Jump to content
  • Welcome to Celiac.com!

    You have found your celiac tribe! Join us and ask questions in our forum, share your story, and connect with others.




  • Celiac.com Sponsor (A1):



    Celiac.com Sponsor (A1-M):


  • Get Celiac.com Updates:
    Support Our Content
    eNewsletter
    Donate

Philadelphia, Pa


bmzob

Recommended Posts

bmzob Apprentice

Hey everyone. I just moved to Center City, Phily this past weekend and I have no idea where anything is. I was wondering if anyone from around here knows where any gluten-free friendly restaraunts/stores are? Thanks!


Celiac.com Sponsor (A8):
Celiac.com Sponsor (A8):



Celiac.com Sponsor (A8-M):



amybeth Enthusiast

Mr. Ritts bakery is a gluten-free bakery

Dietary Shoppe on Ridge Avenue carries many gluten-free items

Sazon offers Venezuelan food and is very knowledgable about the diet.

Chart house

McCormick and Schmicks

Old Tavern - (??? haven't tried yet, but have heard good things)

Tangerine (and any other Steven Starr restaurant) is vey knowledgable (Jones may be difficult, as it's all "comfort food"

savvvyseller Enthusiast

Dietary Shoppe has (unfortunately) closed.

There's a Whole Foods on 22nd Street in the Art Museum area, and the Chinese restaurant in the strip shopping center across the street from the market can prepare foods gluten free.

gluten-free-friendly restaurants in the city include Bliss, Fogo de Chao, Roy's, Maggiano's, and My Thai near South Street. Ted's Montana Grill has a gluten-free menu.

Definitely go to Mr. Ritts for their (expensive) baked goods.

  • 1 month later...
hathor Contributor

I was in Philly over the weekend and I checked out Sazon when my conference was over. It was wonderful. I found plenty of vegetarian dishes (that is something they have created -- I was told "we don't eat vegetables in Venezuela" :lol: ). The co-owner who waited on me knew which items on the menu were gluten-free and even volunteered information about how they avoid cross-contamination. It was refreshing to find a place that really gets it!

As for the Doubletree Hotel on Broad Street, where I had to have the rest of my meals -- ICK. I had advised them in advance as to my dietary needs and said that the chef could call me if he wanted to. What I got was plain, unseasoned white rice and steamed veggies. No appetizer, no dessert. This was the best their "best chef" could come up with (the guy the hotel coordinator had told the conference directors was working on my needs as they spoke <_< ) It was like the beginning stages of an elimination diet. Everytime I tried to talk to the waiters they walked away from me. It was as if the chef was irked and had decided what I was going to get and that was it.

Both conference directors BTW were even more irked than I was, and I didn't even say anything to them at first. They just saw my food and saw red. They said they aren't going to pay the hotel for my meals and that I will get a corresponding amount refunded to me.

OK, I don't know if anyone else will be in a similar situation. But I did feel the need to vent :lol:

mamaw Community Regular

Once you get settled in to the center city, take a drive to Doylestown (nice area) & have gluten-free pizza at "Jules". It is a thin crust pizza gluten-free of course. About 20 miles from center city.

We love Sazon's arepas!!!!

mamaw

amybeth Enthusiast

On that note, Jules Thin Crust is opening a Newtown, PA store in mid-November, which will also serve their Gluten Free Pie.

Newtown is a straight shot up 95 from Philly (approx 20-30 min. without traffic).

(It's the 2nd PA exit if traveling South on 95 into PA from Jersey)

christycl Rookie

HI-Just noticed your message - If you like Thai food there is a Thai restaurant called My Thai in the Rittenhouse Sq section in center city - They are well up on gluten-free food. Dietary Shoppe has closed. There is a good Whole Foods in center City (actually 2, depending on where you are) and also a Trader Joe's. I heartily recommend Mr. Ritts - they are also knowledgeable about what else is available. If I think of anything else I'll post. Good luck and welcome to Phila. Christy


Celiac.com Sponsor (A8):
Celiac.com Sponsor (A8):



Celiac.com Sponsor (A8-M):



Sunshinez06 Rookie

Restaurants in the city I've been to and were awesome:

Tangerine

Pod

Buddakon

(All three of the above are Stephen Starr Restaurants and work well with food allergies. They have gluten free soy sauce at Pod and Buddakon and I was able to get crab/seafood fried rice there - YUM! Tangerine had less gluten-free options than the other two. Buddakon is also in Atlantic City if you go for a trip there.)

Bliss (I've just tried this one, its on the Avenue of the Arts. They are very gluten free friendly, but need minding after - aka they brought out a piece of regular biscotti on my gluten-free creme brulee)

There's an Indian food restaurant on South Street near South and 3rd, that I can't remember the name. They've been very helpful and even brought out a lentil bread for me. I had a couple delicious meals there.

Restaurants I've heard were awesome:

Fogo de Chao (expensive, but delicious tends to be the general response)

Sazon

Those are in the city, which I'm still very much exploring. Out of the city:

Maggiano's in King of Prussia is excellent. They are very knowledgabe and have gluten-free pasta. I can't speak for Maggiano's in the city, but its worth checking out.

JB Dawson's is a local chain to the Philly area, that has a very tasty gluten free menu.

If you can get over to Voorhees, NJ there is a Pasta Pomodoro that has gluten-free pasta, bread, pizza, and desserts (my favorite restaurant ever)

Jules Thin Crust Pizza in Doylestown (I know other people mentioned it, but its worth mentioning again!)

Hope these help! I know some of them have been already mentioned.

Samantha

hathor Contributor
There's an Indian food restaurant on South Street near South and 3rd, that I can't remember the name. They've been very helpful and even brought out a lentil bread for me. I had a couple delicious meals there.

I think the one you are thinking of was what was our fallback restaurant, Cafe Spice. We had a hard time deciding between it and Sazon, going with the latter simply because we hadn't had Venezuelan before and we have Indian all the time. Cafe Spice's menu looks incredible.

  • 10 months later...
mjr6 Newbie

I would recommend Sazon on spring garden street to anyone, celiac or non celiac. For celiacs I dont think it gets any better, the family run restaurant is very friendly and they are very careful to avoid cross contamination, and only very few items on the menu that celiacs cant eat. Lots of choice and the arepas were great. I loved the food and i had the best hot chocolate I have ever had for dessert.

NJKen Rookie

Mr. Ritts has left Philadelphia and is now located in Millville, NJ.

stolly Collaborator

The National Foundation for Celiac Awareness is sponsoring Appetite for Awareness at the Wachovia Center next week on 9/24...about 20-30 or so restuarants from Philadelphia will be there cooking and offering samples of their gluten free food. Sounds like a great place to check out your gluten-free options in Philly. DD3 is the celiac in our house, but DH and I are going to support the cause. Here is the link Open Original Shared Link

  • 1 year later...
CheFsam Newbie
Dietary Shoppe has (unfortunately) closed.

There's a Whole Foods on 22nd Street in the Art Museum area, and the Chinese restaurant in the strip shopping center across the street from the market can prepare foods gluten free.

gluten-free-friendly restaurants in the city include Bliss, Fogo de Chao, Roy's, Maggiano's, and My Thai near South Street. Ted's Montana Grill has a gluten-free menu.

Definitely go to Mr. Ritts for their (expensive) baked goods.

Hey, what about Trader Joe's? it's in the same neighborhood as Whole Foods, but way better prices, a gluten-free product list and helpful, knowledgeable staff. a little hard to find the store, but when you get there, it's worth it

P.S.- Jules Pizza is truly awesome & there's another one in Jenkintown, which can easily be reached from center city via 611 or Broad Street. It's on 611 & The Fairway behind Chili's.

savvvyseller Enthusiast

A new gluten-free bakery will be opening in Center City Philadelphia called Sweet Freedom Bakery. Their baked goods will be vegan and allergen-friendly. They're planning to open in November.

mamaw Community Regular

Stolly

We are going to the Wachovia Center on Sept 30 for NFCA Gala. I'm not sure what was on the 24th????

savvvyseller Enthusiast

It was on the 24th last year.

Stolly

We are going to the Wachovia Center on Sept 30 for NFCA Gala. I'm not sure what was on the 24th????

mamaw Community Regular

I guess I read the message wrong! Brain Fog, I always love to use celiac for my brain fog issues................We are coming hungry , I was told not to eat before hand!

thanks

Simba Newbie

Cafe Monterosa in Yardley offers a gluten-free Pizza...but a major word of caution...after many positive experiences there, I ordered a pie a couple of weeks ago and got sick as a dog...I think the new kid in the kitchen rolled out the dough in regular flour when he was making the pie (it was very powdery on the outside) and when he wrapped up the leftovers to go he threw it on top of a regular pizza in the box They took it out and only charged me for half a pie...gee thanks).

There are also a few locations for Mom's bake at Home Pizza, they have a gluten-free offering but I stopped going there when I noticed they take no precautions when handling the gluten-free and regular doughs and they spread the sauce from the same container with the same ladle.

Archived

This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.

  • Get Celiac.com Updates:
    Support Celiac.com:
    Join eNewsletter
    Donate

  • Celiac.com Sponsor (A17):
    Celiac.com Sponsor (A17):





    Celiac.com Sponsors (A17-M):




  • Recent Activity

    1. - lizzie42 replied to lizzie42's topic in Post Diagnosis, Recovery & Treatment of Celiac Disease
      3

      Son's legs shaking

    2. - Scott Adams replied to Russ H's topic in Celiac Disease Pre-Diagnosis, Testing & Symptoms
      1

      Anti-endomysial Antibody (EMA) Testing

    3. - knitty kitty replied to lizzie42's topic in Post Diagnosis, Recovery & Treatment of Celiac Disease
      3

      Son's legs shaking

    4. - Scott Adams replied to Paulaannefthimiou's topic in Gluten-Free Foods, Products, Shopping & Medications
      2

      Bob red mill gluten free oats

    5. - knitty kitty replied to SamAlvi's topic in Celiac Disease Pre-Diagnosis, Testing & Symptoms
      6

      High TTG-IgG and Normal TTG-IgA

  • Celiac.com Sponsor (A19):
  • Member Statistics

    • Total Members
      132,869
    • Most Online (within 30 mins)
      7,748

    MaryannHall
    Newest Member
    MaryannHall
    Joined
  • Celiac.com Sponsor (A20):
  • Celiac.com Sponsor (A22):
  • Forum Statistics

    • Total Topics
      121.5k
    • Total Posts
      1m
  • Celiac.com Sponsor (A21):
  • Upcoming Events

  • Posts

    • lizzie42
      Thank you! That's helpful. My kids eat very little processed food. Tons of fruit, vegetables, cheese, eggs and occasional red meat. We do a lot of rice and bean bowls, stir fry, etc.  Do you think with all the fruits and vegetables they need a vitamin supplement? I feel like their diet is pretty healthy and balanced with very limited processed food. The only processed food they eat regularly is a bowl of Cheerios here and there.  Could shaking legs be a symptom of just a one-time gluten exposure? I guess there's no way to know for sure if they're getting absolutely zero exposure because they do go to school a couple times a week. We do homeschool but my son does a shared school 2x a week and my daughter does a morning Pre-K 3 x a week.  At home our entire house is strictly gluten free and it is extremely rare for us to eat out. If we eat at someone else's house I usually just bring their food. When we have play dates we bring all the snacks, etc. I try to be really careful since they're still growing. They also, of course, catch kids viruses all the time so I  want to make sure I know whether they're just sick or they've had gluten. It can be pretty confusing when they're pretty young to even be explaining their symptoms! 
    • Scott Adams
      That is interesting, and it's the first time I heard about the umbilical cord beings used for that test. Thanks for sharing!
    • knitty kitty
      @lizzie42, You're being a good mom, seeking answers for your son.  Cheers! Subclinical thiamine deficiency commonly occurs with anemia.  An outright Thiamine deficiency can be precipitated by the consumption of a high carbohydrate meal.   Symptoms of Thiamine deficiency include feeling shakey or wobbly in the legs, muscle weakness or cramps, as well as aggression and irritability, confusion, mood swings and behavior changes.  Thiamine is essential to the production of neurotransmitters like serotonin and dopamine which keep us calm and rational.   @Jsingh, histamine intolerance is also a symptom of Thiamine deficiency.  Thiamine is needed to prevent mast cells from releasing histamine at the slightest provocation as is seen in histamine intolerance.  Thiamine and the other B vitamins and Vitamin C are needed to clear histamine from the body.  Without sufficient thiamine and other B vitamins to clear it, the histamine builds up.  High histamine levels can change behavior, too.  High histamine levels are found in the brains of patients with schizophrenia.  Thiamine deficiency can also cause extreme hunger or conversely anorexia.   High carbohydrate meals can precipitate thiamine deficiency because additional thiamine is required to process carbohydrates for the body to use as fuel.  The more carbohydrates one eats daily, the more one needs additional thiamine above the RDA.  Thiamine is water soluble, safe and nontoxic even in high doses. Keep in mind that gluten-free processed foods like cookies and such are not required to be fortified and enriched with vitamins and minerals like their gluten containing counterparts are.  Limit processed gluten-free foods.  They are often full of empty calories and unhealthy saturated fats and additives, and are high in histamine or histamine release triggers.  It's time you bought your own vitamins to supplement what is not being absorbed due to malabsorption of Celiac disease.  Benfotiamine is a form of Thiamine that has been shown to improve intestinal health as well as brain function. Do talk to your doctors and dieticians about supplementing with the essential vitamins and minerals while your children are growing up gluten free.  Serve nutritionally dense foods.  Meats and liver are great sources of B vitamins and minerals. Hope this helps!  Keep us posted on your progress!
    • Scott Adams
      Oats naturally contain a protein called avenin, which is similar to the gluten proteins found in wheat, barley, and rye. While avenin is generally considered safe for most people with celiac disease, some individuals, around 5-10% of celiacs, may also have sensitivity to avenin, leading to symptoms similar to gluten exposure. You may fall into this category, and eliminating them is the best way to figure this out. Some people substitute gluten-free quinoa flakes for oats if they want a hot cereal substitute. If you are interested in summaries of scientific publications on the topic of oats and celiac disease, we have an entire category dedicated to it which is here: https://www.celiac.com/celiac-disease/oats-and-celiac-disease-are-they-gluten-free/   
    • knitty kitty
      @SamAlvi, It's common with anemia to have a lower tTg IgA antibodies than DGP IgG ones, but your high DGP IgG scores still point to Celiac disease.   Since a gluten challenge would pose further health damage, you may want to ask for a DNA test to see if you have any of the commonly known genes for Celiac disease.  Though having the genes for Celiac is not diagnostic in and of itself, taken with the antibody tests, the anemia and your reaction to gluten, it may be a confirmation you have Celiac disease.   Do discuss Gastrointestinal Beriberi with your doctors.  In Celiac disease, Gastrointestinal Beriberi is frequently overlooked by doctors.  The digestive system can be affected by localized Thiamine deficiency which causes symptoms consistent with yours.  Correction of nutritional deficiencies quickly is beneficial.  Benfotiamine, a form of thiamine, helps improve intestinal health.  All eight B vitamins, including Thiamine (Benfotiamine), should be supplemented because they all work together.   The B vitamins are needed in addition to iron to correct anemia.   Hope this helps!  Keep us posted on your progress!
×
×
  • Create New...

Important Information

NOTICE: This site places This site places cookies on your device (Cookie settings). on your device. Continued use is acceptance of our Terms of Use, and Privacy Policy.