Gluten Free Garden

I just received an email inquiry from a Des Moines local who has Celiac Disease.  He asked if I have a list of restaurants in Des Moines that offer gluten free menu options.

I understand the frustration of trying to find gluten free dining options, especially during the lunch hour when time isn’t plentiful.  I don’t have an official list of Des Moines restaurants that offer gluten free options, but I am happy to share with you where I frequently dine.  Happily, there seem to be more and more options for special diets every day.

When downtown for lunch or dinner I eat a lot of sushi.  Miyabi 9 is one of my favorites and I order sashimi or the classic fish and vegetable maki rolls.  Unfortunately, soy sauce is off limits because it is fermented with wheat.  Zen in the Kirkwood Hotel lists its gluten free options on the menu.

I have had great success with the Vietnamese food at A Dong – the beef curry stir fry and pho are my favorites.  I also frequent many of the Thai restaurants in Des Moines and West Des Moines (Ban Thai, King and I Thai, Thai Flavors, Cool Basil).  Japanese, Vietnamese and Thai cooking traditions use very little wheat especially in comparison to Chinese cooking practices.  Rice and rice noodle dishes are usually safe.  Spring rolls that are wrapped in rice paper and steamed are heaven on earth for the gluten intolerant.  Soba noodles and egg rolls are off limits!

I have had the salmon salad for lunch at Sbrocco and enjoyed it immensely.

Mexican cuisine is usually a pretty safe bet, although cross-contamination in the kitchen is sometimes a problem.  I like to go to Dos Rios downtown and order the guacamole, although I am fairly certain the spices they use on the chips are not gluten free (I am going to bring my own corn chips next time).  I also order the Dos Rios tacos with corn tortillas and no cheese/sour cream because of my casein allergy.

Over towards the Drake neighborhood I like to order a hamburger at Star Bar without the bun.   They do an excellent side salad with a balsamic vinaigrette that is out of this world.   When ordering salads I ask for gluten free dressing options or for a simple olive oil or balsamic vinegar dressing.  Always remember to ask if a salad comes with bread on the side or croutons.  Every time I forget to do this there is a big, glutenous breadstick hovering over my salad.

When in doubt, call the restaurant ahead of time and ask if they can accommodate your diet.  I like to do this even if I know a restaurant has accommodated me in the past, simply because I like to encourage restaurants to develop menu options for special diets.

I hope this helps. Please keep me informed if you find new restaurants with gluten free options and I will be happy to share them with other celiacs through the web site.

Happy eating!