14 Best Places to Eat if You Are Going Dairy Free

     In no particular order, these restaurants are ten of my husband's and my favorites. Since going dairy free, I have learned that the hardest part is not so much the foods we can no longer eat, but where we can no longer eat those foods. When you really look at it, dairy is in everything.  Seriously, everything. I may have mentioned this before, but Lance and I have to check our ketchup bottles even, because we have brought home ketchup that has dairy in it.  So now imagine trying to go to a restaurant, and knowing what has dairy in it and what doesn't. But don't fret, just about anything you can buy at a restaurant, you can make at home.  Not the same thing as going out?? Well, here is the list for you.

1.) Malawi's- DAIRY. FREE. PIZZA. That you don't have to make at home! And you don't have to ask for no cheese!  Order a pizza and ask for the dairy free cheese, and they will make your pizza with completely dairy free cheese.  Not lactose free, dairy free. Can I get a WOOT WOOT! No more missing out on pizza parties, or a quick pizza and a movie, or whatever other occasion calls for a good pizza. Just YUM! I don't think I need to say much more.

2.) Blaze Pizza (DOES have an allergen menu).You thought Malawi's was great? Well, if so, now try Blaze Pizza! I was impressed enough after having lunch here that I wrote a whole separate blog post just for Blaze Pizza. http://blog.allthingstristen.com/2018/04/best-of-utah-blaze-pizza-vegan-options.html It was amazing. My husband and I call it the Subway of the pizza industry, because it's just like Subway in that you get to choose every bit of your pizza from the dough, to the sauce, to the cheese, to the many, many toppings one can add on top. Better yet? They don't charge extra for the vegan (dairy free) cheese!

3.) Red Robin- (DOES have an allergen menu) This is my absolute FAVORITE!! Seriously.  Red Robin is pretty straight forward with what is dairy free and what is not.  Use your common sense.  If it came form a cow, don't eat it.  There are a few things that aren't quite that straight forward, like the onion rings, don't eat those, but their buns are dairy free, and they don't butter their beef patties.  Take off the cheese and you are good to go! And their fries are definitely an option! (Who can go wrong with Red Robin french fries??)
In response to some questions about whether or not the fries are actually dairy free... https://www.allergyeats.com/the-food-allergy-facts-about-red-robins-french-fries-other-menu-items/
My husband has quite the allergy to dairy, and hasn't seemed to have a problem so far. If that ever changed, this post will be edited.

4.) Sizzlers (Utah)- ROLLS ARE ON THE MENU!!!! Anyone know of anywhere else that offers a great dairy free dinner roll, let me know. Lance and I both love rolls.  Only set back here is the honey butter.  It's in the name. Butter.  Don't eat it. Lance and I discovered this one when we visited Sizzler's one day asking for an allergen menu, and our waiter had a dairy allergy (not intolerance). The rolls are apparently made with some sort of margarine that is dairy free. This has been tested, by us, and they are indeed free of dairy. HAVE AT IT. The steaks are good too, without any mushroom, onion, or butter toppings.  Ask for no butter.  My personal favorite is the buffet, as long as you watch to make sure none of the cheese or other dairy filled ingredients haven't gotten mixed in with anything else.

5.) Jimmy Johns- I am not aware of any allergen menu for Jimmy Johns, so we just had to ask on this one.  The bread though, is completely dairy free.  Get your sandwich with no cheese, and the possibilities are endless! (Personal favorite, number five or number ten.  Lance likes the number four or the BLT). Oh, and here's a plus, you can eat their Jimmy Chips! (Sorry, no cookies). **One thing to watch out for as well, if you have a severe allergy, be sure that whoever is making your sandwich doesn't use the same knife or surface for cutting cheese as they do your meat. Not all places have their sandwich fillings pre-cut.

6.) Applebee's- (DOES have an allergen menu). Disclaimer on Applebee's.  There are not a lot of options.  As of our last visit, we had one steak option, and a couple of fries options, and that's about it.  Our typical meal at Applebee's is a steak and two sides of fries with different sauces.  That said, their allergen menu is fantastic.  There is no doubt as to whether or not you can have a certain item on the menu.  If you are are highly allergic, and are worried about getting sick, but still want to go out to dinner, go to Applebee's.  The staff is super helpful, and willing to work with you and the cook to avoid any sort of cross contaminates.  That, and their steak and fries are great.

7.) Taco Bell- (DOES have an allergen menu). Everything on the menu (non dessert) is game! That is, game with one exception.  Order whatever it is fresco style.  They basically take off any dairy filled items and add pico de gallo. The cinnamon twists are dairy free as well, so if you are looking for a dessert item, that's the way to go.

8.) Subway- Subway is pretty straight forward.  Don't order bread with cheese baked on, and don't ask for any creamy ranch or other dressings, and don't ask for cheese.  Past that, order away! Lance is not a huge Subway fan, as he is definitely more of Jimmy John's fan, but I love it.  I love how especially easy it is to order.  There is no waiting, asking about ingredients, or holding up the line because now you have to decide.  Get what you want minus the cheese and go for it! Plus, all of their chips are bagged, so you can check the ingredients label at any time. (Sorry, still no cookies. I have a great chocolate chip recipe though, comment below and I'll give it to you! It's even safe to eat the dough!).

9.) In n Out- If you can get past not being able to have a milkshake, then this a great place to go. Regular fries though, and every other regular burger topping aside from the obvious, cheese, is fair game! If you're going for a good but cheap burger and fries, this is the place to go.  I can't say I have tried or looked into any of the special burger orders or fries, but I am perfectly happy with a regular with extra ketchup.  I. Love. Ketchup.

10.) Texas Roadhouse- If you are going for a good steak, ribs, or other yummy meat and fries, this is the place to go.  They have a couple different options for salad dressing, and the staff here seems pretty knowledgeable.  No cheese, no croutons, and you can enjoy the rest of your salad. The only downside here is that most anything else on the menu is off limits.  No blooming onion, no rolls.  Don't get discouraged though, their steak is great!  Plus, if you are patient, I will share all sorts of dairy substitutes in some upcoming posts so you can make all your favorites from the comforts of your own home.

11.) Burger King- (DOES have an allergen menu). One word. Whopper. Just make sure you don't get cheese. I think we all know by now that cheese is a big dairy no no. Lance and I like to get two of their spicy crispy chicken jrs each and a medium fry to share if not the Whopper. Also, chicken nuggets and chicken fries are go!

12.) Panda Express- (DOES have an allergen menu). I can't say what all does and does not have dairy, but I can say there are a lot of options.  Many places Lance and I visit, we have to eat the same thing every time, because we know that's what we can have.  Panda Express, however, there are so many different items on the menu that are dairy free.  My only caution here is to make sure you are looking at the most updated allergen menu.  There are a couple items that have changed recently. (If you are on Google, it will be one of the very top results, so don't feel like you have to search and search for the right menu. If you are really worried about it, ask someone who works there and they should be able to help you.)

13.) Bombei House (Provo) - No allergen menu, but literally everything can be made dairy free! Talk about options! Drinks, naan bread (already dairy free), meat dishes, everything.  This is Lance's and my favorite for when we are looking for something a little more fancy, or special occasion like.  The best part? There are almost always leftovers!

14.) Cracker Barrel (DOES have an allergen menu). This one is a more recent discovery, but also the BEST discovery! If you go to Cracker Barrel and ask for an allergen menu, they will actually offer you a completely dairy free menu! Everything on the menu is free game, and it will list possible substitutions for items that come with certain meals, but have dairy. Also a big plus, their peach and berry cobbler is dairy free! Just ask for no ice cream of course. There a lot's of options, so both my husband and I find something we like every time. Definitely worth the visit. Oh, and try the apple spread on some non buttered toast. It's AMAZING.

**Some restaurants in different areas may vary, so if you do have a serious allergy, I highly recommend viewing the allergen menu if applicable, or talking to a manager just to be on the safe side.


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