Gluten Free Dining in Portland, Oregon
Posted on 8:21 pm by Gluten Free GuyAN UPDATED AND EXPANDED VERSION OF THIS ARTICLE IS AVAILABLE. CLICK HERE TO MOVE THERE.
I moved to Portland in November of last year and was delighted to discover many gluten free eating places in the area as well as specialty stores that could take care of all my needs. My two sons and their families live in the area which makes living here wonderful despite the rain. Anyway, enough personal information: here are some of the things I have discovered about gluten free living in Portland:
The Outback Steakhouse and P.F. Chang’s China Bistro — the only nationwide chains that feature wheat and gluten free menus — both have restaurants in the area. The links will connect you with their web sites in case you need more information.
I totally enjoyed my lunch at Keana's Candyland and was delighted to purchase delicious gluten free bread and cookies at very reasonable prices. Lunch was delicious. The Hawaiian bread that I took home and the rootbeer bread that I sampled were both delicious. The cookies were awesome. Check out their website — everything is as attractive as it look! I totally agree with the statement on their site: "We lovingly make everything with a gentle touch and a loving heart".
UPDATE 7/12/07 I'm sorry to report that the gluten free pizzeria at 14559 Westlake Drive, Lake Oswego, Oregon, has gone out of business. I'm including the address because the place had three names and three owners during the past year. Using the address is the only way to know what restaurant we are talking about.
Bob’s Red Mill is one of America’s major sources of wheat and gluten free as well as traditional baking mixes and flours. If you have been wheat free or gluten free for any length of time, you have probably come to rely on their products and might enjoy a visit to "the mill". They have a huge and interesting display and sales room. Any of their delicious sandwiches in their dining area can be made with gluten free bread and cooked on a newly-cleaned grill.
The Corbett Fish House and The Hawthorne House are two restaurants operated by the same people. As a matter of fact, they use exactly the same menu. The food is great. I love the fish tacos, and my wife (who does not follow a gluten free diet) loves them just as much as I do. My impression of both places is that about half the customers live wheat and gluten free and the other half are there because they love great fish at reasonable prices.
The Coffee Plant is a coffee shop located next door the Corbett Fish House. It serves a variety of gluten free muffins and pastries prepared in a gluten free kitchen. Obviously, this neighborhood is a great place to live gluten free. Be aware that the Coffee Plant's location downtown does not serve gluten free food.
UPDATE: 6/11/07 Unfortunately, I have deleted my post on Flambe Restaurant. It has gone out of business. Thanks for the great meals I had there. By the way, the website is still functioning but the phone has been disconnected. I heard about this closure during my last celiac support group meeting. We had several enjoyed several social events at that restaurant.
Assaggio is an Italian family-style restaurant with a gluten free menu, wonderful food, and a friendly but elegant atmosphere.
Andina serves Peruvian food in a way that is acceptable on the wheat or gluten free diet. Actually, I have no idea what Peruvian cuisine tastes like, but I am eager to visit this place.
I’ve already informed my wife that we will have my birthday dinner at Grolla, a restaurant that describes itself as “”Mediterranean Influenced Pacific Northwest Cuisine”. I love their description on the restaurant’s web site: “… there is no flour used so there is no possibility of cross contamination.”
The Gluten Intolerance Group Portland Metro area publishes a list of celiac-friendly restaurants and updated that list in May 2007. Most of the establishments mentioned here are on that great list. The group also recommends these establishments which do not have sites that advertise their gluten free credentials:
- Acapulco's Southwest Gold, 7800 SW Capitol Hwy, Portland / 503-244-0771
- Caprial's Bistro, 7015 SE Milwaukee Avenue, Portland / 503-236-5457
- Carafe, 200 SW Market Street, Portland / 503-248-0004
- Clarke's, 455 2nd St., Lake Oswego / 503-636-2667
- Gustav's German Pub and Grill, 5035 NE Sandy Blvd, Portland / 503-288-5503
- Lemon Grass, 1705 NE Couch Street, Portland / 503-231-5780 I’ve already informed my wife that we will have my birthday dinner at Grolla, a restaurant that describes itself as “”Mediterranean Influenced Pacific Northwest Cuisine”. I love their description on the restaurant’s web site: “… there is no flour used so there is no possibility of cross contamination.” Every item on the menu is wheat and gluten free.
In a large city like Portland, all types of fast food is readily available. Click here to visit my Fast Food Restaurants page if you need information.
If you are interested in picnicking or eating at home, you’ll be glad to know that Whole Food’s Market and Wild Oats Market are right across the street from each other in the Bridgeport Shopping Mall. Trader Joe's has several stores in the area.
Trackback uri
http://www.glutenfreeceliacweb.com/2007/01/20/gluten-free-dining-in-portland-oregon/trackback/
10 Comments »
January 16, 2008
Amanda Whitcombe :
I recently went to dinner at Grolla with my dad and had a wonderful experience. They have gluten-free dinner rolls that are to die for. I ate the lamb and it was moist with a great flavor. However I wish that I would have gotten the scallops which my dad ordered….the best I have ever had. They were so wonderful that my dd actually took some home for his wife. I would reccomend this restaurant to anyone, celiac's and wheat lovers alike!!
March 25, 2008
Kyle :
Hello,
I am one of the owners of Mi Famiglia Pizzeria in Downtown Oregon City (701 main street) and am proud to announce that we are now offering gluten free pizza! Our phone number is (503)594-0601 if anybody has any questions.
thanks
-Kyle
March 27, 2008
Teresa :
My husband and I just opened a dedicated gluten free retail bakery in NW Portland and I wanted to let your readers know about it. Our small storefront is located at 2120 NW Glisan Street, between NW 21st Avenue and NW 22nd Avenue, next to Trader Joe's. It's a small kiosk in front of Sammy's Flowers.
We make croissants, chocolate croissants, sourdough bread and French baguettes, galettes, cookies, pastries and much more.
Check out our website for more information: www.newcascadiatraditional.com.
Thanks!
Teresa
April 7, 2008
Amaya :
Hi Paul and Lanette,
Garlic Jim's Pizza has started to offer gluten-free pizza options. So far, the only location to carry the GF crust is Salmon Creek, in Vancouver. My daughter reports that it's very tasty (I can't eat it because I'm allergic to eggs as well as gluten), and I can report that from what I saw, they make a huge effort to prevent cross-contamination.
I heard today that there's someplace on Mississippi Avenue that has started to offer GF pizza. Anyone know which place? A Google search left me with no answers.
Thanks much,
Amaya
May 8, 2008
Philip :
Mississippi Pizza is serving gluten free pizza , 2 kinds of gf beer and gf cookies. 503 288 3231
May 14, 2008
Kelsey :
I just got back from my first visit to Portland, and I have to tell you that Andina is a gluten free dream come true! Aside from being some of the best food that I've ever tasted, the gluten free selections are totally abundant. I visited for 5 days, and I ate there twice, once for dinner and the next day for lunch.
Dinner: they present you with a completely separate GFdinner, it's a full 2-page book with tons and tons of options. Then they bring out GF fried yucca with a yummy salsa. This replaces the bread basket that those dining off the regular menu receive. These yucca were light, not the least bit greasy, and delicious. They have small plates (that come in 3 sizes - S, M, L - actually), and actual full dinners. I opted to split several of the small plates (size small for all). Awesome peppers stuffed with ham and quinoa, mussels with corn & tomato salsa, avocado stuffed with crab, a causa (fluffy potato concoction) with cheese and asparagus, and the 5 elementos cebiche made from the 5 freshest fishes of the day.
Normally when I get tapas type food I typically favor one dish over another, but all of these dishes were fabulous, and had very unique flavors. And since most of them were fish, I didn't feel like I was loading up something unhealthy.
They also have a separate GF dessert menu that had at least 6 choices. They had everything from chocolate cake, to flan, to a trio of daily special creme brulees, to sorbet. I chose the chocolate cake (torta de chocolate). It came with a caramel-like ice cream (some peruvian name I'll never remember) that was divine.
For lunch you still get a separate GF menu, but it's a little smaller. I had the mussels and cebiche again, but this time we tried the scallops baked in cheese and lime, and a tuna dish. Again, everything was excellent. The GF dessert menu is a little more limited as well, but I got the chocolate cake again and managed to persuade them to add the ice cream available at dinner. It was worth it. Btw, we still got the yucca instead of the bread too. Score!
In addition to great food, there's a great atmosphere with yummy red sangria, and mojitos made the way god intended . . . with sugar cane straws. The staff is very knowledgeable about their GF items, and they go the extra mile to help. My service at dinner was a little better and faster than my lunch service, FYI.
Great, great, great food. I told the chefs they need to open an east coast version STAT. If I lived in Portland this would be my regular haunt.
July 3, 2008
Alex52 :
I am so excited about the Gluten Free pizza options. Can't wait to visit Mi Familglia! Here is another good article source for gluten free dining in Portland.
http://www.52perfectdays.com/articles/portland%E2%80%99s-gluten-free-scene
August 16, 2008
Laura :
I will soon be writing an article for The Hollywood Star News about restaurants in NE Portland that cater to special diets (GF, vegan, vegetarian, etc.). I have been excited to hear about Mississippi Pizza (it's been a LONG time since I've had good pizza!), and tonight we will be going to Vita, on Alberta. They offer lots of options in all 3 categories.
September 22, 2008
Laura :
I am in the process of writing said article, and will be including Old Wives' Tale, whose menu specifically lists ingredients and descriptors such as "gluten-free" or "dairy-free," etc., Blue Moose Cafe on Fremont, a vegetarian restaurant that states on their menu that they can help you with gluten-free options (and they do–yum!), Vita, and The Mississippi Pizza Pub. Old Wives' Tale even has GF toast and a number of gluten-free desserts ("real" ones, like cake, not just "you can have a scoop of vanilla ice cream while your fellows have pie.")
November 26, 2008
Kristi :
Hey,
There is also a Garlic Jims on Sunnyside Rd., across from Kaiser. It's spendy but well worth it! High end pizza and the staff really is careful. Also at the Gresham Cold Stone, they have a recommended gluten free dish and take the time to use a seperat stone and spoons.