Torino's Italian Restaurant 
Torino's Italian Restaurant features authentic Italian food, reasonable pricing, and a wonderful atmosphere. Formerly in the Nippers Corner complex and recently ousted by the new Publix supermarket, Torino's has found a new home in Franklin that remarkably recreates the prior location's intimacy and ambiance. The
menu is classic Italian with the expected antipasti, pastas, baked dishes and desserts.
The Lactose Line
Dining at any Italian restaurant is an extreme challenge for lactose intolerant people, and Torino's is no exception. However, most of the landmines are well marked. Many of the dishes on the menu note where cheese is included, but even where the item appears safe, be sure to voice your concern to your waiter, because we didn't, and the two menu-noted cheese-free entrees we ordered came with parmesan garnishing them. Torino's trademark garlic bread balls are delicious and soaked in a garlic oil, not butter, making them an indulgent treat for the lactose free.
Best Lactose-free options:
Consult the
menu before you go. Choose the house salad (ordered without cheese), enjoy the garlic bread balls, and choose any entree with marinara sauce (ordered without garnishing cheese).
Map and Directions:
at Torino's siteRating:
3 out of 5 lactose-free stars. Three stars should be considered top-notch for an Italian restaurant. The fantastic food and atmosphere makes for a great dining experience... one which can be experienced lactose-free with a modicum of effort.
Las Palmas Mexican Restaurant 
Las Palmas Mexican Restaurant is a Nashville staple. With
multiple locations, this local chain features a huge menu of Mexican standards: tacos, chimichangas, burritos, enchiladas, and much more. Of note to lactose-consumers, Las Palmas is a white cheese Mexican restaurant, not a cheddar "Tex-Mex" restaurant. Beyond the standard combinations, there are several specialty entrees, some old-Mexico-style, and some more tame such as their new shrimp cocktail. Their lunch menu (probably their most popular time of day) offers nine specials plus the "speedy gonzales," a $3.85 taco, enchilada and beans or rice.
The Lactose Line
Like those at most Mexican restaurants, many of the dishes involve a fair amount of cheese and/or sour cream. However, due to the made-to-order (or at least "assemble-to-order") nature of the food, almost any meal can be ordered "no queso." And when the dairy is omitted, the dishes do not suffer. Ordering without cheese in many cases reveals the hidden flavors, especially their well-seasoned ground beef. In the many times that we have been to the restaurant, every time we have special ordered with dairy omitted, the order has been correct, and delivered without delay. The only exception has been certain times when the refried beans have arrived with the cheese garnish not omitted. Also, the menu is fairly comprehensive in offering descriptions of the food including whether they include dairy ingredients.
Best Lactose-free options:
Take your pick from the menu and order without cheese. For an even easier experience, choose the fajitas. Reasonably priced and well prepared, it's an a la carte way to enjoy Las Palmas and control your own experience.
Map and Directions:
via Google or
via CitySearchRating:
4 out of 5 lactose-free stars, only because there are few ready-to-order lactose-free dishes... but many easily and willingly adaptable ones.
Atlanta Bread Company
Atlanta Bread Company, located on the west side of downtown and on the Cool Springs side of Franklin, offers upscale soup, sandwich, salad and baked goods for a reasonable price. Focusing on the menu items that they do means that ABC tends to be busy for breakfast, packed at lunch, and pretty vacant at dinner... making it a good time to visit for the first time. The choices are somewhat tame, but varied and customizable to your heart's content.
The Lactose Line
The majority of the menu items are lactose-free when ordered without cheese. Their
nutrition guide (pdf) is very helpful when guesstimating the contents of the food... the higher fat items will be cheese-centric or milk-centric. Avoid the Panini sandwiches and stick to the fat-free salad dressings for a more healthy and lactose-free meal.
Best Lactose-free options:
Chopstix Chicken Salad (yum!), any "build it yourself" sandwich, fruit salad, vegetable soup, tomato soup, any of the chilis.
Map and Directions:
at ABC's siteRating:
4 out of 5 lactose-free stars
Zoe's Kitchen 
Zoe's Kitchen is a new concept fast casual restaurant that has just opened in Brentwood and Green Hills. The marketing for this new walk-up-and-order place is fairly ambiguous, focusing on their "Chicken Roll-up" sandwiches... which, since chicken is sort of the flavor velcro of the food world... could be influenced from any cuisine on earth. As it turns out, Birmingham-based
Zoe is greek and that means one thing: a ton of feta cheese.
The Lactose Line
Don't be fooled by
the descriptions on the menu, Zoe's is all about sneaking in dairy where you don't expect it. Of special note - any sandwich with slaw has feta in the slaw. On the plus side, they do include chips and a side item in their sandwich combos. The safest side is the fruit cup.
Best Lactose-free options:
Ham + Swiss on Rye (hold the swiss), Turkey Sandwich (but be sure and state that you want no cheese), homemade Chicken + Orzo soup is probably safe... but I didn't get a look at it... be sure it's not cream-based.
Map and Directions:
at Zoe's siteRating:
1 out of 5 lactose-free stars
Pei Wei 
America's favorite fast casual Asian cuisine concept has hit Nashville... well, Brentwood actually. An offshoot of the P.F. Chang's franchise,
Pei Wei is a walk-up-and-order version of the same thing you find at its sit-down-and-be-waited-on big brother. The menu is a little more Garanimals than Changs, letting you choose your core protein (beef, pork, chicken, shrimp or scallops) and then the style... anything from Mongolian to Sweet and Sour to "General Cho's style" and more.
The Lactose Line
The best part... the menu is almost entirely lactose-free. You can have your run of the entire thing and not hit a drop of milk... just avoid the crab wontons. That's par for the course for most Asian restaurants, but at Pei Wei, it's a treat.
Location and Menu:
from the Pei Wei siteFavorite Lactose-Free dish:
Lemon Pepper Shrimp
Rating:
5 lactose-free stars
