This is how I choose to eat at a restaurant when traveling…..

• Google “Gluten free near me” – This is the broadest search and typically the fastest. If someplace is 100% gluten free, it comes up pretty quickly. There are a lot of duds in this list and it takes some time to click on the links for the restaurants. From their web sites, I get a sense of who they are and what they do. You can quickly determine if a restaurant is gluten free enough.

Some places say they can accommodate gluten free or are gluten friendly – for me that is a “probably no” unless corroborated with other sources. Others have an extensive gluten free menu with discussion of their protocols I’m pretty willing to put them toward the top the list.

• “Find Me Gluten Free” App – I use this to help narrow down the results from Google. When there are recent reviews, I trust those reviews. When lots of people confirm the place is safe, again, I trust those.
• Facebook gluten free groups for the location I’m going – I used this when going for a longer time, like a week. I find a lot of locals with specific information about gluten free restaurants that may or may not be listed other places. This is often very useful for big cities. Also, try to name the neighborhood you are visiting to get localized recommendations.
• Gluten Dude App – People swear by this one. They say they verify all restaurants in the app. I don’t travel enough to justify the subscription cost.
• Chain restaurants – There are times where a quick meal at a chain restaurant known to have gluten free options is good enough. We use this a lot on road trips when looking to have a quick meal.

As a general rule….

• Unless high end, Pizza and pasta places are no-go
• Burger, steak, seafood, and BBQ places are typically my go to’s. I know sauces and things can have gluten, but I find I have better luck here.
• Ethnic cuisines, unless they specifically mention gluten free, are not often visited while traveling.

Yes, all travel comes with risk. But it isn’t enough to keep me home.