Columbus Gluten Free Restaurants, Bakeries and Retailers

Columbus welcomes the gluten-free community to the Gluten-Free Food Allergy Fest being held at the Ohio Expo Center this weekend. The event is run by Gluten Free & More magazine and presented by Enjoy Life Foods.

Event details:

Saturday April 30 and Sunday May 1
10am – 4pm
Ohio Expo Center: Lausche Building, 717 E 17th Ave. Columbus, OH 43211
For more information, click here.

I’ll be attending, so follow me on Twitter @GFRetailHQ to stay on top of “live” tweets from the event. Also stay tuned to GlutenFreeRetailHQ.com for future blog posts on my adventure and gluten-free finds.

Your Swag Bags Aren’t Enough?

Hey, the GFFA Fest ends at 4pm. Don’t just sit holed up in a hotel room downing your gluten-free samples. Get out and experience Columbus! What about that gluten-free bite to eat, you ask? No worries. Columbus has you covered.

To help attendees and exhibitors visiting Central Ohio, below is a “short” list of gluten-friendly establishments you may want to try. Note: While I have my favorites, unfortunately I haven’t had the opportunity to visit each place on the list. So I suggest you call ahead to ensure your gluten-free needs and other dietary issues can be accommodated.

Welcome to Columbus and enjoy!

Columbus Gluten Free-Friendly Restaurants: Local Eateries

Cap City Fine Diner. This is the casual eatery operated by Cameron Mitchell. You can’t go wrong with any of Mitchell’s restaurants (Cameron’s American Bistro, Mitchell’s Ocean Club, The Guild House and more), but some could get pricey. Cap City is hands down my favorite gluten free-friendly restaurant! It has an extensive gluten-free menu, including crème brulee for dessert. And the food is delicious! I haven’t tried anything I haven’t liked. My favorite sandwich platter is the Reuben with french fries. (Hint: Ask for a side of Philly Cheese Steak sauce to dip your fries in! Trust me.) For those in the mood for a salad, I recommend the Southwest Chicken Salad. It was my favorite before my Celiac diagnosis; it remains my favorite today. The Greek salad is great too!

Bravo | Brio Restaurants. For authentic Italian cuisine, Bravo’s Cucino Italiana and Brio Tuscan Grille have you covered. Bravo’s is a family favorite and a go-to place for special occasions. Again, you can’t go wrong with anything on the gluten free-friendly menu. I tend to go “off-menu” and create my own flavor combinations, which the chefs typically are more than willing to accommodate. Hint: Since it gets busy during prime dining times, I usually visit at off hours (for example, between the lunch and dinner rush).

Northstar Café. Another local favorite with lots of gluten-free and vegan options. Be sure to specify that you’re eating gluten free due to “allergy” (they’ll take all the needed precautions). The only dish I’ve tried here is the Chopped Salad. It was so good on my first visit to Northstar that it’s all I’ve ordered on return trips. But everything else always looks good too!

Other local restaurants worth a try include:

Portia’s Cafe: near Clintonville at 4428 Indianola Ave., Columbus, OH 43214
Rusty Bucket: gluten-free friendly menu available
The Old Bag of Nails: gluten-free friendly menu available

Columbus Gluten Free-Friendly Restaurants: National Chains

For those less adventurous about trying something new, Columbus is home to the perennial favorite chains as well. Among the tried-and-true with gluten free-friendly offerings are:

Olive Garden
Outback Steakhouse
PF Changs
Pei Wei
Red Robin
Skyline Chili

Columbus Gluten Free-Friendly Bakeries

Columbus is home to a variety of gluten-free bakeries. Hopefully they’ll be out in force at the GFFA Fest, but in case you want to visit the real deal, here’s a short list:

Columbus Gluten Free-Friendly Retailers

There are many choices in Columbus when it comes to gluten-free grocery shopping. The big chain stores – Kroger, Giant Eagle, Meijer, Target and Walmart – all offer a fairly strong selection of gluten-free staples. Columbus also has many Aldi locations, offering its own liveGfree brand.

But if you’re a “foodie” with special dietary requirements, and looking to explore healthy, fresh, organic/natural specialty retailers, the following list is for you: