Another good restaurant is Nizza who do a lovely chick pea pancake type pizza.

I just found a restaurant in the lower east side called Pala Pizza. Most of the menu (including pizzas, pastas, and appetizers) can be made gf. They have dedicated pizza ovens and dedicated fryers. The food was delicious, my boyfriend was able to eat “normal” food, and I was able to eat pizza (I’m sold on any restaurant that GOOD gf pizza and gf fried food). It was easy to get to – take the F downtown and get off at 2nd Ave. If you go out the exit for 1st st it’s right there across the street.

There are good gf restaurants and bad ones. I don’t know about everyone else, I’m on the hunt for any restaurant that will allow me to eat like I used to, which doesn’t just mean the type of food (although I do appreciate a restaurant with gf mozzarella sticks!), but the experience as well. I am constantly searching for restaurants that already have an existing menu, so I can order without explaining to the waitress what celiacs is, avoid playing “telephone” with her and the chef to figure out which ingredients in which menu item I can eat, and eat without fear that each bite will lead to a stomachache (I know you all have gone through this experience). Any restaurant that allows me to forget about my food allergy while still adhering to my diet gets an A in my book. Mama’s on LI is number one by far (see below), PF Changs and Pala Pizza are close seconds, and although many chain restaurants have a small gf menu or can provide you with their “allegen” sheet, those sheets are usually great at REMINDING me of my allergy by telling my that I can have.. a baked potato. or the burger without the bun. or veggies without the seasoning.. whew, thanks for the effort there guys.

This seems like a primarily NYC website, but I think it is worth noting that Mama’s, which in out on Long Island in Oakdale (so quite a bit east for any settled NYer), has one of the BEST gf menus I have EVER seen. It is a classic Italian restaurant for the rest of the world, but they have a FULL gf menu and use separate dedicated stoves, fryers, dishes, silverware.. everything! The gf menu includes just about anything you could think of on an Italian menu – appetizers such as mozz sticks, chicken tenders, calamari, antipasto platter.. (I can’t remember more off the top of my head; I usually go straight for anything fried!!). Typical soups and salads, although it’s good to know that that soups being offered are gf! Entrees, again, are anything you can image – pasta dishes, chicken dishes (chx parm, marsala, etc), veal and steak, and of course, pizza! Specialty options are available as well, like a chick parm pizza. Mmmmm. Did I mention the gf bread that you get when you sit down at the table?

So I’m still searching for NY restaurants with full gf menus – Pala Pizza, mentioned above, was the best I have found so far although I am almost never in that area of town. Ruby Foo’s was ok but expensive. I’m on the hunt for GF restaurants in midtown if anyone knows more!!