Restaurant Recommendations
Note: The following are recommendations from fellow gluten-free diners who shared their experiences within the last two years. The GF information has not been verified by the restaurants mentioned. Please always check each time you order in terms of the ingredients, and discuss cross-contamination issues. If you have a restaurant you would like to recommend, please see the section Contact Us.
(Zagat 27/27/28 - $94) -
http://addisondelmar.com/addison/
"a BIG splurge, but worth it. There are a lot of people helping a given table, so I made sure to identify myself as gluten-free to each one (wasn't clear that they all had the word). Most items (there are 4 choices for each of 4 courses) were either gluten-free or could be adjusted easily, except desserts. But if you ask, you can now substitute cheese for dessert (just started the cheese thing early 2008). One demerit: of the 2 amuse bouches, one was a (full-o-wheat) gougere, they brought only one (good) but didn't bring me anything (demerit). If you go, the signage is a bit understated (meaning there isn't much) - after the gatehouse, you want the second major entrance on the left (the first is the hotel; Addison is in a separate building)." Harriet B., frequent visitor to San Diego 4/08
1250 Prospect Street
La Jolla 92037
www.brigantine.com/locations_azul
858-454-9616
"After reading about the Azul Restaurant in La Jolla, I decided to have lunch there recently. When I called ahead of time, the manager commented that the chefs had a lot of experience preparing GF meals. This was exactly what I wanted to hear! Once we were seated, one of the chefs, a very nice lady named Carmine, came over to our table so that we could discuss my needs. She was obviously aware of cross-contamination issues, which really put my mind at ease. I usually ask for "simple" meals when dining out, since that seems much safer for me. I chose fresh assorted vegetables and chicken, all sauteed in a clean pan (no grill) with olive oil, fresh garlic, salt, and pepper. It was absolutely delicious!
I highly recommend this restaurant; the staff is very attentive, and with the carefully prepared food and panoramic ocean view, you're sure to have a memorable meal." Michele V. 10/07
". . . the restaurant Azul, in La Jolla has a chef that has always been WONDERFUL about modifying any appetizers or dishes to fit a GF diet. The staff has always been knowledgeable and terrific." Kelly 3/07
"Chef Orion Balliet from Azul spoke at the recent "Living Healthy Gluten-Free" workshop put on by the Warren Celiac Center. He stated that the family group of Brigantine restaurants (of which Azul is one) are very responsive to special dietary needs. At Azul they will work with you to modify existing dishes to make them GF. He recommends that you call ahead (858-454-9616) to tell them you are coming and that you will need a GF meal, but it is not necessary. He says you should tell the waiter right away about needing GF food, and a chef will meet with you to determine what will work for you. This also includes appetizers at their Happy Hour." Roxie 6/07
"We just had our CSA board luncheon at Azul's. . . Everyone at Azul Restaurant is very accommodating, and they are also aware of cross contamination issues. There are items on the menu that can be adapted, and they always utilize fresh ingredients. It's recommended that you call ahead, but there is usually a chef available to speak with you at the table. With its delicious food and spectacular ocean view, Azul is a wonderful option for lunch or dinner."
Michelle V., 12/07
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(Hillcrest)
127 University (between 1st and 3rd Aves.), (619) 543-9340
"I just wanted to send you news of a restaurant I found with a wonderful
gluten aware staff and chef. It is 'The Better Half' at 127 University
in Hillcrest. It is European style food, half bottles of wine and
pretty pricey. We found this place from a restaurant review a friend
had found, that had mentioned their gluten free friendly attitude.
Most of the items on the menu are gluten free, and the staff was very
knowledgeable about which ones were safe to order. The chef came out
and we chatted briefly about gluten free stuff and I thanked him for
being aware of our needs. They served my amuse-bouche on a spoon,
rather than a crostini. And a sorbet on a spoon rather than a cone.
Very nice touches.
The food was terrific and the selection for a gluten-free person was
ample, except there was only 1 gluten free dessert which was the Creme
Brulee. Still, the Creme Brulee was delicious. They also have an
enormous wine list which comes in half bottles." Nancy Milligan, 5/08
(La Jolla)
1235 Coast Boulevard, La Jolla 858-454-7393
www.brocktonvilla.com
A GF breakfast at Brockton Villa is a breeze. They offer "Steamers", which are scrambled eggs that have been steamed - so no oil is involved or pans that might cause cross-contamination. There are several choices of Steamers, depending on the vegetables and cheeses used with the eggs. As a regular substitute, they will substitute the normal toast and potatoes with fresh fruit. A fun place to take out-of-town visitors as it was built in 1894 and is located over La Jolla Cove. Warning: There are stairs to climb, it is a busy breakfast spot, and parking can be a problem. The price is around $7 or $8 for Steamers with the fresh fruit.
Roxie Johnson 7/08
(Pacific Beach)
http://www.cafeathena.com/
"(Zagat 25/16/19 - $22)"bright lights, no table cloths, "fresh" Greek food (with some Turkish influences), big vegetarian selection. The waitstaff has a list of items with wheat in them (didn't have to run to kitchen to ask) - although, beware vermicelli was added to the rice pilaf in January but wasn't on the written-out lists right away. In the mixed appetizers, all the hot ones had wheat but all the cold ones did not, and they come on separate plates (hooray)." Harriet B., frequent visitor to San Diego, 4/08
(Temecula)
http://www.thorntonwine.com/cafe.html
"starters generally $8-14, main courses $18-32 or so - the restaurant at Thornton Winery in Temecula, open for lunch every day (many of the at-winery Temecula restaurants are open only Thurs-Sun). Waitress seemed spacy at first, but really got it (checked each item with kitchen) - FYI the polenta the night I was there was not gluten free. Server suggested I substitute mashed potatoes for the pasta in my lamb entree, which was brilliant! Except salads, most starters are hard to do gluten free (battered fried calamari, soy-sauce marinated tuna, etc.). Not all restaurant mashed potatoes are gluten free, but theirs were." Harriet B. Frequent visitor to San Diego, 4/08
http://www.cafechloe.com/(East Village, downtown San Diego)
"(Zagat 24/23/21 - $32) - the budin blanc had no gluten & was quite tasty (it came w/brie omelet and pan fried potatoes). Brunch menu (Sat & Sun am) has lots of gluten-free options via substitution but only if you ask (they can suggest the subs, but it's not clear on the menu). They did bring bread on same plate w/olive selection, but there were no crumbs in the oil & we moved the bread right away! Since January I have gotten better at asking servers to make sure that any bread stays *really* separate & on my spouse's side of the table :)" Harriet B. Frequent visitor to San Diego, 4/08
105 South Las Posas Rd.
San Marcos 760-2200
www.elephantbar.com
"I explained to the young lady who served us that I would appreciate it if they had a Gluten-Free menu. She said she would find out. She returned and said one of her fellow servers told her she was a celiac and that she would recommend that I order the grilled Chicken-salad and ask for the oil and vinegar dressing instead of the one shown on the menu. After she asked more questions of me I saw no problem in getting it with the blue-cheese crumbles.
It was delicious and wonderful service. Prices were very reasonable and you can ask for a VIP card for "Senior Explorers" and get 20 percent off if you are 60 years or older. By the way they do it for all in the party with someone who has the card. They have been there for a little over a year."
Don in Carlsbad, 12/07
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3003 Carlsbad Blvd. 92008
(760) 729-0903
"I had a great dinner at Fidel's restaurant last night. I met a caring and knowledgeable manager of 20 years, named "Tino". He actually brought out a empty carton label into the restaurant for me to see the wheat ingredients. He talked at length regarding their food preparations. So here's the scoop; The chicken and rice soup is started with a wheat base, darn. Also are all the sauces and chicken (unless the chicken is char-broiled) The chips are fried with wheat items. THE RICE is also cooked with a wheat base. Apparently they grill "out by the bar" for tacos only served in the bar. They are gluten free! They will wave that rule for us, we can order them in the restaurant. They were wonderful as was their yummy cabbage salad. My family and I had a great dinner I recommend it! Dana Abbott, Carlsbad 7/07
RJ's Note: I asked Dana if the the manager had talked about any of the other meats beside chicken, and she replied: "The manager said the only "grill" he would trust would be the outside one. We didn't get into the scraping of the grill stuff. So, No, I don't know."
(Encinitas)
251 N. El Camino Real, Suite B, 92024
760-635-1066
www.fireflygrillandwinebar.com
"Delicious food, and they will adapt menu items for you." Erica, 9/06
Our SD Dining Out group dined there in January 2007, so they should be even more knowledgeable. RMJ
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(Old Town, Downtown, PB)
"I had been meaning to send you this - it's gluten free guidelines for the Fred's Mexican Restaurant chain - they have locations Downtown, in Old Town, and in PB. My waitress was great, and the meal was very successful."--Erin O'Neill, 9/07
"Thank you for contacting Fred's in Old Town. I spoke with our Food and Beverage Director and here is what he had to say:
You would need to stay away from sandwiches, burgers and burritos for sure. Salads would be fine if we use any tortillas in the salad they are made with corn. Tacos, you can substitute corn tortillas instead of flour. Enchiladas are all made with corn tortillas but you would need to substitute Suiza Sauce for Ranchero Sauce. The Ranchero Sauce is thickened with a roux made with flour. So stay away from anything with Ranchero Sauce or substitute with Suiza Sauce. All the Combos can be modified with corn tortillas and Suzia Sauce. Fajitas can be served with corn tortillas. Also no Chingaderas or Quesadillas, they're made with a flour tortilla.
This is not exact but a general outline of what you might be able to eat. Tell your server about your allergy and also notify the manager on duty." Erin Lindley, Office Manager, Fred's Mexican Cafe, 619-858-8226, fredsot@mooserestaurantgroup.com
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(La Jolla) (24/24/23, $42 in Zagat)
"We actually ate on the bar level (it was a hot day!). Waitress was friendly, wasn't super GF aware but did pick up quickly & checked on everything. Their famous soup, "Smoked Chicken, Broccoli and Black Bean Soup" *is* GF (she brought me the recipe, which they often hand out - it uses corn starch as a thickener). It does have Worcestershire Sauce in it - I did double check, and it is Lea & Perrins made in US (eg gluten free - apparently L&P made in Canada is not, go figure!). Despite a sandwich-heavy lunch menu, there are plenty of GF choices (way beyond just 'holding the bread' on the sandwich). Tip - you can request the full wine list from the fancy dining room (George's California Modern)." Harriet B., a frequent visitor to San Diego, 4/08
(Bario Logan, San Diego)
"
(Zagat 22/25/20 - $35) - No one there was celiac but the chef came to our table and explained that they are very aware of keeping things separate in the kitchen. At appr 5:30 on Saturday they were changing the oil in their fryer, so I had the first set of "frites" french fries from the new oil (they do not have a gluten-free fryer, but do clean between sets of oil). Did have to remind them not to put bread on the shared plates (it's a "small plates" concept) - but they were happy to do things like one slider w/bun, one w/out (the serving size is 2 sliders - the new foodie term for mini hamburger). Lots of wines by the glass, which is fun." Harriet B., frequent visitor to San Diego 4/08
(Del Mar)
1555 Camino Del Mar
Suite 201
Del Mar, CA 92014
858-720-8789
"I took my own soy sauce in and they made me the most delicious Chicken Sukiyaki. The Chef was wonderful. He asked questions, made sure he understood and delivered me a great meal." Elaine Taylor, 9/07
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(L'Auberge hotel in Del Mar)
1540 Camino Del Mar
Del Mar, CA 92014
858-259-1515
www.laubergedelmar.com
"I took my own pasta in and the chef made me a brown butter, chicken, summer vegetable pasta. Absolutely outstanding. He also made me a special appetizer and I had Pots de' Creme for desert. Truly fun and delish.
It was wonderful to come to this area and have such a great dining experience." Elaine Taylor, 9/07
www.masalarestaurant.com
314 5th Ave, San Diego, (619) 232 5050.
"After many try-and-fail attempts to eat a gf dinner while walking around downtown, I was happily relieved to learn that this restuarant knew what being gf meant! Sadly, many places didn't and therefore we continued our downtown trek frantically searching for dinner. The waitstaff guided me through the menu and I had the potato soup which was amazing, and the goa chicken dinner. Everything was really good and the waitstaff was very helpful." Jen Hopkins Eatontown, NJ, 8/08
(La Jolla/UTC - the Aventine Complex)
858-638-1700
Although this recommendation is not for the San Diego location, perhaps it will be helpful for our local Melting Pot. Please share with this website at info@glutenfreeinSD.org if you have an experience here in SD.
"Just wanted to share a gluten free experience - We ate at the Melting Pot in Westwood, NJ. It's a chain restaurant, and we had inquired from their corporate office in Florida in advance. We made our "gluten free" reservation (They are so crowded on the weekends). When we arrived, the waitress knew about gluten free as well as the manager. They had regular gluten free customers. Unfortunately, they don't carry any rice flour or potato or corn starch for the cheese fondue. Their gf regulars bring the corn starch for it. They offered to try to make it without it - it was great! We had brought our own slightly toasted bread and they provided some veggies and apples. We had plain oil for the entree selection (chicken breast and filet mignon)- with several gf dipping sauce choices, we were okay. Their non-gf items are cooked with beer. I would like to ask if they'd use our gf beer next time. We were so full by the end of dinner, we didn't have room to try the gf chocolate fondue dessert. We had brought a slice of lightly toasted pound cake, but we'll do it again next time." Samantha 10/06, posted to the listserv
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11828 Rancho Bernardo Rd.
San Diego 92128
Phone (858) 451-8958
mr.charlies@sbcglobal.net
"I would like to let you and our group know about an excellent Chinese restaurant in Rancho Bernardo. The cuisine leans toward Cantonese with a good number of Northern Chinese selections. The kitchen is aware of gluten issues and is very accommodating to the special needs of celiacs. They will prepare dishes and substitute ingredients, wherever possible, to meet our gluten free requirements.
We have eaten lunch and dinner there many times and have always been pleased with the service and taste of the food. I do recommend that you bring your own soy sauce if you go."
H. Levinson, 7/07
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(Balboa Park)
RMJ's note: Be very careful when ordering the tacos, as it is confusing. See the last quote below.
"A wonderful restaurant with a staff aware of gluten-free diets. Try the seafood Paella, chocolate lava cake,fish tacos, and Tahitian cheesecake flan. The server also recommends on the two risottos." Michele, Denver, in CDF Fall 2007 newsletter.
"If you go to Balboa Park, - where the zoo and the art museums are - be sure to eat at the Prado. I have had the fish tacos, pressed salad, copped salad and beet salad. All good." B. Strudwick, 2/08
"I just returned from San Diego, where I ate several times at Prado, in the hospitality pavilion in Balboa Park. It is a wonderful restaurant. with a staff aware of gluten-free diets. On my first visit I had the seafood Paella, followed by a Chocolate Lava cake, The next time I had fish tacos, with their Tahitian cheesecake flan for dessert. My server also recommended one of the two risottos on the menu.
The chocolate lava cake also comes with a small baked Alaska, which one server said was GF, but another said it wasn't . Regardless, the ice cream can be served with the lava cake without the chocolate base of the baked Alaska. Another GF dessert was their sorbet trio." Michele, Denver 7/07
"Just wanted to mention one thing about the Prado Restaurant. Make sure you order from the "restaurant menu." When I went there we sat outside on the patio and ordered the Mahi tacos. They came out breaded. Turns out the menu on the patio is different (more of a lunch menu). So they brought me out the restaurant Mahi Tacos, which was a much larger, non-breaded dish. They were delicious!" Victoria in NH, 5/06
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(Rancho Santa Fe) (24/26/21, $56 in Zagat)
"Once again, Open Table is great - before receiving menus (but after ordering wine), waiter brought an amuse, and mine was explicitly GF (and unlike others', was not on a piece of bread) - I hadn't even self-identified yet. Waiter said all entrees except the chicken (coq au vin style) were available gluten free." Harriet B., frequent visitor to San Diego, 4/08
(Food Court in UTC) 858-597-0775
The staff all seem to be very knowledgeable about which of their items are gluten-free. It is a family run business.
"I just discovered an awesome restaurant in UTC that is almost all gluten-free! The owners are very knowledgeable, and the food is amazing. It's called Saigon Noodles - Authentic Vietnamese Cuisine."
Danna Korn, Encinitas 3/05
"You should ask the staff what is gluten free, as they are very knowledgeable about the ingredients. Soy sauce is usually served only in packets with your meals, but anything with hoisine sauce has gluten in it. The noodles in the menu items are rice noodles (GF), and the Spring Roll wrappers are made of rice paper (GF). My favorite is the Spring Rolls (#2) - but be sure to ask for the GF sauce rather than the peanut sauce." Roxie Johnson, La Jolla 7/08
(Poway)
Swedish Royal Bakery
12222 Poway Road #17, 92064
858-486-1114
They reportedly make gluten-free cookies. Call ahead of time to make sure. They are near the Brick Oven Pizza that serves GF pizza.
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(Encinitas)
641 S. Coast
760-942-9549
I went to a wonderful little restaurant in Encinitas, CA called Tastes - The total wine experience. They offer wine tasting and great food. I was there for a private party and the chef Sean Fisher(spelling?) was great when I told him I needed to have everything GF and dairy free. I had no problems at all. I ate so many different things including a GF crab/lobster cake! He made a special beet and caramelized onion salad and many other things for me. The wine was wonderful too! I typically react to alcohol(but not this time) for some reason and only drink a glass about once a month or so. Anyways the # is 760-942-9549. I cannot guarantee GF and do not know the owner or anything. But I will be going there again!
Unknown poster to Listserv, 11/06
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(downtown S.D.)
"The chef does not use wheat in sauces (even has a no-flour lobster bisque once in a while as a special), has worked with two celiac sous chefs so very aware, says virtually anything on the menu can be GF, dish he was serving was GF. Harriet B., a frequent visitor to San Diego, 4/08
http://vegnout.net/
3442 30th St.
San Diego (North Park)
(619) 546-8411
"Small vegetarian restaurant with exceptional food. The cook was very accomodating and with her help I ended up having the sweet potato medallions and fried (not in flour) avocado bites as well as the Alley Kat meal with a vege patty substituted for garlic bread. It basically was a vege patty with basil, fresh mozz cheese, and balsamic vinagrette with a side of cucumber salad...very tasty!" Jen Hopkins Eatontown, NJ, 8/08
