Gluten Free Restaurants

Eating out with allergies is difficult. Eating out with multiple is near impossible. I am pretty used to looking at a menu and having only a salad with no dressing as a choice. Here are a few places in my area that I have had success with.

• Boston Market- Much better than KFC since they have some measure of food sanitation. They also offer a food allergens table which is wonderful since you can just run your finger along the line and see all the problem areas at once. Sadly, the only meats available are the rotisserie chicken and roasted turkey breast. If I didn't also have to worry about soy that I could live with that. As a MSPI mom, this place is out. 
• Outback Steakhouse- great GF menu with helpful staff to ensure additional allergies are no problems. We have had successful trips here a few times. You can have your fish or steak cooked on a wood plank with no oils. They do add butter to all steamed veggies so be sure to remove that.
• Ruby Tuesday- They give you a book with a print out for each allergy. While this seems nice, you have to cross reference each one. For us (MSPI and GF) we had to flip between the soy, milk and wheat allergy pages and pray. I ended up with the salad bar and hoped that no errant croutons had made a mess out of things. It ended up with a gluten reaction but now we know!
• Wendy's- Inside the restaurant is one of the allergen charts for cross referencing. The Chili here is gluten, dairy and soy free and the have a dedicated fryer for their fries which are usually done in Canola oil so they are soy free. You can also ask for a burger with bacon and no bun. I ask them to either wrap the lettuce around the outside like a bun (like the protein style at In-N-Out) or place it all in one of the trays then I do it myself. 
• Chick-fil-a - If it is not a Sunday and you want to save a cow or two, Chick-fil-a has options. They have a separate allergen chart for dairy and soy. If you have MSPI and Celiac, there is not a single item (other than BBQ sauce) that will be edible. 
• Subway- Subway is experimenting with gluten free bread but until that passes test phase, we are stuck eating salads with toppings. The link is to the allergy chart. 
• Bonefish Grill- they cook each dish individually so that helps with cross contamination
• Carrabba's Italian- haven't tried here in person yet, looking forward to it. 
• Buffalo Wild Wings - They have a really handy allergen chart with some good options.
• Sonic- A great fast food favorite before. Most everything here is contaminated or should be treated as such. In a pinch, you might have some luck with grabbing a drink but I wouldn't recommend it. 
• All restaurants are subject to change..look up for yourself what is safe for you. 

Gluten Free Grocery Shopping:

• Harris Teeter offers a large selection of gluten free foods. Check out this link for a complete listing of the items carried in the store.