Gluten Free In Washington, District of Columbia: Favorite Finds
I started out this trip to Washington, DC feeling totally uninspired with my research into my eating options. I had a list I'd developed last year and plenty of places I felt comfortable with eating - but it's just that nothing really sparked my interest.
That was until I actually got to DC and did a little more digging to find some new eats. I ended up with four new gluten free friendly spots - three of which I will most definitely be returning to.
Busboys and Poets was another one of those spots where I felt right at home - I think it was described as a "hipster" kind of joint on Yelp. I love their philosophy of building a place where art, culture, and politics collide. Plus they have an amazing menu labeled with gluten free, vegan, and vegetarian options. This is most definitely one of the places I will be returning to. I ordered the Poached Pear Salad which was AMAZING and spent my time agonizing over the Vegan Nachos - next time I told myself. DC seems to be a rather meat heavy city, so finding a place that has lots of vegetarian and vegan options is a great ace to have in my pocket.
Be warned, if you gravitate towards hand crafts and hippy type items like I do - there is a lovely little gift shop kind of area that could get you into trouble.
Chef Geoff's offers a gluten free menu with is always a plus, but like many DC restaurants it runs meat heavy. Also, their current menu also seems to be very heavy on dairy - so most the entrees were out of the question for me. I ended up ordering two plates of the Serano Wrapped Peaches and the Steak Skewers. Both appetizers were very good, but the menu overall is more suited to someone who prefers more meat. That being said, it's still a great and safe gluten free friendly option.
Thank goodness for wonderful servers and mojitos! When I first called Cuba Libre the hostess said that there were plenty of gluten and dairy free options on their menu. When we and sat down in this incredibly fun restaurant - the interior is themed and even has a sign for an actual restaurant located in Havana - our server informed me that most of the dishes had gluten in them, with only a few exceptions with modifications. It just so happened that those exceptions happen to make up most of the "traditional" part of the menu - which was exactly what I was looking for anyway! I ordered the Lechon Asado, which was amazingly delicious as well as two of the most fantastic mojitos I've had in a long while. I'll definitely go back to Cuba Libre, even if I can only order from a small section of the menu.
The week I was in DC, it was over 100 degrees almost every day and swelteringly humid - it was way too much for me to handle. So naturally my favorite find of the trip was Pitango Gelato! What I loved about Pitango was that almost half their selection of icy cold treats was made up of gluten free and vegan fresh fruit sorbets! I was even more thrilled to see that rhubarb sorbet was on the menu and it was delicious.
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