It can be truely devastating when you use trip advisor to locate a gluten free restaurant nearby only to find that their gluten free options are:
- a chocolate brownie that they have bought in.
- a dessert menu that only has ice cream for a coeliac.
- A meal that can be done without the sauce.
- a full English breakfast without the sausages, hash browns and toast.
Am I wrong to expect that if a restaurant states that they cater for gluten free then they should be able to offer meals that don’t have to have food taken off to make it so?
While I look on trip advisor to find nearby restaurants with good reviews I am sceptical as to whether they actually do gluten free well and it can be hard to know until having a wasted journey only to find out the options are not satisfying. Some facebook sites such as coeliacs eat out too, coeliacs in Somerset and coeliacs eat abroad have proved very useful for this purpose.
Below are a few nearby restaurants that I have found to do gluten free well and are not solely gluten free (which keeps the boyfriend happy). When I say they do it well… they each have a separate gluten free menu/ or gluten free foods are very clearly labelled on the menu. They ensure that you still get the whole meal and that nothing has to be taken off such as the sauce. I went to a pub for dinner one evening and there wasn’t anything on the dessert menu that was gluten free. They offered me the fruit crumble without the crumble!! Were they not embarrassed to be offering that?! See below for decent places:
Zizzi’s (Taunton) I love the Toscana soup and the king prawns. The pasta dishes are so creamy and the pizzas are always delicious.
Brimsmore Garden Centre in Yeovil. Lovely lunch there, nice options.
Living Pretty (Curry Rivel) from full English breakfasts to afternoon teas – all amazing.
The firehouse (Curry Rivel). Plenty of options including gluten free pizzas. I really enjoyed the Chicken Supreme.
Ask (Wells) loads of options. Very similar to Zizzi’s.
Courtyard cafe in Somerton, all sorts to choose from.
Cow and Apple in Yeovil. Scrumptious burgers.
Fondo lounge in Street. I love their chicken and avocado burger and the fishcake.
Pie and Tart in Glastonbury is a firm favourite of mine. All gluten free so tend to go here on my own and take-away but had to mention it! Can’t wait to go back to try more.
If you’re ever in the area when the country’s out of lockdown then check out these places. Don’t succumb to the ridiculous offers of fruit crumble without the crumble!!
I’ll write again soon, feel free to tell me about your experiences of gluten free dining.