Branson, Mo

[jvhuff]

I am headed to Branson in July for a family vacation.  Does anyone have any recommendations on places to eat?  I would love to eat somewhere other than the major chains.  I saw that The Pasta House has a gluten-free menu.  Has anyone tried their gluten free pasta?

[gilligan]

I am in Branson several times a year, so I think I can help you.  Dannas BBQ is my very favorite place to eat.  Most everything they have is gluten free minus fries, buns, and one or two sauces.  If you tell them you have celiac, they will change gloves and take precautions with your order.  Their burger buns are the best I've ever had - soft and don't fall apart.  GREAT bbq!  If they aren't busy, they will cook potato skins in the oven for you since you can't have the fries.  The managers seriously want you to have a safe meal.  They also have out of this world bbq nachos.  I brought in my own gluten-free tortilla chips, and they happily subbed them for me.

 

 At the Branson Landing you have three choices - Paddlewheel Grill and Pub, Cantina Laredo, and Black Oak Grill.  I've spoken with the manager of the Paddlewheel who actually researched products and came up with a few.  They use Nathan hot dogs which are gluten free.  Manager suggested that I order a salad with plain grilled chicken breast and Kens Lighthouse Raspberry dressing.  I have ordered the chicken and salad without any problem.  Now that I know more about contamination, I won't do it again unless they can promise to cook my meal to my specs.  Nice people, though!   I did send an email to the owner explaining about cross contamination and she was interested in knowing what needed to be done, but couldn't promise that the kitchen could keep everything safe.

 

 Black Oak Grill will send the manager to your table to take your order.  He knows what celiac is, and is aware of what it takes to keep you safe.  They will bake your fries, and the burgers and pulled pork will come without a bun.  Again, I didn't get sick and will try this place again.

 

 Cantina has a large selection of gluten-free entrees.  The chips and mild salsa are gluten free.  The entrees are good, but they made several mistakes with my order.  I was given flour tortillas and refried beans. I found out the beans weren't gluten-free, but could be subbed out for black beans.  She corrected the mistake, but charged me for the black beans.  Cantina is very crowded all the time.  My suggestion is to go during the less crowded times to order.  I wouldn't trust Pasta House or Florentinas.  I've heard from several people that were glutened while eating there.  

 

Silver Dollar City has one gluten free option available if you order ahead of time.  They will provide you with Shepherd's Pie and deliver wherever you wish at a designated time in the park.  I haven't tried it, yet.  They have spiral potatoes on a stick without seasoning that is safe.  I am trying to find out if kettle corn is gluten free.

 

The Chateau on the Lake and Keeter Center also have gluten free options.  I have read that Keeter Center is good for gluten-free options, but it is also very pricey. Same with Chateau - very pricey and I read that selection was limited and bland.

 

Please report back about your vacation.  I'm anxious to hear how it turned out.  There are lots of other options, but these are the only ones I've tried and trust.  Check the FindMe Gluten Free app for additional info.

[kareng]

The kettle corn at SDC is gluten free. It's just corn, Oil, salt and sugar. All they cook in the pots are gluten-free. I am trying to remember what I ate last time I was there ( last summer). I think I brought something for my lunch and had frozen lemonade! Yummmmmmmmmm.

[gilligan]

The taffy is gluten free, also!  Walk through Delilah's Bakery and take in the wonderful smells (even though you can't eat anything).  Then, because you are in mourning about the bakey, walk to the Taffy Store and drown your sorrows in several pounds of delicious taffy.  And, bring home several more pounds because it's just that good!   There is one skillet dinner - sausage skillet medley - that is gluten free according to customer relations.  I'm not brave enough to try it, but I hope someone is.  Also, the bbq sauce and pork rinds are gluten-free. 

[Darissa]

I know this is old ... but thought I'd chime in.

 

Silver Dollar City. We love the berries and cream (ice cream stand with strawberries) everything in the ice cream stand is gluten-free. Frozen Lemonaid is gluten-free; Kettle corn like someone else said is gluten-free; The sausage skillet medley is gluten-free; we have tried it;  It is at the Tater Patch Skillet . none of us got sick and we ate it for 2 days. Needed something protein and it worked.  They only think the cook in that big ole skillet is the sausage skillet medley thing. We have done the preorder gluten-free food delivery service (it seems as if it is frozen) they send it to a pre-specified restaurant at a certain time. We did not care for it. We tried pretty much everything they had on the gluten free menu and we didn't like any of it (and I'm not picky, and my kids aren't really either). The pizza was our favorite of all the items, but still not great.

 

Cantina Laredo in Branson - We have one of these back home in Arizona. We like their food. It seems like it is a little hit or miss here (we have 2 of them, and I prefer one over the other ... probably due to management and training of staff). The one I prefer we do good at and haven't gotten sick from cross contact.  It is clearly marked on their menu what items are gluten-free; We love the fajitas!

 

Last time we were there we stayed at a campground in our RV and cooked almost all of our meals except while at SDC.  So, we didn't eat out that much on our last trip. But it seems like Branson is getting more and more options as the years go on! When we started eating gluten-free 6 years ago, there wasn't a lot of choices in Branson. We love it! One of our favorite vacation spots!