gluten-free In Washington Dc

[pajamama2]

We are headed to DC in July. Are there any gluten-free dinning spots there? Also, any ideas on what to see or what not to see would be appreciated too!

Thanks!

[MySuicidalTurtle]

Last time I was there I ate Chinese. You should visit the National Mall, everything is free, but it will be busy!

[Tim-n-VA]

Recommendations depend on what you like and your budget but a few suggestions:

The museums on the mall have themes. Each are "don't miss" if you are interested in the theme. I like the American History and the National Gallery but the Air & Space seems to be the most popular in polls. The Natural History has a relatively new exhibit on oceans (opened last year). I don't like the American Indian museum. Each tribe was allowed to put what they wanted and as a result there is no consistent feel and/or flow.

Four or five blocks north of the mall, sharing one large building (the site of Lincoln's second inaguaral ball) are the American Art Museum and the National Portrait Gallery. The key thing about those is that they are open about two hours later than the museums on the mall. They are also less than a block from Legal Seafood which has a gluten free menu and even has gluten free rolls. The spy museum is across the street from the museum. It is an interesting museum but I'm not convinced its worth the relatively steep admission price. Note that both the Spy museum and the Holocaust museum have timed entry tickets so it is generally a good idea to go there first and get tickets for later in the day.

There are a couple of other threads on this topic if you search for "washington". This is just one of those: https://www.celiac.com/gluten-free/index.ph...p;hl=washington

[M.E.Schumann]

As someone who spends quite a bit of time in downtown DC, I got excited by seeing your post, since I certainly have some ideas for you.

Starting with sites to see: in response to the previous post debating the spy museum, it is a great destination for people that are intrigued by the intelligence agencies and spy scene of DC and that sort of thing in general. To fully enjoy the museum and get your money's worth it is worth devoting a half day to exploring it all. That said, I would not make this the priority if you have not seen the gems that happen to be free in DC. A lot of it depends on what you like. I personally love the art museums (The National Gallery has an incredible collection of renowned masterpieces studied the world over, and here you get to see them for free! The volunteers at the information desk are wonderful and if you tell them the sort of thing you like they can guide you towards the best route through the museum for your taste, since otherwise it can be overwhelming. The National Portrait Gallery and Sculpture Garden are also very good). The Natural History Museum, Air & Space, and History museum are all awesome if you have not seen them yet, great for kids, but time it right (summer weekends early afternoon are the most touristy times).

Personally, my favorite place in DC in terms of architecture is the Thomas Jefferson building of the Library of Congress; it never fails to leave me in awe as I gaze up through the arches and intricate murals, reading the quotes all over tat come from the great minds that built our country. Another benefit is that it's generally not as touristy as other places in DC in July.

Now for the dining: The eatery in the Native American museum actually has many delicious, unique items labelled gluten free! It is a beautiful museum to pop into anyway and doesn't take too long. As for restaurants, these are the ones I have had success in, around the downtown area:

-Zaytinya: one of my favorite places in DC to eat. Don't go if you are too too hungry as they serve tapas, but they have a dedicated gluten free menu that includes a large part of their regular menu, so you get a ton of creatively crafted options.

-Clyde's in Chinatown: their seafood salad or other salads are substantial, and you can get their crab&artichoke dip with cucumber slices instead of bread.

- Le Pan Quotidian in Georgetown: has a gluten-free quiche, good gazpacho, and good salads. However, its also is a bakery so you do have to endure seeing that sort of thing all over

- Paparazzi in Georgetown: a nice Italian restaurant in a good location, with gluten-free pasta to boot

- Hello Cupcake in Dupont Circle: has gluten-free cupcakes

- Heritage of India in Dupont Circle: excellent indian food that is naturally gluten-free, the specials are very reasonable prices and the sunday brunch is a steal

- Raku in Bethesda and Dupont Circle: yummy asian fusion with outdoor dining and good gluten-free offerings. They have a gluten-free menu, but for some reason some of the servers do not know about it so you have to try and get an informed person to talk to. The food is great though!

Hope this helps!

[M.E.Schumann]

As someone who spends quite a bit of time in downtown DC, I got excited by seeing your post, since I certainly have some ideas for you.

Starting with sites to see: in response to the previous post debating the spy museum, it is a great destination for people that are intrigued by the intelligence agencies and spy scene of DC and that sort of thing in general. To fully enjoy the museum and get your money's worth it is worth devoting a half day to exploring it all. That said, I would not make this the priority if you have not seen the gems that happen to be free in DC. A lot of it depends on what you like. I personally love the art museums (The National Gallery has an incredible collection of renowned masterpieces studied the world over, and here you get to see them for free! The volunteers at the information desk are wonderful and if you tell them the sort of thing you like they can guide you towards the best route through the museum for your taste, since otherwise it can be overwhelming. The National Portrait Gallery and Sculpture Garden are also very good). The Natural History Museum, Air & Space, and History museum are all awesome if you have not seen them yet, great for kids, but time it right (summer weekends early afternoon are the most touristy times).

Personally, my favorite place in DC in terms of architecture is the Thomas Jefferson building of the Library of Congress; it never fails to leave me in awe as I gaze up through the arches and intricate murals, reading the quotes all over tat come from the great minds that built our country. Another benefit is that it's generally not as touristy as other places in DC in July.

Now for the dining: The eatery in the Native American museum actually has many delicious, unique items labelled gluten free! It is a beautiful museum to pop into anyway and doesn't take too long. As for restaurants, these are the ones I have had success in, around the downtown area:

-Zaytinya: one of my favorite places in DC to eat. Don't go if you are too too hungry as they serve tapas, but they have a dedicated gluten free menu that includes a large part of their regular menu, so you get a ton of creatively crafted options.

-Clyde's in Chinatown: their seafood salad or other salads are substantial, and you can get their crab&artichoke dip with cucumber slices instead of bread.

- Le Pan Quotidian in Georgetown: has a gluten-free quiche, good gazpacho, and good salads. However, its also is a bakery so you do have to endure seeing that sort of thing all over

- Paparazzi in Georgetown: a nice Italian restaurant in a good location, with gluten-free pasta to boot

- Hello Cupcake in Dupont Circle: has gluten-free cupcakes

- Heritage of India in Dupont Circle: excellent indian food that is naturally gluten-free, the specials are very reasonable prices and the sunday brunch is a steal

- Raku in Bethesda and Dupont Circle: yummy asian fusion with outdoor dining and good gluten-free offerings. They have a gluten-free menu, but for some reason some of the servers do not know about it so you have to try and get an informed person to talk to. The food is great though!

Hope this helps!