Paris, Rome, Amalfi Coast

[kellylynn]

Does anyone have any restaurant recommendations for Paris, Rome, or the Amalfi Coast? My husband and I are going for our anniversary and I have no idea where we can go out to eat.

Any help would be greatly appreciated!

Thanks so much!

Kelly

[Lisa]

Hum, jealousy almost prevented me from posting.

Europe is pretty progressive regarding gluten free eating, especially Italy. You might want to invest a few dollars in gluten free dining cards at www.triumphdining.com

And have a wonderful anniversary.

[lbd]

There is a restaurant in Paris (where I will be in one week!) called Des Si et Des Mets which is entirely gluten-free! My daughter and I plan to go there one night for dinner. Here's the link:

Open Original Shared Link

Bon Voyage!

Laurie

[munchkinette]

I just got back from Italy. I had trouble with the gluten-free pasta in restaurants because I think it contained gluten-free wheat starch. Other than that, I found that almost everywhere I went understood my issue and either made a modification or suggested another dish.

The biggest trouble for me was glucose syrup, which I assume contains wheat. I just stayed away from it, even though I didn't know the official status. Unfortunately that meant I avoided gelato most of the time. HOWEVER, I highly recommend visiting Fata Morgana gelateria in Rome. It was SO GOOD, and worth the short detour. It's in the next neighborhood north of the Vatican, and I found it on the Italian celiac website.

[kellylynn]

Thanks for the tips!!!

I am way sad about the gelato!!! It's so amazing!! I'll be checking out the one near the Vatican as much as I possibly can!!!

I will definitely be going to that restuarant in Paris ...maybe multiple times : )

[Mango04]

I recently went to Paris. Didn't eat at any restaurants, but found a great health food store called Natralia (or something like that). They are all over the city.

I was able to get really good gluten-free (dairy-free and soy-free) crackers, cookies etc, as well as these really great little packaged salads (rice and tuna, quinoa, veggie etc) that didn't need refrigeration and could therefore easily be carried around all day. So I basically just ate the salads as well as some gluten-free cracker sandwiches I made with the crackers, chicken and turkey meat I found at the health food store and a tub of spinach I got at a cafe.

There were also lots of great produce stands with really good fruit. Sounds unexciting but it was actually quite good and tasty and I definitely didn't starve. My traveling companion was able to pick up plenty of baguette sandwiches and pastries while I munched on my own food and it worked out well. Have fun

[amber]

Thanks for the tips!!!

I am way sad about the gelato!!! It's so amazing!! I'll be checking out the one near the Vatican as much as I possibly can!!!

I will definitely be going to that restuarant in Paris ...maybe multiple times : )

Glucose Syrup is fine for celiacs as it has no detectable gluten and is therefore gluten free. Even though glucose syrup is derived from wheat it has been processed so as to remove all the gluten from it. There should be no problem with you having gelati that has glucose syrup. If you go to the Italian Celiac society site they also have a list of gelataria's that specifically sell gluten free gelati and some have gluten free cones.

[ElseB]

I just got back from France and went to the gluten-free restaurant in Paris. The food was AMAZING and such a relief to be able to eat out and not worry about being poisoned. I almost yelled at the waitress when she tried to take away the bowl of bread that I hadn't finished eating yet!

I found France quite difficult - I don't speak French and even though I used the restaurant cards, I still didn't feel like the restaurant staff really understood the importance of food being gluten-free. The idea of cross contamination also seemed to be way off their radar. I spent a lot of time watching my boyfriend eating yummy baguettes and pastries....until we got to the gluten-free restaurant. I told him what to order and then proceeded to eat most of his meal and mine!

If anyone is looking for stores to buy food, there's a great health food store in Paris on Rue Moufftard - great selection of Schar products. (which I found to have the best bread - the mini brioche rolls are amazing).

[StephanieSD]

I don't know if it's too late for the original poster's trip, but I went to Paris last spring and had no trouble. I speak a little French and most restaurants we went to were cognizant of what sans gluten means. One I would recommend is Chez Paul, on rue de Charrone, near the Bastille. I had one of the best meals of my entire life there.

In general, stay away from breads, obviously, and cream sauces. But you should find plenty of veggies and grilled meats. Plus you've always got cheese and wine to fall back on, if nothing else!

As for French specialties, chocolate mousse, creme brulee, and macaroons will mostly be gluten free. Also, if you can find crepes salee, or galettes, these are crepes made with buckwheat flour. They are meant to be savory crepes and traditionally only the dessert crepes are made with wheat flour. The crepe discrepency is a little bit harder to figure out, but I found a creperie in Montparnasses with gluten-free galettes and I found plain ones for sale at health food stores throughout the city. Breakfast was hard because I don't like eggs, so much to the disdain of shopkeepers throughout the city, I bought plain savory crepes and filled them with "sweet" fillings like marmalade.

Throughout Europe you should be able to find Scharr products at grocery, pharmacy, or health-food stores.