Aruba

[Moongirl]

Anyone have any good gluten-free experiences in Aruba?

[jamswampy]

moongirl,

re; aruba. I have been traveling annually to Aruba since 1981, was diagnosed celiac in 2003. So I have been to Aruba 3 times since celiac diagnosis. The bad news: there is not alot of knowledge about celiac disease in Aruba. There are several large grocery stores, but none I found that carried gluten-free bread or products. So, if you eat gluten-free bread, I would it bring it with you from the US. I did. I also brought plenty of gluten-free Power bars to have in a pinch (long airline flight etc...)

Beyond that, you just have to ask alot of questions of the chef at any restaurant. If you stick with high end restaurants you should be ok. Places like Bennigans, Houlihans, etc....will likely not be able to help you. I think there is an Outback Steakhouse which does carry a gluten-free menu in the US. THere is a restaurant called El Gaucho (steak place) and I have always been ok there. Steak, baked potato and plain salad.

But, the sun and sand after a long winter are worth the extra effort! Good luck!

Jamswampy

[Annaem]

Anyone have any good gluten-free experiences in Aruba?

I have been to Aruba 6x times and 3 of those times as a Celiac. Basically i stayed at a place that has a kitchen and did grocery shopping. They carry a lot of American products such as Kraft which is very useful. The grocery stores are very modern! There is a Tony Roma's there and u can get their gluten-free list online. I also went to Texas de Brazil. They will tell you which skewers of meat are gluten free. They also made a chicken option just for me. The salad bar unfortunetely was not a good option for me because they used a lot of soy sauce and other ingredients. Check them out on their website and email them with your questions. Chalet Swiss was awful! Don't go there! They made several mistakes. I also went to the restaurant at the Wyndham and they were very accomodating. There is Yogun Fruz on the island so that was my dessert in the evenings. The Flying Fishbone is also very nice. Very far from where we were staying but a wonderful experience, its right on the water. I suggest emailing some of the restaurants in advance and asking them what menu options are available to you. When you make your reservations let them know. Never just pop in. Always call in first to give them time to prepare for you. That way the chef or the person who took the call can assist you.

*By the way at one restaurant i can't remember what it was called, they reused their butter. And i got sick from that. Don't use the butter unless it comes from those little packets. *

Anna

[Annaem]

This is the email i got from Le Petit Cafe Aruba 3 years ago. I save everything. I did go here and i was fine. You can try writing to them yourself and see what they have to say 3 years later. Perhaps they can provide you with more information.

I know of no gluten-free food on the island, but maybe it will be available soon. However, it is not necessary to eat the bread served at the table. The stones are cleaned after every use and there are no breaded items cooked on the stone, only veggies, meats, poultry, fish and seafood. All meals are served with vegetables and we have many appetizers available that don't include wheat items. The stone is a very healthy way to grill food, and you can control the doneness of the food since it cooks right in front of you.

You can visit ouir site: www.lepetitcafearuba.com to check out our menu.

We will be pleased to make a reservation at any one of our 3 locations. Let us know when you would like to dine with us and we will be happy to make your reservation.