NJKen

My husband and I are in the beginning stages of planning a trip to Austria, Germany, Switzerland, and perhaps Luxembourg in early summer (late May or early June). 

I recommend that you consider staying in vacation apartments, at least in a few locations.  That way you can prepare your own meals (and save a bit on the overall cost of your trip).  Many Reformhaus shops carry gluten-free foods.  ("Gluten-free" in German is "Glutenfrei"; easy to recognize.)  A Reformhaus is a combination drug store and health food shop; the amount of shelf space given to food products varies from store to store but some have very extensive gluten-free products.  The Reformhaus in the underground shopping center beneath the Zurich train station has a good selection, and you can make a quick stop there between trains.  (You can search for a Reformhaus in any town or city that you are going to stay in on Google Maps.)  If you are in a town with a Spar grocery store, they have a "Free From" line of foods that includes some gluten-free products.  (The brand name "Free From" is in English.)  Wasa crispbreads are available in Europe in a gluten-free variety (but why, oh why, not in the US?).  Most food products in European grocery stores and Reformhauses list the ingredients in several languages, often including English.

Among restaurants, I can recommend from experience Ristorante il Salento in Munich and Tibits Bistro in Winterthur (also in Zurich, Bern, Basel, and Lucerne).  I've also eaten at Nordsee restaurants (a seafood cafeteria chain), but cross-contamination may be more of an issue here if you don't select carefully; I stick to the salmon or the pre-prepared dishes like paella.

During a recent vacation in northern Italy during which my wife and I stayed mostly in vacation apartments, we spent the last 3 nights in Verona.  We were able to buy a few gluten-free items in the Spar market in the old town (a couple of blocks west of Piazza Bra' and the Arena) and in the PAM market, a block or so south of the old city wall.  On our last afternoon, though, we found the mother lode of gluten-free food--Farmacia Internazionale, located at Piazza Bra' 28, telephone 045/59.61.39.  The pharmacy is just inside the main entrance through the wall to the piazza, on the left as you are heading north with the Arena ahead of you.  There are some gluten-free items displayed in the front window, and then as you enter the small room you will not find anything gluten-free.  Get onto the elevator, go up one floor, and you will enter a room filled with food items--a few are for diabetics, but the great majority is gluten-free food from various brands.  I highly recommend that you visit this if you are planning to cook your own food, or just want a variety of cookies and crackers, while you are staying in Verona.

We did not attempt to eat out in Verona, so I cannot comment on the restaurants.

When I was in Germany there were health food stores named Reformhaus-or something close to that spelling. Do they still exist? I found them everywhere it seemed-in small towns and larger ones plus there was one in the Frankfurt International airport where I was able to pick up snacks for my trip home.

Yes, there are Reformhauses all over Germany, Austria, and Switzerland.  Those that carry food are a good source for gluten-free items, but some of them only have natural pharmaceuticals and cosmetics.

Just wondering - for those of you who do eat out, what do you order?  They had rice noodles and pad thai on the menu, but I was too afraid to get it.  I ended up with steamed rice and steamed broccoli - asked them to make sure that there was no sauce, and to be careful bringing it out.  I feel fine, but who knows.  Are there other options?

I haven't gone into a Chinese restaurant other than PF Chang's in years, but when I did I ordered vegetables with white sauce, which is made with corn starch.

FYI--I had the wrong district of Prague when I first posted. It is in Praha 8, not Praha 3.

I am cross-posting this excerpt from the Travel board so that anyone looking for a gluten-free meal in Prague will see this:

We celebrated our 20th wedding anniversary with a week in Prague, and regarding food, the best part of our visit was our meals at a restaurant that we learned about only a few weeks before going. Na Zlate Krizovatce serves Czech and international specialties, and is entirely gluten-free. It is located on Za Poricskou branou in Praha 8, about a block from the Florenc metro stop, and just a few blocks from Obecni dum in the old town. Their website is www.nazlatekrizovatce.cz .

We had beef goulash with potato pancakes(me) and salmon with dried tomato salsa (my wife) and a dessert of apple strudel on our first visit, and then returned three days later on our anniversary and had chicken with cream sauce and homemade spaetzle (me) and homemade gnocchi with gorgonzola cream (my wife) and a dessert of cinnamon pancakes with warmed-up berries ("forest fruits") and sour cream. Everything was delicious, including the bottle of Bohemian Sekt that we finished on our anniversary evening. The more expensive of the two evenings cost us just 1000 crowns including the tip, about $53 at the current rate of exchange.

The restaurant is below street level on a quiet block and has a nice atmosphere. Our first visit was on a day that we hadn't had lunch and arrived at 3:30; no one else was there throughout our dinner. Our second visit began just a little later in the day (perhaps 4:00), and five other tables had diners by the time we left. Service was good--not overly attentive, but there when we needed it, and of course no smiles; that wouldn't be Czech. I highly recommend this restaurant to anyone on this board who is visiting Prague, or will be within 100 km of Prague.

My wife and I spent a week in Prague this month to celebrate our anniversary. Uncertain how easily we would find gluten-free foods in the grocery stores (we had rented an apartment), we brought a large amount of gluten-free food with us from the US. We needn't have bothered.

Our rented apartment was in Praha 2, just off Belehradska. The Billa grocery store just around the corner from us on Belehradska had a display full of gluten-free breads, pastas, cookies, etc. There appeared to be no breakfast cereal, but we later decided that the chocolate-flavored amaranth "Viky" that we bought was intended to be cereal, not cookies.

Also on Belehradsa (address Belehradska 87), closer to the National Museum, was a Diana International Food bakery that had fresh-baked gluten-free desserts in addition to gluten-free packaged foods. I believe that the fresh-baked goods are brought in from somewhere else in Prague; this location also sells non-gluten-free foods. There are several branches of the Diana bakery in Prague, but we only visited this one, about three blocks south of the museum.

Several other grocery stores that we stopped in had some gluten-free products.

The best part of our visit (in terms of food) was our meals at a restaurant that we learned about only a few weeks before going. Na Zlate Krizovatce serves Czech and international specialties, and is entirely gluten-free. It is located on Za Poricskou branou in Praha 8, about a block from the Florenc metro stop, and just a few blocks from Obecni dum in the old town. Their website is www.nazlatekrizovatce.cz .

We had beef goulash with potato pancakes (me) and salmon with dried tomato salsa (my wife) and a dessert of apple strudel on our first visit, and then returned three days later on our wedding anniversary and had chicken with cream sauce and homemade spaetzle (me) and homemade gnocchi with gorgonzola cream (my wife) and a dessert of cinnamon pancakes with warmed-up berries ("forest fruits") and sour cream. Everything was delicious, including the bottle of Bohemian Sekt that we finished on our anniversary evening. The more expensive of the two evenings cost us just 1000 crowns including the tip, about $53 at the current rate of exchange.

The restaurant is below street level on a quiet block and has a nice atmosphere. Our first visit was on a day that we hadn't had lunch and arrived at 3:30; no one else was there throughout our dinner. Our second visit began just a little later in the day (perhaps 4:00), and five other tables had diners by the time we left. Service was good--not overly attentive, but there when we needed it, and of course no smiles; that wouldn't be Czech. I highly recommend this restaurant to anyone on this board who is visiting Prague, or will be within 100 km of Prague.

We did not get to the Country Life Restaurant in the center of the city that apparently has gluten-free menu items. We did eat one meal at the Nordsee on Na Prikope near the Estates Theatre and Wenceslaus Square. Nordsee is a seafood buffet restaurant chain with many branches in Germany and Austria; most of the fish is breaded, but not the salmon. The cc risk may be too great for some, though I believe that ordering something like the pre-made paella would reduce the risk. Be aware that the side dishes cost extra, so our buffet meal at Nordsee cost not much less than the upscale dinner at Na Zlate Krizovatce.

We had a wonderful time in Prague celebrating 20 years together. I hope that this information is helpful to others considering a visit.

Flour is weisen (pronounced visen, "i" is long).

I just wanted to make a minor correction to this informative post:

Wheat is "weizen" (pronounced vite-sen). Flour is "mehl" (pronounced "Mel").

("Weisen" translates to "point". "Weiss" translates to "white", and wheat beer is sometimes called "Weissbier" instead of "Weizenbier", hence the confusion.)

(Edited on 3 February to correct the pronunciation of "mehl".)

You can buy gluten-free foods to prepare in your kitchen (if you have one) and cookies/crackers to snack on at most Reformhaus stores. Reformhaus carries "health foods" and "natural products". You can look up the locations of Reformhauses to see if you'll be near any at this website:

Open Original Shared Link

You can buy gluten-free foods at almost any Reformhaus. You may also be able to find gluten-free foods in the grocery stores; gluten-free in German is Glutenfrei.

I once had an enjoyable gluten-free pizza at Ristorante il Salento, a few blocks north of the main train station in Munich:

Open Original Shared Link

Several times I have enjoyed gluten-free baked goods at Fritz M

Check out the restaurants listed on the Gluten Free Philly website.

Also, I recently wrote to Varalli, an Italian restaurant on Broad Street near the theaters, and received the following reply:

We can accommodate your special diet. Just inform us of your dietary restriction when making your reservation. We hope to see you soon.

There have been numerous discussions on this board about various restaurants in New York--most of them have gotten positive reviews.

I have enjoyed meals at:

Sambuca

Lumi

Nizza

Nice Matin

Candle 79

Lili's 57

Risotteria

Friedmann's Lunch

A good source of recommendations (especially for NYC) is: www.glutenfreerestaurants.org

I haven't been there in a few years, but I recall that there is a sushi restaurant in the food court. If you bring your own (wheat-free) soy sauce, you should be able to find something there that is relatively safe to eat.

I know this is an old post and I hate to be the bearer of bad news...but...the almond tortes contain WHEAT STARCH! I was very upset because they prominently display that they are GLUTEN FREE! ...I think I read somewhere that in Europe, wheat starch is considered gluten free.

Pure wheat starch is inherently gluten-free, but there is a risk of cross-contamination during its extraction. I believe that in Europe, some wheat starch is produced with the intent of using it in gluten-free products, and this wheat starch is tested for gluten content. Many cakes and cookies labeled as gluten-free in Europe include wheat starch as an ingredient. There must be many people on the gluten-free diet in Europe who consume these (and when I visit Europe, I am among them), but you'll need to decide for yourself whether you feel safe.

Continental Airlines' special meals list now includes "Gluten Intolerant": Open Original Shared Link

I guess I wasn't the only customer who was unhappy...

I received the following email while I was away on vacation:

Thank you for contacting Continental Airlines.

I understand you had some concerns about Gluten-free meals.

We discontinued serving Gluten-free meals March 15, 2010; however, in response to customer feedback, we started serving them again, effective May 1, 2010.

I apologize for any inconvenience our policy created for you. It is never our intention to cause you distress of any kind. Your feedback is important to us, and I will forward your comments to our management team for internal review.

We appreciate your business and look forward to welcoming you onboard your next Continental Airlines flight.

Continental Airlines' special meals list now includes "Gluten Intolerant": Open Original Shared Link

I guess I wasn't the only customer who was unhappy...

Eel (in sushi) is often covered with a sauce that contains wheat, so avoid the eel. (Maybe you would have, anyway. ) Also, some of the vegetarian sushi options may have bread crumbs.

In a few weeks, I'll be traveling to Iceland, Finland and Estonia. Does anyone know of any specifically gluten-free restaurants/cafes in these countries, specifically Reykjavik, Helsinki, Turku, Tampere and Tallinn?

Finland is the most celiac-friendly country that I have visited. Gluten-free foods are well-marked and plentiful in grocery stores, and many restaurants are prepared to serve gluten-free meals. English is widely spoken, so I had no trouble making my needs known.

My wife and I visited Turku one day, but stayed in nearby Naantali. We had dinner (in Naantali) at Ravintola Uusi Kilta. The server helped me select a gluten-free seafood dinner, and brought gluten-free bread to our table.

In Helsinki, we had two meals (lunch and dinner on separate days) at Rosso. Rosso is a chain of pizza restaurants in Finland that includes gluten-free pizzas and risotto on the menu; you should be able to find one of these in other locations in this country.

We also had a dinner in Helsinki at Raffaella. The menu clearly marked the gluten-free dinner options, and gluten-free bread was included with our meal. At least one other restaurant we passed by in Helsinki had gluten-free menu options indicated.

Have a good trip!

I posted this in the international forum not too long ago:

I visited The Netherlands in March; my wife and I stayed in a vacation apartment in Scheveningen, near The Hague. We found gluten-free pastas, cereals, baking mixes, etc. in a Reformhuis nearby. (A Reformhuis is a health food store.) We also did a lot of shopping in the local Albert Heijn grocery store. It seems that all of the food products are labeled regarding their gluten content, so it is easy to determine which are gluten-free. (Gluten in Dutch is "Gluten".)

We did not eat out, but you can find information about restaurants at this link:

Open Original Shared Link

Good luck!

I visited The Netherlands in March; my wife and I stayed in a vacation apartment in Scheveningen, near The Hague. We found gluten-free pastas, cereals, baking mixes, etc. in a Reformhuis nearby. (A Reformhuis is a health food store.) We also did a lot of shopping in the local Albert Heijn grocery store. It seems that all of the food products are labeled regarding their gluten content, so it is easy to determine which are gluten-free. (Gluten in Dutch is "Gluten".)

We did not eat out, but you can find information about restaurants at this link:

Open Original Shared Link

Good luck!

Ken

I've taken this list and made it a public spreadsheet - perhaps we can make a public information resource for everybody who needs to travel!

Bandit, your list includes Continental, but they discontinued offering gluten-free meals as of March 15th.

Thanks for the reply. Elephant Walk looks interesting. The Wagamama link seems broken, unfortunately.

Try this link:

Open Original Shared Link

They now have three locations in the Boston area.

There is now a gluten-free food stand at Citifield, the home of the New York Mets. The stand is appropriately named "GLUTEN FREE" and it is located in the World's Fare area of the stadium. It is run by the business called Kozy Shack, so it has a lot of pudding available (Kozy Shack's specialty), but also has sausages, hamburgers, hot dogs, and gluten-free buns.

I have not been there myself. I have seen this mentioned on other sites by a couple of people who have, and confirmed the above menu items by looking at a photo.

The Elephant Walk has gluten-free food and a Cambridge location: Open Original Shared Link

Wagamama is a British noodle restaurant that includes some gluten-free menu items. They are located in Faneuil Hall and on Harvard Square. The restaurant is filled with long, picnic benches, that you usually end up sharing with others. It gets quite loud when they're full, but in the late afternoon it can be much calmer. Often the server will bring a manager over to take your gluten-free order. I ate there (Harvard Square location) a couple of times in November 2008 and had no problems (except for the noise level the second night).

Wagamama gluten-free list: Open Original Shared Link

Following what turned out to be a 13-hour flight from Amsterdam to Newark on March 15th in which my reserved gluten-free meal was "not on their list", I wrote to Continental Airlines via their website. I described my flight experience and noted that their updated special meals list, which came out that same day, omitted gluten-free as an option. I received the following response:

Thank you for contacting Continental Airlines.

I understand you had some concerns about the Gluten-free meals. Effective March 15, 2010, Gluten-free meals were discontinued. I am sorry to learn of your disappointment and understand that you could not enjoy the meal service onboard your flight, especially since the flight was delayed.

Several special options including Gluten-free, Low-Fat, Low-Sodium, and Diabetic meals were discontinued, and later this year complimentary food service overall will be limited to primarily international routes. As an alternative, we will be offering several food items for sale onboard many of our flights. We recently introduced a program for customers to swipe their debit and credit cards onboard for in-flight purchases.

The decision to change our policy came after we analyzed market and consumer trends and found that travelers were not selecting their airline based on the meals offered. Our traditional free-food model, which served us well for many years, needed to be updated to reflect today