Oregon is a great place to live gluten free. I know, I live just south of Portland. The best way to write about celiac friendly Oregon is to divide this article into three parts: (1) Portland, (2) the rest of the state, and (3)items that apply statewide.
Your first step in understanding gluten free Portland is to study “Grain Damaged”, the blog published by Portland Metro Celiacs. The blog lists 32 restaurants and stores and even plots them on a map. In the side bar, you’ll find links to other celiac support groups in the state as well as to many of the restaurants listed on the map. You may also study the restaurant list published by The Gluten Intolerance Group of Southwest Washington. Portland, Oregon / Vancouver, Washington, is actually one large metropolitan area and most of the places on the list are actually in Portland.
Here is some information about independently owned gluten free restaurants in Portland and vicinity:
Bellagio’s Pizza. Gluten free pizza is available at each of Bellagio’s fourteen pizzerias in the Portland area. This link will reveal their gluten free information.
Carafe. The availability of gluten free options was confirmed in an e-mail from the restaurant owner on 7/22/08. There is no indication of this on the menu.
Pastini’s Pastaria, with restaurants in Portland, Beaverton, Tigard, Corvalis, and Bend. Please click here to read my review of this group of restaurants. It is one of my personal favorites.
Keana’s Candyland, in the suburb of Milwaukie, is beautifully decorated as a two story gingerbread house and is a “wheat and gluten-free specialty bakery and restaurant”.
The Oasis Cafe Pizza on SE Hawthorene is a great source for gluten free pizza. Read this review or this report from an enthusiastic customer: “…has gluten free pizza and it is wonderful. They deliver within the local area. I am also corn and soy sensitive and it is clean of those too. Woo-hoo! I thought I’d never eat pizza again. What a blessing.”
Virgo and Pisces. The address of the restaurant is at the bottom of the page. Click here and then click on download the pizza menu.
The Corbett Fish House. I love this place. Try their clam chowder and their French fried sweet potatoes. My hunch is that some of their customers live gluten free but that the majority go their for the great food..
Hawthorne Fish House. This restaurant is operated by the same people. As a matter of fact, their menus are exactly the same except for the cover. Diners at both places order from the regular menu, with gluten free items clearly indicated.
Andina Restaurant. Click here for a review written by a person who loves this place as much as I do and gave me permission to publish her work. Click on the restaurant name for the gluten free menu and the restaurant location.
Blooming Lotus Restaurant. There are two locations in Portland. Click here for the menu of the Irvington restaurant, which offers you the most gluten free options, or click here for the menu from the restaurant in the Pearl district.
Gustav’s. A German restaurant group that makes me very happy to call Portland “home”. I order from a printed gluten free that includes appetizers, soups, and desserts. There are three restaurants in or near Portland as well as one on the other side of the river in Vancouver, Washington.
Bob’s Red Mill. Some of the best gluten free fgrain products in America originates here. The Mill also has an excellent restaurant and will prepare any of their fabulous sandwiches on gluten-free if you request this service.
Francis Restaurant. Click on the name of the restaurant to get the location. You can click on the same page to read the menu. The gluten free choices are listed at the end of the regular menu.
Grolla Restaurant. Their system for preventing cross-contamination is simply to have no gluten-toxic flour anywhere on the premises. Scroll to the bottom of the page to find the restaurant’s address. UPDATE 4/15. Unfortunately, the Grolla has recently gone out of businness. Hopefully, this is only temporary. I’ll keep you posted.
Picazzo’s serves marvelous pizza and this is their first restaurant located outside Arizona.
Pizza-a-GoGo, serves great pizza. An e-mail from one of this blog’s visitors recommends it enthusiastically.
Mississippi Pizza.Pub. Their gluten free pizza is superb and they even provide pizza crusts for home use, complete bake-at-home pizzas, and gluten free beer.
Old Wives Tales Restaurant. This is one of the most popular celiac-friendly restaurants in Portland. The link will take you to a page giving the address of the restaurant and also talking about their ability to deal with persons needing a gluten free diet.
New Cascadia Traditional Bakery. I recommend their gluten free sourdough bread. UPDATE 8/14 regular visitors should be aware that this bakery now has a new location.
Piece of Cake Bakery. Click here for the location.
The Coffee Plant. Gluten free bake goods and coffee. Note that The Coffee Plant has two locations but only this one is gluten free. It is right next to Corbett Fish House, so you can really celebrate gluten free in this area.
Mi-Famiglia (in the Portland suburb, Oregon City), A pizzeria that is ready and willing to meet our needs.
Monteaux’s Public House (in Beaverton, a Portland suburb) Click here for the gluten free menu. Click on the restaurant name and scroll down for the location.
The Garlic Jim’s Pizza Chain recently introduced gluten free pizza in all its outlets in the Portland/Vancouver area. Click here to read a press release on that subject. Click on the pizza chain’s name for locations.
An enthusiastic e-mail recommends Porquinos, a taco and Mexican restaurant with two locations in Portlan d.
Vita Cafe. This restaurant emphasized vegetarian and vegan food, but items that can be prepared gluten free are asterisked on the regular menu. Click on the restaurant name for the location. This restaurant seems to be very child-and-family friendly.
Here is a list of gluten free restaurants and bakeries outside the Portland area:
The Gazette-Times of Corvalis has published an article discussing gluten free dining opportunities in Albany, Corvalis, Salem, and Eugene.
In Salem, try the Marco Polo Global Restaurant. Click here to read their gluten free menu. These same people operate Marco Polo Tea Time. Click here to read a review of this celiac-friendly restaurant.
Bella Cucina, with locations in Bend and Sun River. Click on the restaurant name and decide which location you prefer. Then follow the directions on the screen.
Angeline’s Bakery and Café in Sisters. Click here for the gluten free options that are available.
Shopping for gluten free food? You’ll probably find what you need at Whole Foods Market or Trader Joe’s. Here are some other possibilities:
If you’re in the Portland area, try New Seasons.
Angeline’s Bakery sells its excellent gluten free products at many locations in Washington and Oregon.
Gluten free foods are available at The Health Food Mart in Medford
The Living Earth Bakery sells its gluten free baked goods at several locations in Corvalis. You will probably need to scroll down to get the informtion you need.
These chain restaurants serve delicious meals in Oregon. Keep in mind that chain restaurants invariably have web sites that make finding them easy to find and standardized quality control procedures that insure that you will have no unpleasant gluten–toxic surprises. If you are interested in any of the restaurants on this list, click here to find the information that you need: Chic-Fil-A, Chili’s Grill and Bar, Claim Jumper, Outback Steakhouse, P.F. Chang’s China Bistro, Romano’s Macaroni Grill, Wingers.
On a personal note, I noticed while preparing this article that is the best item on this blog. Why? Because I live in a suburb of Portland so my writing is based on personal experience as well as internet research. Some day I would love to tour the country sampling gluten free restaurants. Until that time, I will have to rely on people like you for first hand information. Please leave a comment at the bottom of this (or any article) or e-mail me at gfceliac@gmail.com
Information added 05/11/09
Thank you for this list. We are moving to Beaverton Oregon & this will be very helpful. Is there a way to receive updates via email?
Salem, Oregon has 2 restaurants that offer Gluten Free dining, both are by the same owner. Marco Polo Global has pretty nice gluten free menu. http://www.mpologlobal.com/menu.html
The same owners also have Marco Polo Tea Time which has gluten free options.
The Deschutes Brew Pub in NW Portland near Powell’s Books has a Gluten Free ESB ale on tap most of the time. They also have multiple GF menu option menu items. Fun to be able to hoist a craft-brewed GF ale.
Just heard that La Capitale in Salem will happily accommodate diners who ask for gluten free meals. Not sure if you need to call ahead or not, but reservations are always a good idea at this popular restaurant.
Any suggestions for central Oregon – Prineville/Madras area?
I’m sad to say that Virgo and Pisces has closed. Their website is still up but the phone is disconnected and when I drove by it was rather shut up.
Very useful information, thank you for the post
LifeSource Natural Foods in Salem, Oregon, has over 1300 gluten free products on it’s grocery, refrigerated & frozen shelves. Yellow shelf tags beneath each product that is certified by the manufacturer as being gluten free make shopping here easy. Staff are trained and engaged in helping those with selective diets.
Be careful recommending Angeline’s bakery in Sisters. Their gluten free food shares bakery cases with their gluten-containing baked goods…..trays of gluten-containing crumby cookies and cakes right above gluten free items, with the crumbs falling downward onto them. It made me so nervous, I didn’t dare eat there. Watching the servers, there was serious cross-contamination going on every time they got into the cases. I shudder to think of how their safe-handling practices are in the kitchen! It’s a shame, because their food looks so good. But for sensitive celiacs, I would stay away!
The Coffee Plant… has closed.