DAY 1
Hotel: Taj Exotica Resort & Spa, The Palm, Dubai
“Stayed at this hotel for a wedding. Gorgeous hotel with amazing service! The chef notified his staff of my allergies and was present at every event of the wedding. He made the same food that was on the wedding menu for me but prepared it safely with none of my allergens and no chance of cross-contamination. This way, I did not have to feel alienated with ‘different’ food from everyone else but could stay safe. The staff did this for every course of every meal for the entire wedding! (3-day stay).”
Breakfast: Taj Exotica Resort & Spa, The Palm, Dubai
Lunch: Fratelli La Bufala
“Was able to get a safe pasta dish and drink here!”
Dinner: Din Tai Fung
“The staff was helpful and knowledgeable. They warned us if we were about to order something with one of my allergens! I ordered the Chili Noodles and the Chicken XiaoLongBao. Some items definitely had sesame oil, but I am fine with oil.”
Sightseeing: JBR Beach + The Beach, JBR
Sightseeing: Dubai Mall
Sightseeing: Burj Khalifa + the Dubai Fountain
DAY 2
Lunch: Eataly – Dubai Hills Mall
“The food was great, and the staff understood my concerns. They said they did not have a separate kitchen but that they would boil all the utensils for me to lower any risk of cross-contamination. However, I would not get the gelato for dessert because all the flavors are next to each other, and I saw some of the pistachio get flung into one of the non-nut flavors!”
Dinner: Taj Exotica Resort and Spa, The Palm
Snack: Juicebae Cafe
“They have nuts in the cafe (almond milk, peanut butter), but they were able to make a safe smoothie for me. I just reiterated many times that I wanted no nuts and to wash the machine.”
Sightseeing: Dubai Hills Mall
Sightseeing: Souk Madinat Jumeirah
DAY 3
Hotel: NYU Abu Dhabi Residence Halls
“They had nut-free options and signs that allowed you to check nutrition information. They had a wide variety of dining options with many different cuisines. I was able to ask the staff if anything I wanted had my allergens, and they would check with the chefs for me!”
Lunch: NYU Abu Dhabi Dining Hall D2
“Not as many options as the East Dining Hall but they’re all different from the East Dining Hall so expands options even more for whatever kind of food you’re in the mood for!”
Dinner: Din Tai Fung – Galleria Branch
“The waitstaff knew the menu well and were able to help me choose items I could eat, as well as warn me if we were about to add an item to the order that would contain an allergen. They also helped come up with solutions, such as not putting peanuts on one dish and keeping it to the side, so that I could eat it, and then my friends could add the peanuts individually if they so wished to.”
Coffee Shop: Café 302
“I ordered the Sunshine breakfast and just asked them to make sure it was nut/coconut/sesame-free, and they were able to do that! Cute place, and the food was pretty good.”
Snack: WeMart Supermarket
“Wide variety of options, and I was able to find a whole bunch of Taiwanese and Japanese snacks and drinks that I could safely eat.”
Sightseeing: NYU Abu Dhabi Campus
Sightseeing: Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque
Sightseeing: Emirates Palace Mandarin Oriental
DAY 4
Lunch: NYU Abu Dhabi Dining Hall D1
“So many options, and the staff is great! You can definitely find something you like AND that’s safe!”
Dinner: Kuttyes Restaurant
“The food was good, and I was able to have a meal with no reaction! I don’t know that it was the safest experience, given I couldn’t judge the level of understanding of the severity of my allergies by the waitstaff. However, we were able to order a bunch of things, and I was fine!”
Coffee Shop: NYU Abu Dhabi Marketplace
“I got their Energy Booster smoothie which has sunflower seed butter instead of peanut butter. So refreshing to see a smoothie spot that has nut substitutes. Also got pasta at Escape to New York!”
Dessert: Ice Cream and Juice Station
“I requested a clean scoop and to take the ice cream from the top of the bin/the part that hadn’t been scooped yet. Be careful though, the risk of cross-contamination is still there! The safest bet would be their soft serve, since it’s separated in each machine. They also had some fun soft serve flavors other than just the plain vanilla flavor.”
