The crabcake sandwich has been hanging around at Columbia Harbour House in the Magic Kingdom since Walt Disney World’s 50th birthday celebration, when it was the “Doom Burger” but the burger was a giant plant-based crabcake and the bun (for the 50th) was a dark pumpernickel roll. After the 50th, it was served on a regular bun, but still lacked a sauce or something that made the dry sandwich worth ordering. Now it’s finally been replaced by a vegan “Mushroom Roll” – but is that a good thing? Let’s find out…
When I first saw this menu change in the My Disney Experience app, I was SO excited. Growing up in Massachusetts, seafood rolls are plentiful, and while I never really was a big clam roll or lobster roll person, my entire family was, so it’s kind of a comfort type food in a way. Even though the vegan “lobster roll” in Disney’s Hollywood Studios at Rosie’s All-American Cafe is nothing like lobster, it’s a vinegary marinated hearts of palm salad and I love vinegary type things, so I enjoy it. I was hoping this new vegan Mushroom Roll would be a take on a New England clam roll, but with the cornmeal breading described, along with the tomato and pickle, I realized it may have been more like a Po Boy. Either way, I was still excited since I am also a mushroom fan (I know many of you are not). So we headed over to give this a try on opening night of its menu debut.
As a reminder, here’s what the sandwich looks like on the mobile order menu:
When our mobile order was ready, this is what we were served:
Just a little bit overcooked. I had shared a photo from a friend on instagram, and her order also looked on the burnt side. Now, I am not someone that likes to complain, having worked in food and beverage for over 10 years in my youth, I get that things are hectic, and sometimes out of your hands. But this did not look edible. It also looked like an easy fix, just cook the mushrooms less time in the fryer. So we asked if they could remake it. Waiting patiently, we were brought a new sandwich, that looked like this:
So…maybe worse? We explained that it was still quite burnt and were told “we’ve been serving it all day like this with no complaints.” Which, honestly, should not be the standard by which you are cooking and serving food. I get (again) that it’s opening day of this new item and there will be kinks to work out, but this was a VERY simple fix. Unless the fryer oil was just in need of changing and everything being cooked is coming out burned. The funny thing is, I was getting reports from people who’d also tried it that it was overcooked and dry and the roll was too tough to eat easily. People don’t often complain about theme park food after dealing with a mobile order, waiting in a long line, or just being generally hot and tired of waiting overall. Many people will just deal with something they aren’t happy with rather than go through the ordeal of finding someone to speak to, explaining the situation, and waiting for it to be made right. Since I wanted to get the scoop for you guys and know if this was just a fail of a menu item, we tried again to get this remedied.
The third time was either the charm or the realization that that’s just how this sandwich is gonna come out:
It does look slightly better, and the mushrooms themselves in the first two orders were rock hard. With this one, they were at least not turned to stone. This may just be the way the sandwich is, and the menu photo is something that will never be achieved, or they may improve over time. This just serves as your warning and heads up that you may have to go through what we did as well, or just avoid it if you don’t want to deal with this for some fried mushrooms. All of that said, let’s get to the actual review.
Biting in to the vegan Mushroom Roll, I was reminded of the “Lobster Roll” because it does seem to use the same bread roll. Which I think is too much on the lobster roll as well. Definitely more of a ‘Po Boy style than a New England style roll. Up there we use top-split hot dog buns and they are glorious (I’m salty I can’t ever get these in Florida because they are the superior hot dog bun by far – Pepperidge Farm does make some I can find every now and then).
You can toast the sides, everything fits in the top, again, glorious. Anyway, since Columbia Harbour House is supposed to be a New England style location, it would be amazing if they got these. But I digress. I do love bread, and the roll they do use is great bread, it’s just hard to take a bite out of. When you DO get that bite, what you taste is the pickle, the bread, and the spicy tartar sauce, and something crunchy which I guess is the mushrooms. So after all that, you’re really just eating a pickle sandwich with sauce. The vegan spicy tartar sauce is actually fantastic, it has that sharp acidic flavor and the kick of spice makes the dish. Combined with the juicy pickle, it’s a fun flavor combo. But the mushrooms don’t really add anything to it. It’s definitely a strange choice.
I do applaud the chefs at Magic Kingdom for trying something new, and removing that dried out hockey puck of a crabcake sandwich. Hopefully this will improve over time. Sooner than later preferably. With the other Magic Kingdom quick service options being an Impossible Patty Melt, the new (unappealing in my opinion) “Chicago Style” vegan dog made with a Beyond brat, and the veggie rice bowl at Pecos Bill, this is the only other non-alt meat option. As a mushroom fan and a fried food fan (as much as I shouldn’t be) I had such high hopes for this new vegan Mushroom Roll, and I *will* try it again, but it was definitely a let down overall, as was the reaction to us trying to get a non-burnt one.
Will you be trying this new vegan Mushroom Roll? Are you protesting until the return of the Lighthouse Sandwich that was at Columbia Harbour House before the Doom Burger? Let me know in the comments or on social and if you do try it, I’d love to know what you think. Feel free to tag me in any photos you share! Thanks for reading.
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Disclosure: VeganDisneyFood is an informational fan site run by a lifelong Disney fan and vegan, doing constant research, speaking to chefs, and giving honest reviews of our experiences. We cover our own expenses 100% of the time unless noted (and appreciate your support), and love helping you plan worry-free meals on your Disney vacation. Menu items reviewed in blog posts are subject to change by Disney at any time. Please consult our Complete Vegan Guides to Disney Parks & Resorts for the most up to date information. If you would like to let the Walt Disney World Resort know your thoughts on your favorite vegan items, what you would like to see more or less of, you can email Walt Disney World. If you have 4 or more allergy-friendly requests, you can contact Special Diets no more than 14 days prior to arrival.
