Want to know how to stay gluten free (and not sick!) while in Portland?
Restaurants with GF menus
A surprising number of restaurants will have separate gluten free menus. YES, a separate menu! Entirely gluten free and all for the choosing! Restaurants such as Andina’s and Departure will hand you a gluten free menu upon request. Some places such as Luc Lac or Mediterranean Exploration Company will have a normal menu marked up with either dishes being gluten free or altered to be gluten free.
Got a gluten free shepherds pie from Raven & Rose
Ask for which items are GF if menus do not indicate
Most restaurants will not have a separate gluten free menu but can usually tell diners which items in their normal menu are already gluten free. In general they do a pretty good job of not making you sick. If gluten causes severe reactions, I recommend avoiding most food carts unless it is a strict gluten free food cart as there is a LOT of cross contamination and most employees at these carts do not seem to be as knowledgeable. I’ve once had a man working at a food cart try to convince me that a beer cheese sauce is “gluten free.” Nice try, buddy. I’ve been sick several times from dining at the food carts than I have at a restaurant.GF bakeries
There are gluten free bakeries in Portland! More than several, actually. The following bakeries are 100% gluten free, as in they do not use gluten in the entire venue. Worry not about cross contamination! My personal favorite is the slices of cake at Petunia’s. Their cakes are actually gluten free and vegan without the dry, crumbly sadness! Even Ben couldn’t tell the difference between their cakes and normal cake.
On the sweeter side (pastries, cakes, etc.)
- Back to Eden Bakery
- Petunia’s Pies & Pastries
- Tula Bakery & Cafe
- Kyra’s Bake Shop
On the savory side (sandwiches, bread loaves, pizza, quiche, etc.)
- Back to Eden Bakery
- Tula Bakery & Cafe
- New Cascadia Traditional Bakery (great loaves of bread)
Food carts
From a personal experience, I recommend being careful about which food carts to try if you’re highly sensitive to gluten. I have gotten sick several times from food at the food carts and avoided specific offenders since. However don’t let my experience stop you from trying out what is quintessentially Portland. Give these guys a try:- Cultured Caveman
- OnNom
- Heart Cart
- Grilled Cheese Grill
- Perierra Creperie
- El Pilon
- Garden Monsters
- Sonny Bowl
Ice Cream
Salt & Straw is a thing here and their ice cream is amazing! Luckily most of their flavors are gluten free and all you have to do is ask the wonderful people behind the ice cream counter. They also usually carry at least 1 flavor that is both gluten free and vegan!
Honey Lavender + Olive Oil ice cream from Salt & Straw
Gluten Free Bars
A good number of bars have gluten free beers in bottles and some even have them on tap! Try Deschutes for a rotating gluten free beer on tap or Ground Breaker Brewing, which is a gluten free brewery.
Quick Eats
Some quick eating venues will either have allergen labels everywhere or be able to modify their food to be gluten free. Try places such as these for a quick bite that won’t make you sick.- Veggie Grill
- Kure
- Elephants Deli
- Garden Bar
Bowl of the Gods with gluten free granola from Kure
Tuna nicoise salad from Garden Bar
For a very exhaustive (and majorly awesome) list of gluten free places to eat, check out Portland Monthly’s guide. Some of their recommendations were used in writing this post along with my own experiences.
**Note: I am not a doctor nor your mother and am not held accountable for those who may be sick from cross contamination from these recommendations. It is ultimately up to you to decide what foods will be safe for your dietary restrictions and these recommendations are based on my own travel experiences to share with my readers.