No Gluten, No Dairy, No Worries: Allergy-Friendly Restaurants in Greater Grand Forks

Grand Forks and East Grand Forks has many wonderful restaurants that are sure to delight your taste buds. But, for the millions of Americans who have food allergies or food restrictions, dining out can be problematic and create uncertainty when traveling or deciding to try a new restaurant in their communities.

Last year, I was diagnosed with food allergies that I was previously unaware I had. This created some uncertainty for my family and I as we learned to navigate new ways of grocery shopping, cooking meals at home, and dining out at restaurants. While many people learn about food allergies in childhood and can navigate the challenges allergies present early on, having this experience as an adult definitely made me reflect on the harsh reality of how intimating navigating food allergies can be!

So, when asked what I envisioned writing about for this blog, I knew instantly that I wanted to share a few of my favorite Grand Forks allergy-friendly spots. It’s not an exhaustive list, but there are some delicious foods that are sure to please anyone with a variety of food allergies or restrictions (and even people who don’t have any food restrictions because the food at these restaurants is simply delicious!). Whether you are a current resident or are visiting the area, I hope that this list of allergy-friendly restaurants in Grand Forks and East Grand Forks can be helpful to you.

As with any allergy-related work, a certain disclaimer is necessary: Please note that I did my best to compile accurate food and allergy information, but it is always advisable to talk to the restaurant and check ingredients for yourself to ensure accuracy.

The Blue Moose is my top pick for allergy-friendly restaurants in Grand Forks and East Grand Forks, primarily because the food is extraordinarily delicious. The Blue Moose was our favorite restaurant before discovering my food allergies. The casual atmosphere makes it perfect for dinner with the family, grab a drink and appetizers with friends on the patio overlooking the river, or reserve the space upstairs for large group gatherings.  Plus, it’s locally owned and a great staple of the community.

So, I was pleasantly surprised to find that they have an easy to navigate allergy menu and separate gluten-free menu that are available upon request. The Blue Moose staff took great care to create a separate menu page of items that are free of each of the top allergens (dairy, egg, soy, gluten, tree nut/peanut, and fish/shellfish). This clear breakdown by food allergens reduces the guess work out of what is safe to eat. I found this much better than menus that simply list which items are gluten free or vegan (while those symbols are helpful for some, for people with allergies, having a clear explanation of what item is free of the various allergens removes any doubt). It also saved a lot of time for me, as I did not have to ask the server a million questions about the menu. Also, we have always had pleasant experiences with staff when we alert them of our allergy needs, which helps reduce some of the anxiety of eating out with food restrictions.

Hats off to the Blue Moose for making it so easy to enjoy the delicious food!

Bernie’s in East Grand Forks is a quaint restaurant nestled on the banks of the Red River (and just down the riverwalk from The Blue Moose!). You may recognize the building as the former Whitey’s Wonderbar, which served the area for almost 100 years. Owned by Food Network host Molly Yeh and her husband Nick Hagen (a local farmer), Bernie’s offers exceptional foods that do more than just fill your belly.

The ambiance of the restaurant is one of my favorite parts of this eatery. Refined, cozy, and quaint are all words that come to mind when thinking of the space. You’ll find some beautiful art, adorable plants, and even a picturesque glass greenhouse nestled inside the restaurant.

Now, let’s talk about the food. Bernie’s is a prime example of an allergy-friendly restaurant in the Grand Forks and East Grand Forks area. Upon request, they have a gluten-free café menu and a vegan menu that showcase their offerings of baked goods, sides and snacks, breakfast items, and tasty sandwiches and salads. We could talk about the pistachio granola, the smorgasbord (soft-boiled egg, option of ham or smoked salmon, and cornichons and gluten free bread), the Wondersub (salami, ham, Havarti, sandwich on focaccia or sub for gluten free bread), or their beany briny salad (white bean dip, greens, giardiniera, and fresh tomatoes served with sourdough or gluten free bread), among many other tasty meals. You may have noticed that I mentioned gluten-free bread a few times. It’s because their gluten-free bread is the best I’ve had in a restaurant, and I would recommend it to anyone even if they do not typically avoid gluten! In preparing for this article, I ordered a nice salad with a slice of gluten-free toast in lieu of the croutons, and I dutifully forgot to take a photo for the article because I was so busy stuffing my face with the crisp yet surprisingly supple bread (is that even a coherent way to describe bread? I don’t know, but it was mouthwatering and gone before I remembered my reason for ordering the bread in the first place). Don’t take my word for it; go try it for yourself!

While not technically a restaurant, Due North Gluten Free Bakery makes our list of allergy-friendly restaurants in Grand Forks and East Grand Forks. Owners Kristi Hovland and Mary Moser have perfected a proprietary flour blend that makes their gluten-free products look, act, and taste like traditional baked goods. Our favorite place to pick up some of their goods is in Midtown Marketplace (in the vicinity of the Public Library), but we also love to see their smiling faces in person at the Grand Forks Farmers Market. If you’re traveling, you can find their items at locations in Hatton, Fargo, and Bismarck.

You’ll find a large assortment of gluten-free baked goods that will make your heart sing such as several types of dessert bars, and a few quick breads like banana bread, chocolate zucchini bread, apple fritter bread, and lemon-poppy seed. If it’s sweet desserts you’re after, they have scrumptious cakes and cupcakes, cookies, kuchens, muffins, pies and crusts, and sweet rolls.

In addition to being gluten-free, some of their menu items are safe for other allergy restrictions, as well. They offer some dairy-free items such as caramel rolls and cinnamon rolls, chocolate chip cookies, lemon bars, rhubarb muffins and rhubarb bread. For those of us with multiple allergies, finding baked goods that meet several of our restrictions can be such a relief! My personal favorite is their dairy-free caramel roll, but their dairy-free lemon bars are a sweet treat with a burst of sunshine and are soy, peanut, and nut free as well (although they do have coconut).

Another key feature of Due North Gluten Free Bakery is their proprietary flour blend that can be substituted for any recipe that calls for flour. They offer bread flour and all-purpose flour, both of which are 1:1 mixtures (meaning they substitute directly for regular flour without the need for mixing other flours together), which is a godsend for those of us who struggle with tricky gluten-free substitutions. Their flour mixes are gluten-free, dairy-free, and nut-free — but contain coconut– and work like traditional wheat flour. You’ll also find buttermilk pancake mix, chocolate chip cookie mix, croutons, and hot cocoa mix, too.

I wanted to include Due North Bakery here not only because of their delicious treats, but also because they genuinely care. When I was first navigating my new allergy needs, I struggled to adapt to not having bread and baked goods. I purchased several items from the Midtown Marketplace location and that worked until my diet restrictions became even more limiting. I reached out to Due North on Facebook and asked for advice. The owners responded quickly, offering some suggestions for addressing really restrictive dietary needs and gave me some advice on things to try at home.

The perfect date night allergy-friendly restaurant in Grand Forks and East Grand Forks is Ely’s Ivy. Located in downtown Grand Forks within walking distance of the greenway and Town Square, Ely’s Ivy hosts an elegant yet comfortable atmosphere and delicious food with ingredients sourced from local farmers and ranchers (well, their camel burger is not local, but we won’t fault them for that given the lack of camel farms in our area). Their food is made in-house (including their breads and pasta too!), giving the chefs intimate knowledge of the ingredients to better serve any dietary restrictions and accommodations.  When I spoke with a server about navigating food allergies, they assured me that they are willing to work with people with food allergies, all you need to do is ask.

For gluten-free needs, they have a cornmeal breading for fried items and even have a separate fryer to help avoid cross-contamination. They have gluten-free dips and crackers, too. For dairy-free needs, just ask them to grill your items instead of using the flattop. For nut allergies, you’ll notice that peanuts are not found on the menu and the tree nuts that are used can typically be left off of menu items.

Their vegetarian and vegan options are pretty impressive too, such as the Red Wine Braised Mushrooms (vegan) and Jackfruit Pulled Pork (vegetarian). But, their menu rotates with the seasons, so be sure to check out their new offerings each time you frequent their establishment. And, if you remember Sander’s restaurant, you may even recognize their staple dessert – the Chocolate Decadence Cake – that now graces the menu at Ely’s Ivy. It’s gluten-free and can be made dairy-free by leaving off the ice cream.

I recommend the Smiling Moose Deli for a quick lunch of tomato basil soup, one of their sandwiches on a gluten free baguette or burger bun, and a bag of chips (all chips are gluten free). Don’t forget one of their rice crispy treats – they’re gluten free, too! They open early (7am) for breakfast and offer delicious skillets with fresh ingredients. All food is prepped in house (except for the bread). They do not offer any shellfish or fish items on their menu, which is excellent for avoiding this allergen. They also have vegetarian and vegan options and offer a variety of non-soda drinks like Bubly, tea, and lemonade.

Since their items are made to order, you can make requests like leaving the cheese off their skillets for dairy-free needs – just remember to ask for no milk with the eggs, as they do include milk otherwise. And if you’re like me and love to eat breakfast at lunch and dinner, too, you’ll be glad to know that they offer breakfast items all day. Another distinguishing feature of the Smiling Moose Deli is that they offer catering and also work with all major food delivery services.

Writing this article was so fun because I got to revisit my favorite allergy-friendly restaurants in Grand Forks and East Grand Forks. I met up with friends and brought along my sons to help me taste-test things again just to make sure they were as delicious as we remembered them to be (we knew they would be, but it was fun to have an excuse to eat all the tasty foods)! If you have food allergies and are looking to try out a new restaurant in Grand Forks and East Grand Forks, be sure to give one of these places a try.