” options, it was…fine. We weren’t hungry anymore, and that’s about the best thing I can say about it.
The water park was even worse. They stopped selling the Beyond burger there about a year ago, so our options were basically pretzels or chips. We figured we’d grab some fruit instead, except the fruit cup at the main park came topped with whipped cream. Apparently, even fruit isn’t a safe bet.
We rented a cabana, which came with its own menu, and decided to order the fruit platter. About an hour later, our $36 fruit platter arrived.
It was a plastic clamshell full of moldy purple grapes.
That was it.
By the time I added the margarita I’d ordered, we’d spent almost $60 on moldy grapes and a drink that may or may not have contained alcohol.
Unfortunately, this isn’t unusual. Disney World had a lot more vegan options than Magic Mountain, but “more options” doesn’t necessarily mean “better food.” We had vegan sausages in two different places that were so dry they somehow made the amusement park burgers seem moist.
The biggest lesson we’ve learned from traveling as vegans is simple: bring your own food whenever you can.
On our second day, we packed sandwiches, left the park for lunch, and honestly enjoyed them far more than anything we’d bought inside. They were healthier, tasted better, and cost a fraction of the price.
Thankfully, the trip ended on a much better note.
On our last night, we found a local restaurant with an entirely separate vegan menu—not just a Beyond burger with the cheese removed. They had loaded fries, buffalo tots, and the best vegan Philly cheesesteak I’ve ever had. Honestly, it was one of the best meals I’ve had, period, and I’m not usually someone who gets excited about food.
So while the roller coasters were worth the trip, the theme park food mostly reminded me why we pack sandwiches. Sometimes the best meal of the vacation is the one you bring yourself—or the one you find after you’ve left the park behind.
Cèilidh Nam Freumhan 