I need some gfdf restaurant ideas. It is so hard to find things my daughter can eat at a restaurant. I tried comparing the dairy free lists with the gluten free lists from some restaurant websites but there isn't much that is on both lists.

Any suggestions?

PF Changs - pretty much anything
Outback - ditto, ask for no butter
thai food - curry, pad thai
sushi - lots of options
mexican - tacos (corn) w/o the cheese, heuvos rancheros w/o the cheese/sour cream

I'd like to see what others do too. I have pretty much quit going out since I went CF in Dec. and haven't felt like figuring it out. Tony Romas salmon with Carolina Honey's BB sauce, ranch beans and corn on the cob is a gluten-free CF meal. Their green beans are not gluten-free. They are deep fried in oil that is used for gluten containing items. I am currently relying on a local Indian restauraunt for curries, basmati rice and salad that are gluten-free CF. I think it would be possible to work out a CF meal from Bonefish Grill's gluten-free menu. Their mango salsa and might be CF. If you haven't been there, the mang salsa is very mild and sweet and would be palatable for some kids. One of those on your choice of seafood with steamed veg.

gluten-free pasta at The Old Spaghetti Factory. Hamburger patty and plain baked potato.

I admit i havent eaten out much at all since having kids, and not at all since getting serious about the diet - so, French fries are bad if they also do onion rings, fried chicken in the same grease, right? Grilled chicken/steak - you have to know what they are seasonsed with and if they are made on the same grill as things that arent safe? baked potato . . . bring your own margerine?

I've read that some moms will pick up empty boxes from mc'd's to put their own chicken nuggets in, so their kids dont feel left out

The Old Spaghetti Factory has gluten-free pasta? Or do you bring your own? There's one in my town but I haven't even thought about eating there cause I didn't think I could.

Hello, I live in Riverside, California also. Yes, the local Spaghetti Factory has gluten free pasta! I'm not sure about the sauces though, I usually get a combo of Marinara and a Meat Sauce. I always ask for a plain salad no croutons but it has arrived with croutons before. Use oil and vinegar, or I take my own salad dressing. Other places to eat in Riverside are: PF Changs. They have a gluten free menu, and gluten free tamari sauce (don't use the soy sauce at the table). The waiters are all trained re: gluten free dining. They always bring out fortune cookies though, of course I know not to eat them. Chipotles is mostly gluten free, except flour tortillas of course. I eat a grilled chicken salad at El Torito, I ask for no cheese, no tortilla strips, with a grape vinagrette dressing on the side. Many of Panera Bread's salads are gluten free, in addition to many of their salad dressing. You can check the websites on all of these places, except El Torito. There are not too many other places I know about. Oh, newly opened Yard House. You email them from their website, then they will email you a gluten free menu. Got the croutons on the salad after asking for no croutons, but a fresh salad was quickly brought out. I haven't eaten at Outback Steakhouse. The reviews are mixed for it, many people write on this site about having gluten reactions after eating there.

Not in Riverside but in nearby Rancho Cucamonga is Pei Wei, owned by PF Changs but more casual. They have a gluten free menu.

Hope that helps!

Thanks for all the great ideas! I am going to try Spaghetti Factory, it is so exciting to me when I find places I can eat. Its like a little bit of normal comes back

I eat at Outback all the time and only once think I got glutened. I'll have to try Pei Wei too. Have you eaten at Carinos? They have a gluten free menu online and they are in Mira Loma. I haven't been yet but plan to.

Hello! I haven't eaten at Carinos since going gluten free, thanks for the info! It is nice to know that I don't have to go and order a plain steak and potato. Also, I noice they let you substitute for what you leave off. Years ago, Carinos must not have had a gluten free menu and I was going there for a friend's retirement dinner, and I studied the menu online before going. I was careful to order the chicken with no sauce, no seasonings, but when the order arrived it was on a bed of pasta! My fault. Took it home to my husband.

One other place in Corona is the Claim Jumper. They have the Gluten Free Menu online. I remember ordering Salmon. When the order arrived it had a gigantic piece of garlic cheese toast laid across everything! Their fault, the menu doesn't say it came with bread so I didn't know to ask them to hold the bread. So, the menus, cooks and waiters are not perfect (but get close at PF Changs and Pei Wei) but it is still nice to have some choices. Good luck!

I have really limited my eating out too. Its too scary. We work so hard to be carful with our diet and then you eat out and you lose controll of the food prep.
I have tried Pew Wei and Chili's has a gluten-free menue they have are really good potato soup that comes to them pre made so I feel safe with that.
good luck,
w

I am so glad that you mentioned that Chili's has a gluten free menu! I checked it out and found that the menu is different at every location, so I didn't find the potato soup unfortunately but found lots of other good stuff! Thank you!

Hi, Just an Update about Carino's Italian Grill in Mira Loma. Caution: print out the gluten free menu on the internet, and go by that, not the one in the restaurant! The same thing that happened to me years ago happened again. Their gluten-free menu is shortened, and does not specify that many entrees, including the Chicken Scaloppini which we ordered, comes on a bed of pasta! Their gluten-free menu only says to order w/o flour on the chicken. The internet menu states to "Substitute sauteed green beans or garlic sauteed spinach instead of pasta". I showed the waitress my menu. She said, "Oh, I didn't even know we could do that." She was a very attentive, personable waitress, who, although we said we were ordering off the gluten-free menu, offered to bring bread, and only made suggestions off the regular menu! On the positive side, I had soup, and I am never able to have soup as I err on the side of caution and assume all soup has flour. It was a Roasted Garlic Potato Soup (w/o croutons.) That and a house salad with Chianti Vinaigrette. (5 choices of dressing but I wouldn't trust the Gorgonzola).

I would go back to Carino's but maybe I should write a nice letter to the manager first. If you do go, I hope you enjoy it, and that they have clarified their menu and informed their staff what gluten free is. They will never know if we don't tell them.

Found one more, after seeing a coupon for a free appetizer for Carino's or On the Border in today's 3/2/08 local newspaper coupons. Figuring they are owned by the same owners, I checked on the Border for a gluten-free menu. They have suggested menu options for wheat/gluten "allergies". They suggest that persons with dietary allergies and intolerances avoid all their fried food, including Tortilla chips and Enchiladas (my fav Mexican food) and state that they are unable to guarantee that any menu entrees can be completely wheat/gluten free, but have some good things on the menu, such as a Grilled Chicken Fiesta Salad, Chicken or Beef Fajitas. Looks like enough choices that are Dairy Free too! They have locations in Mira Loma, Corona, Rancho Cucamonga and Chino, FYI.