30th St. Station
Who are you and where are you?
My name is Julie Strehle, and I live in Quakertown, PA, which is about 40 miles north of Philadelphia and 10 miles south of Allentown.
Tell me about your relationship with gluten..
I was diagnosed with Celiac Disease in February 2008. Â I have been completely gluten free since that time.
Why should gluten free travellers visit your town?
People may not want to visit Quakertown for the GF fare, but there are a few good finds around if you don’t want to drive into the city of Philadelphia (which I usually only do for a special occasion.)
Tell me something fun about your town..
There is a beautiful state park with a lake and paved walking trails, called Nockamixon State Park (or Lake Nockamixon).
Where is your favourite place to eat out in your town and why?
There is nothing right in Quakertown, but there are some good finds in the area, other than chain restaurants that happen to have gluten free menus (like Outback and PF Chang’s). Â My favorite is in North Wales, PA (right near Montgomery Mall, about 20 minutes away). Â It is called the Metropolitan Restaurant. Â They’ve got an AWESOME gluten free menu with lots of choices. They even have gluten free rolls for sandwiches! Â They also do organic and locally-sourced food, so everything is fresh and delicious. It’s like gourmet food for modest prices, and they always have coupons if you join their mailing list. Â Gluten free items on their menu are indicated with a red “G”.
If you want pizza that is different from the hum-drum shipped-in crusts that most pizzarias are doing,  then check out Jules Thin crust in Doylestown (about 20-30 minutes away).  They have their own gluten free crust and serve it on a separate placemat so you know you’re getting the right thing.  They are knowledgeable about cross contamination, so I never worry about getting sick.  They also have gluten free desserts from a local bakery. They have a few branch locations too that are also in the area
If you’re in Doylestown, I also found a quick burger place called Basically Burgers that has gluten free buns and fries. Â They also feature grass-fed, hormone free beef… Â all the good stuff!
If you want Italian, you can go to Grandma’s Grotto in Horsham, PA (which is about 40 minutes from Quakertown.) Â They boast the “largest gluten free menu in the world”. Â I’m not sure about that, but they do have the largest bakery case of gluten free desserts I’ve ever seen, and they are all delicious. They also have an entire gluten free menu!!
Philadelphia City Hall
There are many gluten-free places in Philly, but I have to give a shout-out to Sazon’s Venezuelan Restaurant because they have a 100% gluten free brunch menu, which includes gluten free French Toast.  Yes, FRENCH TOAST! And incase you’re wondering, they get their bread from Taffet’s bakery in Philly, who have their own storefront near the Italian Market. The bread, especially the baguettes, are exceptional!
For a few other great gluten-free places in Philly, check out the Philadelphia section of Gluten Free Traveller.
Do you live in or around Philadelphia or have you travelled there? Where is your favourite place to eat gluten free?
