LovintheGFlife

I have tried Turkish restaurants on travels and found they are OK. Have not tried Vietnamese yet. What I have also found is that most Indian restaurants offer many varied and delicious choices for those who can tolerate some degree of spice. Many Indian restaurants in the U.S. go so far as to identify the items on their menu as 'gluten-free'. I would be cautious regarding their desserts though.

@Scott Adams, thank you for another helpful article. I can vouch for Bonefish Grill, PF Chang's and Outback Steakhouse. Have not tried the others listed in your article following my diagnosis two years ago. However, I have had a nasty experience at my local BJ's Brewhouse. They claim to have a gluten-free menu but served me a soup with croutons, despite explaining to the server in advance (and later the manager) that I was celiac and the meaning of gluten. I will never eat there again.

I cannot sing enough praises of Yard House and California Pizza Kitchen. Both these chains take great precautions when serving celiacs. I have noticed that their staff are well trained and understand the concept of gluten contamination. I feel safe eating at their restaurants. Another decent place (and safe) for celiacs is Longhorn Steakhouse.

I always loved dining at the Cheesecake Factory. Strangely, I called my local CF twice and was told they do NOT have a gluten free menu.

7 hours ago, Jessica Prince said:

I am a Celiac and I live in the Las Vegas area and have had good luck at Outback when a manager follows the order...I ask the hostess to speak with the manager before the server even says hi so they don't worry that I am complaining about them. I had one server here roll her eyes at me and then I got sick. PF Changs are very consistently safe and Red Robin also. I have always gotten sick at Olive Garden (I won't even try to eat there any more) and have gotten sick a few times from Cheesecake Factory. I have not tried the other restaurants.

@Jessica Prince, with Outback Steakhouse it can go either way, as I have experienced. I have eaten at PF Chang's many times and have never had an issue. Am yet to try Olive Garden and Red Robin. Interestingly, I called my local Cheesecake Factory twice and was told they do NOT have a gluten-free menu. I highly recommend Yard House for their gluten-free menu.

7 hours ago, Peggy M said:

Ate at my local Bonefish and was very disappointed. Was given the gluten-free menu. I ordered the Cesear salad with my meal. When it came out it had croutons mixed in. They apologized then gave me a new salad. I emphasized many times that I was very sensitive to gluten. Guess I will never eat there again.

@Peggy M, I've eaten at different Bonefish Grill locations in the U.S., (at least a dozen times) and have never been disappointed. I found they always take great precaution. As a celiac this is now one of my favorite places for dinner. Sorry to hear about your unpleasant experience.

On 7/4/2023 at 10:12 PM, Cynthia.Wood said:

California Pizza Kitchen has a very good gluten-free pizza! They also take extra precautions when preparing it if you let them know it's a necessary diet due to a health issue, not just a life style option.

@Cynthia.Wood, I agree. Have eaten there many times and discovered theirs is perhaps the best gluten-free pizza anywhere!

@Jefferson Adams thank you for clarifying this. The earlier article by Scott Adams on liqueurs was also helpful. However, it did not discuss whether two of my favorites--Drambuie and Tia Maria--are gluten free. Do you have any information regarding those two?

@Jefferson Adamsthanks for a great and informative article. As someone who has worked in Pharma Quality and Compliance all my life, I can attest to the fact that there is likely to be no gluten in most drug products such as tablets and capsules. While active ingredients should never contain gluten, the culprit could well be the excipients (inactive ingredients) used in a formulation. However, I know for a fact that most pharma manufacturers require the suppliers of excipients to provide an allergen declaration. In almost all instances, I have come across a statement that the material (excipient) supplied is "free from gluten" or "gluten containing ingredients". With that said, it would be more reassuring for a patient to see the "Gluten Free" label on the finished product package. I wish the FDA would mandate that.

I have always wondered why big brand companies do not label their products as "Gluten Free", even though they are gluten-free, whereas the store brands (generics) such as Wegmans, ShopRite and Lidl do. One would expect it to be just the opposite. I have noticed this with many different items such as shredded cheese, cream cheese, butter, yogurt, mayonnaise, caramel, honey, etc.

@Jefferson Adamsthank you for this helpful article. My favorite, among the many that I have tried, is Daura Damm and I have been drinking it (never in excess of one bottle a day) without any issues.

8 hours ago, glf01 said:

As always, be cautious of cross contamination (always mention gluten allergy and/or celiac to the staff), but I have had good luck in the past at a couple of local Cracker Barrel restaurants. I am a diagnosed celiac for over 8 years and I am fortunate to not be overly sensitive. It is not on their menu, but they prepare a very good omelet. I usually get one with onions, tomatoes, cheese, and ham {usually country ham). They also offer green peppers, I think. I have also had no problems with scrambled or fried eggs as well as bacon, sausage (link or patties), and grits. I also enjoy the fried apples and they have a fruit cup. Unfortunately, no hash brown casserole, though. You can put together a very tasty breakfast there.

Lunch and dinner, however, are more challenging. About the only thing I have had is the ham (all three varieties) with any of there plain vegetables like broccoli, whole kernel corn, green beans and pinto beans, carrots and coleslaw. I had no problems with the steak fries, although they are probably too risky for sensitive people. (However, my heart breaks when someone at the table orders fried okra - pre-celiac, that was my all-time favorite. No more...)

@glf01my case sounds very similar to yours. I was diagnosed with celiac disease about seven months ago, following blood work and an endoscopy. After that, I have gone strictly gluten-free but have been eating out occasionally at places that have gluten-free offerings on the menu; I have never had an issue after eating out, although I do take Gliadin-X as a precaution. The only problem I have is if too much dairy is consumed at one time. However, as @trents replied, this does not mean no inflammation is occurring in the GI tract. Prior to being diagnosed, my only symptoms were bloating and abdominal cramps at night. Those symptoms have disappeared altogether after switching to a gluten-free diet for six months. I never suffered from the other commonly reported more severe symptoms such as diarrhea, rashes, nausea or vomiting. So it appears that like you, I am not a very sensitive celiac as well.

Very helpful article for those, like me, who enjoy eating out. I truly hope no restaurant will ever resort to such a short-cut to save time or money. My biggest worry in a restaurant though is having my food cross-contaminated by either traces of wheat flour or tiny bread crumbs in their kitchen.