Santa Barbara

Santa Barbara was the final stop on our gluten free Southern Californian road trip this Spring. Santa Barbara is another lovely town and I’m happy to report I managed to find somewhere celiac friendly to enjoy a gluten free meal. I also came across a few other restaurants offering gluten free options so if you’re planning to travel to Santa Barbara for work or just for fun, there are safe options waiting for you!

We ate at Silvergreens (on 791 Chapala St) in downtown Santa Barbara. They have a menu which explains how to order gluten free. They offer gluten free pasta, salads, soups and sides. Whilst they make gluten containing dishes in their kitchen, they have procedures in place to avoid the chance of cross contamination. Gluten free customers can also eat some of their burgers and sandwiches if they are ordered with a lettuce wrap instead of a bun. Similarly, they can do a gluten free breakfast bowl which is basically a burrito without the tortilla. Smoothies, shakes and frozen yoghurt are also celiac friendly. After filling myself up on road trip food (I’m all about gluten free jelly beans when I’m on a road trip!) I was looking for something light when we arrived in Santa Barbara so I went for the tomato basil soup and a fruit salad. It was very tasty. One thing I found a little bizarre yet interesting about this place is that your receipt comes with the nutritional facts of what you ordered. Not so strange for California I guess. Silvergreens also has another restaurant in Isla Vista.

Backyard Bowls (on 331 Motorway) is a restaurant that serves healthy, interesting and delicious sounding Acai bowls, breakfast bowls and smoothies. As everything they serve is natural much of what they do is gluten free and you can make substitues for the things you like best and ingredients which are safe. Their Hot Quinoa Bowl sounds like a wonderful breakfast option for this gluten free traveller. Quinoa, home-made cashew milk, cinnamon and raisins, topped with walnuts, strawberries, blueberries, & agave nectar. Wow! Backyard Bowls is a breakfast and lunch place as they close at 5pm every day so I didn’t get the chance to try it out on this trip but I’ll certainly be checking it out on my next visit to Santa Barbara as it looks pretty similar to Lean and Green in La Jolla, San Diego which was fantastic!

Pizza Guru  (on 3534 State Street) serves gluten free pizza in two different sizes, personal and medium for an additional $2 and $2.75 respectively.  They also carry gluten free beer.

The Savoy Cafe (on 24 W Figueroa St) does gluten free cakes if you’re looking for something savoury.

For gluten free grocery shopping in Santa Barbara, Lazy Acres Market (on 302 Meigs Rd) carries a whole bunch of gluten free products. They have a large variety of baking products, bars, bread products, crackers, soups, ready meals, cereal, pasta, candy and lots more celiac friendly goodies.

What are your experiences of gluten free travelling in Santa Barbara? I’d love to hear what you found so please share in the comments below..

Tasty gluten free soup!

Silvergreens

Beautiful La Jolla

La Jolla is a lovely place, located 12 miles north of downtown San Diego and I’m so glad we stopped by for a visit. I enjoyed a really tasty gluten free meal here in La Jolla and came across a bunch of other celiac friendly locations too.

We ate lunch at Lean and Green, which as you can probably tell from it’s name is a natural, organic cafe. They do a variety of things including breakfast options, salads, wraps (on rice tortillas), rice and quinoa bowls as well as shakes, smoothies and juices. As everything they serve is natural, much of what they have is gluten free. I had a black bean and miso rice bowl which was super tasty! So tasty in fact that it inspired me to make a similar dish at home as soon as I can find miso. John went for a gluten free wrap which was really good too.

Tasty rice bowl!

Gluten Free Wrap

Other places I came across in La Jolla with gluten free options include a Mexican street food place called Puesto (on 1026 Wall Street). Everything they serve is fresh and naturally gluten free so it’s a celiac friendly place. I went in to speak to one of the staff and she told me that all of their food is naturally gluten free. When ordering you choose either tacos, guisado bowl or salad bowl. You then choose your meat, fish or veggies and toppings, your choice of dressing or salsa and any sides. It’s simple and everything sounds really tasty. Prices aren’t quite like they were when I was in the wonderful Mexico City a few years back but hopefully they taste just as good as Mexican street food is some of the best there is!

I also found Cups Lounge (on 7857 Girard Ave), an organic cupcakery which does gluten free cupcakes. Some of their cupcakes are also dairy free and low glycemic index. Each day they offer 12 different flavours of cupcakes and at least one will be vegan, one low glycemic and three gluten free. I spoke to the staff in Cups Lounge and they told me that whilst their kitchen is not 100% gluten free as they made all sorts of cupcakes in there, they do their best to eliminate cross contamination by using different utensils, baking trays, etc. Some of their gluten free cupcakes sound amazing. The Hummingbird for example – ‘Southern-style cinnamon-spiced cake with bananas, pineapple, & walnuts topped with cream cheese frosting and candied walnuts.’ All this awesomeness AND gluten free. I like the sound of that.

Celiac friendly Mexican

Gluten free cupcakes

Roppongi is a sushi bar in La Jolla (on 875 Prospect) which has a gluten free menu. Whilst a lot of Japanese food is naturally gluten free and safe for celiacs, especially when it comes to sushi, it’s pretty unique to come across a Japanese restaurant with an actual gluten free menu. This was nice to see as it shows they are aware of the importance of gluten free dining for some of us. They offer separate gluten free lunch and dinner menus with a variety of tasty sounding dishes. Tapas, soups and salads, entrees, meat dishes and sides are included on the gluten free menus. Sushi doesn’t actually appear on the gluten free menus which surprises me a little but perhaps it goes without saying that nigiri and maki are gluten free as long as there are no added sauces involved. If you choose to eat here, definitely double check that the sushi is safe and that they can prepare it free from cross contamination.

For other gluten free places to eat in San Diego check out my Gluten Free in San Diego post. I found a whole bunch of celiac friendly  places there! Are you gluten free and living in or near La Jolla? Let me know if I’ve missed anything gluten free and delicious!

Gluten free labelling!

Lean and Green

Gluten free nachos!

Veggie stirfry

San Diego is an awesome city with a bunch of celiac friendly options for gluten free travellers. Sometimes gluten free travelling is quite the challenge and celiacs have to take whatever they can find but it really wasn’t too much of a challenge at all to find safe places to eat here.

If you’re anything like me, you can’t resist stopping to look for gluten free signage as you walk by new places. Generally this activity doesn’t result in many positive discoveries but in San Diego I’m happy to report it did.

We spent a large part of our time in San Diego exploring the fantastic and beautiful Balboa Park. It’s huge and it’s awesome. The famous San Diego zoo is here, there are lots of fun trails to walk and part of it is a desert area filled with cacti and amazing flowers. We even spent some time in the park listening to a man reading ‘The Raven’ whilst a woman played eerie music on the organ. It was a really fun day. El Prado, a restaurant in Balboa Park has a variety of dishes clearly marked on the menu with ‘GF’ which can be prepared gluten free on request.

El Prado, Balboa Park

Gluten free options

We chose to eat at Lotus Cafe in the Hillcrest neighbourhood of the city (3955 5th Ave). Their menu is pretty huge and includes a wide a variety of gluten free options to choose from. They have veggies entrees, fish and chicken dishes, salads, all day breakfast and lots of smoothies, juices and shakes. They also do lots of yummy sounding desserts. I opted for a veggie stir fry and John had some awesome gluten free nachos. For dessert it was a choice between a gluten free chocolate brownie or cupcake, both of which are huge! We shared a delicious chocolate brownie covered in walnuts. It was really, really good!!

Lots of gf options!

Fantastic chocolate brownie!

Other options for gluten free travellers headed to San Diego and looking to eat out include..

Urban Solace ( on 3823 39th St) offers fun gluten free lunch, dinner and weekend blunch (more lunch than breakfast I guess!) menus. Gluten free blunch items include eggs, bacon and grits,  spiced honey yogurt with home-made granola or more lunchy things like burgers, salads or pork loin. This place is a bit pricey but their dishes sound tasty.

Ritual Tavern (on 4095 30th St) has a bunch of gluten free options on their dinner menu clearly marked by a wee star. I thought this place sounded really tasty. Gluten free mains include shepherd’s pie, local catch of the day and sirloin steak.

Deli Llama (quite possibly the best name for a deli ever!) on 3702 5th Avenue in San Diego offers Udi’s gluten free bread for sandwiches.

Local Habit (on 3827 5th Ave) offers a bunch of gluten free options clearly marked on their menu. They offer a gluten free crust for pizza, gluten free starters and salads and some gluten free sandwiches and desserts. When I found this place I wish I hadn’t eaten already because some of their pizzas sound pretty amazing. Listen to this: Homemade Andouille with Marinated Chicken, Bell Pepper, Caramelized Onion Garlic Oil and Aged Gouda. Wow!

Trails Neighborhood Eatery (on 7389 Jackson Drive) offers a full gluten free menu with lots of tasty sounding options. They serve gluten free pancakes, omelettes, sandwiches and also gluten free beer and cider if you fancy a drink! This place looks pretty cool but it’s only open for dinner wednesday through sat (and breakfast-lunch every day) so I’ll have to check it out next time I’m in San Diego.

Deli Llama offers gf bread!

More gluten free options!

Capriccios Italian restaurant (on 9349 Mira Mesa Blvd) offers gluten free pizza, pasta and bread options.

The Yard House in the Gaslamp district of town (on 1023 4th Ave) has a ‘gluten sensitive’ menu. Their menu lists gluten free options with directions on how to order to ensure they come gluten free.

Are you a celiac living in San Diego or have your gluten free travels taken you to this lovely city? Share your gluten free findings in the comments below..

Fun in San Diego

Extremely tasty gluten free lasagna!

On our gluten free Southern California road trip this Spring we spent a couple of days in Orange County. We had fun times  exploring the area with our friends who live in Newport Beach. I thought it would be easier to find celiac friendly places to eat down here than it was but I did find some. Newport Beach itself has True Food Kitchen but as we had eaten here the night before in Santa Monica we wanted to try something new.

Before we left on our road trip I had done a bit of research, as I always do, to see what I could find in terms of celiac friendly restaurants in the towns and cities we planned to visit. Ciciero’s, an Italian restaurant in the Orange County area was one of the places I found which excited me the most. They have a gluten free menu with all kinds of pizza and pasta options and it was less than 30 minutes from where our friends stay in Newport Beach so I had to try it.

I was a big fan of Ciciero’s Pizzeria in Lake Forest. It’s always difficult to tell what kind of a place somewhere is until you turn up so we were all laughing hysterically after we called to reserve a table for four and then turned up to find what is basically a take out place with a few tables if you want to eat in. Not really a reservations kind of a place The owner, who also took our order and served us, was so friendly and as we were the only people there when we arrived I got the chance to have a good conversation with him about his restaurant and gluten free options. He is gluten free himself which is why they offer so many gluten free options. He understands the threat of cross contamination and explained to me that all of their gluten free pastas are cooked in separate water with separate utensils. Only the gluten free pizza is cooked in the same area as normal pizza but steps are taken to minimize the risk of cross contamination. They are currently in the process of taking over the area next door to expand and include more of an eating in area. They also plan to expand their menu to include even more gluten free options such as kebabs.

Cicero's, Lake Forest

Ordering gluten free food

The gluten free lasagna with home made gluten free garlic bread was seriously fantastic. All gluten free dishes here cost the same as regular ones, the way it should always be but rarely is. This place was awesome. I would definitely go back for another big plate of tasty lasagna if I find myself in this part of California again.

Other possible gluten free options in Orange County that I found include Z Tejas in Costa Mesa which has a gluten free menu featuring a few salads and entrees and dishes from the grill. Z Pizza has various locations across the country including many in California and a bunch in Newport Beach. They do a gluten free pizza base and many of their cheeses, sauces, meats and dressings are also gluten free. I haven’t yet eaten at a Z Pizza and would highly recommend double checking their procedures in place for limiting cross contamination.

Avanti Cafe (on 259 East 17th St) in Costa Mesa does gluten free options clearly marked on the menu. Some of their starters including tacos and soup of the day are gluten free and for the main course their roasted polenta, asian noodles with peanut sauce and stacked portobello mushroom are all gluten free. There is also the option to have a gluten free pizza served on garbanzo flat bread.

Native Foods Cafe has a location in Newport Beach (1091 Newport Center Drive) and a wheat and gluten free menu which explains how to order certain options wheat or gluten free. Many of their soups and salads are gluten free as long as you order then without bread or croutons as are a couple of their Earth Bowls. What’s a little scary is that the gluten free menu also includes a section with ‘Menu items that contain a small amount of wheat and/or gluten’ At least they are being open and honest but for some reason this type of thing unsettles me a little.

What are your experiences of living or travelling gluten free in Orange County? Share in the comments below..

Santa Monica Pier

Santa Monica was the first stop on our Southern California gluten free road trip this Spring. We spent the day on Santa Monica pier and wandering along Venice Beach. I was pretty excited when I came across a couple of fantastic grocery stores filled with gluten free products.

One Life Natural Foods (on 3001 Main Street) has a bunch of gluten free options. I had a wander around the store and they have gluten free bread, crackers, bars, pizza bases, pastas, tinned goods, cereals, flours, snacks, ready meals and plenty of other gluten free goodies. They also have a small take out area which offers gluten free sandwiches. If I lived in this area I would definitely be coming here for supplies.

Santa Monica Farms is another good store, also on Main Street (2015) which offers a bunch of gluten free options. They have many of the same things as One Life but not as big a selection.

Signage I love to see!

Lots of gf options!

We finished our day in Santa Monica eating at True Food Kitchen, a fantastic restaurant with a good variety of gluten free options. Celiac friendly options are clearly marked on the menu and servers are knowledgeable about celiac disease and the seriousness of cross contamination. True Food Kitchen is located at 395 Santa Monica Place, at the edge of an open air mall and very close to the famous pier. Currently they have two other locations in Newport Beach, Orange County and Scottsdale, Arizona but our server told me that the plan is to open a bunch of other locations next year, including Denver and on the East Coast.

Many of their starters and salads are gluten free, almost all of their entrees and they also do gluten free pizza. It’s great eating at a restaurant with a real gluten free selection instead of just one or two things. I went for the asparagus and artichoke pizza as I often feel there isn’t enough pizza in my life and I was very impressed. It was really creamy and tasty. Dessert was flourless chocolate cake with ice cream and caramel. Super delicious! They also have some pretty good wine choices. John was driving so I enjoyed a couple of glasses of chardonnay and giggled a lot on the drive to Newport Beach.

Amazing gluten free pizza!

I didn’t find a whole bunch of other gluten free dining out options in the area but I found a few. Interim Cafe ( on 530 Wilshire Blvd) offers various gluten free options clearly marked on the menu. Some of their soups and salads are gluten free and before midday they serve a variety of breakfast options served with gluten free bread, breakfast potatoes or gluten free french toast.

In nearby Venice is The Gluten Free Goddess, a wheat free, gluten free bakery. They have a booth at the Venice Farmers Market (on N Venice Blvd) every Friday from 7am-11am. They also sell their goods at various other locations throughout the area including a couple of stores/restaurants in Santa Monica.

In Marina Del Rey C&O Cucina ( on 3016 Washington Blvd) can substitute gluten free pasta in many of their pasta dishes.

Good selection in One Life Natural Foods

GF sandwiches in One Life

Have you lived or travelled gluten free in Santa Monica? Share your celiac friendly findings in the comments below..

Gluten Free Chile Fried Catfish!

Awe-some!

Portland is a lovely city full of friendly locals and lots and lots of bikes. I spend a couple of days there last summer on the way back to San Francisco after getting married in Iowa. Portland is a fantastic city for gluten free travellers. There are so many eating out options that no celiac headed to Portland will need to worry about finding something safe and delicious to eat. Through research I did before arriving in Portland, recommendations from friends who live in the city and simply walking past and being excited by gluten free menus I found a whole bunch of gluten free breakfast, lunch, dinner and dessert places in the city. Thank you Portland, Gluten Free Traveller was very impressed with your selection.

We ate an amazing gluten free meal at Hawthorne Fish House (on 4343 SE Hawthorne Blvd) Everything on the menu can be made gluten free and sounds amazing. I can’t remember the last time I ate fish and chips so this was pretty special. All fish and chips are 100% gluten free because the fish is flash fried using brown rice flour and nothing gluten containing is fried in the same area meaning no issues of cross contamination. Our server was very knowledgeable about celiac disease and gluten free eating which was great and their Chile -Fried Catfish was amazing, especially with jalepeno tartar for dipping! Two sections on the menu to watch out for are the tacos and sandwiches as they are made in the same place as their glutenous counterparts.

The Berlin Inn (on 3131 SE 12th & Powell Blvd) is a German restaurant which does a whole bunch of amazing sounding gluten free appetizers, entrees, desserts and drinks. This place is first on my list next time I”m in town. Their wheat free symbol indicates gluten free dishes and they can also make some of their other menu items gluten free on request.

Blossoming Lotus (on 1713 NE 15th Ave) is another restaurant offering lots of celiac friendly options. Their menu clearly marks gluten free selections with ‘GF’ and there are lots to choose from. Gluten free entrees include a Live Falafel Wrap and Winter Squash Red Curry.

Andina (1314 NW Glisan) is a Peruvian restaurant in the city of Portland. They have a separate ‘sin gluten’ menu which includes a whole bunch of tasty sounding dishes.

Cravin Raven Bakery (on 8339 SE 13th Ave) is a 100% gluten free bakery in Portland! As everything they bake and sell is gluten free, celiacs don’t have to worry about cross contamination. Yay! They offer muffins, cakes, cup cakes, scones and cookies. All products are also free from dairy, corn and soy. I really want to try their roasted pineapple muffin and chocolate cupcakes!

Get excited, there is more than one completely gluten free bakery in Portland! Now this really is a special city. New Cascadia (on 1700 SE 6th Ave) is another dedicated gluten free bakery which sells bread, pies, cinnamon rolls, cupcakes, muffins and various other awesome gluten free goodies.

We only had a couple of days in Portland so there were plenty of gluten free restaurants and bakeries I didn’t get to experience. Portland isn’t too far from San Francisco however so I’ll certainly be back for another visit in the not too distant future to discover more of Portland’s gluten free gems.

Have you lived or travelled gluten free in Portland, Oregon? Share your gluten free findings in the comments below…

Flavoursome grilled salmon

Pacific Catch

Last week I ate at Pacific Catch next to Golden Gate Park in San Francisco. They have a couple of locations in the city. One here, on 9th at Lincoln, and another in the Marina district.

In some research on celiac friendly places in the city I’d discovered that Pacific Catch do gluten free options and are very careful about how they prepare them. Friends told me their food was pretty tasty too so I was excited to check it out.

They have a separate gluten free menu. It doesn’t have a whole lot of options on it (the regular menu is pretty huge and varied) but it was enough for me. Two starters, one salad, one rice bowl, a couple of specials and a dessert are gluten free. All of these dishes sound pretty tasty. Their menu also states that they have gluten free soy sauce available. The staff are well informed about gluten free dishes, preparation methods and taking precautions to avoid cross contamination. I felt perfectly comfortable eating here.

I went for the daily fresh catch which was salmon and I had it ‘California Grill Style’ which means it comes with slow roasted  tomato-lemon confit, grilled seasonal vegetables, basil aioli and brown rice. It was really tasty and flavoursome and went wonderfully with my vino blanco.

Gluten free menu

Enjoying my meal

Lots of gluten free options!

Australia is one of the most celiac friendly countries in the world. How could Gluten Free Traveller not include information on what it’s like living and travelling in Australia as a celiac. My sister in law is Australian and she and my brother plan to move there with my beautiful niece in a couple of years. I look forward to visiting them and getting in about all the wonderful gluten free products this country has to offer!

Australia isn’t a country where celiacs need to worry about finding safe things to eat. It is very celiac aware and this is apparent through their fantastic gluten free legislation and the huge variety of restaurants and grocery stores you can find there with gluten free options.

As Sydney is a big city, with so many celiac friendly supermarkets and restaurants, I couldn’t possibly mention all of these great gluten free places. I do however want to provide readers with a taste on just how celiac friendly Sydney is. To do this I spoke with my friend and fellow gluten free traveller, Conor Brady about what it’s like living and travelling in Australia as a celiac. Conor lives in the Surry Hills area of Sydney, a metropolitan area near the centre of the city. In this area gluten free eaters are surrounded by a large number of gluten free options, both in terms of supermarkets and places to dine out. This area isn’t an extra celiac friendly area. It’s representative of the abundance of gluten free options the entire Sydney area has to offer.  The following are gluten free places Conor can reach within a five minute walk of his apartment. Within five minutes he can find this fantastic selection of gluten free goodies. Envious? I know that I definitely am. Now you see just how awesome and celiac friendly Sydney is!

Porterhouse Irish Bar

Iku Whole Food

Gluten Free Mexican

Iku Whole Food on Oxford Street (and various other locations in the Sydney area) is a great place for gluten free lunch. They have a variety of gluten free options and customers are encouraged to look for the gluten free stamp on their menu for which dishes are suitable. Every dish clearly states which allergens are present in it which makes it easy for customers to choose safe options. Gluten free options include casseroles, lasagnas, salads, curries, soups and wraps. They also have gluten free desserts including fruity tofu cheesecake, orange and raspberry tart and sesame fudge tart.

Gluten Free Deli Options

Gluten Free Bread

Thomas Dux on Crown Street (and various other locations throughout Australia) is a grocery store which stocks lots of gluten free goodies. Their website states that “gluten free products are  designed to be coeliac friendly by not containing wheat, barley, rye, malts or gluten additives of any kind.” Celiac friendly products in the store are clearly labelled with a big red ‘Gluten Free’ symbol. Gluten free products include bread, pastas, crackers, deli options, frozen meals, sauces, dips, chips, popcorn and many other things. The photos above and below show some of the extensive gluten free options available at Thomas Dux.

Gluten Free Frozen Foods

Lots of gf crackers

Woolworths on Bourke Street also has a gluten free section. They don’t have the huge variety of products that Thomas Dux has but it’s another store to check out if you’re looking to pick up a few gluten free items.

Mad Mex on Crown Street (and various other locations around Australia) is a Mexican fast food place with gluten free options. It’s a make your own meal kind of a place where you choose your dish, your filling and your salsa. Gluten Free options are clearly marked on the menu and these include a naked burrito (in a bowl without a wrap), soft tacos, crispy tacos and nachos.

Porterhouse Irish Pub on Riley Street has a few gluten free options clearly marked on their menu with ‘gf’.  They don’t do a whole lot of gluten free dishes but on their dinner menu one entree and two mains are gluten free. Gluten free entrees include scallops marinated in basil pesto and a couple of delicious sounding risottos.

Sitar Indian Restaurant on Oxford Street (and various other locations in the area) has a bunch of gluten free options both on their sit in and take out menu. Gluten free options are again clearly marked with ‘GF’. Almost all of the main curry dishes (meat, fish and vegetarian) are gluten free and also many of the sides.

Woolworths gf section

So it sounds like Australia is pretty much a gluten free paradise and definitely one of the best countries to be if you’re celiac. I look forward to gluten free travelling here. Coeliac Australia are another great resource if you’re planning a gluten free trip to Australia. They provide national resources such as a quarterly celiac magazine, ingredients list booklet and a pocket guide to reading labels. They also provide state specific resources such as info on local restaurants which cater for gluten free diets and local gluten free events and expos.

Do you live gluten free in Sydney or another part of Australia? Have you travelled there, gluten free? Share your experiences in the comments below.

Exploring Dublin

I’ve had quite a few emails asking about what it’s like travelling gluten free in Ireland. As Ireland and Scotland are so close I am lucky to have had the opportunity to explore this beautiful country but this was before I found out I was celiac. I plan to return at some point in the near future but for now I thought I’d speak to my friend and fellow gluten free traveller, Sile Farrell, about what it’s like living as a celiac in Ireland.

Sile lives in Dublin and was diagnosed as celiac ten years ago. She is a very sensitive celiac and she gets very sick if she is contaminated by the smallest amount of gluten. For this reason Sile eats out only at restaurants which she knows and trusts to be safe for celiacs. These are the celiac friendly places she told me about.

Trinity College

Prego’s and Manifesto are a couple of celiac friendly Italian restaurants in the Dublin area which are run differently but owned by the same family. Both restaurants are extremely celiac friendly. As the owners have a family member with celiac disease they know how to prepare gluten free dishes and understand the serious threat of cross contamination. Prego’s is outside of the city in a place called Ballyowen Shopping Centre, Luca, County Dublin (7 miles west of city centre, just off the N4) but Manifesto is only a short walk (20 mins) from the Dublin city centre. (208 Lower Rathmines Road, Rathmines, Dublin 6) Manifesto offers a variety of gluten free pasta, pizza and dessert. Their menu clearly states which dishes are gluten free.

FXB  in the famous Temple Bar area of Dublin is a celiac friendly steak house.

Carluccio’s is an Italian chain with restaurants at many locations throughout the UK and Ireland, including Dublin (at 52 Dawson Street). They have a separate gluten free menu which features a whole bunch of different options including antipasti, salads, gluten free pasta, mains and desserts.

A lovely city

Siam Thai on St Andrew Street, Dublin 2 is an excellent place which understands dietary requirements. On their menu, dishes which ‘Can be made coeliac friendly’ are labelled as so and a large percentage of their dishes have this symbol. A good selection of their soups, salads, curries, stir fry dishes and vegetarian dishes can be made gluten free. I love Thai food so this will probably be my first stop when I next find myself gluten free travelling in Dublin.

Trocadero also on St Andrews Street is another coeliac friendly restaurant in Dublin. Their menu clearly states with a ‘C’ which options are suitable for coeliacs. Examples of coeliac friendly dishes are Butternut Squash Soup, Smoked Irish Salmon, Pea and Pancetta Risotto, Sea Bass Fillets and for dessert, Raspberry and Passionfruit Cheesecake and Creme Brulee. Yum!

Itsa Bagel at Arnotts Cafe on Abbey Street does gluten free bagels.

Ireland, like many other countries, has legal requirements when it comes to gluten free labelling. All pre-packed foods in Ireland, similar to the UK, are covered Codex Standard labelling. You can find more about this legislation here on the Coeliac Society of Ireland site. If you are planning a gluten free trip to Dublin or to anywhere in Ireland, The Coeliac Society of Ireland is a great resource. Here you can find information on reading labels, supermarket shopping, accommodations and eating out as a celiac in Ireland. They even have a specific section for visitors to Ireland. Similar to Coeliac UK, the Irish association also provides a Safe Food List for members making supermarket shopping a much simpler and less stressful experience.

Have you travelled gluten free to Dublin. Did you eat anywhere that was super duper awesome and should be added to this list? Let me know by commenting below…

Yummy gluten free curry!

John Carrigan’s is a fantastic, family run bar and restaurant in Hamilton, Scotland, very near to Glasgow. The food is tasty, the portions are big and the staff are friendly. It’s an altogether nice place to have a drink or to go for a meal out. I ate here a lot before being diagnosed as celiac and it was one of the places I always wished I could still eat at but up until recently there was no mention of them doing gluten free options. Around a year ago my mum was there for a meal and noticed an introduction of gluten free signage on their menu! I had to check it out when I was back in town!

When making a booking to come back for a meal I asked one of the staff a few questions about their gluten free options. They started offering gluten free options due to demand. A number of customers had been asking about gluten free options and they wanted to cater for these customers. I’m always concerned about methods of preparation when it comes to eating somewhere which isn’t 100% gluten free. The staff here know their stuff. Gluten free dishes are made using separate utensils/equipment. Where fried stuff is concerned, chips are made in their own special fryer, apparently because they need different oil from other things and so this also eliminates any cross contamination. The chef at Carrigan’s I was told has a pretty serious sea food allergy and understands the importance of safely and carefully preparing food for those of us with allergies and intolerances.

The menu is filled with a whole bunch of different things from pizza and pasta to Mexican dishes to traditional dishes like steak pie, sunday roast and fish and chips. A good selection of the menu is gluten free including some of the starters, mains, Mexican dishes and pasta (they do gluten free pasta). I fancied a curry so I ordered the Chicken Tikka with rice and chips…how British of me! It was delicious!

I’m so glad that Carrigan’s is now celiac friendly. It’s not often that I get the opportunity to eat pub food anymore and now here’s a place where I can. Hamilton is also very near to and easily reached from Glasgow so if you’re headed to Glasgow on a gluten free trip you don’t need to miss out on Carrigan’s.