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Gluten-free Travel
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Gluten-free Travel
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| This page was created to share information that may be helpful to others with coeliac disease or gluten intolerance. I was - biopsy-diagnosed with coeliac disease in 2011 and adhere rigidly to a gluten-free diet, right down to my lip products and oral hygiene. Having experienced the challenges of maintaining a gluten-free diet away from home, particularly when travelling abroad, I created this webpage to share information that I hope will be useful to others with coeliac disease or gluten intolerance. Fortunately, identifying gluten in food has become much easier since the introduction of European Commission gluten-free labelling regulations in January 2012 (source). These regulations require food manufacturers to provide clear information about the presence of gluten, making it easier for consumers to make informed choices.
Diagnosing Coeliac Disease Diagnosing coeliac disease cannot be made on blood tests alone. The gold standard is a small bowel endoscopy with biopsy, carried out while the patient is still consuming gluten. Adequate sampling is important, as too few biopsy specimens can lead to false-negative results; in my own case, an initial biopsy with only two samples failed to confirm the diagnosis, whereas a later procedure with more extensive sampling did. Genetic testing can also provide supportive information, as coeliac disease requires the presence of specific HLA genes, most commonly HLA-DQ2 or HLA-DQ8. I carry HLA-DQ2. While some people report symptoms after eating gluten, there is no recognised ‘gluten allergy’ in the medical sense. Coeliac disease is an autoimmune condition triggered by gluten. By contrast, wheat allergy is a separate, medically recognised allergic response, and the two are often confused. In people without coeliac disease, symptoms attributed to gluten may instead be caused by other dietary components, including wheat itself, yeast, lactose, sulphites, or fermentable carbohydrates (FODMAPs). These foods often appear alongside gluten-containing ingredients, which can make identifying triggers difficult. From my own experience as a biopsy-confirmed coeliac, I can tolerate gluten exposure without immediate symptoms, yet have experienced significant digestive discomfort from other triggers, particularly certain FODMAP components (such as oligosaccharides), sulphites, high-fibre foods (including some gluten-free breads), and carbohydrate-heavy meals. These can be harder to digest when the gut has been damaged by coeliac disease. Following a gluten-free diet, my small intestine healed within a few months, as confirmed by repeat endoscopy, and should remain healthy provided I continue to avoid gluten. However, even after strict gluten exclusion, I continued to experience digestive symptoms that appeared to be related to other dietary factors. In my case, it was not always gluten that caused symptoms, but these other harder-to-digest foods, and the only thing that helped was reducing them in my diet alongside maintaining a strict gluten-free diet. For non-coeliac people with similar food intolerances, the paleo diet or the Specific Carbohydrate Diet (SCD) may be helpful for digestive issues, though I am personally not prepared to be so restricted, as I manage with the dietary adjustments I already make. So, if you suspect your problem is gluten, I hope this page will help when visiting any of the places listed below.
ESSENTIAL HOLIDAY CHECKLIST Breakfast - Cereals and bread Simple rule: take your own! Even hospitals and experienced coeliacs do not always get it right. In April 2015, as a hospital inpatient, I was offered Rice Krispies as “probably gluten-free”, and on another occasion was told by an experienced coeliac that Kellogg’s Corn Flakes were gluten-free. This is incorrect. Both Rice Krispies and Corn Flakes contain barley malt flavouring, which contains gluten. Under current regulations, products containing less than 20 parts per million of gluten may be labelled “gluten-free”. However, unless a product is clearly labelled gluten-free, I would personally avoid it.
Gluten-free Restaurant Card for Coeliacs
Magnifier for Miniscule-sized Ingredients If you struggle reading ingredients' tiny print, consider carrying one of these mini credit card magnifying reading lenses in your purse/wallet. Here is one with a light. Alternatively, try a phone app such as this. Gluten-free Smartphone Apps There are various apps out there such as Find Me Gluten Free (for gluten-free friendly restaurants). Go HERE to find many more. Download TripAdviser app for easy access to gluten-free restaurants with maps.
EATING OUT GENERALLY Before eating out, I always search the web for gluten-free friendly restaurants, and when holiday planning I also print gluten-free-friendly restaurants' contact details and maps before setting off as wifi may not always be available when you need it. When eating out, I stress that I have coeliac disease so the restaurant realise the medical importance of being 100% gluten-free rather than assuming that I'm merely following a gluten-free 'fad' diet.
TRAVEL LOCATIONS Below, for any chain restaurants, such as Pizza Express, I will specify the ones I have dined at.
Coeliac disease is common in Italy and according to THIS report children are screened for it by the age of six. I was therefore surprised to find gluten-free friendly restaurants very limited in Venice at this time, especially as the European Commission’s labelling standards has specified that from January 2012 gluten levels should be stated on all food products. Source Ice-cream - disappointing as most of the Italians selling it hadn't much of a clue about gluten so I had to resist the temptation - very hard considering the wonderful choices! Ristorante La Nuova Grotta, Calle Delle Rasse 4538, Castello Venezia, 30122 Venice. Tel: 0417241018. I've listed this two years after the event with little memory of it other than a photo, but they must've accommodated my GF need else I wouldn't have eaten there! Osteria Antico Dolo, Ruga Rialto 778, Venice. Three minute walk from the bridge. Phone 041.5226546. This one I do recall clearly as it was our last night and we found the service (a family-run business) and GF knowledge the best we had experienced in Venice. The couple who owned it were very friendly and accommodating. They even served GF pasta which was something in 2013.
Rome (June 2015) Bar Ristorante Ritorno Al Passato, Piazza Della Rotonda, 68 - 00186 Roma Tel: 06 69923600, 06 69921755 Located in front of the Pantheon. Had some gluten-free pasta here for lunch al fresco whilst enjoying the crowds in the piazza. Staff were very helpful informing us that they can provide long or short gluten-free pasta, though not gluten-free lasagne. La Soffitta Renovatio – Piazza del Risorgimento, 46/A (Angolo Via Crescenzio) 00192 Roma. Located near Sistine Chapel and St. Peter’s Square. Website: www.lasoffittarenovatio.it Family-run AIC-accredited restaurant serving various gluten-free dishes, including pizzas. I had a pizza with topping of my choice which was delicious. Very well looked after for gluten-free option advice and the owner Signora Mary gave me some delicious gluten and milk free tozzetti to try that she'd made herself. This happens to be an Italian biscuit that I’ve missed since being coeliac and it was good to taste again. Thank you, Marie! The only disadvantage with the restaurant is that it's situated in a basement with no option to eat outdoors, though a small price to pay for good gluten-free food served by friendly, courteous staff. 4 Fiumi, Piazza Navona 38/39, 00186 Rome.Tel: 06 6864028 Liked it here so much that we returned to dine for a second evening, and much to our surprise, the friendly staff showed their appreciation by presenting us each with a free glass of bubbly. The waiter even remembered the ingredients I chose for my gluten-free pizza topping the night before. We dined in the evenings al fresco enjoying the entertainers and crowds in Piazza Navona. Great ambiance and memorable experience! Gelateria Tre Fontane Piazza Navona ice cream shop, Piazza Navona 50, 00186 Rome. Located on the north-west side of Piazza Navona. Bought ice cream from this place a couple of times even though staff weren’t too sure about cross contamination as they use the same spoon to spoon ice cream onto their cones. I took a chance with ice cream in a tub as they looked so good and staff assured me that most of the ice cream was gluten-free.
Cremeria Monteforte,
Via Della Rotonda 22, 00186 Rome. Tel: 06 686 7720 Located to the western
side of the Pantheon. Didn’t eat here, but noticed
this sign outside stating “gluten free and no milk gelato (ice cream)” Blue Ice Gelato, Via di Sant’Agnese in Agone, 20, Navona – Pantheon, 00186 Roma. Tel: 06 68804932 / 3348709180 Website: http://lnx.blueiceitalia.com Ciro & Mario, Via Delle Quattro Fontane 174/176, Rome.
Turkey: Istanbul, Troy, Denizil, Sardes, Laodicea and Antalya ( April 2015) Was told by our travel company that gluten-free options would not be a problem throughout our tour. This, however, was hardly the case!
The only starch carbs ever offered in all the restaurants
and hotels we frequented (all 5 star) was gluten-filled rice! It wasn’t until halfway through the week, after being well and truly
gluttonised by it, that I discovered that the yellowish-coloured grains
in Turkish rice was orzo (small 'grains' of wheat pasta) or
vermicelli! Although some chefs made an effort, at our request, to cook coeliacs GF chicken (we practically lived on Atkins-style chicken meals!), others didn’t seem to have the time nor understanding, despite showing them our Turkish Gluten-Free Restaurant Cards. If you don’t wish to be restricted to an Atkins-style diet on holiday, Turkey is (or at least was in 2015) a no-no for coeliacs considering that even the top chefs in 5 star hotels were unsure.
Dublin (August 2015) Milano (Pizza Express under a different name), 38 Dawson St., Dublin 2. Like Pizza Express, all pizzas are available on a gluten-free base which tastes as good as the ordinary bases. However, the gluten-free bases are much smaller in size (about 2/3 of the size) which seems very unfair considering we coeliacs are charged the same price price. I wrote complaining soon after the visit, but to no avail. Gino’s Homemade Italian Gelato, 34b Grafton Street, Dublin 1. Tel: 01 6336848 (also 53 Grafton Street, Dublin 2 and 41 Henry Street, Dublin 1). Coeliac-friendly, gluten-free flavours on the menu with the bonus of gluten-free cones! This is a first for me as I've always had to have my ice-creams in a tub. Nando’s, 51-52 Mary Street (near O'Connell Street), Dublin 1. Tel: 01 872 0011 Coeliac and all 14 EU Common Food Free options. However, the usual time-consuming faff of searching through endless pages of their bumper thick 'Food and Menu Specifications' book (which is tucked away and available on request) to find gluten-free options was extremely off-putting. By the time I eventually found some options (very limited and nothing I really fancied) I was more inclined to walk out, but we'd already waited 45 minutes. Maybe we should've walked out as our meals arrived lukewarm and unappetising. Keogh's Café, 1-2 Trinity Street, Dublin 2. Tel: +353 1 677 8599 Enjoyed a cooked breakfast here which friendly owner Catherine Keogh ensured was gluten-free and served it with a good quality gluten-free bread. It’s a pity that none of the divine-looking cakes and muffins on display weren’t gluten-free considering it were those that tempted me into the café. Gluten-free biscuits are sometimes available I was told, but not at the time of my visit. Hopefully more gluten-free options will be available in the future as it is an otherwise excellent cafe.
Prague (May 2016)
K & K Hotel Central,
Hybernska 10, Prague 11000.
Restaurant Uno, Palladium, nám. Republiky 1078/1, 110 00 Praha. Good Italian food and pizza. All pasta (and pizza) dishes available gluten-free, though pasta limited only to penne. Polite and helpful waiters but slow service, even though we dined on a Tuesday evening. TGI Fridays, Na Příkopě 27, Prague 1. Provides an allergen booklet listing gluten-free foods. Because the choices are limited, I settled for steak with mashed potatoes and coleslaw, which was fine. Fast, friendly service.
Germany (June 2016) Aachen Cafe Extrablatt, Markt 45–47, 52062 Aachen Provides an allergen booklet listing gluten-free foods. A classy eatery. Popped in for lunch and had jacket potato with cheese and German sausage. Cologne Kunibert der Fiese, Weinhaus anno 1234, 50667 Köln. Chose this for the pretty location on the Rhine promenade. However, they didn’t seem to have a clue about gluten, despite showing them my gluten-free restaurant card which explains. The restaurateur seemed to think gluten was related to milk! They managed, however, to eventually understand (I think) and I settled for a mundane steak and boiled potatoes with salad as the only safe option. Schleiden Rewe supermarket, An der Olef 64, 53937 Schleiden. Delighted to find a wide range of excellent gluten-free products in the 'free-from' section.
Luxembourg (June 2016) Chocolate House Nathalie Bonn, 20 rue du Marché-aux-Herbes, 1728 Luxembourg. This place had a sign outside stating gluten-free options … but I was good and resisted!
Fred Olsen's
Braemar
Cruise
(August 2016)
Good choice of gluten-free options and exceptionally helpful catering staff. Passengers with special dietary needs are invited early in the cruise to meet with the chef which I found very helpful. I was also impressed that head waiters in various restaurants remembered my dietary needs from Day 1 without a reminder - gluten-free breakfast toast brought to me and even gluten-free sausages for breakfast on request. There were times, however, when they were busy, that the bread arrived too late for breakfast or for soup, but when it did arrive, it was excellent quality. I forgot to check if bread was toasted separately to avoid contamination, however, so be sure to check for yourself. Breakfasts were generally good, but it was a shame that the only gluten-free breakfast cereal available was muesli as I would’ve preferred a lighter cereal. They did offer gluten-free ‘porridge’ but it wasn’t porridge at all, but rice and seeds - hardly the thing one wants for breakfast! Cannot understand why they can’t provide gluten-free porridge considering it is ready available in leading supermarkets. On the whole though, the best gluten-free holiday experience ever! Was spoilt for choice with gluten-free main meals, including chips, and there was always a choice of gluten-free desserts too - usually two types of cake and invariably fruit salad and jellies. A highly recommended company!
Saga Sapphire Cruise to Belgium, Holland & Germany
(August 2017)
New
York (September 2017) 2018 onwards - been too busy to make detailed notes. Sorry.
France
(July 2018)
Budapest, Vienna, Bratislava (August 2018) Sorrento (September 2018) Truly a gluten-free paradise! Even ice cream came with my favourite cone twist - something that is unheard of elsewhere; and McDonald's had GF baps!! This is unheard of anywhere else, even in UK.
Naples
(September 2018)
Morocco - Marrakech and Essaouira (April-May 2019)
UK The Lime Tree, Didsbury (2013) - Wheat and GF options on menu. Excellent food and service. Albert’s, Didsbury (2014) - Don’t recall a GF menu, but no problem providing GF options. Grand Central Hotel Glasgow (2015) 99 Gordon St, Glasgow City, G1 3SF. Tel: 0141 240 3700. Staff more than happy to assist in advising on their gluten-free options, both at dinner and breakfast. For breakfast gluten-free cereal and bread was available. Frederick's Ice Cream (2014) Manchester, Chorley, Lancashire and Wigan - high quality ice cream with many GF options. Giraffe, Manchester Trafford Centre and Spinningfields (2014) - GF options on menu. Nando’s, Manchester city centre and Fallowfield (2014) - gluten-free friendly though limited choices and such a faff searching through their endless pages of 'Food and Menu Specifications' book, which is tucked away and available on request, similar to the McDonald's system. Pizza Express (June 2016) Didsbury and Manchester city centre - good having the freedom to choose exactly what I want on gluten-free bases. See menu page which includes a reassuring notice about measures taken to avoid gluten contamination. However, gluten-free pizza bases are markedly smaller than usual ones, which I resent considering the prices are the same. An email I sent complaining of this proved futile. Expo Lounge, Didsbury (March 2015) - Has a special GF menu with wide choices, which makes ordering a pleasure. Good to have the option of burgers again! Fosters Fish & Chips (March2016), 812 Wilmslow Road, Didsbury, M20 6UH. Tel: 0161 445 4430 Gluten-free fish and chips available every Sunday. Tried them for the first time after five years’ fish and chips deprivation and they were perfect! They even provide gluten-free vinegar. Was good chatting to other gluten intolerant customers too. Was told that chips and sausages are always gluten-free as they’re fried separately, so they can be enjoyed any day of the week; only foods fried in batter (i.e. fish) are limited to Sundays. Olive Garden Southfields - Authentic Italian cuisine (June 2016), 42 Replingham Road, South Fields, SW18 5LR . Gluten-free pasta and pizza available as well as an allergen information menu.
Olivers on the Mount Cafe
& Bar (July 2016) Olivers Mount, Scarborough, North
Yorkshire, YO11 2UG. Tel: 01723 361702
Scalby Manor Hotel
(July 2016), Buriston Road, Scarborough, YO13 0DA. Tel: 01723 503452
Mi & Pho
Vietnamese Restaurant
(August 2016), 384 Palatine
Road, Northenden, Manchester, M22 4FZ. Croma Independent Gourmet Pizzeria (September 2016), 651a Wilmslow Road, Didsbury, Manchester, M20 6QZ. Similar to Pizza Express, there's the freedom to choose one's preferred toppings for gluten-free bases. Was pleased to find the pizzas a tad tastier than Pizza Express's as well as more generous in size. Pizza Express gluten-free pizzas are markedly smaller than their regular pizzas, which seems unfair considering they cost the same, but to be fair, my partner didn't have pizza at Croma, so I have no idea if Croma's regular pizzas are larger. But at least their gluten-free ones are a fair size, unlike Pizza Express's. Conwy, North Wales (July 2014) Conwy’s Seafood Bistro, 2 High Street, Conwy, LL32 8DB - There was a sign in the window of stating: "Coeliac? We are probably as friendly as it gets! Over 90% of the menu is gluten free. The chef is coeliac. We only serve gluten free flours." Beaumaris, North Wales (April 2016) Pier House Cafe and Bistro, The Seafront, Beaumaris, LL58 8BS. GF options on the menu. GF cake options included brownies and carrot cake. I had the latter which was yummy!
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