Situation In Boothbay Harbor Maine

[carrielynn]

My family will be going on vacation in Boothbay Harbor Maine. Does anyone have experience or information about gluten-free options there?

Thanks!

[Lisa]

Lobster, lobster and more lobster

[hstevens]

Shaw's Supermarkets have a fairly decent selection of gluten-free items... especially larger stores with "Wild Harvest" sections. There is a Wild Oats grocery store in Portland that would be a good bet too. Both have web sites.

[Polly55]

I live near Boothbay Harbor and have seen amazing progress locally in terms of gluten-free food offerings. The health food store in nearby Damariscotta, called the Rising Tide, has the best selection of foods. They make a fair amount of gluten-free baked goods, and two local bakers provide gluten-free only goods which are amazing. It's nice not to have to get only frozen options, although the usual frozen fare is available: Van's, Udi's, Rudi's.

As far as supermarket chains, in my opinion Hannaford, also in Damariscotta, has a good selection and the best natural foods section I have seen in a supermarket. There is a Hannaford in Boothbay Harbor (the only supermarket), selections limited to a small section of one aisle - cereals, soups, cookies, crackers, etc., no frozen gluten-free foods I am aware of.

There is/was an amazing Gluten Free bakery and market in Brunswick called Wildflours, which recently burned down (yikes! it was Mecca for me!). They may be up and running by summer, if that is when you are visiting, and it would be well worth checking to see if it has reopened and stopping in Brunswick on your way to the Boothbay region. They are on facebook as well.

As for restaurants, I agree with the person who posted "lobster". The options for seafood, fresh local fruits and vegetables covers most choices. Most places are very tuned in to gluten-free needs, just ask. More and more places are offering gluten-free menus, including Paco's Tacos in Damariscotta, The Great Impasta in Brunswick, Sam's Italian has a gluten-free pizza. I just heard that there is a place in BBH that has gluten-free pizza as well, don't know which one yet.

But most importantly, summer means ice cream, and there are TWO ice cream stands that have gluten-free ice cream cones: Sarah's Scoops in BBH and Round Top Ice Cream in Damariscotta.

A bit long-winded, I hope this is helpful for you. I live here year round and have no problems at all maintaining a varied and healthy gluten-free diet. Good luck and have fun. Vacations are more fun if you don't have to worry about what to eat.

[ecf]

There is/was an amazing Gluten Free bakery and market in Brunswick called Wildflours, which recently burned down (yikes! it was Mecca for me!).

Oh no! I used to live near Brunswick, that's sad to hear.