Over the past few months, I’ve become very familiar with Orlando’s airport (airport code: MCO) thanks to out-of-state medical appointments, college-related travelling, and various conferences and other events that have necessitated air travel. For the most part, I rely on snacks and meals packed at home to sustain me from point A to point B, but inevitably, I have learned more about the airport’s offerings thanks to delayed plains, browsing while waiting, and mishaps such as leaving my food at home.
Though I cannot say I have tried all the various offerings at the airport, this post serves as a guide to your best bets when hunting down gluten or allergen safe eats on the go. Know of a great gluten-free option I’ve overlooked? Feel free to drop me a line via email, Facebook, twitter or comment below!
McCoy’s Bar and Grill
I became familiar with McCoy’s gluten free offerings after realizing I had left my prepacked lunch and cooler at home before taking off. Although that time the restaurant wasn’t open for the day, but the manager graciously offered to help us get an order to-go quickly so that we didn’t have to worry about missing our plane. On my recent trip to Bloomington and Cincinnati, a landing time around dinner time, I couldn’t wait to stop and pay the restaurant a second visit to give them a well-deserved shout-out as a great gluten-free option for those passing through the airport.
Located a level above the TSA checkpoint lines for gates 60-129, McCoy’s is located by the lobby for the airport’s Hyatt Regency. Offering table service and take out, they are a good option for waiting for incoming passengers, grabbing a meal after landing, or just passing through. The restaurant focuses on sustainable and healthy options for guests, and features a menu that is a step above a typical hotel restaurant. McCoy’s labels their menu for gluten free offerings to help those of us with gluten intolerance quickly identify what would be safe and the staff taking my order double checked to make sure my meal was dairy free as well. I snapped pictures of the menu to post, but they were badly blurred and barely readable. Here’s an overview of their dinner options.
- Shrimp Cocktail– locally caught shrimp with cocktail sauce
- Lemon Hummus– served with GF multigrain chips
- Fresh Avocado– salad featuring chicken salad, oranges, and greens
- Sashimi– chef’s choice of three varieties of sliced fish
- Rainbow Carpaccio– hamachi, salmon, octopus, pepper, citrus soy vinegar, olive oil
- House salad– topped with tomato, cucumber, carrot and lemon vinaigrette dressing
- Lentil Chili– served with multigrain and jalapeno chips
- Loch Durant Salmon Salad– roasted salmon, Dijon ginger glaze, spinach, avocado, tomato, citrus vinaigrette.
- Stuffed Jalapenos– filled with cream cheese and cheddar and wrapped with bacon and roasted with guacamole
- Shrimp Mojito– served with romaine lettuce, fresh oranges and mango, spiced pecans and “mojito” vinaigrette.
More menus can be found here: Lunch menu, Dinner menu. Some items are on both and some are lunch or dinner exclusive.
Their lentil chili this time around was very thick, which I enjoyed, but this texture might be a surprise for someone expecting a more liquid-y soup. It’s nice and hearty, but not bloating or heavy which made for the perfect post-travelling dinner. The serving size was ample for one person and satisfied me.
Accompanying it is a mixture of Food Should Taste Good’s multigrain (tan) and jalapeno (red) chips. I really enjoyed their crunchy and salty contrast to the lentil soup, but didn’t really get much of a jalapeno kick from the jalapeno ones. The serving was a decent amount and was a nice way to finish off the meal. I definitely recommend McCoy’s for a quick bite or meal while passing through MCO as a safe and reliable gluten-free option.
Other Airport Options (Main Terminal Level 3)
- Chick-fil-a (Food court): See food allergen information here.
- Starbucks (Terminal A side by TSA checkpoint for gates 60-129): Offers gluten free packaged snacks, baked goods, and drinks (bottled and freshly prepared).
- Chili’s Too (Located near TSA checkpoint for gates 1-59): See Chili’s allergen information for multiple allergens (including gluten and dairy) here.
- Hemisphere Steak and Seafood Restaurant (Located on Level 9 of the Hyatt Regency): Offers breakfast and dinner. Items marked with “GF” symbol for gluten-free options on their dinner menu only.
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| Gluten-free chicken nuggets at Chick-fil-a. |
Other Airport Options (Terminals A and B)
- Au Bon Pain (Terminal A Gates 100-129): Gluten free baked goods, prepackaged snacks, and soups. See interactive allergen menu here. Offerings vary daily.
- Pinkberry (Terminal A Gates 100-129, Terminal B Gates 60-99): All frozen yogurt flavors gluten free (except mint chocolate cookie, cookies and cream, and chocolate chip cookie) but are not dairy free. Toppings gluten-free status varies. See full allergen information here.
- Starbucks (Terminal A Gates 100-129 and 1-29 and Terminal B gates 60-99): Bottled and prepared drinks, prepackaged snacks, and baked goods.
- CIBO Express Gourmet Market (Terminal A Gates 1-29 and Terminal B Gates 30-59 and 60-99): Assorted prepackaged drinks, snacks, fruit, and other options.
- On the Border Mexican Grill Cantina (Terminal A Gates 1-29): On the Border’s “gluten friendly” menu can be found here.
- Outback Steakhouse (Terminal B gates 60-99): Stand-alone gluten-free menu.
- Wendy’s (Terminal B gates 30-59): Has a “made without gluten” menu, found here.
- Nature’s Table (Terminal B Gates 30-59): Gluten-free options include the vegetarian rice bowl, soups (vegetarian chili and hearty vegetable), Fandangled salad, chicken salad, and others.
- Johnny River’s Grill and Market (Terminal A Gates 100-129): prepackaged snacks, drinks and fruit.
- Qdoba Mexican Grill (Terminal B Gates 30-59): See allergen information on each menu item here.
The Basics: McCoy’s Bar and Grill
Address: Orlando International Airport Hyatt Regency, Main Terminal, Level 4
Website: Their Website
Cuisine: Soups, salads, sushi, appetizers, seafood
Ideal For: Lunch, dinner
Price: Gluten free offerings range from $7.00-$17.95
Accessibility: The restaurant was wheelchair accessible.
Special Features: Open from 11:00am to 12:30pm every day.
Website: Their Website
Cuisine: Soups, salads, sushi, appetizers, seafood
Ideal For: Lunch, dinner
Price: Gluten free offerings range from $7.00-$17.95
Accessibility: The restaurant was wheelchair accessible.
Special Features: Open from 11:00am to 12:30pm every day.
Disclaimer: This review is based upon the information I have at the time of the review and does not reflect changes in ingredients or availability of items. Please contact the restaurant directly for up-to-date information and feel free to contact me with any questions or comments. I was not compensated for this review and it is a reflection of my personal opinion.
Nature's Table only has fresh salads that are gluten free. No hot food is gluten-free.
Chick fil A does not have a kids meal nor grilled chicken. Fryer may or may not be safe for fries. I did not ask.
We ended up ordering to go from Ruby Tuesday. Paying $41 for lunch!
I am posting from the airport on August 21, 2015.