Traveling with food allergies can be hard. You stick to chain restaurants, or bring your own food. I don’t know about you, but I can only eat so many protein bars and carrot sticks before I’m sick of them and craving a real, hearty meal. That’s why I was excited to see so many allergy friendly restaurants in Gulf Shores! I got to eat good food without worrying about having a reaction. Although I have Celiac disease, I know that traveling can be even scarier for those with anaphylactic allergies, so it’s important to have restaurants that take allergies seriously.
One of these restaurants was Lulu’s. Owned by Lucy Buffett, Jimmy Buffett’s sister, Lulu’s has live music and an exciting atmosphere. They also have a variety of allergy menus! From eggs to gluten, just about every major food allergy or intolerance can be handled here. (They have 6 allergy menus.) When you order from the allergy menu, a manager takes your order and brings it to you, so you know your allergy is being taken seriously.
While at Lulu’s, Mom ordered the Summer Shrimp Salad. This isn’t just a salad topped with shrimp. This is shrimp chopped up and mixed with mayo, like a gulf coast riff on chicken salad. It’s served with 2 of the best fried green tomatoes she’s ever eaten in her life. Justin ordered the crab melt, an open-faced sandwich filled with claw meat, two cheeses, onion, and mayonnaise. They also shared a piece of key lime pie. As for me? I ordered the Hamburger in Paradise, Crazy Sista’s version. It comes with your choice of cheese, lettuce, tomato, sweet pickles, and red onions. I chose to add sautéed onions as well. Lulu’s fries aren’t gluten free, so I ordered sautéed vegetables as my side. While the vegetables were good, the burger was great. It’s rare to get a decent gluten free burger, so finding a great one? Almost impossible. It was juicy, perfectly cooked to order, and the bun was toasted so it didn’t fall apart on the first bite. Next time we’re back in Gulf Shores, I’ll order the same burger again.
Lulu’s doesn’t take reservations, so it’s best to arrive early. If you don’t arrive early, there’s plenty to do in Lulu’s Homeport Marina, like visiting the arcade or the gift shop! Lulu’s has high chairs, and also offers a kids menu.
Another allergy friendly option in Gulf Shores is The Beach House Kitchen and Cocktails. Gluten free options are marked on the menu, and feature several appetizers, side dishes, and salads. While there, mom ordered the grilled shrimp tacos with sides of pineapple slaw and cumin black beans. I ordered the Beach House Cobb Salad. One thing we really liked about The Beach House is that everything, from their entrees to their salad dressings, is made fresh in house, as the server explained to us. This means that they know exactly what goes into their food, and made me feel safe eating there.
The Beach House Cobb was a huge salad, topped with both chicken and a fried egg. I ordered the housemade ranch as my salad dressing. I’m pretty picky about ranch dressing, and this definitely passed the test. The chicken on the salad was perfectly cooked and not dry at all. Too many times, being gluten free means being relegated to a tasteless, undressed salad, so finding a good salad is a treat! Although I couldn’t try the tacos, mom said they were delicious. I took a few bites of her cumin black beans and pineapple slaw, which were tasty.
The Beach House offers high chairs, and their patio is pet-friendly. We met a chihuahua while we were there!
One of the coolest restaurants we visited in Gulf Shores was The Gulf. Made of recycled shipping containers, The Gulf has entirely outdoor seating. You stand in line to order your food, which is then brought to your cabana, picnic table, or outdoor lounge chairs. The manager on duty at The Gulf was helpful at answering all of our questions about which foods were safe to eat. She knew, as did the cooks, exactly what went into each dish and how they were prepared. Although there wasn’t a designated allergy menu, everyone was accommodating and explained that they see a lot of customers with food allergies, and are able to guide them through the menu. The menu is a chalkboard menu, so it changes daily. While we were there, the taco and oyster area of the restaurant was closed, but we were told that it’s open daily in peak season and on the weekends during the off season.
We ordered the roasted eggplant, yucca fries, grilled mahi mahi, fried grouper sandwich, and a “fancy lemonade.” The Gulf has a daily lemonade flavor, which was white peach mint when we visited. By the time we left, they had run out and replaced it with a blackberry lemonade, which was equally tasty. The consensus was that the fried grouper sandwich was my seafood loving family’s favorite, and luckily for you, it’s a recurring menu item. You can try it for yourself! The Gulf aims to be a place where people can just come and hang out, and it really seems to be achieving its goal. From the cat that lives in the gift shop to the children playing in the sand, there were families and friends meeting up and spending time together. Trust me, if we lived any closer, this would be our hang out spot too! I mean, can you say #instagrammable ?
Although allergy-free dining can be a hassle, it doesn’t have to be while visiting Gulf Shores, Alabama. Which restaurant would you like to visit first?
One of my nieces was recently diagnosed with some food allergies. Going to restaurants has been a little trickier since then.
All of this food looks delicious, I’m so glad you didn’t have to miss out. Having a food allergy is really tough and can be limiting when eating out. I’m making a note for sure.
It is awesome that there were options available for everyone in this area. I live in Florida near the beach, but I have never made it to Gulf Shores.
These all look like fantastic places to eat at. I know that dining with allergies can be hard and these are great choices.
these all look so delicious, allergy friendly or not! that’s very good to know that there are places out there that cater to such needs.
All of these sound amazing. I love that they will go out of their way to be sure they take care of your needs.
I’m so glad that you were able to find great restaurants that were allergy friendly. Food looks great.
I have heard so many good things about LuLu’s that I am tempted to make a trip there just to eat at the establishment! It’s great to know that there are several dining options available in the area for those who have special dietary needs.
This is great. I wish there were more restaurants with menus for people with special diets. Getting sick while on vacation is not a pleasant experience! These restaurants make me want to visit the Gulf Shores more often because I can be secure in the thought that I won’t suffer from any allergy attack!
Just the name Lulu’s makes me want to go there, haha. The food looks amazing and so fresh!
I love that there are so many great options in Gulf Shores. My son has a gluten allergy and I’m allergic to tomatoes, potatoes and peppers, so we’re always on the hunt for allergy friendly restaurants!
Looks like you did some bit of homework at the Gulf Shores. I don’t have Celiac, but I sure like to eat gluten-free when I can. If I ever get down that way, your list will help me. THanks,
Wow, this is a great share. i haven’t thought of going to an allergy friendly restaurant, good to know about this.
Few things in life can top delicious food near the water. I appreciate that so many restaurants are making it a point to ensure that families can enjoy a meal, regardless of allergies or restrictions.
It’s always difficult to find restaurants that are allergy friendly. This is a great resource for those in the area that are looking, this will save them so much trouble.
My family has allergies and it can be so hard to find allergy-free dining. I would love to try all three of these restaurants starting with Lulu’s.
Great to know! So many people suffer from allergies so its great to know there are places they can head to!
These allergy friendly restaurants in Gulf Shores Alabama are amazing for people with food allergies. It is so hard to find restaurants when you have food allergies and these three place are truly a blessing for so many. Thanks for sharing these awesome restaurants.
Wow! It’s good to know all these allergen free restaurants in Alabama! It makes traveling easier especially if you’re following a specific diet! Thanks for the list!
It’s wonderful that you can find allergy friendly restaurants so easily while visiting Gulf Shores. They all look fantastic, but Lulu’s is calling to me.
All those places look and sound fabulous. Which one to go to first would be half the problem. Flipping a coin each day would work!
All those great foods in one place! It is almost too much. I love it! I need to go to there.
This is so handy! I haven’t been to the state of Alabama but this is giving me even more of a reason to!
These looks like great place to dine in with the family and loved ones. Also great for those who have allergies to know they can have a place to eat safely without worries.
I had no idea this was even a thing. We have a friend with severe allergies. These restaurants would be perfect for him.
There is a pretty nice selection there! I’d definitely have to stop at the Beach House for a meal.
I love finding new places that are allergy friendly. It can be hard for me to find good food because I can’t eat gluten or dairy.
I would love to visit Alabama, while I don’t have any kids with allergies to food – I do know of some kid who do and having options to eat without fear of your family member eating something they are allergic to can make the trip much easier and more peaceful!
My in laws live near here. I will have to keep this in mind when we visit them! It looks like a beautiful area!
All of that food looks so good! I love that they have so many allergy free options to choose from. I’m sure it is so frustrating to people with allergies to have to always ask about ingredients.I’d go to The Beach House first!
All of the food looks yummy. I have a lot of allergies and I have to be careful when I eat out. I want to try
The Beach House first.
These all sound like great places to eat. And with so many people with allergies these days, it’s nice to know places to eat!
It’s so important to find a restaurant that supports one’s allergies or food restrictions. It’s great to know there are so many places on the Gulf Shore Alabama that are sensitive to people’s eating restrictions.
Thanks so much for sharing this! We love to go to Gulf Shores. My husband and I love all the seafood, but my kids are a bit more picky. LOL
This is a great informative post! It’s very important to be aware of things like this when you’re traveling. The last thing you need is your allergies knocking you down or worse when you’re trying to have fun. Thank you for sharing!
I recently read about LuLu’s in Coastal Living magazine and was thinking how much I would love to eat there. I think I’ll have what your mom had. So glad it’s also allergy friendly and that they take it seriously.