One of the main purposes of this blog, is to help people following a gluten free diet find places to eat out safely. Here is part one, and I aim to follow this up in the future with more restaurants as I find them, hopefully through your suggestions! When eating out as a coeliac it is always advisable to call ahead so both you and the restaurant are comfortable with the situation.
Chambers
I recently visited Chambers who are based on Notte Street on the Barbican and had an excellent meal. I called ahead and when I arrived the waitress (whose mum was gluten free) spent time going through the menu, telling me which dishes they could provide gluten free. It was made clear that most of the dishes could be adjusted to be gluten free. While this was happening another waitress brought gluten free bread to the table, a good start! They also mentioned they had GF crackers in so I could have the cheese course. I enquired after the chips and if the fryer would be contaminated. I was told the waitress would check and if so it would be no problem to change the oil. I went for the rib-eye steak with chips. The steak came with fried onions (replacement for onion rings) and a herby sauce which was a replacement for the peppercorn sauce. Everyone had fantastic meals and the starters and desserts were equally good. I will definitely be going back! Update: Read full review here
The Glassblowing House
Also situated on the Barbican is The Glassblowing House. After my wife noticed the menu states “most of our dishes are available gluten free” we decided to give it a go. It is a very nice setting here and we visited on a sunny day and the place opened up large sliding doors to a view of the harbour. I went for an organic chicken breast, stuffed with goats cheese and tomato mouse, wrapped in pancetta. The food was very nice, though I have to say the one time I’ve been here the service was pretty slow (packed and not enough staff). I will be giving this another go at some point.
Plymouth Canteen & Deli
Situated within the Royal William yard is Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall’s Plymouth Canteen & Deli. The food here is excellent and they have an allergy register where you can register yourself as coeliac, though I have to say I’ve not seen any evidence that this is used for anything. The menu is made from the freshest local ingredients, so there is a new menu each day depending what is available. Staff are very helpful with regards gluten free options and I have now visited several times with no issues. 90% of the menu was naturally gluten free on my last visit.
Nandos
There are a few gluten free friendly chains around too. Nandos are situated both in town, and at Barbican Leisure Park. They have a very clear allergy menu and have always been very helpful when I have been there. If you tell them you are coeliac the duty manager usually cooks your food separately. I have only eaten here since being diagnosed after it was recommended by other coeliacs and I’m now a regular visitor!
Bella Italia
One of the first restaurants I visited after being diagnosed was Bella Italia. More in the “cheap and cheerful” bracket, but I had a nice meal here. I’d called ahead and they had a separate gluten free menu waiting for me, the waiter ran through the specials un-prompted saying which ones were GF and which ones could be made GF. There were pasta, pizza and choclate cake options on the menu. There are nicer restaurants around, but if you are looking for somewhere cheaper or just gluten free pizza then it’s worth checking out.
See also:
Gluten Free by the Sea – Plymouth posts Coeliac UK Plymouth Live Gluten Free – Plymouth eating out
Gluten Free By The Sea 