May is National Celiac Disease Awareness Month, designed to raise awareness each year about celiac disease and dispel those pesky myths that the media, celebrities, and fad dieters continue to spread. But people who are gluten intolerant or gluten sensitive don’t have to wait for May to arrive to dine at their favorite establishments—many of Atlanta’s restaurants cater to the needs of gluten-free guests all year long.
I love to dine out and probably do more now than I did before my celiac disease diagnosis. Since I am always sharing my favorite spots, this list contains a number of restaurants I have yet to visit. Many have gluten-free menu options, and some provide gluten-free swaps and substitute products, as well.
Always question any fried items on a menu market gluten free before ordering. Why? Because some restaurants still struggle to understand that unless a fryer is dedicated for only gluten-free food, the wheat-y particles left behind will contaminate the gluten-free food making it unsafe for consumption.
Atkins Park Restaurant & Bar in Virginia-Highland offers gluten-free items like shrimp and grits as well as gluten-free bread substitutions for all of its burgers and sandwiches. And the staff is more than happy to tweak or modify any menu item to accommodate dietary restrictions.
Drift Fish House & Oyster Bar helpfully labels its gluten-free items (like peel-and-eat shrimp, pimento cheese deviled eggs, roasted beet salad, wood-grilled mahi mahi and Maine sea scallops) with a ‘GF’ on its brunch, lunch and dinner menus.
At HOBNOB Neighborhood Tavern, guests can enjoy such gluten-free offerings as the Mother Nature salad, low country shrimp and grits, the Triple B burger (on a gluten-free bun), roasted cauliflower, pepperoni pizza and its superfood plate. And several new gluten-free options will arrive with a new menu coming in June. Brookhaven, Perimeter, and Midtown locations.
All of the barbecued meats are gluten free at the newly opened King Barbecue at Savi Provisions (308 Pharr Road) in Buckhead. Choose from smoked brisket, chicken, pork or sausage and from an array of sides including pit-baked beans, loaded potato salad, spicy collard greens, coleslaw and red pozole (hominy, chopped barbecue meat and lime).
Milton’s Cuisine & Cocktails in historic Crabapple offers a variety of gluten-free entrées, such as blackened salmon with pimiento cheese grits, garlic spinach and a citrus-basil beurre blanc. The seasonal menu changes, so check with your server about current offerings.
Like its sister restaurant Drift, Seed Kitchen & Bar and Stem Wine Bar in Marietta’s Merchant’s Walk retail center flag all gluten-free items (like Seed’s smoked chicken tacos and hickory-smoked pork chops or Stem’s chorizo-stuffed medjool dates) for easy reference on all menus.
The authentic Turkish cuisine at Truva Turkish Kitchen in Virginia-Highland features many gluten-free mezes and specialty dishes, including traditional hummus, artichoke bottoms, stuffed grape leaves, babaganoush, stuffed cabbage, vegetarian moussaka and pan-seared scallops.
Always let your server know about any food allergy, sensitivity, or intolerance before ordering. Have you dined at any of these restaurants? How did it go? What did you get?
