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What to do if you have an allergic reaction in a restaurant

Published 21 October 2026

If you think you or someone with you is having anaphylaxis, treat it as an emergency now. Anaphylaxis is a life-threatening allergic reaction that happens very quickly. The NHS page on anaphylaxis is the source for every step below. This article only puts those steps in the order you need them in a restaurant, and it says what can wait until later. It is not a personal allergy plan. It does not replace 999, the person’s own plan, or a doctor. If the NHS page and this summary ever seem to differ, follow the NHS page and the plan that person was given.

Do this now

The NHS lists these actions if you think you or someone you are with is having an anaphylactic reaction. In a restaurant, if more than one person is there, do them at the same time: one person phones, another helps with the injector that person was prescribed. Do not wait to see if a reaction settles. The NHS also says to use an adrenaline auto-injector if you think you may have anaphylaxis, even if the symptoms are mild.

1. Use an adrenaline auto-injector, such as an EpiPen, if they have one. The instructions are on the side of the injector. Different devices are given differently, so use the one they were shown how to use.
2. Call 999 for an ambulance and say that you think they are having an anaphylactic reaction.
3. Lie them down. You can raise their legs. If they are struggling to breathe, raise their shoulders or sit them up slowly. If they are pregnant, lie them on their left side.
4. If they were stung by an insect and the sting is still in the skin, try to remove it. A food reaction will not have a sting. Do not delay the injector or the call while you look for one.
5. If symptoms have not improved after 5 minutes, use a second adrenaline auto-injector.

Do not stand or walk at any time, even if they feel better. That includes walking to the toilets, out to the car, or over to the ambulance if it can come to them instead. Ask the restaurant to clear space and to send someone to meet the crew. Tell the call handler you are in a restaurant and give the address. If there is no auto-injector, you still call 999 straight away.

Signs the NHS says need emergency help

Symptoms usually start within minutes of contact with a food, a medicine or an insect sting. The NHS says to call 999 if lips, mouth, throat or tongue suddenly swell; if someone is breathing very fast or struggling to breathe, including wheeze or a feeling of choking; if the throat feels tight or swallowing is hard; if skin, tongue or lips turn blue, grey or pale; if someone suddenly becomes confused, drowsy or dizzy; if someone faints and cannot be woken; or if a child is limp, floppy or not responding like they normally do. A child’s head may fall to the side, backwards or forwards, or they may find it difficult to lift their head or focus on your face.

On brown or black skin, the NHS says a colour change may be easier to see on the palms of the hands or the soles of the feet. There may also be a rash that is swollen, raised or itchy. Other symptoms the NHS lists are difficulty breathing or breathing very fast, noisy breathing, coughing, feeling tired or confused, feeling faint, and skin that feels cold. You do not need every symptom on the list before you call. The NHS says these can be signs of a serious allergic reaction and may need immediate treatment in hospital.

We are not going to describe how to inject beyond what the NHS says, which is that the instructions are printed on the side of the device. EpiPen and Jext are given differently. Use the instructions for the device in your hand, the way you were shown when it was prescribed. Do not invent a technique from memory of a different brand. If you are helping another adult or a child, use their injector, not a stranger’s, unless a clinician on the phone tells you otherwise. The child’s version of this situation is also covered in eating out with a child who has food allergies. Their own plan still wins if it says something specific about their care.

What happens after the call

Anaphylaxis needs treatment in hospital immediately. The NHS says treatments can include adrenaline given by injection or a drip, oxygen, and fluids by a drip. People usually stay in hospital for around 2 to 12 hours, and sometimes longer. Before leaving, the NHS says you should be given two adrenaline auto-injectors, or a prescription for them, in case of another reaction, and you should be shown how to use them. You may be referred to an allergy specialist. That follow-up is medical care. It is not a conversation to have with the restaurant while you are waiting for the ambulance.

In Scotland, Food Standards Scotland points people to NHS Inform for allergic reactions, alongside contacting the local authority about a business. The emergency action is still to get medical help immediately. GOV.UK’s eating-out guide says the same: if you feel ill or have an allergic reaction after eating, get medical help immediately, and if you have an adrenaline auto-injector, carry it and use it if you think you are having an allergic reaction. The Food Standards Agency points to the NHS for what to do, and to the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency for further information on auto-injectors. We are not repeating device instructions the NHS has not put on its anaphylaxis page.

What can wait

Do not spend the emergency photographing the plate, arguing about the bill, or asking who was at fault. Those things can matter later. They do not matter before the ambulance. When everyone is safe, GOV.UK says to contact the business and tell them, and that you can also report it to the local council’s food safety team. The Food Standards Agency says to contact the business first about an allergic reaction or a near miss, and then the local authority food safety team if you want further action. How to do that, including the full postcode the reporting tool needs, is in how to report a restaurant that got your allergy wrong.

A chef card is for before you order, not during a reaction. Searching SafePlate is free, and when you are well again you can search on the SafePlate homepage or look for restaurants for a food allergy. The usable allergy chef card, in 38 languages, is part of SafePlate Plus. The allergy chef card page is only a preview unless you have Plus. None of that is part of first aid.

The guides for peanut, mustard, milk, egg and sesame are about avoiding those foods when you eat out. They are not treatment. City guides such as London, Birmingham, Glasgow and Cardiff name local emergency departments for planning a trip. In an emergency you do not pick a hospital from a blog. You call 999 and let the ambulance service decide. If you are preparing for another meal, the conversation to practise is how to tell a restaurant about your food allergy, before anyone is unwell.

Set up your foods before you search. This is not medical advice. Confirm the meal with the kitchen. In the UK, if you think someone is having anaphylaxis, call 999.