If we’ve heard it once, we’ve heard it a thousand times: “Does anyone at the table have an allergy or dietary restriction?” It’s become so ubiquitous when eating out that it’s hard to remember a time when we weren’t asked.
According to a report updated in April 2024 by Food Allergy & Research Education, a nonprofit organization supporting those affected by food allergies, approximately 33 million people in the U.S. have at least one food allergy, which is defined as “an adverse health effect resulting from a specific immune response that occurs reproducibly on exposure to a given food.” That number doesn’t include those with food intolerances or dietary restrictions.
Those working in the hospitality industry, however, didn’t need a study to tell them what they already knew.
“Over the years since I’ve worked in restaurants, the number of reported allergens has increased,” said chef Devon Quinn of Eden. “On certain nights, it’s close to 20% of our diners that have some kind of allergy or intolerance.”
“Every day we have a lot of orders that have some kind of allergy or dislike,” said Piccolo Sogno chef Tony Priolo. He believes thoughtfully handling diners’ dietary needs is simply part of his job. “We’re here to take care of them.”
At his West Town restaurant, that sometimes starts via an email from a diner, a practice Priolo recommends for those with allergies or dietary restrictions. From there, he suggests informing the host and then, of course, the server. Corresponding notes are then created in the kitchen.
Priolo recalls a customer years ago who initially brought in their own pots and pans due to their young son’s celiac disease. “Over time, they stopped doing that because they trusted us,” he said. To further guide guests, Piccolo Sogno’s menu, like at many other restaurants, includes markings indicating if a dish is gluten-free or can be made without gluten by request.
For Urbanbelly chef Bill Kim, ensuring those with food allergies feel safe at his restaurant is “a big part of what we do,” he said. That includes creating a menu matrix for staff that underscores the nine major allergens — milk, egg, peanut, tree nuts, wheat, soy, fish, shellfish and sesame — in each dish. Then there’s a build sheet that identifies every ingredient in each dish. Additionally, an allergen sheet is posted at the counter where diners order. These are practices done at all of Cornerstone Group’s restaurants, including Kim’s The Table at Crate and Urbanbelly.
Lactose-intolerant himself, Kim strives to cook without milk, butter or cream, using coconut and macadamia milks instead. Gluten-free tamari is used in food preparation instead of soy sauce. Additionally, a lot of Urbanbelly’s sauces are vegan, the chili sauce is made without fish or shellfish, and there’s a vegan kimchi. “We’ve replaced a lot of things to accommodate those with dietary restrictions,” Kim said.
A separate cooker at the restaurant is used for gluten-free noodles, including for Urbanbelly’s coconut pho, a gluten- and dairy-free soup that is their top-selling dish.
For Urbanbelly’s extensive online orders, specific allergy stickers are used. “It’s a whole new ballgame with online ordering, especially since COVID, and we’ve had to pivot and learn,” Kim said.
For Quinn, it was his niece’s near-death experience after eating a cashew in a restaurant that opened his eyes to the seriousness of food allergies. “I’ve had to learn a lot about allergies because of my profession and in order to protect my family,” he said.
At his Avondale restaurant, the kitchen also houses that of sister catering company Paramount Events, further complicating an already complicated issue. Educating his staff so they fully understand food allergy procedures is a constant process, he said.
“All it takes is one person putting their hand into a bin of nuts with a bare hand, touching a few door handles and walking through kitchen and you can easily have cross transfer,” Quinn said.
Gloves are used when handling allergens and if, say, nuts are on a chef’s station, a small spoon will be used to access them. It’s also important to pay attention to where those allergen items are stored to ensure they won’t fall into the bins of other ingredients.
With a full bakery on-site, Eden does pose some risk to celiacs. “We can take all the precautions in the world, but there is airborne flour in our facility,” Quinn said. For those with gluten issues, steaks are prepared in a pan instead of the grill, which is also used to grill bread. Fryers are designated for certain allergies, including wheat, shellfish and fin fish. For items that traditionally include nuts, such as pesto and romesco, Quinn often makes them with nonallergen ingredients instead.
Additionally, order tickets have allergies marked in red and anything that’s out of the ordinary has a bright pink sheet attached to the ticket as a secondary backup.
Then there’s the running of the food from the kitchen to the diner. “You have to have some manner of service that allows that plate to get to the table at the same time without touching other plates,” Quinn said. “You have to take lots of details into account to accommodate allergens, but it’s life or death sometimes.”
Pieces of red tape are placed on the edges of menu items made with certain food allergy requirements, which are placed on a separate tray to prevent possible cross contamination, before being delivered to diners at Eden. (John J. Kim/Chicago Tribune)
As a mother with a daughter who has multiple food allergies, including to peanuts, that’s something Susie Hultquist knows well. The lack of awareness and information regarding food allergens and the inherent risks when dining out led her to leave her Wall Street career 10 years ago and create Spokin, a free app that launched in 2017 to help the food allergen community find safe places to eat and travel.
“I wasn’t willing to wait for regulations to catch up with my daughter’s life and needs,” said Hultquist. “A big portion of what we have are reviews coming from the allergy community sharing their experiences in restaurants.”
Beyond the allergen food itself, there are a lot of other things to consider, including how the item is prepared and what it’s cooked in, both of which can lead to cross contamination. “During COVID, when everyone was afraid to touch things and it was invisible but lurking, it was the most perfect analogy of what it’s like to live with a food allergy,” Hultquist said.
When dining out, she recommends going over the online menu for any potential risks and calling the restaurant ahead of time to ask if they have experience dealing with the specific food allergen and, if so, going over any dishes that would be safe.
But, said Hultquist, “Even if you ask all the right questions and do all the right things, mistakes still happen.” She always carries two EpiPens with her.
Beyond being the right thing to do, accommodating those with food allergies has other benefits. “There is actually no consumer base more loyal than the food allergy consumer,” Hultquist said. “Once they find a place that is safe, they will go to that restaurant over and over again.”
Eden, 2734 W. Roscoe St., 312-366-2294, edeninchicago.com
Piccolo Sogno, 464 N. Halsted St., 312-421-0077, piccolosognorestaurant.com
Urbanbelly, 1542 N. Damen Ave., 773-904-8606, urbanbelly.com
Seven more Chicago restaurants for diners with food allergies, intolerances and dietary restrictions
Brightwok
At this Asian-inspired counter-service restaurant, flash-seared vegetables are the focus of the menu, which is free of dairy, fish, shellfish and gluten. The eight vegan sauces range from Thai basil and tahini ginger to chili coconut curry. Create your own wok-cooked bowl or order one of the set bowls (substitutions accommodated) with ingredients such as grass-fed steak, organic tofu and rice noodles. 631 N. State St., 312-366-2999; 21 E. Adams St., 312-583-0729; brightwok.com
Bibibop
Inspired by the Korean rice dish bibimbap, this fast-casual concept offers a healthy alternative. Ingredients for the chef-curated and make-your-own bowls include kimchi, japchae (sweet potato noodles) and gochujang sauce along with black beans, curry chickpeas and roasted sesame broccoli. Another defining difference: Bibibop is 100% gluten-free with the certification to show for it. 24 E. Jackson Blvd., 872-276-3804; 3304 N. Western Ave., 773-309-3079; bibibop.com
CheSa’s Bistro & Bar
As someone who is celiac, owner Chesaree Rollins understands the needs of those who must avoid gluten. First, it was her food truck offering gluten-free food that earned her a loyal following, with CheSa’s Bistro & Bar, a sit-down spot in the Avondale neighborhood, coming later. Dishes such as short ribs with purple grits, beignet waffles, mac and cheese, fried chicken and seafood gumbo have earned many fans among those who need to avoid gluten and those who don’t. 3235 W. Addison St., 773-754-8523, chesabistro.com
Duck Duck Goat
To help staff accommodate diners with allergies, this Chinese-inspired restaurant from chef Stephanie Izard maintains a detailed food book listing a dish’s ingredients and an allergy matrix outlining all of the allergens present in menu items and which allergens can and cannot be removed or accommodated. Double plating distinguishes a special dish. Three separate menus (vegetarian/vegan, sesame- and celiac-friendly) are available and the restaurant can often accommodate a wide range of allergies and intolerances on the fly. 857 W. Fulton Market, 312-902-3825, duckduckgoatchicago.com
Figo Wine Bar
At this Lakeview Italian wine bar, the charm goes beyond the cozy atmosphere that includes exposed wood beams overhead and floor-to-ceiling windows. In addition to a varied selection of artisanal charcuterie and cheese, the menu features Italian-inspired small plates and pastas. For those with food allergies, however, it’s the separate allergy menu that calls out the many dishes that are nut-, shellfish-, dairy- and/or gluten-free that’s the biggest draw. 3207 N. Sheffield Ave., 312-819-6111, figowinebar.com
Native Foods
Those looking to follow a more plant-based diet, even for just one meal, have a friend in this Loop counter-service spot, which is also friendly to diners who can’t eat dairy. Employee-owned as of 2023, Native Foods offers four vegan versions of burgers, as well as a variety of salads and bowls. Owner Dame Dia taps into his heritage with the “Taste of Senegal” menu, which includes Senegalese jollof rice with slow-cooked vegetables and beef mafe made with plant-based beef in a peanut butter-tomato sauce. 218 S. Clark St., 312-332-6332, chicagonativefoods.com
Summer House Santa Monica
This Lincoln Park restaurant has developed a number of allergen-free dishes, including ones that are gluten-, wheat- and dairy-free. Symbols on the menu help guide diners to those specific dishes. Additionally, when a guest flags an allergy to their server, the dish comes out with a subtle pick marked “allergy” on their plate. 1954 N. Halsted St., 773-634-4100, summerhouserestaurants.com
Lisa Shames is a freelance writer.
Originally Published: April 9, 2025 at 5:00 AM CDT
