Restaurants To Eat In While In London/paris/edinburgh

[CalicoSue]

I have already e-mailed about how wonderful the Hilton Metropole Hotel is. Even with all my research of wonderful restaurants in London, we ended up eating a lot at the Hilton Metropole Hotel restaurant (Fiamma) restaurant because they were so accommodating. We did, however, eat in a few London restaurants that were terrific. Be sure to make reservations and tell them you will be eating gluten-free.

LONDON - PJ'S GRILL - This restaurant was WONDERFUL! It is a really nice restaurant in the Covent Garden of London. Nearly all of their courses were gluten-free AND they had gluten-free chocolate cake that was delicious! I have to tell you that I do not remember what I ate for dinner there, but I do remember the delicious chocolate cake. It was probably some kind of chicken dish with potatoes (that's what I usually order). (Address-30 Wellington Street, London; Phone-0-20-7240-7529). We also had "high tea" at THE SAVOY at the Fairmont Hotel on the Strand in London. I had e-mailed the hotel's restaurant about a month before we visited London. Their bakery chef made the best Gluten-free pastries for me for the afternoon tea (be prepared - afternoon tea is about $50 a person, but I had heard that they made Gluten-free pastries, and I was hooked.....). I had Gluten-free brownies, cookies, scones and tiny sandwiches on Gluten-free bread. Not sure I would do it again, but it was wonderful to walk in there and be served THREE plates of Gluten-free goodies! (Address-The Strand, London WC2 in the Covent Garden area; Phone-0-20-7420-2669; E-Mail: svy.dining@fairmont.com). We also ate at DA MARIO'S RESTAURANT, again in the Covent Garden area. I had gluten-free spaghetti, and they know all the issues of gluten-free. (Address: 63 Endell Street, Covent Garden, London; Phone: 0-20-7240-3632.

Through my research, there were other restaurants in London that were supposed to serve gluten-free food. Notting Grill, Sophie's Steakhouse, Garfunkels, Giraffe, Est Est Est, La Tasca, Leon, Nando's, Texas Embassy Cantina, JD Wetherspoon, Pitcher & Piano and Slug and Lettuce. Unfortunately, I did not make it to any of them - I was very content with my four personal chefs at the Hilton Metropole Hotel!

As far as London supermarkets go, Sainsburys and Tesco were supposed to have tons of Gluten-free food on their shelves. The only Sainsburys and Tescos I saw were smaller stores that did not stock Gluten-free food. Their bigger stores only stocked the Gluten-free food - and I never saw any of them, unfortunately. I did go into a couple of food specialty stores called Marks & Spencer and found some Gluten-free packaged goodies.

PARIS- We took a quick day trip from London to Paris to see the Eiffel Tower and the Louvre. It was comical trying to eat lunch at a McDonalds in Paris. The people at McDonalds would NOT order a cheeseburger for me without a bun and adding lettuce and tomato. Since it was not in the register, they were not going to order it for me. After begging and pleading for about 5 minutes, I finally got a plain burger with cheese on it on a piece of paper. I tried putting it between crackers with my own packets of mayonnaise and ketchup. It was awful! I couldn't eat it. I fed it to the pigeons as we ate at the tables outside the McDonalds (which got the McDonalds people mad ) I then munched on some french fries and then ate some of my own peanut butter and crackers. The lesson here is always to go prepared with food in your purse!

EDINBURGH, SCOTLAND - We took another day trip to Scotland from London. Through internet searching, I found a restaurant in Edinburgh called Daniel's Bistro which could serve a gluten-free meal. What a delightful man Daniel Wencker turned out to be. We had lots of e-mail exchanges, not only of Daniel assuring me of a gluten-free meal, but about America and Scotland and what to see when we visited there. He even started calling me "Peggy Sue." We toured the Edinburgh Castle and then took a cab to his bistro, about 15 minutes from the castle. I'm afraid I cannot even remember what I ate there, but it was good and gluten-free. I do remember the dessert he made for me though (of course I remember the desserts), creme brulee, and it was delicious. It was just so touching finally meeting Daniel and we even exchanged presents. I gave him some See's Peanut Brittle candy and a "San Francisco" key chain, and he gave me a beautiful plaque that said "Fantastic Friend." We took a picture of me, my husband and Daniel outside his bistro, and I will treasure it forever. (Address-88 Commercial Street, Edinburgh, Scotland; Phone: 0-131-553-5933; E-Mail: danielsbistro@hotmail.com).

My Gluten-free dinner on the British Airways flight back to California included a fillet of fish entree with potatoes and veggies swimming in fish juice. I have never liked fish - even the smell of it. Unfortunately, I didn't eat my dinner on the plane coming back from Europe. I contentedly munched on some Gluten-free food I had bought in London instead. I didn't care. I was coming home from a trip of a lifetime!!

[mouse]

This is so nice of you to share all the places that people can eat or buy gluten-free food, if need be. I am glad your trip was so fantastic. I am not able to get further then Las Vegas, anymore. But, you wrote everything so elegantly that I tasted the food and also traveled with you. Thank you for sharing.

[NicoleAJ]

Calico Sue,

I'm really glad that you didn't get sick from McDonald's in Paris! I just came back from a trip to Paris at the end of May, and when I went to the McDonald's France site in French, it said that the fries were not in fact gluten free. It's probably best that you didn't eat much of the food there because, unlike in the U.S., they didn't have gluten-free options.

Also, thanks for the postings on London--I do research there every once in a while, but I haven't been back since I was diagnosed with celiac.

[DILIROTH]

I am glad to hear of all the successful travel stories! I love visiting London beacuase its easy to find good meals and stay healthy while vacationing!

I would not advice eating the fries at McDonalds in France.

I have seen some come out of a dedicated fryer BUT they always mix them with their potatoes that are covered in some kind of coating? I am not sure what it is and have not tried them because they just dont look safe!

Also, I have become ill from eating a hamburger patty from a McDonalds in France? I thought they were suppose to be gluten-free but obviously something went wrong. The only thing I trust eating there is a salad and that even scares me but if I am really hungry and almost desperate then I will have one.

Unfortunately the other guick food option is a fast food restaurant called Quicks and I would not advice eating much there either. The fries are not in a dedicated fryer and mixed with all the other breaded items!

Sorry, but there are not many options for a fast meal in France for Celiacs! You best options are to spend two hours and enjoy a typical French style meal at a restaurant or either prepare your own meals.

Also, please be careful of processed meats in France, especially ham and sausage - most contain wheat.

Bon Vacance!