Gluten Free Portland, Oregon

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…