Allergies in Ithaca: How to Manage Them and the Best Places to Eat with Them

By Hallie Finkelstein

Published in Slope Media printed magazine Fall 2022

“Your results came back,” my mom said to me as she sat me down on the couch over fall break. “And?” I questioned with wide eyes and a curious mind. “I know this might come as a shock, but it says you have celiac disease,” she replied. “WHAT???” 

Finding out about a new allergy in the middle of my sophomore year of college hasn’t been easy. I couldn’t wrap my mind around the fact that I have been eating gluten for the past 20 years, and, all of a sudden, I can’t eat it anymore. Confused, stressed, and anxious only begin to describe the feelings that I experienced when I thought about returning to Cornell with this new dietary change. I didn’t know what kinds of food would contain this allergen, which restaurants to go to, or who to even ask about it. Having never faced the hardships of dealing with an allergy in my life, I didn’t realize how often gluten is used as an ingredient in many of the foods that I eat on a daily basis. Luckily, over the past few weeks, I have come to learn that Cornell, and Ithaca in general, is one of the most allergy-friendly places. I’ve been able to learn so much by simply talking to staff and asking questions about their ingredients; I have come to realize how understanding and kind people are about accommodating allergies. I now know how difficult it can be to have an allergy and how helpful it is when people provide good suggestions. Although I still have more research to do, I will share everything that I have learned so far.

Whether you’re someone who has had an allergy for years, someone who is new to the circumstances, like me, or someone just trying to educate themselves so that you and your friends can navigate the food world of Ithaca, I am here to provide you with some of the most delicious and dietary-restriction accommodating suggestions. 

Martha’s, inside of the Martha Van Rensselaer building, takes the cake (gluten-free cake, of course) of being first on the list. Although you may be thinking that Martha’s is already very well known across campus, but my new allergy has taught me the ins and outs of where the best places are to eat for lunch. The best thing about Martha’s is that absolutely everything they put out is labeled. Above each item of food that they are serving, there is a sign with red letters, which indicates the different allergens each food contains. This makes it easy for people with allergies to decide what to put in their meals. I have even asked questions before to verify what is gluten-free, and the staff is more than happy to double-check for you. The staff has shown that they are extremely understanding about allergies, as I have seen them switch gloves when giving food to people with life-threatening allergies, such as sesame and peanuts. I recommend Martha’s as the number one place to go if you’re in the mood to easily read off a sign what allergens the food contains. I also found out that it is completely gluten-free (besides the naan bread), which puts a smile on my face.

If you’re more of a Terrace/Mac’s person for lunch, they’ve got you and your allergy covered. Say you’re in the mood for a burrito bowl, but are stressed because you don’t know the ingredients in any of the sauces and don’t know which one to choose; by simply asking the staff, I was informed that they have a spreadsheet with each of the sauces and their allergens that the staff can check if they are unsure of the ingredients. This prevented me from having the humiliating feeling of holding up the line with my multiple questions, and it allowed me to ask about multiple sauces at once. The salad bar does not have the same set-up; however, the staff is beyond kind in trying to make sure that what you’re eating is safe for you. One staff member even brought out the bottle of dressing so that I could read the ingredients myself. 

In addition to these places, most of Cornell’s dining halls and other dining options label allergens and are great places to go. If you’re looking for something off-campus and want a good restaurant to go to with friends, I’ve found multiple places that have labeled menus and accommodating servers.

I highly recommend trying the restaurant Mix. Their entire menu indicates which foods are gluten-free, dairy-free, vegan, and vegetarian. There are so many different options to choose from, and almost everything can be made differently if you request it. The steak that I ordered came with a side of fries, and they were able to replace them with gluten-free sides - not to mention the fact that they were able to make all of the appetizers gluten-free as well. The server was extremely understanding and helped me navigate the menu in order to pick the best gluten-free options and change anything to be prepared gluten-free if it wasn’t already.

Another great place to go in the Commons is Mahogany Grill. This was one of my favorite restaurants in Ithaca even before I found out about my Celiac, and I was worried I would no longer be able to eat their bread and pasta. However, Mahogany Grill is one of the more accommodating places I’ve been to so far in Ithaca. Almost everything on the menu is able to be made gluten-free or in a different way than it is initially presented. They brought out gluten-free bread and were able to cook gluten-free pasta for me, which was absolutely delicious (I honestly couldn’t even tell that it was gluten-free). This was very exciting for me as I am a big pasta person, which is one of the reasons I was so disappointed to hear about my diagnosis. I feel it is important to mention here that Thompson and Bleecker in the commons also has gluten-free pasta, which is my favorite place to get pasta in Ithaca.

Allergies are hard. It can be stressful when you ask questions, and people don’t know the answers, and it can even be hard to bring yourself to ask the questions at all. Not every single one of my experiences so far has been easy, but Ithaca is such a great place to be: labeled menus, understanding servers, and friends have helped me along the way. If you have ever been diagnosed with an allergy, or if you ever become diagnosed with one, all I want to convey is that despite the challenges, you will overcome this. Restaurants have become so much more aware and accommodating in 2022 and are prepared to answer any and all questions about their ingredients.