On a recent trip to New York I scoured the city to find the best family restaurants serving gluten-free food for coeliacs. I am the coeliac in our family but we needed a place where my four-year-old daughter was welcome too.

I found about ten restaurants and diners, many of which had separate gluten-free menus. I will only mention the five I visited and can vouch for (was not violently ill afterwards). They were all child-friendly and demonstrated an excellent knowledge of what is involved in preparing safe food for coeliacs, including the issue of cross contamination.

Bloom’s Delicatessen Café:

An informal, diner-style restaurant. Separate gluten-free menu. GF specialties are omlettes, hamburgers, fish, steak, and probably the best place in NY to eat guaranteed GF French fries (you can buy them to take-away too). Open all day until late. Take-away and delivery service. Budget - cheap.

Outback Steak House:

An Australian themed restaurant with a separate gluten-free menu. Typically satisfying steak house fare with a couple of indulgent GF desserts and a children’s menu. Open all day until late. Budget - medium.

Peter’s Gourmet Diner/Restaurant:

A firm favourite. Peter’s is the best place for GF informal all-day food on the Upper East Side, especially good for breakfast and brunch. It’s not huge, though there are terraces at the back and front of the restaurant for outside dining in warmer weather. American diner-style eating with an extensive menu and probably the most varied GF menu for casual eating I’ve ever seen: pancakes, waffles, omelettes, all kinds of eggs, loads of sandwiches, burgers, plus a full dinner menu, and desserts. If there is something you want that is not on the menu they will have a go at making it for you too. Friendly service. Open all day until late. Delivery available. Budget - cheap.

Risotteria:

A small, popular, informal dinner venue with some fantastic authentic risotto recipes. This place is busy most nights, though tables clear quite quickly so booking isn’t usually necessary. Risotteria serves all manner of fantastically cooked GF risottos, pizza, salads, desserts, and even GF beer. GF breadsticks on the table are home baked and delicious. A restaurant truly dedicated to coeliacs. Seating is squeezed in a bit but worth it. Budget - cheap/medium.

Sambuca:

A large, popular, family-orientated restaurant on the Upper West Side. Sambuca is a great place to enjoy an unhurried family dinner (not open for lunch). It serves southern Italian food, with a separate GF menu that includes a really good range of GF pastas and sauces, as well as chicken, veal, steak, seafood , vegetable dishes, plus homemade GF bread and chocolate brownies. Good for parties and celebrations too. Lively ambience. We had one of our best evenings here.

Bloom’s Delicatessen Café
350 Lexington Avenue (corner of 4oth). www.bloomsnewyorkdeli.com

Outback Steak House
There are two of these: See www.outback.com for both addresses.

Peter’s Gourmet Diner/Restaurant
1606 1st Avenue (between 83rd & 84th). Tel: 001 212 989 3122

Risotteria
270 Bleecker Street, Greenwich Village. www.risotteria.com

Sambuca
20 West 72nd Street. www.sambucanyc.com

More info on GF restaurants in New York at: www.glutenfreerestaurants.org
Coeliac UK: www.coeliac.co.uk
Celiac US: www.csaceliacs.org

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