How to check allergen information before you order food

If you have a food allergy or intolerance, check the allergen information before you order, and then tell the staff anyway. On Mosey, a place lists the allergens in its dishes, and the site prints what the place has listed on the order page, in the basket and on the dish and place pages. This guide explains what you will see, what it does not tell you and how to eat out with more confidence.

What you will see

On an order page, each dish shows the allergen sentence the place has set, written out in words. It appears again in your basket and on your order status page, so the information is in front of you when you choose and when you pay. It is also shown on dish and place pages.

When a place has not filled it in

If a dish has no declaration, the page says the place has not listed allergens for that dish and tells you to ask before you order. It never fills the gap with a guess. A missing listing is not a clean bill of health, so treat it as a question for the staff.

Hiding dishes that list an allergen

The order page and a place's dish strip have a filter that hides dishes listing the allergens you choose. It runs in your browser and the site does not store your choice, so a reload clears it. Dishes with no declaration stay in view and are marked, so you can still ask about them. The filter is based on what the place has listed. Always tell staff about your allergy.

What to ask

Allergen information is a start. Tell the staff what you react to and how severely, ask how the dish is made, and ask about cross-contact in the kitchen, such as shared fryers, boards and utensils. Do not assume a vegetarian dish is free of anything, or that a sauce is safe because the dish looks plain. Ask again on each visit, because menus and recipes change.

Planning ahead

Look at the menu before you go, and message or ring the place if you are unsure. Our guide on coeliac and gluten-free eating out covers what to ask when gluten matters, and vegetarian and vegan eating out covers plant-based choices. In Dublin, see eating out with allergies in Dublin.

Reading the ratings

Other diners often mention how a kitchen handled a request. Look through recent ratings for comments on allergies, as our guide to reading restaurant ratings and photos explains. A good kitchen answers a question about allergens clearly and without fuss.

If you order ahead, the order ahead page explains how an order works, and the allergen sentence follows the dish into your basket.

When you are ordering for someone else

If you are ordering for a child, a guest or a colleague, check the allergen information against their needs, not yours, and ask them or their family if you are unsure. Write the need in the order notes if the page offers them, and still tell the person who hands over the food. If the order is for a group, ask each person to check their own dish, because a shared platter changes the answer. When in doubt about a dish, choose another or ring the place, and keep their answer for next time.