Going to a new city alone and eating by yourself is one thing. Going to a new city alone not knowing if what’s put in front of you is safe for you is an entirely different thing. I’ve put together a quick guide on good restaurants in New York that I visited this summer, in case someone needs an easy go-to place in the city - even if you don't have allergies, these are all fantastic places to visit with great menus.
*My experiences at all of these restaurants are based on allergies to dairy, eggs, nuts and peanuts.
The service at Bistango was fantastic. I messaged them on Facebook a few weeks before I went to NYC, checking if they would be able to help and I honestly got such a lovely response from them. They don’t use any peanuts or peanut products in their restaurant at all, and whilst two menu items (salad with pistachios) and pesto contain nuts, these are kept separately in the kitchen and they said they’ve never had an issue with cross-contamination. I asked about whether their pizza and their Dry Aged New York Strip would be okay for me; the pizza dough doesn’t contain dairy or eggs and NY Strip dish was also fine.
Honestly, what got me the most was a response to one of my messages – “We love to cater to those with allergies here, everybody needs a safe place to enjoy a good meal.” I hadn't heard that before, especially not from a restaurant, and it was really lovely. I genuinely felt so comfortable going there and felt I was in really good hands.
I specifically booked to have my first proper dinner there, knowing I would most likely be fine and it made for an easy first night. I booked online via OpenTable, which allowed me to put additional comments in the booking request so I was able to put details about my allergies there. Once I got there, they seated me and the server immediately knew I had severe allergies, which was so fantastic and so comforting. I went for the flatbread pizza, since I knew that would be okay and I’m always up for pizza wherever I can get it! My waiter came minutes later to talk to me about their bread, saying that they have gluten-free bread I may be able to have but he can’t be sure about cross-contamination so he’d rather be safe than sorry with that one – I never expect to have bread anyway, but to be talked to about it and know that they really were thinking about what would be safe for me was amazing. The pizza itself was great, albeit small, but I give up caring about size of food after a while – if it tastes good and I’m not dead, I’m pretty damn happy.
I went again before my flight out of New York to make sure I got a good meal in before a long flight with no food – this time, I had the NY strip with roasted baby potatoes and ordered a pizza to take-away for the flight. The steak was gorgeous, and the potatoes were amazing. I was one happy gal.
The restaurant itself was lovely, and within a 10/15-minute walk from Grand Central Station. There was a nice atmosphere, and whilst it was quite smart, you could get away with being pretty casual (as I was on my second visit).
Overall, I genuinely can’t fault it. On both quality food and service. I will be back!
By the time I reached Black Square, I had seriously run out of energy and I was doubting whether I would be eating anything at all that day. I’d walked the High Line in the blistering heat, and searched all over Chelsea and Chelsea Market for somewhere that would be okay for me. I hadn’t found a thing. I was so ready to give up, when I left another restaurant that didn’t seem quite right and literally saw Black Square 100 yards away. I wasn’t sure what to expect, but I was just so hungry by this point I was prepared to ask about anything. I sat down and had a look at the menu, and went through the whole thing with the waitress.
What made me optimistic was the fact that they had a ‘Red’ pizza – just dough and tomato sauce – plain but easy and pretty safe. She went back and checked with the kitchen a few times every time I had a question, which I really appreciated – she wasn’t taking it lightly and made sure I felt comfortable. Plus, there was a whole poster on allergies and taking them seriously on their wall just opposite me – a bonus I’d never come across before. The pizza came, and UGH, it was so good. I knew I didn’t have time to come back here before I left and I was genuinely so disappointed.
Anyway, the service was fantastic and the food was so perfect. If you’re going to visit, I’d recommend going to the High Line and a wander through Chelsea Market – both interesting in different ways!
(There isn't much information on them available online, but I have linked to their Instagram)
This was, again, one of my ‘I’ve timed this badly and now I have nothing and nowhere to eat’ kind of situations. I’d just spent about four hours wandering around MoMA getting completely carried away, and realised it was 3pm and I needed food. Day 1 and an entirely new place to eat that I hadn’t heard of, hadn’t looked up before and knew nothing about. To do this so early on in my trip was a pretty big deal (but collapsing from hunger in the middle of New York alone would also have been a pretty big deal – I’ve got to pick my battles).
Barilla is a pasta place, first and foremost. It’s actually a brand of pasta in itself, so that was good to know. It would mean they’d likely know what was in everything, including the pasta. After a check of the menu, I decided to ask about their Spaghetti Al Pomodoro – plain and simple again, but the least likely to kill me. I ended up having the gluten-free penne ‘al pomodoro’ since that’s what the manager determined to be the most risk-free – she knew it didn’t contain dairy or eggs, whereas she couldn’t be sure about a couple of other pastas we discussed, and she could tell me exactly what was in the sauce. It was reassuring to know she was knowledgeable about the food there.
The food was nice, and it served its purpose of filling me up and giving me enough energy to make it back to the hotel in one piece. I’d definitely recommend it as a quick and easy place to go to.
When I was searching for restaurants in NY that might be okay for me, I came across Del Frisco’s on a couple of websites so I thought I’d give it a try. It was a nice restaurant and the staff were really lovely and had a good sense of humour, and the food was pretty good. I was at a disadvantage with this one because I was in a major rush so had to eat my steak and broccoli as quickly as anyone can manage to eat a steak in a few minutes, so I didn’t have the opportunity to relax into my meal, but I would say that my experience with eating at the restaurant itself was good.
When I spoke to my waitress, she was understanding and on-the-ball about checking with the kitchen, and didn’t want to promise anything without either checking or knowing it would be totally okay for me – something I appreciate. When I double-checked something at the end of my order, she joked that she wasn’t going to let me die today, which, for some people may be inappropriate, but I found it pretty damn funny and actually quite reassuring.
All in all, it was a safe place to eat – I’d say the variety wasn’t enormous as all I could feasibly have was the steak and steamed broccoli, but you have to take what you can get when it comes to safe food sometimes!
Oh, Marriott. I’m nearly always 100% confident and comfortable eating at a Marriott – I can literally always depend on them to give me exactly what I need. It’s such a comfort walking into a Marriott café or restaurant, since I know they take my allergies seriously wherever I am in the world. The nice thing about Marriotts as well, is that you know you don’t have to be a guest staying there to just walk in and eat so there’s no anxiety around that.
I went for lunch at the Crossroads at the Marriot Marquis at Times Square on my last day in New York – my flight was delayed by 4 hours which resulted in just enough time to catch a matinee of The Boys in the Band on Broadway, and I needed a good lunch beforehand. Luckily, the Marriott was just opposite the Booth Theatre, so I was able to dash across (once again, I was in a rush) and up to the restaurant/café. As soon as I spoke to my waitress and explained the whole allergies thing, I knew I was in safe hands – she took it so seriously but was also really desperate to get me something tasty and filling that I could eat (i.e. not just meat/fish and veg). She checked with the kitchen for every single thing I mentioned on the menu that I might want, and she even got them to make me some ‘chips’ (crisps) like everyone else’s but that would be entirely safe for me. Not only this, but she wanted to see if I could have some fries and they cooked sweet potato fries (my heaven!) for me in a whole new container of fresh oil so that they could ensure that there was no cross-contamination. Honestly, people like that just make me so unbelievably happy – it was the first time I’d got to have fries during my trip and I just felt so looked after and cared for.
The salmon I had was gorgeous, and the fries and broccoli that they did specially were phenomenal – it was honestly one of the best meals, if not the best I’d had that week. As I said before, the service was faultless – I really couldn’t believe they’d gone to all that effort just so I could have fries and a proper meal, and they probably don’t know how much that actually meant. They went above and beyond, and I can’t thank them enough for it.
If I could give this place hundreds of stars, I really would.
Photo credit: In Between Sleeping