Gluten Free in Manhattan, New York
So I already told you about how fantastic the gluten free options in Brooklyn were - but now I want to tell you about Manhattan, where even more amazing gluten free food awaits you. The best part has to be the variety of food and how easy it is to get around via the subway for all these great options. Even after working long days, it was so simple to hop on the subway and grab dinner on the Upper East Side.
Hands down the best vegan food I've ever eaten and the ambiance of the restaurant was also just great - very warm and cozy. The gluten free menu is varied and extensive with plenty of options for all different kinds of eaters. Other things to love include the fresh juice and dreamy desserts. My visit to Candle 79 including an amazing creamy squash risotto, a Katie Holmes sighting (she was waiting for take out while I was waiting for my table), a wonderful dinner companion that I met at Camp Mighty, and a brownie topped with chocolate sauce and ice cream. Now no offense to Katie or Caitlin - but that brownie was AMAZING.
The slightly more casual off shoot of Candle 79 is just as good as the original. With a very similar menu, there are still plenty of great gluten free options available. I feel like if I lived in NYC, I would want to have my birthday party here - just a great happy and uplifting space. Something about all the people there enjoying amazing vegan food just makes me smile.
Located inside the extremely charming Chelsea Market, Friedman's Lunch is a diner-lovers gluten free dream. Their menu is marked with all the items that can be made gluten free, which happens to be almost all of the menu. For their sandwiches they offer gluten free bread and have a separate fryer for the fries. I grabbed a couple of lunches to go at Friedman's but the dish that changed my world was the Nova Benny. It's basically eggs benedict but with lox instead of ham and instead of a gluten-full English muffin, they use a potato pancake! This is simply something I must replicate at home.
Of course I had to stop at the one all gluten free shop while I was in town and G-Free NYC did not disappoint. With lots of fresh baked gluten free goodies from both in house and other local bakeries, dry packaged foods, and frozen options - it's a great little shop to stock up in. I also had my other NYC celebrity sighting here, none other than then the lovely gluten free Jennifer Esposito!
New York is full of a lot of the best gluten free food I've ever had and so next up; best Chinese food at Lilli & Loo. They have an extensive gluten free menu and a dedicated fryer. I indulged with fried shrimp, spring rolls, pot-stickers, and pork fried rice. It was the best fried rice I've had since going gluten free and the first time I've had spring rolls in years. I would definitely recommend a stop at Lilli & Loo when you're in NYC. (Their website doesn't seem to be working, so give them a call or head to their open table site.)
If you're shopping nearby in SoHo - Mexican Radio is any easy place to grab a gluten free meal. Soft corn tacos tend to always be a safe bet and the staff at Mexican Radio were helpful in determining which items on the menu would be safe for me to eat. Their menu doesn't indicate gluten free items, so make sure to discuss your needs with the staff.
I hear that Pala Pizza is a busy place in the evenings, so it was nice to have a quiet lunch there on a weekday. I love the interior, with all the old wood paneling and oh yeah, their pizza is quite good too. They have a gluten free menu and their pizza crust is much different than the other's I've had out. It's house made which is always a plus, and has chickpea flour in it which makes it a little chewy and kind of reminded me of socca. In addition to the gluten free options, there were also plenty of vegan ones including Daiya cheese.
After an all gluten free shop, the next thing on my radar in a new city is an all gluten free bakery - so to Tu-lu's I went! An adorable little neighborhood shop, with lots of tasty treats including dairy free and vegan options.
Plenty of standard gluten free options available at the Chelsea Whole Foods, plus they have a whole separate Whole Body shop right next door.
What are your favorite gluten free spots in Manhattan?