The Complete Guide to Eating Out Gluten Free

The query I most often receive from readers is how I locate safe gluten free dining establishments both locally and when traveling. My detailed guides for gluten free travel comprise dining venues I`ve discovered over time, but they omit the crucial details about HOW I source them. I wrote this guideline for eating out gluten free to provide an exact blueprint for how you can conduct your own research when I lack a city guide for your destination.

In this guide, you’ll find my outlook for dining out gluten free, a process you could use to create a list of secure gluten free restaurants wherever you’re going, and what actions to take and what to say when you arrive to set yourself up for an amazing gluten free dining experience.

Does this sound like what you’re looking for? Great! Off we go.

My Philosophy for Eating Out Gluten Free

Before I delve into my step-by-step guide for locating safe gluten free eateries, I want to outline my philosophy for dining out gluten free.

I have two auto-immune medical conditions – Celiac Disease and Eosinophilic Esophagitis – which means I need to be especially attentive about maintaining a gluten free diet or I might end up in the hospital with food stuck in my esophagus. Which happened three times in my first year of having Celiac disease, the first of which led to my diagnosis.

My requirements may differ from yours – you might just be avoiding gluten because it makes you feel terrible when you ingest it, which is great and I’m glad you’re here – which is why I want to take a moment to outline exactly what my needs are.

When it comes to gluten free dining, I prefer eating at dedicated gluten free restaurants when possible for a couple reasons.

Firstly, the risk of cross-contamination is significantly lower than at a place with a combined kitchen. For peace of mind, the extra money usually spent is worthwhile.

Secondly, I want to support the restaurants that take the proper measures for the Celiac (and wider gluten free) community. Often, the story behind these restaurants goes something like this: “I was diagnosed with Celiac Disease / gluten intolerance, and looked for a good gluten free {item they produce} and couldn`t find one I liked, so I created my own.” That’s a really cool story, and we should assist those gluten free businesses to motivate others to do the same, so we get more amazing gluten free beer, bagels, pizza, and all the other things a lot of us miss.

Therefore, when dining out gluten free, be sure to patronize the eateries completely dedicated to gluten free options.

I will still dine at restaurants that do not specialize in gluten free options, but I will be selective. I conduct extensive research, contacting the establishments directly, to ensure they can safely provide me a meal. This is a personal choice, and I completely understand the impulse to avoid this category of restaurants, particularly if newly diagnosed with Celiac Disease. After all, placing one`s health in the hands of a server, line cook, and manager who may or may not comprehend Celiac Disease can be alarming.

I trust the procedures – if an establishment has processes implemented in the kitchen to prevent cross-contamination, I trust the staff to follow them. Naturally, there’s always the possibility that someone neglects to change gloves or something similar, but if they have the procedures established in the kitchen, that suffices for me. Of course, I always inform them I have Celiac Disease and all relevant details – more on what to do when you arrive at the restaurant below.

If they are unable to describe or articulate those processes to me, I will decline the opportunity.

A good illustration of a process that I have faith in is In-n-Out Burger on the West Coast. If you inform them you have a “gluten sensitivity” (yes, I know, it’s not an allergy, but that’s what they term it so that’s the phrase to employ), they will promptly alert the manager and prepare your burger on a separate grill in the rear (always double check!). I trust the process at In-n-Out, and will happily eat a double-double protein style with sauce in packets on the side and a side of fries.

Here are some additional random ideas about eating gluten free in locations with shared cooking and preparation areas.

• Dedicated fryers are essential. When dining out, I always ask if separate equipment is used for frying foods. Sharing fryers raises the risk of cross-contamination so I try to avoid fried items in those situations.
• Distinct facilities for baking are important: in my view, the potential for contamination is too high when one space is used for multiple preparations involving utensils and appliances.
• Request foods be cooked with clean tools on a clean surface. For example, an omelette or fried potatoes prepared this way using only newly sanitized materials.
• I tend to be skeptical of gluten free pizza made in a mixed setting, but will eat there if unique dishes, utensils and ingredient containers are implemented (there is cross-contamination risk when one reaches into items like cheese or vegetables after contact with wheat flour residue). Ideally, it would be prepared in a separate section with a different oven. I would consider pizza baked on a dedicated pan in a shared oven if properly isolated.

Exactly How to Find Celiac-Safe Gluten Free Restaurants

My process for locating gluten-free dining options that can be approached without concern focuses on comprehensive research and verification.

Making Your List of Gluten Free Restaurants

Would you like to understand EXACTLY how I compile a list of restaurants to inspect when I travel? This section gives a precise step-by-step process that I employ to plan my trips in terms of gluten free nourishment.

It comes down to this: Make a list of potential restaurants, then check it twice by contacting places directly. More on both of those steps below.

The Best Tools for Finding Gluten Free Restaurants

The best tool for finding gluten-free meal options and ensuring safety is FindMeGlutenFree. However, there are some important caveats to keep in mind.

Because the reviews on FMGF are crowd-sourced, there’s frequently quite a bit of data that is straight up INCORRECT. Or they conflate “I didn’t get sick” with “it’s safe for Celiacs,” which is a terrible deduction to make.

For example, there is an establishment in Seattle that I have visited, spoken with staff, and was informed “if you have Celiac or a severe allergy, do not dine here.” However, that location has positive reviews on FMGF. That is why it is crucial to post reviews on FMGF, especially negative ones. Assist your fellow Celiacs and simplify dining out while gluten-free by pointing out when reviews do not match actual experiences!

The lesson here is that you cannot completely rely on the online reviews you read without confirming directly with the restaurant, bakery, etc. It`s also worth noting that things in kitchens regularly change, so you need to double check that nothing has changed that could potentially make it less safe for Celiac.

FindMeGlutenFree represents the ideal starting point for accumulating your list of gluten free dining establishments, but it`s not the sole option. The second resource I routinely consult are additional restaurant review sites that don`t exclusively focus on gluten free options, like TripAdvisor, Yelp, and Zomato (in Australia I discovered this one particularly useful), but I utilize them in a very specific manner. Their “gluten free options” tag is unreliable, so don`t even bother with it. Continue reading to discover precisely how to leverage these tools to identify establishments to add to your list.

Lastly, I turn to other blogs focused on gluten free dining. Searching “gluten free {city name}” or “gluten free restaurants in {city name}” on Google usually turns up helpful resources from bloggers like myself who have visited the location in question and offer valuable insight. However, the same cautions still apply – don`t accept anyone`s recommendations as absolute fact – even mine. Always verify the information yourself. My needs and standards may differ from yours, so you need to ensure any places I or others recommend are suitable for your requirements. To use an example mentioned earlier, searching for “gluten free Seattle” brings up countless blog posts listing a particular restaurant as a good gluten free option. Again, double check the details yourself.

Psst! On my Travel Resources page in the “Gluten Free Travel” Section, you can find a list of gluten-free blogs that I particularly appreciate checking out. Give them a follow.

Note: I’ll summarize using these instruments on phones, my principal method when hunting for gluten free dining spots. You can also implement these processes on computers, though interface elements differ.

How to Use FindMeGlutenFree to Find Dedicated Gluten Free Restaurants

One of the best parts about FindMeGlutenFree is that it renders it very straightforward to locate dedicated gluten free restaurants if they exist in the location you’re traveling to.

As I mentioned above, I favor restaurants that are 100% gluten free because there’s a much lower risk for cross-contamination in the kitchen, and I believe in supporting those establishments that are doing the right thing for the gluten free community.

Here’s exactly how to find them. 

1. Access the application, as expected.
2. Launch the app and select the search icon at the top of the display.
3. Input your destination in the bottom address bar, leaving the top search field blank.
4. Press “Filter” in the upper left corner, and toggle “Dedicated Gluten Free Facility” on (under the “most popular filters” section).
5. Press the filter button again in the top right to surface the listing of dedicated gluten free restaurants.
6. Voila! You’ve got a listing of dedicated gluten free restaurants. Browse through and examine the reviews of each establishment, and if it seems a good choice, include it in your list.

Pro tip: Be certain to check the place to ensure it’s not too far outside of the city you’re traveling to. In step 4 above, you can also add a filter to be 1, 3, 5, etc miles away from the location you entered.

How to Use FindMeGlutenFree to Find Celiac-Safe Gluten Free Restaurants

Remember what I noted earlier about FindMeGlutenFree being a good initial resource, but having flaws as a crowdsourced platform? Now is when that aspect becomes important. Locating Celiac-safe eateries that are NOT dedicated gluten free will be slightly trickier.

The lesson is this: Use FindMeGlutenFree and other apps as a starting point, and always double check straight with the restaurant. More on that below.

Here’s how to identify restaurants to add to your list that you’re going to contact.

1. Download and launch the mobile application.
2. Upon opening the app, press the search symbol at the top of the screen.
3. Enter your intended location in the bottom address bar while leaving the top search field blank.
4. Tap “Filter” in the top left corner, scroll down to the “Sort By” dropdown and select “rating.” Then, in the “Distance” section just above, pick 5 miles to be sure you`re obtaining places that are TRULY within the area you`re exploring.
5. Press the filter button again in the top right corner to surface the listing of gluten free dining establishments.
6. And there you have it! You’ve got a curated list of potential gluten free restaurants categorized by rating. Focus on venues with many reviews that are also timely. You need to read through the reviews of each place. Pay attention to the ones rated as 95+% safe for Celiacs, and be sure to particularly consider negative reviews. Search for reviews that mention cross-contamination, and disregard any that state something like “I didn’t get sick, so it’s probably fine.”
7. If it appears to be a good possibility and passes muster, add it to your list.

How to Use TripAdvisor, Yelp, etc. to Find Celiac-Safe Gluten Free Restaurants

While not specifically created for individuals seeking gluten free dining, these restaurant evaluation apps can be a treasure trove for finding safe places to eat.

There is one major caveat here – their classification as having “gluten free options” is entirely unreliable as it fails to account for potential cross-contamination. That makes it useless for individuals who truly need to avoid gluten. So I’d advise ignoring it.

So, understanding that, here’s how to leverage them to meet the need to locate restaurants with gluten free options that also cater to people with Celiacs.

Trip Advisor

1. Access and open the application, downloading it first if needed.
2. Within the app, tap the search icon located in the top right corner.
3. Input the term “celiac” pertaining to the destination you have in mind.
4. A listing should appear (hopefully) of eateries where consumer reviews reference the word “Celiac.”
5. Select a restaurant that looks promising and scroll down to the assessment area to find a search bar. To find critiques particularly about the gluten free choices, enter “Celiac” in the search box and read through the evaluations.
6. If it passes the preliminary review, include it in your list of dining establishments to contact directly (more details on that soon).
7. Repeat steps 5 & 6 for each dining establishment on the list produced when you searched Celiac.

Yelp

1. Access the mobile app, as suggested.
2. Launch the app and select the search icon in the center of the display.
3. Look up the term “celiac”, and enter the destination you have in mind.
4. You’ll obtain a listing (hopefully) of eateries whose evaluations reference “Celiac”.
5. Select a restaurant that looks promising, and scroll down to the reviews segment where you’ll locate a search bar. To find assessments particularly about the gluten free choices, search “Celiac” in the search field and read the evaluations.
6. If it meets the criteria, add it to your list of dining establishments to contact (more on that shortly).
7. Replicate steps 5 & 6 for each restaurant on the listing that came up when you searched Celiac.

Checking Your List Twice

You should connect with each location on the list to verify that you will be able to obtain a safe gluten free meal.

There are a few potential methods to obtain accommodations, and you may need to try various approaches to find a responsive landlord.

This step is particularly crucial for combined facilities so as to comprehend their processes for reducing cross-contamination. Below are the most effective approaches I`ve discovered for reaching out, along with an exact script that I utilize. Generally I customize it to wherever I`m contacting – such as inquiring about shared toppings at a pizza place, or their chips and shared fryer at a Mexican restaurant.

Here are four methods to reach out:

1. Email: Find the contact page on their website, and compose a message to be sent through that channel.
2. Facebook: Dispatch a note utilizing Facebook Messenger. At times, locations will offer the choice to email through Facebook too.
3. Instagram: I’ve surprisingly had success with Instagram direct messages, particularly with smaller enterprises, like the nearby gluten free bakery or brewpub. This might be harder to pull off with a larger chain like In-n-Out.
4. Phone: This is one of the most unpredictable methods. Similar to a true millennial, I dislike speaking on the phone. For it to work, you’ll need to converse with a manager, because the person who answers the call likely doesn’t have the responses to your inquiries. Additionally, this means you must question and navigate in real time, which can be difficult for someone newly diagnosed or anxious. I normally only do this if the other three fail.

The Script: What to Say

Here is the exact email that I usually begin with, and then I tailor it to the place I’m reaching out to. It’s important, I think, to be polite and thank them in advance for their help

Hey there,

I’m visiting [place] soon and your restaurant looks amazing.

I am reaching out because I have Celiac Disease, and I need to eat 100% gluten free. It is not a lifestyle choice – even a crumb of gluten will make me ill for days.

While researching restaurant options, I came across yours. Please advise if you have menu items I can safely enjoy during my visit for a positive dining experience. Thank you in advance for your assistance.

When preparing my meal, could you do so in a manner to ensure there is no cross-contamination with gluten? For instance, if an item is fried in oil that was also used to cook something containing gluten, it would not be safe for me to eat. Similarly, if something is made on the same surface or in the same pan used to prepare gluten without a thorough cleaning, it would not be safe for me to consume.

Thank you in advance – I really appreciate any help provided.

Cheers, 

{name}

What to Do When You Arrive

Your trip is finally here! You’re eventually going to get to make use of all the superb research you’ve done to eat some incredible gluten free cuisine! But what you do when you arrive will establish the tone for your meal, and go a long way towards

First, note any Celiac dietary needs when reserving. This alerts the restaurant in advance. I`ve had servers ask before I could say one of us has Celiac! What relief.

When you arrive at the restaurant and are seated, the primary thing you need to do is inform your server about your needs.

I usually say something like this: 

“I have a question – as someone with Celiac Disease who must maintain a strictly gluten free diet, I wanted to check what options would be safe for me based on our earlier discussion. Thank you for your help, I really appreciate you taking the time.”

Then, the server will either walk you through the menu options or find a manager who can help. During this time, you should feel comfortable asking questions like “do you have a dedicated fryer” or “is that made using the same surfaces as something like toast?” to gain more information.

When placing your order, ask them to verify with the kitchen that what you ordered is truly safe to consume. This should never be an issue, and will alert the kitchen that you’re serious about a gluten free diet.

Doing those two things – telling them your needs up front, asking for their help, and asking them to confirm with the kitchen – will set you up for the best possible gluten free dining experience.

If communicating through language may be a challenge and uncertainty exists regarding saying something in the local dialect, I suggest having a gluten free restaurant card available. Free versions can be found online, but they almost always fail to mention issues with cross-contamination, which is essentially the biggest hurdle, right? I`m more than happy to spend the $9 on a card from Legal Nomads that does address cross-contamination and has been translated by local speakers familiar with the language. Consider the overall expenses of your trip – $9 is absolutely worth it for a less stressful dining experience.

Final Thoughts on Dining Out Gluten Free with Celiac Disease

There you have it! I’ve covered my philosophy on eating out gluten free, the exact process you can use to find gluten free restaurants when traveling gluten free, and what to do before your trip, and when you arrive.

What other techniques do you use for dining out while avoiding gluten? Please share them by emailing me at [email protected].

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