Dairy Free Restaurant Guide – Pinehurst, NC
Heading to Pinehurst, North Carolina? Grab my insider’s list of all the best dairy free options at local restaurants. From bakeries to lunch spots to dinnertime staples, I’ve got you covered with my go-to favorites in Pinehurst, Southern Pines and the surrounding areas.
Disclaimer: As always, please be sure to carefully read all restaurant menus and double check with your server / restaurant manager to confirm that a dish is dairy free. While the listed options were dairy free at the time of writing, recipes can change, menus can change, restaurants can change. It’s up to you to confirm before dining!
Traveling to Pinehurst? Or maybe you’re new to the area (or newly dairy free)?
Let’s talk about different options for dining out.
After living in Pinehurst for about six years and trying many different restaurants, I’ve compiled a list of my go-to spots that either have a decent amount of dairy free options OR are accommodating for different allergies / intolerances.
Before we get into the list, a few notes:
- Most of the restaurants are located in either Pinehurst or Southern Pines. There are a few that are in Whispering Pines or Aberdeen (which are right in the same general area).
- As with many small towns, there aren’t quite as many choices or as high a level of allergy awareness as in larger cities. So just keep that in mind and make sure you’re clear when ordering.
Bakeries and Cafes
Pine Scone Cafe – As the name implies, this bakery makes some truly tasty scones. Many of their flavors (but not all) are available in a dairy free option. You can also purchase frozen dough logs to bake off at home. They have two locations – one in Pinehurst and one in Southern Pines.
Pro tip: Be sure to call ahead and ask what dairy free options are available that day (or better yet, pre-order your scones). While their scones are delicious, I’ve had some spotty customer service and this way you won’t be disappointed.
Agora Bakery and Cafe – This super cute spot in downtown Pinehurst is a fantastic place to grab coffee and a treat. They have plenty of dairy free milks on hand and usually have a decent selection of dairy free baked goods (these change daily – the dairy free options also tend to be gluten free, with items like snickerdoodle cookies and banana bread).
They also have a limited breakfast and lunch menu, although I’ve never tried any of their regular food.
C Cups CupCakery – With locations in both Pinehurst and Southern Pines, this cupcake shop offers a paleo chocolate cupcake option. They are quite tasty, just lightly sweet. This is something I personally really enjoy but wanted to put that out there in case it’s not your thing.
Pro tip: Be sure to call ahead to make sure the paleo option is available or to pre-order your cupcakes.
Lunch Spots
Roast Sandwich Market – This is a great spot to grab a sandwich or salad for lunch or a quick dinner. There are a number of different options that are already dairy free but they are also really great about making changes or substitutions as needed.
If you order online (you can pick-up inside or use their drive-thru lane), there are check boxes to note any allergies.
Nature’s Own Market – This cute little market has a kitchen and juice bar inside (you can also buy organic groceries, supplements, body products, etc.). They have several dishes that are easily made dairy free. Think salads, sandwiches, small platters, smoothies and coffee drinks.
Elliot’s Provisions Co. – This is another great place to grab a sandwich, salad or wrap for lunch. They have a few dairy free menu items as well as others that are easily made dairy free. You can also pick up some pre-made dishes to enjoy at home for lunch or dinner (these can be hit or miss depending on whether they’re dairy free – just depends on what they have available that day).
Pro tip: Provisions shares a store-front with Pine Scone Cafe. So you can grab lunch and then get a scone and coffee on the way out.
Provisions is also attached to Elliot’s on Linden – their dinner restaurant. They have very limited dairy free options on the standard menu but most of the time seem happy to accommodate. I suggest calling ahead to check before dining.
Dinner Options
195 American Fusion – This is one of our favorite places to go for a nice dinner out. There usually aren’t many options on the menu that are dairy free, but they are excellent about making suggestions / accommodations. I will say many times I ended up going with plain salmon with rice and veggies (but they make it really well!).
Pro tip: When the weather is nice, make a reservation to dine on their outdoor covered patio – it’s lovely. You also probably want to make a reservation if dining inside.
Sly Fox Pub – This fun gastropub serves up British classics and has a ton of beers on tap. They don’t have a lot of menu items that are dairy free but always seem happy to accommodate. And the food is delicious.
Table On The Green – Serving up both American and Thai cuisine, this restaurant is a go-to of ours for pick-up (although you can absolutely dine-in as well). We tend to order off the Thai menu as it’s more dairy free friendly.
Pinehurst Brewing Company – This is a fun (albeit often crowded) place to get food in downtown Pinehurst – the restaurant is located in a converted historic steam plant and is a part of Pinehurst Resort. It’s fairly limited in dairy free options, but does have some tasty BBQ meats and sides (be sure to check with your server as to which are dairy free).
Pro tip: There is often a wait but they do have a large outdoor patio where you can get drinks before your table is ready. They also usually have cornhole games set up outside, although it depends on how busy it is whether you’ll actually get to use them.
Thai Orchid – Another go-to of ours for pick-up, this is our favorite Thai food in the area. They offer all the classics, from appetizers to curries to stir-fry dishes. And like most Thai restaurants, there are plenty of dairy free options.
Ironwood – Serving seasonal American fare, we’ve dined here on several occasions for a nicer dinner out. The food is solid and they usually have at least a few dairy free options on the menu (or dishes that are easily made dairy free). They also have a large outdoor patio which is especially nice during the fall or spring.
There are plenty of other restaurant options in the area, these are just my personal favorites and the ones that I found to be most accommodating with my dairy allergy. I also intentionally did not include any chain restaurants (of which there are plenty!) in favor of supporting local businesses.
So tell me. Are you local to the area or visited and found a dairy free spot that I didn’t mention? Please share in the comments below!
Oh wow, I’m living in Black Mountain this month & am only 45 minutes from Pinehurst! I may need to stop there for breakfast on our way out of town next weekend.
It’s a cute place to visit!