Lots of gluten free food!
Yummy Asian Box
Last week I found myself in Palo Alto for the first time. Palo Alto is about 35 miles south of San Francisco and it’s famous for Stanford University and the headquarters of many huge tech companies such as Google and Facebook. I was there for a gluten free business lunch. The search was on to find safe, celiac friendly options.
Some restaurants with shared kitchens are better than others at taking care of celiac customers by having procedures in place to reduce the risk of cross contamination. Of course I’d always prefer to eat at a 100% gluten free restaurant when the choice is there so that’s what I look for first on every trip to a new town, no matter what the reason for my visit. So what gluten free options are to be found in Palo Alto?
We chose to eat at Asian Box (on 855 El Camino Real). Asian Box is a 100% gluten free facility and every single item on their menu is gluten free! Yup, this is the kind of place every celiac wishes they had in their home town.
The way it works is you first choose your base (brown rice, jasmine rice, asian salad or rice noodles), you then select your protein and finish with your add-ons and sauces. Their food is interesting and so delicious. I opted for all of the add-ons. How often does a gluten free girl get to choose whatever she wants from a menu!? There were all sorts of flavours jumping out at me with every bite. This place is awesome.
LYFE Kitchen is another restaurant in Palo Alto which does gluten free options. They can be found on 167 N. Hamilton and have a gluten free menu featuring a good variety of options. Gluten free breakfast options, soups, salads, lunch and dinner options and gluten free flatbreads are some of what is available.
Calafia (Thanks Kaella!) is another restaurant in Palo Alto which does gluten free options. It is located close to Asian Box in the Town & Country Village area (855 El Camino Real). Calafia has a brunch menu, vegetarian menu and meat-eaters menu, all of which have clearly marked gluten free and dairy free options. Gluten free vegetarian dishes include a Spinach Dragon Noodle Bowl and Black Bean and Rojo Tofi Tacos, both of which I really want to try! This place is at the top of my list for when I’m next in the Palo Alto area.
Paxti’s Pizza (on Emerson St) does gluten free pizza. If you choose to eat here, double check preparation methods to ensure cross contamination isn’t an issue. Paxti’s also has a few locations in San Francisco.
Sprinkles Cupcakes, a bakery I came across in my travels to La Jolla, also has a location in Palo Alto, in the Stanford Shopping Center. Sprinkles is a bakery with 10 locations throughout the country which has a couple of gluten free cupcake options.
PF Changs is of course another gluten free eating out option in Palo Alto. They can also be found in the Stanford Shopping center.
Have you eaten gluten free in Palo Alto? Share your celiac friendly experiences..
