US City Seed Oil-Free Restaurant Guide - Part 3
Midwest metropolitan areas. 57 restaurants. 11 cities.
We’re onto week 3 of our 4-part series on the seed oil-free restaurants of the greater US metropolitan areas.
Part 3 of a 4-part series split up by geographic region:
Part 1 = Mid-Atlantic & New England
Part 2 = West Coast & Rockies
Part 3 = Midwest
Part 4 = South
In Part 3, we’ll cover the major urban areas of the Midwest:
Chicago
Columbus
Detroit
Indianapolis
St. Louis
Kansas City
Minneapolis
Milwaukee
Omaha
Wichita
Cleveland
These restaurants remain the exception to the industry norm. But until the norm becomes seed oil-free, we’ll need to drive the cause through a grassroots initiatives. We support those restaurants - especially local businesses - taking into consideration culinary excellence & customer health. Vote with your wallet.
A good general rule of thumb for the restaurants listed below: avoid anything deep-fried. Each featured establishment has committed to using premium cooking oils like olive, avocado, & coconut, or traditional fats like beef tallow & butter. While some may still offer deep-fried options using seed oils, we'll clearly identify which restaurants maintain strictly seed oil-free kitchens.
Last point before we jump in to our extensive list: if you know of or are the owner of a restaurant/café/deli fitting this criteria, let me know so we can add & continue spreading the word to make a healthier America in the coming years.
Midwest Cities
Chicago
Marco Roma
Description: Classic, casual Italian cuisine. EVOO for pizza, homemade chips, & bread. Items fried in beef tallow.
Location: Winnetka
Bo’s Schnitzelbunker
Description: A schnitzel & brats hub just outside of Chicago. Cooking done with grass-fed beef tallow & lard. Fries are air-fried. Pretzels made with butter.
Location: Pewaukee (WI)
Fare
Description: Seasonal, health-focused restaurant using only EVOO & coconut oil in cooking. 99% of meals made from scratch.
Locations:
Northwestern Memorial Hospital
The Loop
Revival Food Hall
From Here on Food Hall
Osteria del Pastaio
Description: Traditional Italian restaurant specializing in artisan pastas made daily with fresh ingredients. EVOO & butter only.
Location: Gold Coast
Gavroche
Description: Contemporary French restaurant offering a modern interpretation. Cooking done in butter & olive oil. Fried menu items in beef fat.
Location: Old Town
Sundrip
Description: Whole-food, gluten-free, vegan restaurant with a focus on smoothies, nourishing bowls, & health-conscious cuisine. EVOO & coconut oil only.
Locations:
Fulton Market
Hyde Park
Flour Power
Description: Pasta restaurant offering a rotating daily menu of fresh, handmade pastas with a focus on "Terpene to Table" principles using locally sourced ingredients. Olive oil used in all dishes.
Location: Ukrainian Village
Fry the Coop
Description: Popular fried chicken sandwich restaurant specializing in hot chicken sandwiches with six different spice levels, ranging from "country" (no heat) to "insanity" (hottest). Chicken & fries cooked in beef fat.
Locations:
Lincoln Park
Portage Park
West Town
Columbus
Choripan Argentine Grill
Description: 100% gluten-free Argentine restaurant offering a variety of empanadas, sandwiches, & other Argentine-inspired dishes. Fryers use locally-sourced beef tallow. Dressings & sauces use olive oil base.
Location: Dublin
TownHall
Description: Non-GMO, casual-style restaurant. All menu items cooked in EVOO. Bone broth served. Pasture-raised eggs. A healthy local favorite.
Location: Short North
Playa Bowls
Description: Health food restaurant serving açaí, pitaya, & coconut bowls with smoothies. Easy to evade any use of oils. Avoid any processed toppings.
Locations:
University District
Quarry Trails
New Albany
Winn Winn Café
Description: Locally-owned café making homemade dishes, espresso, and a variety of breakfast & lunch options. EVOO, coconut, & avocado oil used in all baked goods.
Location: Grandview/5th
Copia Farm
Description: 40-acre regenerative farm offering a farm store open daily. Grass-fed meats. Pasture-raised eggs. Raw milk.
Location: Johnstown
Sowplated
Description: Made-from-scratch, health-inspired restaurant offering a flavor-forward menu featuring fusion & farm-to-table cuisine. Cooking done in EVOO.
Location: Upper Arlington
Market 65
Description: Farm-to-table local eatery specializing in fresh salads, sandwiches, & wraps made with locally-sourced produce, meats, & cheeses. Only EVOO used.
Location: Downtown
Rio Fresh Café
Description: Organic-focused café serving hand-crafted smoothies, acai bowls, & meals made with fresh, organic ingredients. Dishes cooked in avocado & olive oil.
Location: Short North
Detroit
Puma
Description: Argentine-inspired restaurant featuring wood-fire cooking & casual street food-style dishes. Beef tallow only.
Location: Core City
Café Prince
Description: Café serving dishes with high-quality, minimally processed ingredients. State they deliberately avoid using canola oil. EVOO only.
Location: Core City
Hudson Café
Description: Modern brunch café offering breakfast & lunch dishes. Social media posts declaring they’re seed oil free.
Location: Downtown
Clean Eatz
Description: Healthy meal prep style restaurant offering nutritious meal options & plans including burgers, wraps, bowls, & smoothies. Using only avocado oil & EVOO. “We are proud to be SEED OIL SAFE!”
Location: Troy
Cuisine
Description: European-influenced, modern American restaurant. Website states: “Organic, wild, gluten free options, no ultra processed food, no seed oils, keto friendly”
Location: New Center
Marrow
Description: Neighborhood butcher shop & restaurant hybrid focused on locally sourced, sustainable ingredients. Dishes looked exclusively in beef fat & butter.
Location: West Village
Pizza e Vino
Description: Neapolitan-style pizzeria dedicated to creating authentic Italian pizzas using traditional techniques. San Marzano tomatoes, fresh mozzarella, & cooking in a wood-fired oven imported from Italy that reaches temperatures over 900°F. EVOO for pizzas.
Location: Plymouth
Indianapolis
Creation Cookies Café
Description: Family-owned café serving lunch options (& special desserts). Avocado oil only. Locally sourced meats & produce.
Location: Danville
Cooper’s Alley
Description: Organic farm-to-table restaurant focused on locally sourcing fresh ingredients from a 50-mile radius. All dishes cooked in beef tallow, EVOO, avocado, coconut oil, & butter.
Location: Nashville
Oink
Description: Smokehouse & southern kitchen known for their award-winning sauces & comfort food with a craft BBQ twist. Cook with beef tallow.
Location: Jasper
St. Louis
Salt + Smoke
Description: Lively BBQ restaurant offering St. Louis-style BBQ (brisket & trashed ribs). Cook only with beef tallow.
Locations:
Delmar Loop
Ballpark Village
Hampton
Ellisville
St. Charles
Bolyard’s Meat & Provisions
Description: Butcher shop, deli, & casual lunch spot offering pasture-raised meats from local Missouri farms. Cook in beef tallow.
Location: Maplewood
Pizzeoli Wood Fired Pizza
Description: Neapolitan-inspired pizzeria serving artisan wood-fired pizza. Posted on Facebook in July 2024: “A little something about us is that we don’t use any seed oils. Coconut, tallow and olive is all we deal in.”
Location: Soulard Neighborhood
The Crossing
Description: Upscale restaurant fusing French & Italian cuisine. Fried items cooked in beef tallow. Cooking done in butter and olive oil.
Location: Clayton
Acero
Description: Inventive Italian fare with fresh, farm-to-table restaurant known for its use of locally-sourced ingredients. Use only olive oil or butter.
Location: Maplewood
Kansas City
Third Street Social
Description: American restaurant serving chef-driven classic comfort food. Cook in animals fats & butter.
Location: Lee’s Summit
Tay’s Cheesesteak
Description: Cheesesteaks made with grass-fed/finished beef and fries made with fresh beef tallow.
Location: North Kansas City
Pizza Tascio
Description: New York-style pizza restaurant known for its wide slices, thin crusts, & fresh ingredients. All pizzas made with olive oil.
Locations:
North Kansas City
Waldo
39th Street
Sierra Grill
Description: Chef-owned restaurant specializing in wood-fired steaks and homemade dishes. Fresh, locally-sourced ingredients. Animal fats for cooking & frying.
Location: Lenexa City Center
Hereford House
Description: Upscale steakhouse & Kansas City staple since 1957. Aged, hand-cut steaks. Cooking done in olive oil or butter.
Location: Zona Rosa
Minneapolis
Nautical Bowls
Description: Trendy & casual health food restaurant specializing in acai bowls. Easy to avoid oils altogether.
Locations:
Dinkytown
Edina
Jellybean & Julia’s BBQ
Description: Restaurant specializing in BBQ, burgers, & sandwiches made from scratch. Tallow in deep fryer. Cook with butter, animal fats, & olive oil.
Location: Coon Rapids
Tao Organic Café
Description: Airy café serving organic dishes - salads, wraps, & grain bowls. Only olive oil used.
Location: Uptown
The Good Egg
Description: Food truck specializing in fried egg sandwiches using high-quality, ethically sourced ingredients. 100% avocado oil. Seed oil-free.
Location: Stillwater
Urban Olive & Vine
Description: Bistro known for its fresh, scratch-made food. Uses olive oil from California. Vinegar & pasta from Italy. Cheeses, jams, and jellies sourced locally.
Location: Hudson (Wisconsin)
Parcelle
Description: Organic café serving clean, nutritious meals made with high-quality organic ingredients. Fully seed oil free - only organic avocado or olive oil in their cooking, sauces, breads, pastries, & tortillas.
Location: Northeast Minneapolis
Milwaukee
Santino’s Little Italy
Description: Italian restaurant with an old-school vibe serving traditional Neapolitan pizzas in a rustic setting. Fresh, locally sourced ingredients - Caputo 00 flour, Grande mozzarella, & San Marzano tomatoes. EVOO only.
Location: Bay View
Wy’east Pizza
Description: Trendy pizza restaurant specializing in craft pizzas made with long-fermented dough & olive oil.
Location: Hawthorne Glen
Blooming Lotus Bakery
Description: Gourmet bakery specializing in healthy baked goods free of grain, gluten, egg, dairy, cane sugar, oils, soy, & yeast. Use coconut oil & coconut palm sugar. Baked goods have 2-4x the protein & fiber content of most gluten-free products.
Location: Clock Tower Building
Milwaukee Pretzel Company
Description: Bavarian-style pretzels handmade in Milwaukee using high-quality ingredients without preservatives & butter.
Locations:
East Side
Shorewood
Omaha
Sand Point
Description: Seafood restaurant bringing New England cuisine to the Midwest offering dishes like lobster rolls & crab cakes. All cooked in butter.
Location: West Omaha
Clean Juice
Description: USDA-certified organic juice bar serving nutritious, organic food, cold-pressed juices, smoothies, acai bowls, wraps, &other healthy options. EVOO used in any cooked dishes.
Location: One Pacific Shopping Center
Railcar
Description: Rustic-chic restaurant specializing in American cuisine. Sourcing only local ingredients and cooking with olive oil & butter.
Location: West Omaha
Ellsworth Crossing
Description: Faith-based, veteran-owned "Farm to Fork" market offering the best meats, cheeses, dairy, & goods from local Nebraska farmers.
Location: Waterloo
Wichita
Wichita Cheesecake Company
Description: Family-owned bakery specializing in traditional & signature cheesecake creations. Only butter & olive oil used in baked goods.
Location: E Douglas Ave
Bella Luna Café
Description: Locally owned restaurant with a diverse selection of American & Mediterranean style cuisine using only EVOO in cooked dishes.
Locations:
Bradley Fair
New Market Square
Cleveland
Green Goat Café
Description: Organic café bar offering smoothies, salads, sandwiches, & zero-toxin coffee. Dishes cooked in EVOO.
Location: Chinatown/Campus District
Green Farm Juicery
Description: Organic juice bar & wellness center focused on providing nutrient-dense meals, cold-pressed juices & smoothies. Easy to avoid oils altogether.
Locations:
Blue Ash
Hyde Park
Mason
West Chester
Bay Village
Pace Café
Description: Organic scratch kitchen & café offering coffee, cold-pressed juices, & healthy bites made with organic ingredients without preservatives or artificial flavors. Committed to using no seed oils in dishes.
Location: Tremont
TownHall
Description: Trendy restaurant known for its commitment to using locally-sourced, organic ingredients. Use avocado oil & grass-fed butter.
Location: Cleveland (25th St.)
Whitehouse Chicken
Description: Chicken restaurant founded by Serbian immigrants known for its Barberton-style fried chicken. Frying done in 100% beef tallow.
Location: Wadsworth
If you're running a restaurant that hits this criteria, please share that here & I'll add. If you don't see your city & want it included in the future, let us know.
We’re more bullish than ever on the future here. Stay healthy & we’ll see you next week.
Your friend,
BTP
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