We recently took a trip to New York City, and using our Tips for Dining Out, we researched allergy friendly restaurants a few months ahead of time to allow for email communication with the restaurant managers in advance of dining. This helped us to plan our meals and make sure we were all on the same page to have the food prepared safely.
The Smith
Menu plan for allergies to dairy, eggs, peanuts, tree nuts:
・Pan seared chicken - (cooked in a separate clean pan with olive oil, salt and pepper)
・Steamed white rice
・Steamed spinach
Manager was very helpful and reassuring on the phone ahead of time. Made us feel comfortable to move forward with the reservation. Upon arrival, the manager worked with us the whole time to take the order and talk to the chef about what precautions would be taken. The manager brought out the specially prepared plate. This is always a good sign that the manager is “on it,” overseeing the meal from start to finish.
Market Table
Menu plan for allergies to dairy, eggs, peanuts, tree nuts:
・Everything done in separate clean pans.
・NY Strip Steak
・Pan seared Fingerling Potatoes with olive oil
・Pan seared Asparagus with olive oil
Manager was very helpful and reassuring on the phone ahead of time. She even had severe food allergies too, so she took our requests very seriously. This made us feel comfortable to move forward with the reservation. Upon arrival, the manager worked with us the whole time to take the order and talk to the chef about what precautions would be taken. The manager brought out the specially prepared plate. This is always a good sign that the manager is “on it,” overseeing the meal from start to finish.
Chipotle
Chipotle is an allergy friendly standby that is located in many cities across the US and internationally. The restaurant is peanut/nut free, and egg free. Although they do use ingredients with dairy, it is added at the end of the line so it’s easily avoidable by taking our advice below when ordering:
Best time to go is right when Chipotle opens or in between peak meal times. During the peak times, it is very busy and stressful to make sure your order is safely prepared.
Advise the server of your allergies and ask them to change gloves, wash hands, and put on new gloves.
Watch them like a hawk to make sure nothing is done unsafely.
Ask for clean serving spoons to be used.
Ask for containers from the back refrigerator so extra safe.
Make sure the container does not go down the food line on the area where cheese can be present. After the meal is made have them cover the container and place in a bag right away.
Overcommunicate everything! You will get better and better at the ordering once you go a few times.
Erin McKenna's Bakery
At Erin McKenna’s Bakery, “All baked goods are free from wheat, gluten, dairy, egg and soy. Three of our 4 locations are certified Kosher (Santa Monica excluded). Although we don’t bake with nuts aside from coconut, our Bob’s red Mill flour is produced in a facility that processes almonds, cashews, macadamia nuts, sesame seeds and hazelnuts”.
This is a dream come true for those who are allergic to dairy, eggs, peanuts, and tree nuts. To actually be able to walk into an adorable little bakery and order anything! It is a place made for people with allergies so they take every part of their operation completely seriously!
This small downtown NYC bakery does not have an “Erin McKenna’s” sign on the front, but instead it reads “Bakery” out front. We think it’s their way of trying to be simply a bakery for all.
They do provide all ingredients lists upon request in person or if you send them an email in advance.
Two other restaurants that we recommend after a lot of research. We had multiple conversations with both places and they are extremely careful and handle food allergies all the time.
Little Beet
Little Beet Table
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