Ottawa Part 2:Eating safely on the run, Peanut-Free Fast Food Restaurants and Quick Snacks in Ottawa
Or if left up to Gabrielle; “Tell them where to get poutine”.
I find it is getting easier to find peanut-free restaurants in Ottawa when we are out and about. Most people living with food allergies are pretty good at knowing which major chains work for them. They also know where to turn for a quick meal or snack when they are on the go. For us living in Ottawa, it is no different. City living means we have lots of the big chains, but also a good amount of local and regional spots to fill that cheat day craving or to offer a quick fuel up on the go. Here are some of our go-to peanut allergy-friendly spots when out and about in Ottawa and surrounding areas. As well as a few personal favourites from our resident teenager. For more information click on the business names to visit their websites
**Updated post-pandemic**
The Baker
Located in Barrhaven, a suburb of Ottawa, The Baker is a family-run peanut and tree-nut-free business specializing in savory pies. This traditional Middle Eastern food is often filled with ingredients such as ground meat, sausage, spinach, or cheese. For me, the hardest part is deciding which one to get.
New York Fries
What more could a peanut-allergic teenager ask for? A franchise in pretty much every mall in Ottawa means that a day of hanging out with friends or shopping always has a lunch option nearby.
Mr. Mozzarella
Our original take-out pizza place and the backbone of many a birthday party, Friday family movie night, and refrigerated slices for road trips! This self-proclaimed peanut-free restaurant chain has multiple locations throughout Ottawa as well as other parts of Ontario and British Columbia. Some of the other menu items include poutine, wings, wraps, and donairs.
S and S Fries
Our family’s favourite chip truck! And luckily (or not depending on how you look at it), only five minutes from our house. Located in the parking lot of the Barrhaven Canadian tire, this perennial favourite serves up some of the best poutine in the city. The owners confirmed they make their own gravy, and don’t use peanut oil for frying or any other peanut products.
Golden Fries Food Truck
We discovered this local mobile food truck while attending Bluesfest. They assured us all was safe and although we didn’t eat supper at the festival every evening, this was chosen spot for Gabrielle when we did. The poutine with deep-fried cheese curds on top was a bit much in my opinion, but who am I to argue when it gave her the energy needed to push closer to the stage with me for The Killers.
Firehouse Subs
A newer addition to Barrhaven but with several other locations around Ottawa. This U.S. chain provides a safe option for a quick sandwich or soup.
Roberto Pizza
Located in Little Italy and owned by the same people as Fratellis, this quaint restaurant serves up the same delicious wood-fired pizza we love at Fratelli’s.
Wendy’s
Since the well-publicized exit of McDonald’s from the safe fast food options for peanut-allergic individuals, Wendy’s has filled that niche nicely for us. Lots of locations both locally and along the main highway routes, we travel means we can head out without much planning and pre-packing of food for most day and weekend trips. The option for a cold Frosty is always a great treat as well. And as peanut allergy sufferers know ice cream is not always a readily available safe option.
Fat Bastard Burrito Company
Similar to Chipotle, Fat Bastard Burrito has several locations throughout the city. This has become a new favourite for made-to-order burritos, quesadillas, and tacos, with a wide variety of fresh and somewhat unique toppings,
Panago Pizza
When this post was initially written, Panago was new to Barrhaven, but now has three of their peanut-free restaurants in Ottawa. This quick-fire pizza and wings restaurant provides allergy-safe options which also include dessert.
Chipotle
This well-known chain has long been a must-visit for us when traveling to the U.S. In fact, we have dined in Chipotle’s from coast to coast, but after years of hoping, we finally have a location in Ottawa. Located right downtown in the Rideau Center. We must admit that this location has never lived up to our expectations compared to the many others we’ve visited but it still exists as a safe and quick option for allergic diners in the nation’s capital.
Fiazza Fresh Fired
Think Subway for pizza. This fast-fired pizza place touts a fresh, individually customized pizza in 180 seconds. Although it often takes me a lot longer than that to decide what I want. There are now four locations in Ottawa, including Barrhaven. Fiazza also offers gluten-free options as well as nut-free and vegan dessert options.
Arby’s
Arby’s has only one location in Ottawa, in the west end of the city. However, just like Wendy’s, there are several locations conveniently scattered along with the many cities and towns that border the 401, making it another good option for meals on the go when traveling throughout Ontario. Gabrielle was pleasantly surprised by the donair sandwich that was recently added to the menu.
If you have any questions about the information in this post please contact me.
Feel free to add any peanut-free or peanut-friendly restaurants in Ottawa that I have missed in the comments section below.
Jo-jos pizza also caters to peanut and nut allergies. We also use Gabriel’s pizza. There is an Arby’s at the corner of Castlefrank and Hazeldean rd in Kanata.
Hi. Thanks for the tips! I haven’t tried JoJo’s so will definitely look into that. I had contacted Gabriel’s years ago when we first learned of the peanut allergy, as it was a place we ordered from before the allergy. At that time they said they couldn’t guarantee a peanut-free product so I hadn’t purchased from them for my daughter. After reading your post I thought I would contact them again to see if things had changed in the last decade or so, because I really like their pizza. I sent an email to them via their main website and was surprised to receive a phone call reply today (not an email response). Unfortunately, they gave me the same answer. They told me that they do not specifically use peanuts or peanut products in their take-out locations (he did say the dine-in restaurants offer peanut butter during breakfast). However, he told me that even though the take-out locations do not specifically use peanuts or peanut oil, they can’t guarantee that there was no cross-contamination that occurred from suppliers or that trace amounts didn’t exist in ingredients. Because of the severity of our daughter’s anaphylactic allergy, sadly Gabriel’s is still a place that we would not use for her.
Wow!! My son is 21 and he has been eating there since he was 2. I am very upset to hear they told you that, yet told us they can’t guarantee it is safe. I think we may stop eating there. I appreciate your reply. I am not sure If you are aware, but Lupine which is in the same family as peanut is starting to be used more and more in gluten free food. They are telling people with peanut allergies to get checked to see if they are also allergic to this. Last summer we brought a lupine bean to the allergist , to have him checked and sure enough he reacted. So now another worry. Even more so because it is not something they have to highlight as an allergy on packaging. Just thought I would let you know. Hopefully your daughter is not also allergic. Not everyone with a peanut allergy is allergic to lupine.
I’m sorry to hear he has another allergen to deal with. Thanks for the heads up about Lupine. I only recently heard about it while researching places to eat during a recent trip to Europe. I read all about it being a risk for those allergic to peanuts and that it was used quite a bit in Europe. It is now one of the top allergens they list in their ingredients allergen lists.
So happy I have found your Blog!
I actually don’t quite understand howcome I have not seen it before ’cause lord knows I do alot of research!!!
I really enjoy your list of restaurants, very very helpful!! We recently went to Mexico and stayed at The Grand at Moon Palace Cancun and they catered very well at our young son’s food allergy;)
Hi there,
Thanks for this website. I had no idea Wendy’s is peanut free! (Assuming this is for all Wendy’s in Ontario/north America ??)
My daughter also has an anaphylactic allergy to peanuts. I’ll be taking her there tomorrow 🥳
That’s great! I hope she enjoys it. I know this is the case for Canada, and am pretty sure the U.S. is also safe, but I always check the Wendy’s site before traveling just to be sure. Most locations also have the updated allergen chart and menu on the wall, which is also helpful.