Top 5 Houston Restaurants With Gluten-Free Options

• None of these places, as far as I can tell, offer GF dessert options.  So, here's my recommendation for where to get great recipes for the desserts to go with your meal!:  http://www.amazon.com/Gluten-Free-Wheat-Free-Gourmet-Desserts-ebook/dp/B004EYSZ3C Also, for those of you who are Facebook users and who are battling Celiac Disease, check out the Celiac Disease Support Group.  With over 4,000 members it's a great place to get the support you need from other people dealing with celiac disease.

• @twitter-23395072:disqus : Actually you must be *very careful* eating at Asian restaurants if you do in fact have celiac disease.  Why?  Because soy sauce--used in many, many Asian dishes--contains wheat ingredients that will make people with celiac disease ill.  There are GF safe soy sauces available on the market (e.g., Tamari's Gluten Free Soy Sauce), but it is highly unlikely that most restaurants are using these speciality GF soy sauces in their dishes. I would also caution anyone with severe sensitivity to gluten to be wary of Ruggles Green's GF pizzas.  My Dad opted to pass on them because they are baked in the same oven as their traditional wheat pizzas.  This means there's a pretty strong chance of cross contamination.

• I read that people were being diagnosed in the 1920s but were only allowed to eat bananas and rice... My doctor told me that celiac was discussed in his medical school class and they were shown pictures of children with bloated stomachs and told that it was such a rare condition (and only found in children) they would probably never encounter it in their practice!! Another of my doctors criticized my being given an endoscopy and later apologized for his ignorance of the illness.

• I know there is no point replying to someone as ignorant as you..but it just makes me feel better...

• This is a wonderfully helpful article. I nearly died from being undiagnosed for 12 years and know how hard it is to find a safe restaurant. THANKS!

• Well said.

• Thanks for this great article and great discussion. If you eat gluten-free in Houston, I hope you will consider writing a review of your favorite GF restaurant on our new gluten-free community website: http://www.stuffed-pepper.com.  Thanks again.

• its both. the disease has been shown to be more prevalent today than in the past, based on comparing DNA from people today, and frozen DNA from people 50 years ago. But the disease has always existed, and sadly many have suffered silently for decades, not understanding the true cause of their health problems.

• This is not a fad. Celiac disease and gluten intolerance has probably existed as long as wheat has been in our diet, but we are only now discovering its effects on our bodies. There may be some truth in the "modern phenomenon" argument, however. Because the genetically modified wheat that we eat today is far different from what our ancestors ate, with denser gluten proteins today. 

• I agree with all those listed. Pondicherri is also great for gluten-free and even Backstreet Cafe is accommodating to gluten intolerant people, although they don't have a specific gluten-free menu. Candelari's in Bellaire also offer gluten-free pizza, made by the Gluten Free Houston bakery, but I'm not sure how they handle cross-contamination.  And gluten-free is NOT a trend. Its a permanent lifestyle change for people with celiac disease (an estimated 3 million Americans), gluten-intolerance (an estimated 18 million Americans), autoimmune diseases (an estimated 50 million Americans) and much more. Diagnoses of gluten-intolerance are increasing and awareness of the problems associated with gluten is expanding.  So please, don't roll your eyes.

• Yes, Pondicheri! The delicious fried chicken and fries are fried in chickpea flour!

• Up until the 20th century, people also thought type 1 diabetics were fabricating their complaints. Yes, thousands of people decided to pretend their pancreases weren't making insulin...purely for shits and giggles.

• Corey, Corey, Corey.  This is a public blog, not your garage where you can mouth off about [insert X ethnic group here] ruining the neighborhood. You named names and disavowed a legitimate medical minority. Holy lawsuit waiting to happen.

• Yup, pretty much what I thought too. I was also thinking maybe something in the environment, since god only knows we have been fucking that up for quite some time. 

• A more adventurous fad: Taunt hypertensive NFL players for wanting less salt on their French fries.

• Samba Grille also deserves a mention. Gluten-free cheese rolls. I die.

• I have two close family members with celiac disease and I can tell you it is NOT a made up disease. Both family members were extremely sick for years until they were properly diagnosed, and their symptoms completely disappeared after a few weeks of eating a gluten-free diet. AND, in addition to the blood work and scope test that came back positive, they both tested positive for the celiac gene, because it is a GENETIC disorder. If you want to be a sarcastic smartass, at least be an educated one.

• I have a feeling it's akin to autism in that it's not necessarily more prevalent these days, but that it's more well-diagnosed now. Think about all the infant deaths from ye olden days that were simply listed as "failure to thrive." There's been a lot of speculation about what illnesses those actually were, and that celiac disease was one of them.

• My guess is that people suffered with it before. My father was diagnosed in 1985, but suffered with it since the 60's. My guess is that others have similar experiences.

• Also, Pondicheri has some very good gluten free items, including cookies and madelines.

• Tummy ache from eating bread or a neurotic excuse that is made up....it took multiple doctors and finally a biopsy on my small intestine to explain the "neurotic" side effects of the auto immune defeciancy in my digestive tract from being celiac...which I knew nothing about when I found out six years ago.  This is not a fad and not an excuse for those of us who have to deal with it...and I pray that your "friend" at PF Changs does NOT try to slip something by a paying guest who is putting their trust and health in his hands. This is not a modern phenomenon, and I... like many... suffered for years before my diagonosis.  The best news...no medication needed...life changing news is that you change your lifestyle of eating to be wheat free. 

• Rather than listing a national chain, how about highlighting another great local restaurant, such as Rainbow Lodge?

• I wonder if people in the past suffered through the allergy without knowing what it is, or if it's a modern phenomenon.

• There is always shoyu...

• My best friend is a chef/kitchen manager for PF Changs/Pei Wei and has admitted they do have potato starch but more often than not just use the normal stuff and no one has ever complained.  Seriously people find something else to worry about, something real, something you didn't just make up because you got a tummy ache from eating some bread somewhere as a kid or whatever your neurotic excuses may be..

• Actually, for people with serious gluten issues Chinese food is particularly difficult, as most soy sauce is actually made from a mixture of fermented wheat and soy. As you might imagine, this is very difficult to avoid at most Chinese restaurants, as well as some less authentic Thai places.  Only specific 100% soy gluten-free tamari are safe for those with Celiac disease.

• Mexican cuisine and Chinese cuisine (not that PF Chang facsimile) are easily gluten free. Already. Of all Asian region cuisines, wheat figures prominently in just a few, India being one.  Other places with gluten free stuff? Japanese. Just avoid wheat noodles. Soba is good, as buckwheat is already gluten free.  http://food.drricky.net/2011/10/zen-mastery-of-pasta.html Chinese, avoiding the regions that use wheat (usually Northern region).  Vietnamese, avoiding the banh Korean Indonesian

• Nice list!  Prego and Trevisio also have gluten-free menus:  http://www.prego-houston.com/gluten_free_menu.html, http://www.trevisiorestaurant.com/glutenfree.html

• Oh! And Pecan Creek Grille and Chatter's both have GF menus as well, which is really nice to see on breakfast menus.

• Good list! I'd definitely add Prego, Trevisio and D'Amico's to the list, too. It's not often you find Italian restaurants offering such a variety of gluten-free pastas.

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