Gluten Free In Brooklyn, New York
From now on, whenever I visit New York City, I'm staying in Brooklyn and I'll take the subway to visit the other parts of the city. Prior to my thirty day stint in Brooklyn, each time I had visited NYC I stayed in Manhattan - I didn't know what I was missing!
I ate so well during my time in Brooklyn and I don't mean just tasty food, I mean healthy food. Typically, a my diet while traveling isn't exactly healthy or close to what I would be eating at home - not so in Brooklyn. There were plenty of tasty, healthy, gluten free, vegetarian, and vegan options all around me which were easily accessible.
Let's not beat around the bush, Bogota Bistro was my favorite find in Brooklyn. I already tend to have a thing for food from Central and South America, but add in a huge menu that's marked with lots of gluten free, vegetarian, and vegan options and we have a winner. I tried a number of things on the menu but my favorites were the Arepa de Chocolo with Chunky Avocado Salad and the Cornmeal Empanadas. Even though it's a busy and popular place the staff were all very attentive in making sure my food was safe for me - they even have a separate gluten free fryer, so there are no worries about cross contamination. Another sign of Bogota Bistro's greatness was that all the people I brought there, maybe ten or so in all, loved it.
A quick spot to get a warm cup of soup for lunch. Hale and Hearty has a huge menu with lots of options - on their website you can view which soups are gluten free and in the store they have all the soups marked with dairy free, vegetarian, and vegan options.
Only about two blocks away from where I was staying, Perelandra is a wonderful grocery store filled with lots of new discoveries to make. My favorite find was Greek style sheep milk yogurt - the vanilla and maple varieties were like eating dessert. They have a wonderful selection of gluten free products, a great selection of natural products, and a deli and fresh juice bar in the back. The staff were also awesome and friendly - which is great when you're away from home for awhile.
I can pretty comfortably say that Siggy's is a guaranteed great place for a gluten free lunch. I probably ate lunch there at least 20 times while I was in Brooklyn. They have gluten free bread and buns for their sandwiches, gluten free pasta options, vegan and vegetarian options, and great fresh juice. After trying multiple things on the menu, my favorite ended up being the veggie sandwich with mayo instead of hummus with some turkey bacon added on. Oh and the Flu Defense juice totally kept me operational while all my coworkers were getting sick and also made me start liking green juice - the trick is that they add a little orange juice!
Another favorite find of mine which I very much want to return to is Sun In Bloom. With their huge selection of gluten free, vegan, and raw foods and some terribly great ambiance - if I lived locally I think I would be there a lot. First of all, best gluten free and vegan pancakes I've ever had - hands down. They were down right buttery! They also make and bottle great fresh juice that also helped my fight off whatever it was that was going around in NYC while I was there. Their kitchen in Park Slope is so well decorated and furnished with a community table (love those!) and an exposed brick wall. The one thing I never got to try were their baked goodies since I was feeling under the weather and didn't want to over do it. Someday, I'll just have to go back.
I stumbled into Union Market after being turned away from my first destination, the Park Slope Co-op. Turns out that place is seriously members only - not for the casual traveler since in addition to the membership fee, you also need to commit to work there for a day. Turns, out Union Market was pretty fantastic, with a great selection of fresh produce and gluten free products. I discovered two great beverage companies there; OMilk - best almond milk I've had ever and Blue Print Juice - which I definitely credit for keeping me slim on this trip.
What are your favorite gluten free spots in Brooklyn?