New York is a bustling city filled with so much character, energy, and delicious food. All of those things can be intimidating for someone struggling with an autoimmune disease, especially when they’re still in the healing phase.

I feel lucky that I’m at a place in my healing journey where I have introduced a wide range of foods and anywhere that serves meat and vegetables is pretty much a-OK for me. I realize that isn’t the case for everyone, though! That’s why I put together this post on how to travel while you’re on the autoimmune paleo protocol.

Okay, back to New York City and my approach to travel these days. I do my best to stick within my tolerated foods but I’m definitely lax about whether or not restaurants are cooking with paleo oils and cross contact (because my health consequences due to minor cross contact are not severe, as long as I’m not doing it continuously). My strong “no way” foods are grains (including gluten), legumes, and refined sugar. I don’t typically eat dairy but I’ll have it about once a day if we’re traveling. I also always pack my activated charcoal pills just in case something doesn’t agree with my stomach.

This is technically a paleo guide to New York city if you’re relaxed about things the way I am. If there are Autoimmune Paleo options at a restaurant I list it below and I also note if it’s a gluten-free, dairy-free, paleo-friendly restaurant. Note: Little Beet Table and Brodo were the only completely gluten-free places I visited.

LITTLE BEET TABLE – UNION SQUARE

We stopped here right before we saw the musical Beautiful (which was easily one of the best broadway musicals I’ve ever seen). Its a gluten-free farm to table restaurant that is really accommodating to food allergies. The guy didn’t look at me funny when I asked him if the pasta was made with grains (why did I even ask that?) and I could eat several of the main courses (like the salmon with rutabaga mash and the steak with chimichurri). I loved that they had a selection of mocktails made with fresh juices and kombucha.

Good for: GLUTEN-FREE, DAIRY-FREE, PALEO, AIP

BRODO – EAST VILLAGE

Pinch me because I think I died and went to heaven. We all know the healing benefits of bone broth and many of us on healing diets make our own or purchase it pre-made at the store. Let me tell you something, this bone broth is better than literally every bone broth you have ever had in your entire life. Trust me, I’m not exaggerating. You get to choose a base of beef, chicken or mushroom broth and then get add-ins to bring the flavor up a notch. I had the Tuscan Sun (rosemary oil, roasted garlic, and lemon) and the Spicy Nona (Calabrian chili oil, and roasted garlic). Yes, I went there twice and no, I can’t decide which one was better. I am pretty depressed I didn’t get to try all of them, but my fingers are crossed they’ll become a national chain and open their next restaurant in Denver (pretty please?).

Good For: GLUTEN-FREE, DAIRY-FREE, PALEO, AIP

EGG SHOP – WILLIAMSBURG

This spot had pretty pastel colors and a bit of a pretentious vibe. Our waitress was nice enough, though, and didn’t look at me funny when I asked for one of the breakfast sandwiches sans-bread. I was worried it wouldn’t be a very substantial breakfast without it, but the bowl of eggs ended up being enough to get me through the day until we popped into a burger place for supper. I don’t trust that there isn’t a whole-lot of cross contact happening in the back, so if you have severe food sensitivities I’d definitely avoid this place.

Good for: DAIRY-FREE, GLUTEN-FREE, AIP (with possible cross-contact)

JAUNCHIS BROOKLYN BURGERS– WILLIAMSBURG

If you look at the burgers on their website it’s basically just a bunch of burger porn. Burger joints are one of my go-to when going out with friends because they’re so customizable. A lot of places are offering them wrapped in lettuce now, and even if they don’t you can get a side salad and DIY. As far as burger places go, this one was pretty legit (also a tiny bit pretentious but not nearly at the Egg Shop level). Def recommend!

Good for: GLUTEN-FREE, DAIRY-FREE, PALEO & AIP (with possible cross-contact)

PASTRAMI QUEEN – UPPER EAST SIDE

My husband and I always try to watch Anthony Bourdain shows on the cities we’re visiting (RIP). He always recommends you consider what that city does really well that doesn’t compare to other cities, and he said NYC has the best delis around. Hearing that got my husband SO PSYCHED on going to a deli and it got me a little freaked out about what I would eat there. Luckily, my friend Mercedes is from NYC and she told me to just get a stack of meat sans bread.. so that’s exactly what I did.

I don’t think I truly lived up until the moment I had a combo stack of pastrami and corned beef on a plate. This thing blew. my. mind. Sure, it wasn’t the most nutrient-dense meal and we were definitely chowing down on some sad cows, but V A C A T I O N, bitches!

Good for: GLUTEN-FREE, DAIRY-FREE, PALEO (with possible cross-contact)

WESTVILLE – DUMBO

We were looking for a place to grab a bite near the Brooklyn Bridge Park (beautiful and highly recommend it!) and my friend Kate had mentioned Westville was good for fresh, healthy food. It didn’t have the most interesting menu but it was certainly healthy! You could grab a bowl of fruit, avocado, and bacon for an AIP breakfast, but I opted for a scramble with a side salad. It was right down the street from the park and also happened to be the least expensive meal we had while eating out in NYC. I would definitely recommend it to any of my friends heading to NYC on a healing diet.

Good for: GLUTEN-FREE, DAIRY-FREE, PALEO & AIP (with possible cross-contact)

KIKI’S – CHINATOWN

We were pretty full from breakfast but that didn’t stop us from eating a couple small plates at Kiki’s greek restaurant two hours later. I had been super excited to try the lamb but there just wasn’t room in my belly. Instead we got a greek salad with a giant block of feta, some babaganoush with pita for my husband and cucumbers for me, and … greek feta fries with eggs on top. One of my instructors in nutrition school told me if there was one thing he would recommend I never eat again, it’s hydrogenated oils.. but alas, I slammed some fries and dipped them in some mustard mayo that tasted like it was made by angels. I definitely felt a bit bloated afterward and it reminded me why I should heed my instructor’s advice. But also, #worthit.

Good for: GLUTEN-FREE, DAIRY-FREE, PALEO (with possible cross-contact)

NARCISSA – EAST VILLAGE

I saved the best for last. My husband and I love exploring new and interesting restaurants and will occasionally drop a pretty penny for a dinner experience. Let me tell you, this place was worth it! The menu had tons of seafood, very little rice and grains (yay), and every dish we ate was bursting with rich flavor. It was a party for our tastebuds that I want to revisit over and over and over again. I think it was one of the top five meals I’ve ever had. We got the ceviche with lettuce and herbs, hen of the woods with green tahini sauce (sooo good), grilled octopus, and the whole branzino (a full de-boned fish covered in a red pepper sauce with pickled hibiscus). I’m salivating just thinking about it right now!

Good for: GLUTEN-FREE, DAIRY-FREE, PALEO

There are a couple spots I wanted to check out that I just didn’t get around to like Springbone and ABC Kitchen. Everyone is obsessed with HU Kitchen, but we went there a few years ago and I felt like I could make better paleo food at my own house. I may have just gotten the wrong dish, though!

I’m curious, do you have any favorite paleo-friendly restaurants in New York City? Head over to my Instagram and let me know!