gluten-free In Boston Area

[Tica]

Hi everyone. My daughter and I will be heading to Boston in May on a school field trip. We are scheduled to eat at the following places: Cambridgeside Galleria Mall Food Court, Boston Museum of Science, Hard Rock cafe, Brother's Deli (not sure which one) Burlington Mall (food court I guess), Quincy Market, and Logan Airport (departing on American Airlines). I would appreciate ANY help you can offer. If these places aer not good, does anyone know of plaes within walking distance that haev gluten-free choices? I can't go on this trip blind. I need to knwo where my daughter will be able to eat at. It's tough enough for a 12 year old to be on a gluten-free diet- but I do not want her to stand out like amonst her classmates.

By the way she is not very sensitive at all. She was diagnosed b/c of failure to thrive about a year ago, but she never had any symptoms when she ate gluten.

[BostonCeliac]

Hello! I can tell you a couple of spots when you're in downtown Boston. In Quincy Market/Faneuil Hall - there is a place called Wagamama (www.wagamama.us)

They have a separate gluten free menu -- two items that are naturally gluten free, and then a list of things that can be altered to be gluten free.

Also - right behind Hard Rock Boston/Faneuil Hall - is the North End -- there is a place on Hanover Street (close to Faneuil Hall) called Marco -- they have gluten free pasta & bread if you call in advance, their site is: www.marcoboston.com

hopefully that helps a bit!

[NJKen]

Hello! I can tell you a couple of spots when you're in downtown Boston. In Quincy Market/Faneuil Hall - there is a place called Wagamama (www.wagamama.us). They have a separate gluten free menu -- two items that are naturally gluten free, and then a list of things that can be altered to be gluten free.

There are two additional Wagamama restaurants--one is in Harvard Square (Cambridge) and the other is in the Prudential Center. Make sure that you indicate your need for gluten-free food to the server. They will probably bring a manager out to explain what the gluten-free choices are.

[Gemini]

Hi everyone. My daughter and I will be heading to Boston in May on a school field trip. We are scheduled to eat at the following places: Cambridgeside Galleria Mall Food Court, Boston Museum of Science, Hard Rock cafe, Brother's Deli (not sure which one) Burlington Mall (food court I guess), Quincy Market, and Logan Airport (departing on American Airlines). I would appreciate ANY help you can offer. If these places aer not good, does anyone know of plaes within walking distance that haev gluten-free choices? I can't go on this trip blind. I need to knwo where my daughter will be able to eat at. It's tough enough for a 12 year old to be on a gluten-free diet- but I do not want her to stand out like amonst her classmates.

By the way she is not very sensitive at all. She was diagnosed b/c of failure to thrive about a year ago, but she never had any symptoms when she ate gluten.

Tica......there are many choices in and around the Boston area for gluten-free dining but I would warn you not to feed your daughter at any food court. CC and the fact the vast majority of the food is gluten loaded and the employee's tend to be people who don't have a clue. At the Burlington Mall, there is a Legal Seafoods, which has an amazing gluten-free menu. There is also a Rainforest Cafe, which is Disney owned and they are gluten-free friendly.....not sure if they have a separate menu but it's possible to order a gluten-free meal without too much of a problem. Logan Airport also has a Legal's in some of the terminals.

Boston is a very gluten-free friendly/savvy town with many choices. Even if you do not find specific gluten-free menu's, most servers know what it is or can be very helpful.

I know parents always say they don't want their kids to stand out from the others but the truth of the matter is, she does and that should not be a problem.

This is a good opportunity to teach the others about food issues and how it really is not a big deal. I just would never feed a child from a food court, never mind throwing Celiac in. In fact, if you eat at these other places and the rest of the kids eat at the food court, they'll be missing out!

I don't know what the dinner plans are but there are many chains with gluten-free menu's....Carrabba's, Outback's, Hearthstone Pizza, 99 Restaurant now has a menu also. All of the places you listed should have options or will be not so hard to find gluten-free options. Relax and have a wonderful trip!

[Tica]

Hello! I can tell you a couple of spots when you're in downtown Boston. In Quincy Market/Faneuil Hall - there is a place called Wagamama (www.wagamama.us)

They have a separate gluten free menu -- two items that are naturally gluten free, and then a list of things that can be altered to be gluten free.

Also - right behind Hard Rock Boston/Faneuil Hall - is the North End -- there is a place on Hanover Street (close to Faneuil Hall) called Marco -- they have gluten free pasta & bread if you call in advance, their site is: www.marcoboston.com

hopefully that helps a bit!

Yes - it was helpful -- Thank you

[munkee41182]

I haven't been to the Burlington Mall in a while, but I believe that there is an Uno's in the mall. Also Cheesecake Factory. I believe they are gluten free friendly.

[rbh]

Hi everyone. My daughter and I will be heading to Boston in May on a school field trip. We are scheduled to eat at the following places: Cambridgeside Galleria Mall Food Court, Boston Museum of Science, Hard Rock cafe, Brother's Deli (not sure which one) Burlington Mall (food court I guess), Quincy Market, and Logan Airport (departing on American Airlines). I would appreciate ANY help you can offer. If these places aer not good, does anyone know of plaes within walking distance that haev gluten-free choices? I can't go on this trip blind. I need to knwo where my daughter will be able to eat at. It's tough enough for a 12 year old to be on a gluten-free diet- but I do not want her to stand out like amonst her classmates.

By the way she is not very sensitive at all. She was diagnosed b/c of failure to thrive about a year ago, but she never had any symptoms when she ate gluten.

The Cambridgeside Galleria Food Court has an Au Bon Pain. Their website lists the ingredients of their food; I am pretty sure that she can get a salad there.

The Burlington Mall has a Chik-fil-a. They also have their gluten free foods listed on their website. Their fries are reportedly gluten free. (Only issue is they are closed on Sundays.)

My daughter went to a party at the Hard Rock Cafe a couple of years ago. At that time, they told me that their fries and burgers (without buns) were gluten free. I would call the restaurant in advance to confirm this is still the case; they were very accommodating at the time.

Wagamama is a good option for Quincy Market, if she likes Asian style food.

Do you know where you will be staying? A lot of the supermarkets around here (particularly Trader Joes and Whole Foods) carry gluten free foods. It sounds as if a number of the locations you are going to (including the Museum of Science, Quincy Market, the Food Courts) would allow you to bring your own food. The Whole Foods near us has gluten free sushi and keeps the salad bar very clean, so we are able to get salads from the salad bar at times. You might be able to pick up food for some lunches and bring it with you. Also, when we travel, we bring packages of crackers and small containers of peanut butter (sold by Jiff I believe). This is a good back up for a meal if you don't feel comfortable with the choices where you are.

As others have mentioned, Unos has gluten free pizza, as does Stone Hearth pizza -- I don't know if you will be near any of their locations. Also, b. Good is another "healthy" fast food place with clear information about gluten free items (they are in Brookline, Newbury St. and I think in Cambridge.) If you let us know where you are staying, I can try to think of additional places where you might be able to pick up food to take with.

I'd make sure to bring extra snacks, crackers, protein bars, dried fruit or fruit leathers, etc. with you. You will be able to pick up yogurt, dairy products, etc. anywhere to supplement. We have also sometimes brought a loaf of bread with us -- Pamela's stays fresh for a few days after baking. This way, she can eat something back in the hotel room if necessary. In my experience, teens don't want to leave the group to go to an entirely different restaurant -- they will say they aren't hungry instead. I think we have to respect that -- recognize that they might not have a nutritious few days -- and just make sure that they don't go hungry.

Also, you don't mention breakfasts. Will there be a breakfast buffet? I usually bring some muffins with us, as well as instant breakfast packs, and gluten free cereal. If hotels are making eggs, you can usually ask for plain eggs to be made in a separate apn.

Good luck! Rochelle

[Tica]

Rochelle,

Thank you so much for your help. You gave a lot of very helpful ideas and tips. I will definitely be packing snacks from home for her in my suitcase since I am not sure how close we will be to a supermarket. Things that I can carry with me on out day trips will hopefully keep her from being hungry.

As for the hotel we are staying at, I still need to contact them. The group rate for our trip includes breakfast- I just hope it's not a continental breakfast with pastries and breads. I will try to call them this week. It's the Hampton Inn (25 Middlesex Turnpike, Billerica)

Thanks again.

Tica

[Sterndogg]

Also near Quincy Market, Nebo Enoteca just added a gluten-free menu with gourmet pizza's and pasta dishes!!

Located on 90 North Washington Street (North End)

All of nebo

[psipsina]

I don't know if its in walking distance but there is a cambodian restaurant called "elephant walk" that has a gluten free menu. It was one of the best meals out I've had since being diagnosed and they were super helpful.