Monday, November 2, 2009

San Diego Zoo: Dining with a Peanut Allergy

Last week we took a family vacation to San Diego. We hit the San Diego Zoo, Legoland and Seaworld.

I wanted to let you know about a restaurant we went to while we were at the zoo.

We brought our own safe snacks into the park (not sure if we were allowed, but I did it anyway), but when it came time to eat lunch, I crossed my fingers and hoped we would find a place without peanut butter and jelly. It's the norm for the kids options to include PBJ as an option, but we were hoping to stumble upon something peanut free and a nice respite from the crowds.

And boy did we! We ended up eating at Albert's. Here's a description:

Albert’s: Located in the Treehouse complex next to the gorilla exhibit, Albert’s offers full-service dining where you can enjoy open-air deck seating overlooking a private waterfall. The menu features a variety of unique dishes: appetizers, gourmet salads, healthful pastas, fresh fish, delicious beef entrees, and a children’s menu. Our full-service bar offers an extensive selection of craft beers, fine wines, and exotic cocktails. Albert’s is open for lunch and summer evening dining. Listed in USA Today’s 2004 “Places to dine amid outdoor beauty.”
Tablecloths, great menu, and no PBJ's. Waiters. Cocktails. And no giant cups of sodas with plastic lions on top. Great for grownups, and good for kids too. Here's a link to their menu (it's a PDF). The kid's menu is not online, but when we were there last week the kids menu was peanut free.

Frankly, it was nice to be in a place without a food line and a register at the end.

If you have questions about the fare at Legoland or Seaworld, email me at peanutfreemama@gmail.com and I'll give you an idea of what to expect in the parks. It's basically the same stuff you get at every other amusement park in the USA.

If you've eaten anywhere else at the Zoo that was safe, let me know in the comments.

2 comments:

kelly said...

we vacationed in san diego last june too, visited disney, legoland, the zoo, etc. and was so happy that everything and everyone was so accommodating. glad you had a nice trip!

Anonymous said...

Hello Peanut Free Mamma! Just reading your blog and found these posts of restaurants and places to eat out. I work for www.LeaveItOut.co.uk, we're a UK eating out guide for specialist diets, such as peanut-free, tree nut-free, gluten-free, egg-free and vegan. We've new and I'm interested to know if you (and your readers!) can help us out with a review of places in the UK? Or, tell us of a place you've enjoyed in the UK? If you like what we're doing it would be great to tell your readers about us as we launch the site! Thanks, Kate