Long Beach Island

[Nic]

Hi, my family will be vacationing at Long Beach Island, NJ this summer and am a little concerned about feeding my Celiac son there. They do not have any fast food chains on the island so that means no Wendy's or Burger king to fall back on. Anyone ever been there and any ideas for eating?

Nicole

[jkmunchkin]

Unfortunately I was there years ago, so I don't really remember any of the places; but are you renting a house? I remember that is what we did. If so, I would suggest bringing stuff for breakfast (gluten free cereal, muffins, ect. And then maybe bring some gluten free bread to make sandwiches for lunch. Bring gluten free pretzels, cookies, fruit, etc. for snacks

I'm sure you want to go out for dinners. Because it's a beachy place, I would think you can go to most restaurants and get some sort of fish safely.

Sorry I can't be more help, but I'm actually going to Montauk for the 4th and this is kinda my plan of action. (I went to Healthfare in New Canaan on Saturday specifically to get mock rye bread and muffins from the Grainless Baker, graham crackers for smores and glutino pretzels).

[CCR]

I thought I'd try to revive this topic and see if anything is new on LBI for celiacs. This will be my first summer going there as a non-gluten-eater and I'm a little worried. I plan to follow the above advice on the breakfast front. Going out to breakfast is part of our family's 14-year tradition but it's all pancakes, waffles, etc. Lots of CC potential. Not worth it, IMO. I may go and drink coffee and keep everyone company.

Dinners are easy because I love shellfish and plain seafood. But lunch...that's a tough one. Next summer, my youngest will be gluten-free, too. We just got his diagnosis confirmed by biopsy and are waiting (with the doctor's consent) until we are home to start him off gluten-free.

Anyway, anyone have any LBI adventures to share?

Carin

[lpellegr]

I haven't been there in a long time and don't know of any gluten-free places (I wish!), but I thought there were some fast-food chain restaurants in mid-island (Ship Bottom or Beach Haven, maybe?). There are a lot of seafood places where you can probably get food that is naturally gluten-free, like the Harvey Cedars Seafood Company (dredging my memory for this). At diners or cafes you should be able to get fried eggs (if they're fried they can't possibly have added anything to them) or burgers without buns. When I travel I always carry a fanny pack with individual packs of tuna, raisins, fruit, cheese sticks - so at least I have something to eat if the menu doesn't give me any love. Might work for your son. Keep some snacks in your hotel room/house in case he can't fill up while out. In most grocery stores (I think there's at least one decent sized store on the island, if not you might have to go to the mainland) you can get a box of Rice Chex, maybe some Nut Thins to keep around for snacks. If you go to a nice restaurant like the Owl Tree the chef will most likely be accomodating to your wishes. You might want to print out something that you can hand to the waitstaff to take to the kitchen so they can check on your food ingredients before you order. I have the Triumph dining cards, but before I had them I made up my own on the computer, and I think you can find some free ones online.

[luvs2eat]

No gluten free experiences to share... but PLENTY of 1960s and 1970s experiences to share that have NOTHING to do w/ food!! LOVE, LOVE, LOVE LBI!!!

[sammers1]

There is one cafe at the beginning of LBI with some gluten free. The name escapes me but I will post it when I remember it. Also, there IS a Burger King on route 72E in Manhawkin that is only about 15 minutes away. Worth the drive. Also, Rita's ice cream is there & most of there stuff is gluten free. Just check their website for specifics. I'm going next week & can't wait!

[sammers1]

I remembered.....it is the Greehouse Cafe. I haven't eaten there since my daughter has been diagnosed because it was after the last time we were there. I don't know how extensive the menu is but the takeout menu says they have gluten free. Hope this helps!

[killernj13]

Greenhouse Cafe has gluten-free rolls, pasta & I think pizza. I got a bacon egg and cheese on a gluten-free roll and it was great.

Plantation Restaurant has a gluten-free menu but I haven't been there.

Pangaea Naturals Health Food Market - on Rt 72 East has a lot of gluten-free products.

[NJKen]

I had dinner with my wife and mother-in-law this weekend at the Greenhouse Cafe. I ordered the gluten-free crab cakes and enjoyed them very much. They came with a salad and potato, and the server also brought me some rice crackers since I couldn't eat the bread that was brought for my dinner companions. My wife, who is not on a gluten-free diet, ordered the gluten-free spinach pizza so that I could eat some of it. I had a slice at dinner--it was very good, and I had two leftover slices the next day for lunch. My MIL had the Manhattan clam chowder, which I didn't try, but I could have--it is also gluten-free. We would definitely go back again for a meal--and they serve gluten-free breakfasts, too!

We did not go to the Plantation Restaurant, but I had checked online, and the gluten-free dinner options are clearly indicated on the menu.

Boulevard Clams in Surf City is currently advertising gluten-free crab cakes on the billboard out front.

[killernj13]

Panzones and Calabria near Beach Have had gluten-free pizza last year. Hope they continued it. Haven't gone there this season as it just started.

Buckalews in Beach Haven as well has a gluten-free menu.

The gluten-free crab cakes at Boulevard Clams are very good. But pricey.

[Bruce McIntyre]

We just returned from LBI and found plenty of gluten-free options on every menu. Talk to the staff, they are all very aware and helpful. I'm Celiac so I'm careful. Down the shore is my new favorite Jersey idiom.