More Gluten Free Restaurant Options in Brooklyn

We’re finally starting to get out of our “restaurant rut” and try a few new places again.  You know how it is when a food intolerance is involved – you find a few safe places you have eaten at successfully before, and then proceed to go to only those same restaurants month after month.  It becomes utterly boring, especially when you live in such a thrilling foodie locale like Brooklyn, NY!

Here are our recent finds:

• Chick P (490 Bergen St, near corner of 6th Ave, 718-783-1525) – this place just opened last month, and it is a great place to stop by for a “to-go dinner” when you are coming home late from work.  They specialize in Falafel, and while Falafel is not always gluten free at every restaurant (some use regular wheat flour), Chick P makes it authentically gluten free using finely ground potato flour, plus it is honestly the BEST tasting falafel I have ever had!  Any of the platter dishes are gluten free, as long as you skip the pita bread (or just give it to your friend).  The owner also runs Fish & Sip nearby (216 Flatbush Ave, 718-636-2256), another favorite of ours to get a nice affordable fish dinner with baked potato and veggies.

• Le Gamin (556 Vanderbilt Ave, between Atlantic Ave and Pacific St, 718-789-5171) – a cozy French place to go for brunch/dinner and get….CREPES!  Yes, they serve 100% buckwheat crepes, no other flour involved – note this is for their savory meat & cheese crepes, NOT the dessert ones unfortunately.  We also love their chicken salad – there’s just something about the way they julienne all of the vegetables and apples on top that makes it unlike any other chicken salad I’ve ever had.

• Alma (187 Columbia St, entrance is on corner of Degraw, 718-643-5400) – we came to this Oaxacan-style restaurant because we heard about the amazing view.  If you climb the stairs to the enclosed rooftop, the view of lower Manhattan is fantastic, especially on a bright clear day.  Watch the helicopters taking off and the Staten Island ferry going by as you nosh on corn tortilla chips & salsa, as well as a variety of naturally gluten free dishes made with corn tortillas, plantains, and potatoes.  I especially recommend the Chilaquiles!  (Note: as always, use your best judgement – obviously the Pan Mexicana, aka bread battered w/ egg, is not gluten free).

• Crespella (321 7th Ave, between 8th and 9th St, 718-788-2980) – this place is next on this list for us to try, now that we are on such a crepe kick from Le Gamin!  They make their savory crepes w/ chickpea flour, but still no sweet dessert crepe options yet.  You can get gluten free muffins here too.