I would say I am a pretty well traveled person, and going to new places is one of my favorite things to do. After years of trying to get to the wonderful New York City, I finally planned a trip with two of my closest friends. Neither of them eat gluten free but are always on board for trying new places and going on crazy adventures with me. They were not disappointed with any of my finds! We just returned from our trip and I couldn’t help but share the AMAZING gluten free food from all over the city. I didn’t realize until I got home that I didn’t get pictures of everything but I did get a few!
We covered pretty much all of my favorites: Chinese, Italian, NY Pizza, Brunch, sandwiches, meats, cheeses, cupcakes, cookies, and desserts galore!
Friedman’s – This place is gluten free heaven!
They have two locations, but we tried the one on 31st St. I was hoping for eggs benedict but we just missed breakfast so a turkey sandwich it was. The B.L.A.T to be exact. Bacon, lettuce, avocado and tomato on their fresh bread with one order of their rosemary fries and one of the sweet potato for the table. What a wonderful way to start my birthday!
We came back here the next morning for breakfast so we could try the benedict and it was pretty good too! Go early or there is a long wait. We arrived around 9:15am and only had to wait about 10 minutes.
Bistango – Probably one of my favorite restaurants I’ve ever been to. A good sized Italian menu with a mix of regular and gf items, all the way down to WARM FRESH BREAD upon sitting down. This is a treat that rarely ever happens when going out and everyone at the table said my bread was better than theirs so that was a pretty wonderful thing to experience. I ordered the homemade ravioli and since it was my birthday I got two desserts; NY Cheesecake and creme brûlée, both fantastic choices. It has been awhile since I’ve had a cheesecake with a good crust and they got this one right.
Cupping Room Cafe – We ended up here because we read it had gluten free options but their gf waffles are NOT prepared in a different waffle iron so that was not an option for me. Our server was very kind to double check that for me and did find their hollandaise was safe so I got the eggs benedict over bacon and their house potatoes. Certainly not the healthiest meal but it was absolutely delicious!
Eataly – Italian meat and cheese boards with some good wine pairings. This is in a big market and they had a ton of fresh desserts, most of which were made with almond flour and marked gf! They also have a full ingredient list of each item behind the counter for any other allergies.
Lilli and Loo – FINALLY REAL CHINESE FOOD! Since soy sauce is a main ingredient in most Chinese food, the most authentic Chinese I’ve had in awhile is PF Chang’s. This place was was so good that we went two nights in a row. A huge menu with everything from fried rice, to dumplings, to breaded chicken. They are very careful and even plate the gf dishes on square plates instead of round and point out everything when they set it down. It became kind of funny because our waiter kept saying “Ok you can eat this, not this, and this but not this” but he was very accommodating. It’s a good thing I live far away from here or I’d be eating it ALL the time!
Tulu Bakery – Every item is gluten free! I am a tough critic with bakeries because I bake often and have spent a lot of time perfecting my recipes but this place blew my mind. The blondies were my favorite by far, but I also tried a couple of the cookies and cupcakes and all were very good.
Big Daddy’s Diner – Surprising to see a diner style restaurant serve gluten free pancakes but they did and they were pretty good! Certainly nothing gourmet or fancy about it but they are extremely cautious of food allergies and I had no complaints! Good filling breakfast to start our last day around the city!
Mozzarellis – Pizza! Cheesecake! Cookies! First off, if you want pizza in New York City, this is the place to go. I met the owner while I was there and he not only assured me they used the best ingredients and cook the gf pizza separately, but he also informed me they ship their crusts all over the world. They also had a huge display of bread crumbs, cookies (the black and white ones are my favorite), and a ton of refrigerated items. I got the red velvet cheesecake to take with me to the airport and it was incredible. The salads and wraps looked amazing, but I was on vacation!
Considering this was my first time in New York, I’d say we did our fair share exploring and a week later I am still stuffed thinking about it. I definitely won’t wait another 26 years to get back to this magical city! Any must have spots or recommendations? Let me know!
Cupcakes and Colonoscopies 