Eating out without dealing with gluten contamination is much easier than it was a few years ago. I mainly stick to salads, grilled protein, and vegetables. With the rise in Celiac disease, restaurants are becoming more adept at offering options for their customers, although we still have to be extra vigilant in communicating with the staff at each restaurant.
McAllister’s Deli is one of my favorite places. They have a dedicated Gluten-free menu and offers gluten-free bread for all of it’s sandwich options. Their salads are huge and rival their baked potatoes in variety. Be sure to ask your waiter to ask the kitchen staff to change their gloves before assembling your meal. My local restaurant is great about this.
This salad above is the Italian Chop with oil/vinegar dressing. It’s full of protein and fat so it fits into my keto macros. Ham, salami, olives, roasted peppers, red onions, cucumbers, tomatoes (I remove mine. yuck), provolone. Even though it does not state anything about croutons, I always say “no croutons or crackers” and that lends itself to asking for a change of gloves in the prep kitchen. Easy peasy.
Next up, Captain D’s. I know. It’s not the best place because of all the fried flour stuff everywhere. I’ve have a lot of trouble in the past and have avoided this place like the plague. However, when my brother-in-law asked us to join him for dinner there, I tried one last time. Jackpot.
The server knew EXACTLY what to say and do when Stephen told her I could not have any bread near my plate. I ordered grilled fish and shrimp with steamed broccoli and green beans. These are all on their gluten-free menu. When he told her I had Celiac disease, she went to the kitchen and loudly proclaimed “change your gloves. No bread near the grilled meal I just ordered. NO BREAD NEAR THAT PLATE”. She told us they appreciated us letting them know so they can take the proper precautions.
Last, ordering from Mexican restaurants is pretty easy.
- Always makes sure they are using CORN tortillas for their chips.
- Burritos are traditionally FLOUR tortillas. Stay away.
- Quesadillas are traditionally FLOUR.
- ENCHILADAS ARE YOUR FRIEND. They are traditionally CORN, WHITE CORN, or BLUE CORN tortillas. Specify with your waiter. The menu description should say corn, but make sure they have not run out of corn and using flour. Always double check.
- Queso (cheese dip) is a fantastic sauce if you’re not feeling a salsa or green sauce.
- Rice is USUALLY okay. Beans are NOT. Many places uses a masa flour thickener in their refried beans.
- Stay away from Chimichangas, Taco salad shells. These are flour tortillas that have been deep fried.
- Crunchy tacos are usually ok. Soft are NOT.
- Fajitas are the absolute best thing in this world, in my opinion. It’s grilled meat and vegetables with great toppings. I just ask for NO TORTILLAS.
We had time for a sit-down meal at the local El Patron. I was feeling like saucy enchiladas instead of tacos. Plain chicken enchiladas with queso. I’ve had this many times and it’s comfort food at its finest. 
That’s all for eating out lately. Stay tuned for more updates!