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Independent guide The Castle Supper Notebook is an independent food and dining guide, not affiliated with any dinner theatre or its operator. We do not sell tickets and never process payments.
The Castle Supper Notebook A dietitian's field notes on the Dufferin Street castle banquet

Chapter 2 · practical

Kids & allergies, honestly

The castle kitchen is a plated hot-line in the middle of a live tournament. That is not a slow, chef-table service. Some things are easy for them to adjust. Some are not. Here is what I would tell a parent in my clinic.

The kids plate — what’s on it

The kids plate is a smaller version of the adult plate: half chicken (sometimes a quarter if the kitchen is reading “small child”), a roast potato, bread, and the same dessert. Soup is sometimes skipped for very small guests. Portion-wise, the plate feeds most six-year-olds comfortably and most ten-year-olds adequately. If your child is a teen appetite, order the adult plate.

There is no mac & cheese, no chicken fingers, no fries. The kids plate is the same cuisine as the adult plate — which, in my experience, is actually a better outcome than the usual chicken-finger menu, because kids eat what everyone else is eating. The “no cutlery” thing is a feature here: picky eaters tend to engage with food more when they are allowed (expected) to use their hands.

A child-sized banquet plate — roast chicken, a potato, bread. The castle’s kids plate is this shape, served alongside the adult meal.
A child-sized banquet plate — roast chicken, a potato, bread. The castle’s kids plate is this shape, served alongside the adult meal. Photograph via Wikimedia Commons · from Wikimedia Commons · see file history for photographer and licence. Format reference, not a photograph of the Dufferin Street dining hall.
Parent tip: bring one tidy wet wipe per child. The paper napkins on the table are serviceable but not generous. A child who has eaten half a greasy chicken with their hands will trash two napkins by course three.

Allergies — what the hot-line can and cannot do

The castle has a published allergen policy and a kitchen that handles substitutions. That said, mid-service substitutions during a tournament are limited. Here is what I have seen work and what has not.

What usually works (ask at least 48 hours ahead)

  • Dairy-free: the chicken, potato, bisque and bread are mostly dairy-safe depending on the week’s butter. A note at booking time is usually enough. The pastry at dessert is not reliably dairy-free; swap it for fruit.
  • Nut-aware: the main menu does not use tree nuts or peanuts; the kitchen can usually confirm nut status for dessert. Keep an EpiPen on you, as you would anywhere.
  • Vegetarian: there is a documented vegetarian meal (pasta or a vegetable plate, varies). Order it at booking, not at the table.

What is harder

  • Gluten-free: the bread is wheat and the rib glaze may contain soy sauce (contains gluten). Cross-contact in a plated hot-line is real. If your gluten intolerance is a medically-significant one, I would not rely on a mid-service swap — call the operator ahead of booking.
  • Shellfish: the castle’s menu doesn’t use shellfish, so this is usually a cross-contact question with other venues the operator caters at. Low risk in the regular banquet.
  • Sweet-smoky rib glaze: contains tomato, cane sugar, brown sugar, and typically soy sauce. If any of those are an issue, ask for a double portion of chicken instead of the rib — the kitchen can do this if asked at booking.
Important: this is a dietitian’s general reading, not medical advice and not the operator’s official allergen policy. For a verified allergen match on your booking, phone the operator directly — this guide does not have access to their reservation system.

Timing — a toddler’s evening

The show runs about two hours. For a toddler, that is a stretch. Add forty minutes of lobby and photo time and you are looking at close to three hours out of the house during what is often bedtime. Options that work:

  • Weekday matinee if the operator offers one in your season — shorter runtime, earlier out.
  • Nap on the car / streetcar ride in.
  • Aisle seat so a toddler walk-break does not disturb a bench of eight strangers.

What to pack

  • Wet wipes (one tidy pack per kid, one for yourself).
  • Ear defenders for a very noise-sensitive child.
  • A small bottle of water for the walk from Dufferin Loop (water is served at the table, but the walk is a hike).
  • A snack for the way home. Kids who leave full often get hungry again by the time you’re on the streetcar.