Gluten Free In Champaign-urbana, Il?

[bigapplekathleen]

I will be guest-teaching in Champaign-Urbana, IL for a week at the end of June. Are there any local restaurants or bakeries or grocery stores with a good stock of gluten-free items that you can recommend? It's important that I have totally gluten-free food. I cannot risk cross-contamination. (I get horribly sick from eventhe smallest amount of gluten.) I normally follow a totally grain-free diet, so if any of you have ideas, I appreciate it very much!!!!!!! I normally take gluten-free foods with me, but the airlines now limit baggage... so packing gluten-free snacks is probably not a good idea.

Thanks so much!

Kat

[jeanette1978]

Hi Kat,

Did anyone ever respond to you? I'm in the same boat as you - will be visiting U of I later this year and not sure if I will be able to find anything to eat...or maybe even drink at one of the bars. I'd love to hear how your experience went while teaching there.

Thanks!

Jeanette

[sstearns]

I realize the posts I'm replying to are several years old but I thought the info might be helpful for future travelers to the Champaign, Illinois area. While I'm new to the gluten-free world, I'm learning where to find gluten-free foods pretty quickly. Two restaurants Jupitor's Pizza and Monical's Pizza offer gluten-free pizza. While I've not been to Jupitor's - I have had Monical's Pizza - it's as good as their non-gluten-free pizza. If you're looking for snacks, Strawberry Fields, a natural foods grocery store, on Main Street in Urbana has one side of an entire isle near the registers dedicated to gluten-free breads, pasta, and snacks. Hope this helps.

[mudgirl]

I will be guest-teaching in Champaign-Urbana, IL for a week at the end of June. Are there any local restaurants or bakeries or grocery stores with a good stock of gluten-free items that you can recommend? It's important that I have totally gluten-free food. I cannot risk cross-contamination. (I get horribly sick from eventhe smallest amount of gluten.) I normally follow a totally grain-free diet, so if any of you have ideas, I appreciate it very much!!!!!!! I normally take gluten-free foods with me, but the airlines now limit baggage... so packing gluten-free snacks is probably not a good idea.

Thanks so much!

Kat

Meijer, Schnuck's and Jerry's IGA are all groceries that have a good gluten-free selection. I don't have celiac disease myself, but my best friend and 5 other friends and family members do. My BF usually eats at Monical's Pizza or Outback Steakhouse when she's in town and has had good success with them. There is also a Biaggi's Italian restaurant in Savoy, Lone Star Steakhouse, Flat Top Grill, El Toro Mexican and TGI Fridays (all in Champaign) which all supposedly have gluten-free menus, but which we haven't tried. I hope this helps you

[apaler1]

Thanks sstearns and Mudgirl for letting us know about all of the restaurants in Champaign. My fiance is an alum there and we go down to the football games pretty often in the fall. So, its really helpful to have a quick reference of all the options.