Jump to content
This site uses cookies. Continued use is acceptance of our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. More Info... ×

  • Welcome to Celiac.com!

    You have found your celiac tribe! Join us and ask questions in our forum, share your story, and connect with others.



  • Celiac.com Sponsor (A1):

    Celiac.com Sponsor (A1-M):

  • Get Celiac.com Updates:
    Support Our Content
    eNewsletter
    Donate

Eating Out gluten-free In Glasgow, Scotland

KCG91

By KCG91
in Meet Up Room

Recommended Posts

KCG91 Enthusiast
KCG91
Posted

Hey,

 

Just after my diagnosis I began emailing around my favourite restaurants here in the West End of Glasgow asking them whether they could still accommodate me. I thought it might be useful to post their replies (I asked about gluten free options and the steps the kitchen takes to prevent CC) to help anyone else in the area (and maybe save them a little legwork :)) I'll update the post when I've tried the ones whose answers I liked :) 

The Oran Mor, Byres Road:

"Dear Katie,
Thank you for taking the time to write to us to inform us of your recent diagnosis. Please rest assured that our chefs here at Òran Mór can cater for all kinds of dietary restrictions. Should you wish to make a reservation in the future please mention that you suffer from Coeliac Disease, we shall make note of it in our diaries so that your server & our kitchen is aware of it on the night.
We very much look forward to welcoming you again soon.
Kind Regards"
 
The Richmond Brasserie, Gibson Street:
"Hi Katie
 
Thank you for getting in touch- we're glad to hear you like The Richmond so much and would love to try and accommodate your new dietary requirements.
 
As I'm sure you've noticed, we're quite a small place and there isn't much demand for gluten free products so we don't routinely have them, but if you gave us a little bit of notice we'd be more than happy to get them in for you (gluten free bread, pasta etc). Otherwise, our chefs are very flexible and so we could modify most of our dishes to suit your needs. 
 
In terms of cross contamination, the chef has said that he would do everything he could in terms of making sure utensils, the preparation area, the grill etc are thoroughly cleaned before preparing your food, and using fresh butter and things to avoid the spread of crumbs (again, it would be ideal if you were able to call ahead, so that the kitchen could have utensils etc ready, otherwise your food might take a little longer to prepare than usual). However, we only have one fryer and wouldn't really be able to change the oil during service which would obviously rule out fried foods for you. 
 
I hope this is of some use to you, don't hesitate to get back in touch if you have any further questions."
Celiac.com Sponsor (A8):
Celiac.com Sponsor (A8):

Celiac.com Sponsor (A8-M):


KCG91 Enthusiast
KCG91
Posted
  • Author

(Also, fellow Glaswegians, please do add your experiences!) 

love2travel Mentor
love2travel
Posted

No recommendations but just a note to say I LOVE SCOTLAND!!!! My husband and I have been there six times and my sister lived in Glasgow so she was sort of a temporary foreign Glaswegian! :-)

KCG91 Enthusiast
KCG91
Posted
  • Author

No recommendations but just a note to say I LOVE SCOTLAND!!!! My husband and I have been there six times and my sister lived in Glasgow so she was sort of a temporary foreign Glaswegian! :-)

Aha good to hear! I love it here. Sadly the national dish ;) of deep friend Mars Bars is off limits now. 

love2travel Mentor
love2travel
Posted

Aha good to hear! I love it here. Sadly the national dish ;) of deep friend Mars Bars is off limits now.

I know...sigh...
KCG91 Enthusiast
KCG91
Posted
  • Author

An update! Last night my Dad and I went for dinner at the Oran Mor on Byres Road. I was really impressed with both the food and the amount of effort the waitress went to to make absolutely sure of everything for me. As well as telling the chefs that I was Coeliac and checking that the dish I'd ordered (Thai vegetable curry) was gluten free she checked for any other food intolerances. All of this was done with a smile and nothing was too much trouble. It was a great evening and today I feel good.

I've also had a reply to my standard email from Wudon on Great Western Road:
Hi Katie

I am not sure if you had received an email from me already regarding 
your enquiry as my internet has been playing up.

Just incase you haven't received my reply. We can amend our dishes to 
suit your allergy. We use Tamari soy that is wheat and gluten free and 
we can swap the noodle dishes i.e ramen or udon to a Ho fun noodle 
that is made of rice.

So there should still be plenty of options for you as long as you ask 
a member of staff before ordering and we will help you choose the 
dishes that we can amend to suit you.

Kind regards
Jennie

  • 2 weeks later...
KCG91 Enthusiast
KCG91
Posted
  • Author

More updates... Ironically I seem to be eating out more than usual since I've been diagnosed :/ This was not the plan!!

I had an impromptu lunch at the Hillhead Bookclub on Byres Road on Thursday. Usually I wouldn't go somewhere without checking first but ... Anyway, I asked the waitress if the soup was gluten free (it was, and I watched her asking the chef about it) Then when a different staff member brought the soup out he made a point of it being 'the gluten free soup without bread' - they hadn't needed reminding. And I feel fine! 

My Mum took me to the Richmond last weekend. The waiting staff were attentive and careful and the chef was happy to alter a dish for me - they do a really good mushroom arancini so instead of the arancini I just had the risotto before it was friend. 

Finally, as the secretary of a sports club at Uni it falls to me to organise our Christmas dinner night out. We are going to the Griffin, on Bath Street and this was the manager's reply to my email: 

"Hi Katie,

Yes we have catered for Coeliacs and nut allergy sufferers previously.

Would it be possible for you to call me, Robert,  on 0141 331 5170 to discuss your potential booking?

There's various menu changes in December and I want to nail exactly what your looking for.

Kind Regards Robert
ps No dancing on the bar!!!!" 

Celiac.com Sponsor (A8):
Celiac.com Sponsor (A8):

Celiac.com Sponsor (A8-M):


Archived

This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.

Go to topic listing
  • Celiac.com Sponsor (A19):


  • Member Statistics

    • Total Members
      126,096
    • Most Online (within 30 mins)
      7,748
    John.B
    Newest Member
    John.B
    Joined
  • Celiac.com Sponsor (A20):

  • Forum Statistics

    • Total Topics
      120.9k
    • Total Posts
      69.2k
  • Celiac.com Sponsor (A22):



  • Who's Online (See full list)

    • There are no registered users currently online
  • Celiac.com Sponsor (A21):


  • Upcoming Events

  • Posts

    • Scott Adams
      Celiac Maybe a Possibility?

      By Scott Adams · Posted

      Welcome to the forum, and thank you for sharing your story! It sounds like you’ve been through an incredible journey with your health, and it’s no wonder you’re starting to piece things together and wonder about celiac disease. Your experiences—from childhood through adulthood—paint a picture of symptoms that are often associated with celiac disease, though they can overlap with other conditions as well. The recurring sinus infections, being underweight as a child, chronic gastrointestinal issues, nutrient-related symptoms like cramps, and the persistent fatigue and brain fog are all things that many people with undiagnosed celiac report. Your reactions to gluten also stand out. The improvement in symptoms when you reduce or remove gluten, followed by the resurgence of pain and other problems when you reintroduce it, is a common experience for those with celiac or gluten intolerance. While your frustrations and trials with elimination diets might not have given you concrete answers yet, they’ve provided valuable clues. It’s also worth noting that celiac disease doesn’t always present in the classic way. Many people, like yourself, may not experience severe gastrointestinal distress but instead have “atypical” or extraintestinal symptoms like joint pain, menstrual irregularities, fatigue, and more. It’s a condition that can go undiagnosed for years, especially when symptoms are subtle, sporadic, or mistakenly attributed to other issues. The fact that you’ve sought alternative approaches to feel better shows just how determined you’ve been to find relief, even without a definitive diagnosis. Given your history and how your body responds to gluten, it would be worth exploring celiac disease further with a medical professional. Before removing gluten completely, it’s important to get tested while you’re still eating it, as going gluten-free beforehand can affect the accuracy of the results. A blood test for celiac antibodies (like tTG-IgA) is usually the first step, and if positive, an endoscopy may follow to confirm the diagnosis. If the testing process feels daunting, keep in mind that getting answers could give you clarity and help guide your health decisions going forward. Whatever the outcome, you’ve already made significant strides in identifying triggers and managing your symptoms. Your awareness and persistence are key, and this community is here to support you as you continue to seek answers. This article might be helpful. It breaks down each type of blood test, and what a positive results means in terms of the probability that you might have celiac disease. One test that always needs to be done is the IgA Levels/Deficiency Test (often called "Total IGA") because some people are naturally IGA deficient, and if this is the case, then certain blood tests for celiac disease might be false-negative, and other types of tests need to be done to make an accurate diagnosis. The article includes the "Mayo Clinic Protocol," which is the best overall protocol for results to be ~98% accurate.    
    • More2Learn
      Celiac Maybe a Possibility?

      By More2Learn · Posted

      Hi, I am new!  (Although I've used this forum as a reference over the past couple of years.) I'm just looking for some initial reactions to if I actually might possibly have Celiac Disease, or if I'm reaching here.  I have had lifelong health issues and not once has a doctor suggested I look into celiac. I always thought it was basically an extreme allergy that needed an EpiPen, and I know that's not me.  However, I stumbled upon some symptoms, realized I was wrong, and after some research I'm almost shocked at what I have found.  It seems like anything I've ever struggled with has a potential correlation to this disease!  I'm in my 40's, now.  Here is my journey to date... Issues as a Kid: tons of allergies, and had sinus infections all the time... however I didn't have hayfever-like allergies and the scratch tests didn't register much, it was more that when I was exposed to allergens (like say I spent hours with a cat) I was certain to get a sinus infection and it lasted months. was extremely skinny and everyone always said I was anorexic (I wasn't) always getting sick and the illnesses hang on for a long time always cold (my favorite thing to do is sit in front of a space heater or be out in 90 degree weather) intermittent bad constipation (still happens but not as severe) horrible toe cramps that would wake me up in the middle of the night As I got older (teenage/college years): acid reflux diagnosis learned that beer made me EXTREMELY sick, cannot tolerate it horrible issues with menstrual cycle - I wasn't regular, had awful cramps and PMS, sometimes cannot function the first couple of days night terrors/sleep walking more stomach issues - I learned I couldn't have black coffee.  I often had issues especially when traveling.  For example I finally noticed a pattern that I could never, ever eat at a hotel buffet spread - it would always make me sick afterwards. More recent problems: always tired periodic pain on right side that can be so painful I can't stand up straight. Have had all kinds of scans and doctors always say I'm fine.  I was so sure I had gallstones or my liver was failing but... nope. chest pain brain fog not diagnosed but many, many ADHD symptoms lots of inflammation, am overweight now toe cramps evolved into leg/calf cramps None of my symptoms from any era of my life ever really resolved, except I went from being skinny to ~20/30 pounds overweight, and as I got older I got less outright sinus infections.  Largely due to the pain in my right side and the fact that I always, always seem to pick up every illness, especially when traveling, I started pursuing alternative medicine paths... I did the Pritikin lifestyle, I tried an elimination diet, I followed the Root Cause Protocol, I did a Leptin reset.  A lot of these paths recommend removing gluten, and in the past year or so some of my symptoms have gone away!  Specifically less issues with toe cramps, sometimes the side pain would go away for a long time, and my acid reflux got much better.  But, because I was never diagnosed with any specific intolerance, I wasn't militant about the gluten - I had cut out dairy, soy, all kinds of things.  So I would say cross-contamination is ok, or make an exception at a group outing. Then one day, I just got frustrated and ate some normal slices of pizza... and my side pain came back!  I started doing research and now I'm here and wondering... could I have actually had this my whole life??!? Thoughts and observations welcome.           
    • Wheatwacked
      Ground meat absolutely full of gluten?

      By Wheatwacked · Posted

      "grass-fed" meat by definition cannot contain wheat as it means the animal is only fed grass  organic meat can be fed wheat feed
    • Scott Adams
      Weird Symptoms

      By Scott Adams · Posted

      Your symptoms would not be typical celiac disease symptoms, but still could be related due to possible nutrient deficiencies.  The most common nutrient deficiencies associated with celiac disease that may lead to testing for the condition include iron, vitamin D, folate (vitamin B9), vitamin B12, calcium, zinc, and magnesium.  Unfortunately many doctors, including my own doctor at the time, don't do extensive follow up testing for a broad range of nutrient deficiencies, nor recommend that those just diagnosed with celiac disease take a broad spectrum vitamin/mineral supplement, which would greatly benefit most, if not all, newly diagnosed celiacs.      
    • Scott Adams
      Everyday life

      By Scott Adams · Posted

      This is a difficult situation, and one that your employer may not take seriously. It's possible that they don't have a way to accommodate your issues, but I don't know much about your work environment. Obviously moving you to another work area would be ideal, but would or could they do that? If not, you might be stuck having to wear a K95-type mask at work to avoid breathing any particles, but they still could end up on your skin. Another alternative is searching for a new job.
×
×
  • Create New...