“One-quarter of restaurant patrons have a dietary restriction,” a chef told me recently. That’s a lot of people. Restaurants are starting to adapt to customers who cannot have gluten, nuts or lactose — and have money to spend.

In my experience, chefs will gladly accommodate a customer’s restrictions when possible, and many restaurants also offer a gluten-free menu. Now dining destinations are popping up in the Capital Region that cater to patrons who need modifications or who choose a lifestyle that might not include meat or dairy. Some are national chains, like B.GOOD in Stuyvesant Plaza; some are independently owned like Whole Harvest on Caroline Street in Saratoga Springs.

Whole Harvest, which opened in March, is vegan-friendly and focuses on food that supports a healthy lifestyle. Food is sourced locally as available. Virginia and I went for lunch to check it out.

You step off Caroline Street into the small, cheerful — though windowless — space (the occupancy code limits the restaurant to 15 people) with a few tables and some counter seating. Exposed brick walls and rich royal blue paint and gray cement floor give the interior a warm feel while fairy lights crisscross the ceiling. Cutlery, condiments and napkins are in containers on the tables. Help yourself.

Take a seat or get food to go. During our lunch, there was a steady stream of patrons who did both. We were invited to take a table, so we sat near the counter and checked out the menu.

You can have meat at Whole Harvest, but the majority of choices are meatless or have protein options. The restaurant is dairy-free, which posed a challenge to Virginia, who takes her coffee ($3) with milk.

“Would you like coconut milk, almond milk or cashew milk?” the server asked. Virginia chose coconut milk, which didn’t quite do the same job changing the color and opacity of the coffee, but she concluded, “If I don’t look at it, it tastes almost the same.”

At Whole Harvest you can get a grain bowl, served warm, with choice of proteins and vegetables and nuts; a salad; and there are plenty of breakfast options such as French toast or avocado toast, oatmeal, wraps with local organic eggs or tofu. Gluten-free bread is substituted at no charge.

Proteins or their stand-ins are organic chicken, vegetarian bacon and jackfruit, which mimics pulled pork really well. Interesting grains include millet and adlay, a grain from South Asia that’s similar to barley. The variety of ingredients makes your meal interesting and flavorful.

There’s a short wine list that covers lots of territory. The wines are basic but good. The Spanish cava is an excellent choice for a sparkling wine and the Zinfandel rosé by Pedrocelli was very highly rated. I’m impressed with the inclusion of an Oregon pinot noir. At $8 a glass, $30 a bottle they’re reasonably priced. There’s beer, hard seltzer and cider, and two gluten-free IPAs, among others. Aside from Saratoga water products, kombucha and coffee, there aren’t many nonalcoholic choices.

Virginia started with a cup of the day’s soup, onion potato, an unassuming but very hot bowl of uniform brown soup with red bits. “Soup is good,” Virginia said, who liked it enough to finish it.

She’d ordered the cup of soup and half grain bowl ($11.95), and now the grain bowl appeared along with my Buffalo Chicken Power Bowl ($8.95).
“It looks pretty,” Virginia said, looking at the half Harvest Bowl. It’s loaded with good stuff like arugula, millet, beet hummus, sweet potato chunks and leeks, topped with sunflower seeds and served with homemade cashew-tahini dressing. “It tastes good,” she said.

“I like how it’s layered,” she added, and commented favorably on the dressing. “It’s creamy and enhances the rest of the ingredients. It adds another texture.” She swapped her fork for a spoon to be sure to get everything out of the bowl.

The Buffalo Chicken Power Bowl was hot — both in temperature and spice. My first forkful came up with whole grain rice, tangy and slightly purple from its proximity to red cabbage coleslaw. I loved the cooked, juicy small tomatoes, and the crunchy carrot and red cabbage shreds. But the star is the white-meat chicken, marinated 24 hours, and its heat. It came with roasted garlic aioli, just the thing to take off some of the sting. The bounty of chicken made it a satisfying dish.

Whole Harvest gets gluten- and allergen-free desserts from various sources. We shared two different cupcakes ($3.25 each) from the Inked Baker, chocolate with red wine frosting and vanilla with coconut frosting. You wouldn’t think red wine would make a good flavor for frosting, but you would be wrong. It was terrific. The coconut frosting didn’t have a strong flavor, but points to the baker for making a vegan frosting that doesn’t leave a film in your mouth. Both were excellent.

Whole Harvest has late-night desserts on Fridays and Saturdays during track season: vegan doughnuts and cinnamon rolls, and cookie-dough balls

The tab for our outstandingly healthy lunch came to $39.04 with tax and tip. Could I get a receipt? Not exactly. Whole Harvest is paperless, and they emailed it.

We bussed our table, separating waste, recyclables and dishes, and headed out knowing we’d eaten well. A meal at Whole Harvest will leave you feeling good about eating local, healthy food.

Whole Harvest

WHERE: 5 Caroline St., Saratoga Springs; (518) 584-5100; www.wholeharvest.com
WHEN: Monday to Friday, 9:30 a.m. to 6:30 p.m.; Saturday, 9:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Check before you go; hours will
be changing soon.
HOW MUCH: $39.04, with tax and tip
MORE INFO: Credit cards: Mastercard, Visa, American Express, Discover. Not fully ADA compliant: There is a small step at the entrance, but doorways and bathroom are compliant. Parking on street or in public lots. Children’s menu.