Eating Out gluten-free In Glasgow, Scotland

[KCG91]

Hey,

 

Just after my diagnosis I began emailing around my favourite restaurants here in the West End of Glasgow asking them whether they could still accommodate me. I thought it might be useful to post their replies (I asked about gluten free options and the steps the kitchen takes to prevent CC) to help anyone else in the area (and maybe save them a little legwork ) I'll update the post when I've tried the ones whose answers I liked  

The Oran Mor, Byres Road:

"Dear Katie,

Thank you for taking the time to write to us to inform us of your recent diagnosis. Please rest assured that our chefs here at Òran Mór can cater for all kinds of dietary restrictions. Should you wish to make a reservation in the future please mention that you suffer from Coeliac Disease, we shall make note of it in our diaries so that your server & our kitchen is aware of it on the night.

We very much look forward to welcoming you again soon.

Kind Regards"

 

The Richmond Brasserie, Gibson Street:

"Hi Katie

 

Thank you for getting in touch- we're glad to hear you like The Richmond so much and would love to try and accommodate your new dietary requirements.

 

As I'm sure you've noticed, we're quite a small place and there isn't much demand for gluten free products so we don't routinely have them, but if you gave us a little bit of notice we'd be more than happy to get them in for you (gluten free bread, pasta etc). Otherwise, our chefs are very flexible and so we could modify most of our dishes to suit your needs. 

 

In terms of cross contamination, the chef has said that he would do everything he could in terms of making sure utensils, the preparation area, the grill etc are thoroughly cleaned before preparing your food, and using fresh butter and things to avoid the spread of crumbs (again, it would be ideal if you were able to call ahead, so that the kitchen could have utensils etc ready, otherwise your food might take a little longer to prepare than usual). However, we only have one fryer and wouldn't really be able to change the oil during service which would obviously rule out fried foods for you. 

 

I hope this is of some use to you, don't hesitate to get back in touch if you have any further questions."

[KCG91]

(Also, fellow Glaswegians, please do add your experiences!) 

[love2travel]

No recommendations but just a note to say I LOVE SCOTLAND!!!! My husband and I have been there six times and my sister lived in Glasgow so she was sort of a temporary foreign Glaswegian! :-)

[KCG91]

No recommendations but just a note to say I LOVE SCOTLAND!!!! My husband and I have been there six times and my sister lived in Glasgow so she was sort of a temporary foreign Glaswegian! :-)

Aha good to hear! I love it here. Sadly the national dish of deep friend Mars Bars is off limits now. 

[love2travel]

Aha good to hear! I love it here. Sadly the national dish of deep friend Mars Bars is off limits now.

I know...sigh...

[KCG91]

An update! Last night my Dad and I went for dinner at the Oran Mor on Byres Road. I was really impressed with both the food and the amount of effort the waitress went to to make absolutely sure of everything for me. As well as telling the chefs that I was Coeliac and checking that the dish I'd ordered (Thai vegetable curry) was gluten free she checked for any other food intolerances. All of this was done with a smile and nothing was too much trouble. It was a great evening and today I feel good.

I've also had a reply to my standard email from Wudon on Great Western Road:
Hi Katie

I am not sure if you had received an email from me already regarding 
your enquiry as my internet has been playing up.

Just incase you haven't received my reply. We can amend our dishes to 
suit your allergy. We use Tamari soy that is wheat and gluten free and 
we can swap the noodle dishes i.e ramen or udon to a Ho fun noodle 
that is made of rice.

So there should still be plenty of options for you as long as you ask 
a member of staff before ordering and we will help you choose the 
dishes that we can amend to suit you.

Kind regards
Jennie

[KCG91]

More updates... Ironically I seem to be eating out more than usual since I've been diagnosed :/ This was not the plan!!

I had an impromptu lunch at the Hillhead Bookclub on Byres Road on Thursday. Usually I wouldn't go somewhere without checking first but ... Anyway, I asked the waitress if the soup was gluten free (it was, and I watched her asking the chef about it) Then when a different staff member brought the soup out he made a point of it being 'the gluten free soup without bread' - they hadn't needed reminding. And I feel fine! 

My Mum took me to the Richmond last weekend. The waiting staff were attentive and careful and the chef was happy to alter a dish for me - they do a really good mushroom arancini so instead of the arancini I just had the risotto before it was friend. 

Finally, as the secretary of a sports club at Uni it falls to me to organise our Christmas dinner night out. We are going to the Griffin, on Bath Street and this was the manager's reply to my email: 

"Hi Katie,

Yes we have catered for Coeliacs and nut allergy sufferers previously.

Would it be possible for you to call me, Robert,  on 0141 331 5170 to discuss your potential booking?

There's various menu changes in December and I want to nail exactly what your looking for.

Kind Regards Robert
ps No dancing on the bar!!!!"