Restaurants With Gluten-Free Options

Thanks to the Atkins™ and other popular diets, many restaurants are starting to look at their menus and provide information about the ingredients in the food and the nutritional value. This is great news for Celiacs and other people with food allergies, as it's now easier to make substitutions and find out what's in the food when you go out to eat. Many restaurants even provide Gluten-Free menus if you ask for them. Here's a small list of Rhode Island area restaurants and national chains that my girlfriend Emily and I have compiled. If you know of any additional ones, please let me know.

Rhode Island Area Restaurants

• Legal Seafoods - Legal Seafoods is generally very helpful with regards to making substitutions for those with allergies and food sensitivities. Their Rhode Island store, located on Post Road in Warwick often plays host to Celiac group meetings with great success.
• Wright's Farm - The famous chicken dinner at Wright's Farm is entirely gluten-free, with the exception of the pasta and dinner rolls. Even the house salad dressing is safe to eat.

National Chain Restaurants

• Burger King - Burger King is one of the few national fast food chains that maintains separate fryers for their french fries, which makes them safe to eat. They also openly support those with special dietary needs and publish a menu with food allergen information on their website. Their burgers are 100% real beef and can be served, at the customer's request, without a bun.
• Fire & Ice - Although they don't publish the ingredients in their sauces, Fire & Ice is a great place for Celiacs. You get to choose the raw ingredients (meats, veggies, fish, etc.) and the chef stir-frys it while you watch. Be sure to bring a bottle of your favorite gluten-free sauce and, if you're worried about the shared grill, ask them to fry it in a pan in the back. They're usually more than accomodating.
• McDonalds - McDonalds now offers a gluten-free menu online, as well as a copy of their menu with information about Allergens and Food Sensitivities.
• 99 Restaurant & Pub - Although they don't provide a gluten-free menu, the 99 offers many grilled meat options and they are generally happy to make potato substitutions for fries and vegetable substitutions for other non-gluten-free side dishes.
• Outback Steakhouse - The Outback actually provides a Gluten-Free Menu if you ask the hostess for it. It's essentially a copy of their regular menu with Gluten-Free meals highlighted. They're great at making substitutions.