Are you always the one out to dinner with friends, but have to steer clear of certain items on the menu? If you suffer from food allergies or food sensitivities, you may feel like the one singled out by the constant wonder of what your favorite dishes might include—and the after effects of playing trial and error.

With an estimated15 million Americans suffering from food allergies and likely millions more impacting by food sensitivities or intolerances, a growing number of restaurants are doing their best to make sure that diners feel safe and satisfied.

AllergyEats, a guide to allergy-friendly restaurants across the United States, has compiled a list of the top 10 most allergy-friendly restaurant chains in our country. The rankings, published on The Huffington Post, are calculated based on feedback from the AllergyEats website and app users. The website itself shares more than 750,000 restaurants based on allergies to nuts, dairy, eggs, wheat, gluten, fish, sesame, soy and more.

Restaurants making the top 10 list, according to AllergyEats, have best-in-class food allergy procedures and protocols; training and knowledge; receiving high overall ratings; and positive feedback from food-allergic diners that have comfortably eaten at their restaurants.

The top five chains of 50 or more restaurants that are allergy friendly, as determined by AllergyEats, are:

Chipotle Mexican Grill

P.F. Chang’s

Red Robin

Outback Steakhouse

Mellow Mushroom

The top five small chains, which have fewer than 50 restaurants, are:

Maggiano’s Little Italy

Burtons Grill

Legal Sea Foods

Joe’s American Bar & Grill

Not Your Average Joe’s

What if you want more?

Living in a massive foodie city like Chicago doesn’t mean that your relegated to a short list of 10. Many local restaurants, including the Little Goat, are training their staff to be allergy conscious. The Little Goat is also a popular pick for its gluten-free menu that includes mouthwatering options like fluffy gluten-free sourdough pancakes with berry compute and gluten-free Pineapple Crunch muffins.

Flat Top Grill has been applauded by those who are looking to design their own meal. It’s a “build a bowl” style concept, which our Functional Medicine team is quite found of.

Lyfe Kitchen is a casual chain in Chicago with healthful ingredients and a range of gluten free options. Their menu is also coded to note all ingredients that contain nuts.

If you are looking for extra help in the kitchen or catering, Kitchfix is a meal delivery service that makes delicious meals that adhere to Paleo, gluten-free, dairy-free, anti-inflammatory and organic diets.

With thousands of restaurants to choose from, this is a mere nibble of options for the discerning diner. If you would like to learn more about food sensitivities, contact our Functional Medicine & Clinic Nutrition team for a free consultation. Visit us here or call, 773.598.4387

   
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