Gluten Free NYC

New York City was the first stop on my first big travelling adventure since being diagnosed. I came prepared with ‘just in case’ gluten free treats from home but I was in Manhattan and I wanted to see what fabulous gluten free delights this city had to offer. Despite being in the big apple, I wanted something more interesting to eat than a huge piece of fruit! 🙂

I’d done some research before leaving for the States on where to eat gluten free in the city and I found gluten free registry to be the most helpful. It gave me a few ideas for restaurants to check out and I was pleased with the ones that I decided to try. Walking for miles around the city also gave me the opportunity to randomly discover a few other eateries, either with gluten free menus or options. I’m sure there were a great many gluten free wonders that I didn’t discover as I only spent 3 days there but I found enough coeliac friendly places to enjoy a few fun, gluten free days in NYC.

GFRAP sticker

Most of the gluten free friendly places I found in the city were part of the Gluten Free Restaurant Awareness Programme. GFRAP is a programme of the gluten intolerence group of North America which gives gluten free people a place to find somewhere to safely eat wherever they go.  A variety of eateries have joined this programme throughout the country and all gluten free menus or menus with gluten free options offered by GFRAP restaurants have been reviewed by a registered dietician. This is the kind of thing I love to hear about as it provides hope for gluten free travellers who visit places that they don’t know much about or have never visited before.

I can safely say that the Big Apple has plenty of Coeliac friendly places to eat whatever you’re looking for whether it be breakfast, lunch or dinner but be sure to do your research first so that you have an idea of where you want to go. There are plenty of gluten free eateries throughout the city but they can be difficult to find if you don’t know where to look.

Breakfast Diner

Breakfast at Bloom’s

Breakfast our first morning in the city was a huge success and as meals tend to do in the States, it kept me full until dinner time! We ate at a diner called Bloom’s Delicatessen Cafe (on 350 Lexington Ave), which has a full gluten free menu with tonnes of tasty options. They do a variety of omelettes as well as gluten free pancakes and french toast for breakfast. I  ordered a three egg spinach and tomato omelette, which came with potatoes and 2 slices of gluten free bread. As you know I’m a cereal for breakfast kind of girl but this place was great and I would highly recommend it to any gluten free travellers who are looking for a hearty breakfast in the Big Apple. Bloom’s also serves lunch and dinner and their menu includes burgers served on a gluten free bun, salads, sandwiches served on gluten free toast and entrees.

Bloom’s extensive GF menu

Bloom’s Cafe

Delis

One of many delis

On almost every street in NYC you can find deli’s serving many different dishes, hot and cold, from fruit and salads to curry and pasta dishes. Due to the possibility of cross contamination I wasn’t able to eat much of what they had to offer but one evening I did decide to go for a fruit salad to eat with some gluten free yoghurt that I’d found. These deli’s are pretty expensive but at least you know that you can get a big bowl of gluten free fruit and yoghurt if you need a snack.

Dinner Out

The fantastic Risotteria

On our second night in the city we decided to go to Risotteria (on 270 Bleecker Street), a gluten free restaurant that I had found through gluten free registry and was very excited about visiting. I saw on their website that almost everything on their menu was gluten free, including their free bread sticks and large selection of desserts. I was not disappointed…..this place was fantastic! Something which is very rare for me these days is having options where eating is concerned. Everyone else has their pick of the menu whilst I’m stuck with the one thing that’s gluten free. This place was not like that at all. I had so many choices and everything looked great! Pizza, pasta, panini, salad. I had one of their pasta dishes, linguini with meatballs in a spicy tomato sauce, and it was very tasty. For dessert I had a huge gluten free chocolate cupcake and also got to try some of the cheesecake and oreo cookie desserts that my friend and boyfriend had chosen. What a great feeling to be able to try what someone else has ordered! If you are a gluten free traveller who misses the lack of options when eating out and the chance to try your friend’s meal then you will love Risotteria. Their vino selection is pretty good too and they also do gluten free beers 🙂

Delicious gf breadsticks

My gf cupcake!

Pasta and meatballs

gf Oreo dessert

Sushi

Although from what I’ve found Sushi generally tends to be gluten free I don’t like to buy pre-packed stuff due to contamination issues. One sushi place in New York City, which went by the name of Go Sushi (on 756 E 9th Street), was excellent and prepared my salmon and cucumber maki from scratch. I told them about my concerns with contamination and the friendly chef said that was no problem and that he would prepare my sushi in a newly cleaned area.

Go Sushi

Other Gluten Free Restaurants

These are the only eateries in the city that I had first hand experience with during my short visit but I also came across a few other restaurants with either gluten free menus or gluten free options….

Nizza

Nizza (on 630 9th Ave): an Italian restaurant with an extensive gluten free menu including pasta dishes, chickpea pancakes with interesting toppings and various mains. I really wanted to try this place as it looked awesome but we ran out of time!

Otarian

Otarian (on 947 8th street): a cafe with a few gluten free options including salad, soup and curry dishes

Gobo

Gobo (on 401 Ave of the Americas) serves a number of gluten free dishes which aim to please each of your 5 senses.

I can’t wait to go back to New York to try more gluten free restaurants. I know the city has a lot of celiac friendly places.

Read my newest post on the fantastic gluten free places I found on my latest week long trip to New York City!

What gluten free goodies have you discovered in New York City? Share your findings in the comments below…