Eating Out With Food Allergies

This is a recap of our experiences as we navigate the world of eating out with food allergies. Links are to restaurants that have web pages with allergy information.

Kravabowl 02/2016 Avila, CA
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The Chart House 02/2016 Avila, CA
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Bagby Beer Company, 01/2016 Oceanside, CA
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xxxxxx, Bellingham, WA 06/2015
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Woodstocks Pizza, San Luis Obispo, CA (multiple times)
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Sardine Factory 11/2014 Monterrey, Ca
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Bella Rose Bakery and Restaurant 10/02/2014 Kingsburg, CA
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Chuckchansi Park (Grizllies' Baseball Game) 08/05/13, Fresno, CA
We were lucky enough to be able to take advantage of a suite for a night, but that also gave me a chance to talk to some of the dining staff and try out a few of the park's food options. They were very accommodating and after I gave them a list of Reed's allergens (ahead of time) were able to tell me what he could and couldn't eat. Hot dogs, chips, guacamole, and iced lemonade were all big hits with the Little Man.

Dicicco's, Kingsburg, CA (multiple times)
So far we've only ordered pizza for Reed, which he has loved. Their crust is totally fine, but unfortunately their marinara sauce has parmesan in it, so instead we get it with olive oil and garlic. Both waiters we've had have been extra attentive to us and have said that they were going to personally talk to the kitchen staff about the meal. It's soooo nice having a restaurant option locally.

Big Sky Café 06/29/13, San Luis Obispo, CA
I knew we were going here for dinner while in town so I called ahead to ask my normal set of questions. This place is known for their vegetarian and vegan options so I was expecting them to be more than accommodating of Reed's diet. When the hostess answered I was informed that they could not guarantee no cross-contamination in their kitchen. I said I understood but asked if I could talk to a Manager or Chef so that I could make sure that they could prepare something for Reed. When the manager answered I was told the same thing, again I expressed my understanding but asked if I could just find out if they could make something free of the allergens. The answer was yes, but before I had even given her the list of allergens, when I pointed this out I was told they had gluten free options. I mentioned that he wasn't allergic to gluten, but several other things, and was again told they could accommodate us. Looking at the menu I thought we could definitely find something, but armed myself with a lot of "snacks" just in case. They have a great kids menu and I was able to order a steak with green beans and French fries for the little guy. Even though the waitress didn't seem too concerned about his allergies and our selections, she still wrote them down when I asked her to make the kitchen staff aware of them. Reed loved his meal and other than Mom being a little uneasy about the situation we had a great experience.

Avila Barn Deli 06/29/13, Avila Beach, CA
I had planned a visit to the Barn with friends, but hadn't planned on staying for lunch. We were having so much fun we decided to see if there was anything in the Deli Reed could have. We lucked out big time. I ended up sharing a steak salad with him, modified by not having the cheese or croutons. He ate so much of the steak, avocado, and corn I wished I'd ordered two!!! We also found a bag of potato chips that was free of his allergens and the ice cream shop carries a couple flavors of sorbet - big time score!!!

Fugazzi's March 2013 Visalia, CA
There are several Fugazzi's locations in the area, they all have the same or similar menu. The one we got food from was the Fugazzi's To Go, which isn't as nice as the other locations, but we were in a pinch and I thought that some of the menu items would be Reed friendly. We got him the blackened salmon tacos with no cheese or sauce, there were a couple other items we could have ordered as well. I was pleasantly surprised when the cashier went to the kitchen to make sure to alert the cooks that the modifications on our order were do to food allergies. This gave me such a level of comfort and the tacos were great.

Eureka Burger 1/25/13 Fresno, CA
We were up in Fresno and decided we should try somewhere new to eat, hoping we could add a new restaurant to our repertoire. After a quick call to Eureka Burger we decided that we could find something for Reed to eat. When we arrived we told the server about Reed's allergies. She informed us that they make everything on site so she would be able to talk to the kitchen staff and find out exactly what the Little Guy could have. Since Reed has never been a big ground meat fan we settled on the fish tacos. The only modification that had to be made was the aioli was left off. While we waited for our food the manager came over to let us know that he had been made aware of our allergy situation and that they were happy to accommodate us. Reed loved the tacos, eating two tacos worth of fish and the mild mango salsa and picking at the tortillas. Additionally they told us that the fries were free of his allergens although they were fried in oil that is also used on an item that is breaded with dairy and eggs. After he showed interest in the fries on my plate we decided to let him try them and he loved them. He ate probably 15-20 fries. I told Jon it is so nice to watch Reed indulge a bit since he rarely has the opportunity to do so, especially when eating out. We will definitely be making a return trip soon since Mom and Dad love the food (and drinks) as well.

Salazar's Grill 1/23/13 Kingsburg, CA
We were hosting a group of friends for dinner and ordered chicken fajitas, rice, black beans, and tortillas (flour and corn). When I placed the order I asked that the order not be modified, but that when I picked it up if they could let me know what, if anything, Reed could eat I would appreciate it. Both the woman I talked to when I placed the order and the girl that helped me when I picked-up the food were very sweet and helpful. Unfortunately I was a little disappointed in the information they had for me: Reed could have the chicken and veggies in the fajita dish (only olive oil, salt, pepper, and a few spices are used in the preparation), but he shouldn't have the black beans, rice, or tortillas because they couldn't guarantee what was or wasn't in them. What? I understand that some places use butter in their rice or soy in their tortillas, but not knowing what is in your food, that is a bit sketchy to me. The good news is that Reed loved the fajitas and since we were eating at home I was able to supplement his dinner with a few goods from our pantry. Nice to know there is a local restaurant that we can grab take out from, but dining in may not be happening with the limitations on the side dishes for Reed.

BC's Pizza & Beer Clovis, CA (we've gone several times)
I've been shocked to find out how few pizza places Reed can eat at. Obviously we would get his pizza cheese free, but apparently a lot of places have soy and/or dairy in their crusts and/or sauces. BC's doesn't. Their dough is flour, salt, yeast, and water and their sauce is tomatoes and seasoning. They have a wide selection of veggie and meat toppings and Reed has seemed to really like it the two times he's had it.

Wahoo's Fish Tacos (multiple locatios and we've gone serveral times)
Reed loves fish, fruit, and gucamole and will tolerate rice and tortillas so this is a great family friendly place for us to stop. Wahoo's is a franchise so while many things are similar from city to city we have found that you need to ask about allergies each time because their ingredients can differ slightly. Also they (at least in Fresno) have recently started putting cheese and their sauce on the fish tacos as part of the standard order, both contain dairy so we have to request they be left off. Jon has picked up food for us before and gotten home with cheese on the tacos and the last time I went I was less than impressed by their seemingly lack of concern for Reed's allergies. Nonetheless the kiddo loves the food so unless we start to feel uncomfortable we will continue to eat here.

In-N-Out (multiple locations) have only been once, but will be back
In-N-Out doesn't publish they're allergen information but you can call them at 1-800-786-1000 and either ask if any allergens are present in a certain menu item or tell them what the food allergies are and they will tell you which menu items are ok/should be avoided. Reed can't have the bun because it has soy in it, but the hamburger patty is fine, and once he is okay with lettuce that means we can just order a hamburger "protein style" for him. He also can't have the special sauce because it is egg based, but the ketchup and mustard are fine as substitutes. In-N-Out uses cottonseed oil for their fries (which are fresh, handcut, and 100% potato) so those are okay for The Little Guy too. Overall they are very allergy friendly and will even cook your food on a dedicated grill to avoid cross-contamination if you ask.

Jamba Juice (multiple locations and we've gone several times)
Reed can have most of their All Fruit Smoothies, they are free of dairy and soy (as well as peanuts and eggs). If you have an allergy to a particular type of fruit make sure to let the server know as I was told by an employee that they store their fruit together, but can pull segregated fruit out of the back for you. I'm tempted to try a smoothie made with sorbet, Reed might just fall to pieces over it.

Chipotle Grill (multiple locations and we've gone several times)
We love Chipotle, not only is most of the food Reed friendly, he loves to eat it as well. Our go to order is brown rice with carnitas, black beans, and guacamole. If you tell the person preparing your food that your child has food allergies he/she will put on clean gloves to avoid cross-contamination.

P.F. Changs 10/28/12 Irvine, CA
I had read on a few different allergy websites that P.F. Changs is very allergy friendly. If you tell them what your allergies are they will print out what they call a matrix, which is just a scaled down version of their menu with items containing your particular allergens removed. When we arrived to the restaurant I informed the hostess and waitress of Reed's allergies. The manager came by a few minutes later with the matrix and apologized that there were basically only three things Reed could have. I had expected this and told him it was fine and that we appreciated their allergy friendliness. He volunteered that all of their meats are pre-marinated in egg (I totally thought it would be the soy allergy that would make ordering hard at an Asian restaurant). The three items were brown rice, white rice, and steamed vegetables. A little bit later our server placed a bowl or rice and another bowl of veggies right in front of Reed. Since the veggies were in big pieces I picked them up to cut them into smaller chunks. Reed loves mushrooms so that is what I went for first, but upon closer examination I realized I wasn't holding a mushroom but a chunk of tofu. I felt a knot in my stomach and immediately asked the server it there was tofu in the vegetables she said there was. I said something along the lines of "isn't tofu soy based?" and she looked at me confused. They eventually made us a new bowl of veggies but Reed didn't eat much and just about broke my heart asking if he could have some of the food the rest of the table had ordered. While I appreciate that they can easily tell us what Reed can and can't eat at their restaurant I'm pretty disappointed that the communication between the staff in the front of the restaurant and in the kitchen was so poor. I would think about going back if there were more options for Reed or if he had loved his meal, but since that's not the case we will probably not be returning anytime soon.

Schoolhouse Tavern 10/04/12 Sanger, CA (we have been back since)
This is a "nicer" restaurant so I was a little nervous taking a one year old, but it was for my Birthday so we went early and had a great time. We called ahead to ask about Reed's allergies and the owner's (who are family friends) said the chef would have no problem accommodating us. We got there on time, the server asked about the allergies when we were seated, and asked what we were thinking about ordering for Reed and if we had any questions. They were more than helpful and let us put Reed's order in early so his food would be ready when our soups/salads arrived. They have an awesome kids menu and we ordered Reed a 4 oz steak which he devoured along with some apple slices he munched on and some broccoli he could have cared less about. When it was time for dessert I decided we should splurge and asked if they had any sorbet, they didn't so we skipped the sweets and headed home content and very happy.