California Polytechnic State University
“They have a designated top 9 allergen free cafe called the Balance Cafe. I wish I could rely solely on this cafe however many students have reported getting food poisoning from this cafe. Additionally, their lunch and dinner menu stay the same and don’t rotate for 3-weeks. This means the same meal for lunch and dinner for a month which in my opinion is pretty unsustainable.
Otherwise, their other cafes are nut-conscious. They label everything very clearly, and they say they will prepare your food in a separate area, but they obviously can’t promise there won’t be any cross-contamination. I personally don’t feel safe with that, but if you do, I’m sure their policy will work for you.
To combat the dining hall issues, I asked about housing accommodations where I would have access to a kitchen that wasn’t shared by an entire dorm floor. They were very clear about their protocol which is basically that they will assess your ‘functional limitations’ based on your medical documentation to determine what kind of accommodation you’re eligible for. Whether that be a guaranteed double, single, microwave/mini fridge, or an apartment in the continuing student/transfer housing buildings. This is what I think will work best for me as it has a single kitchen to four people instead of an entire floor. However, my chances of getting this specific accommodation is quite slim as they only set aside one apartment (four rooms) to first-year disability students.
Update: my experience was great! I posted a more thorough review of balance under the actual restaurant but it went well.”
California Tacos Cantina and Distillery
“Super amazing tacos and peanut-free! Super fast and great service when it’s not super busy too. And located in a really fun market with other shops as well.”
Woodstock’s Pizza SLO
“Everything on their menu is clearly labeled as gluten-free, vegan, or vegetarian. They are completely peanut-free but they do have pecans and pine nuts in their pesto. But the staff was really good about letting us know what they did and did not have.”
Giuseppe’s Cucina Rustica
“This place is super cute for a semi-formal date night! There are no peanuts in the kitchen at all and they offer gluten-free pasta. Their food is really good and it’s a really cool piece of SLO history. However, they unfortunately don’t take reservations and the place is quite small so by 5 pm on weekends the wait can be up to 3 hours! We stood in line for their opening at 4 pm and were able to get a table by 4:45. While we waited we explored downtown and there’s a lot to keep you busy.”
Balance Cafe
“Top 9 allergen-free cafe in the Vista Grande dining hall at Cal Poly SLO. The place is clearly labeled as which allergens they accommodate. The food overall is quite bland but it’s tolerable.
The place is in a building like a food court where the other places in the building are not top 9 allergen-free. However, none of the places handle peanuts and some have gluten-free options. They can’t guarantee that their ingredients aren’t processed on the same equipment but that’s like most restaurants you’ll find.”
Sequel Cold Brew Tea
“Staff was good about clarifying that there were no peanuts in the kitchen. it’s located in a building full of other restaurants that do have peanuts but they all have separate kitchens.”
Burger Village
“Dedicated peanut-free with gluten-free buns, tater tots, and other options.”
