Restaurant Guide
Rochester Gluten-Free Restaurant Guide
The restaurants, stores, and farms on this web site understand gluten-free. Always tell your waitress that you are gluten intolerant and ask for a gluten-free menu or to speak to the owner, manager or chef. If the restaurant doesn’t have a gluten-free menu, call ahead at a non-busy time (3-4pm). Always remind the waitress – no bread or croutons. Be sure to show your appreciation for the extra effort and care to make our food gluten-free.
Bogus Creek Restaurant
Stockholm, WI
(715) 442-5017
This restaurant has great food and atmosphere. It’s located in Stockholm, WI, a fun, artistic, shopping adventure town on the Mississippi River. Take Wabasha Bridge over and it’s just beyond Pepin. Ask for the owner.
Broadstreet Cafe and Bar
300 First Avenue NW, Rochester MN
(507) 281-2451
www.cccrmg.com/broadstreet
Canadian Honker
Restaurant and Catering
1203 2nd Street SW
Across from Saint Mary’s Hospital
(507) 282-6572
Free parking
Entertainment on Friday
www.canadianhonker.com
Chardonnay
723 Second Street SW Rochester
(507) 252-1310
Menu changes continuously - most items are made from scratch.
Ask to speak to Lisa, the owner, to discuss dietary needs. Please call ahead if possible.
Intimate atmosphere.
Chianti Grill
14240 Plymouth Ave, off Co. 42
Burnsville, MN
(952) 892-7555
Chipotle Mexican Grill
Two Rochester Locations
3780 Market Place Dr NW
(507) 288-9171
1201 South Broadway
(507) 529-5484
www.chipotle.com
City Café
New American Cuisine
216 1st Ave SW
(507) 289-1949
www.cccrmg.com/city_cafe
Cuisine of India
7 - 12th St
507-281-1523
Dairy Queen
Three Rochester Locations
538 North Broadway
(507) 288-3863
4140 Frontage Road East
(507) 281-0762
320 12th Street SE
(507) 282-8633
www.dairyqueen.com
El Carambas
Mexican Food
Fast, friendly, casual, take out or eat in.
1503 12 St. SE
(507) 281-3104
(across from Cub Foods)
Famous Dave’s Bar-B-Que
431 16 Ave NW
(507) 282-4200
www.famousdaves.com
Good Food Store & The Backroom Deli
1001 6th Street NW
(507) 289-9061
www.rochestergoodfood.com
Gluten-free groceries and deli.
Gluten-free brats from Earth-Be-Glad Farms
Jenpachi Japanese Steak House
(507) 292-1688
3160 Wellner Dr. NE
Across from Chateau Theatres
Cook right at your table. Bring your own soy sauce.
Michael’s Restaurant
15 South Broadway, Rochester
(507) 288-2020
Outback Steakhouse
1201 South Broadway, Rochester
(507) 252-1150
www.outbacksteakhouse.com
Panera Bread (South)
460 Crossroads Drive Southwest
Ask for Steve Wolfe or a manager
(507) 271-2058
www.panerabread.com
Pizza Man
14 Seventeenth Ave NW
(507) 287-8700
Miracle Mile shopping center
Call ahead for gluten-free crust (they make their own)
Roscoe's Barbeque
- two locations
603 Fourth Street, SE, Rochester (seasonal)
Cedarwood Mall (41st Street and 18th Avenue), Rochester (year round)
(507) 281-4622
http://roscoesbbq.com/
The Redwood Room
300 First Avenue, NW, Rochester
(507) 281-2978
www.cccrmg.com/redwoodroom.htm
Valentino's Pizza and Pasta
130 Elton Hills Dr NW
507-281-2100
Victoria’s
7 First Ave SW
(507) 280-6232
Voted “Best Italian Restaurant” and “Most Romantic Restaurant”
www.victoriasmn.com
email: natalievictoria@victoriasmn.com
Ask for Tom Chava, chef or Tom Siegel, manager
Zorba’s Greek Restaurant
924 Seventh Street, NW, Rochester
(507) 281-1540
Guidelines for Eating Out
Always ask for the gluten-free menu. That way they know it is being used and keep it on hand. You will also need the regular menu that describes the dishes and gives the prices.
Always remind them -- no bread/croutons and that you are gluten intolerant. Thank them and be gracious. We are so happy they take extra effort and care to make our food gluten-free.
Call the chef ahead at a non-busy time (3-4:00) if you are going to a restaurant that does not have a GF menu.
When possible, tip a little more.
Hidden Sources of Gluten
Beware of ordering roast beef au jus in restaurants; it is likely that the restaurant now purchases it in single serving cryovac-wrapped packages, with "au jus" juices included. These juices are usually not gluten-free. Also, the "au jus" served with your meal could have been made from a wheat-containing stock base.
Beware of cold cuts or self-basting turkeys that often have wheat added.
Beware of soups, flavor enhancers, gravies and sauces in restaurants. Ask about their ingredients, and if unsure, ask to have them omitted from your food. Marinara sauce is almost always GF.
A restaurant's proprietary blend of spices is usually not GF. Premixed seasonings are usually not GF. Wheat is used in the mixing process and isn't listed on the label. Ask that they not be used in your meal.
Ask if your meat has been marinated. Most soy sauces and bottled marinades are not gluten-free. Ask for unmarinated meat if possible.
Potato chips and corn chips often contain wheat or have been manufactured using wheat. Best to avoid them unless you know the brand.
French-fried potatoes could have a wheat flour coating to make them crisper.
Cross Contamination
Not only must we be cautious about the ingredients in food, we must also be aware of the possibility of cross contamination. Cross contamination is when a gluten-free product comes in contact with something that is not gluten-free, and loses its gluten-free status.
If it is not practical to have a section of the counter top set aside for preparing gluten-free food only, always make sure that the counter space you are using to prepare gluten-free food is freshly washed to ensure it is free from crumbs or flour dust.
Make sure any pots, utensils, etc., that are used for other foods are thoroughly scrubbed before using them for gluten-free foods. In the case of something like muffin tins, paper liners may be worthwhile.
When slicing gluten-free meats, the utensils or meat slicer must be cleaned after cutting gluten-containing meats. Also, take care not to stack the slices on the same plate or overlap with gluten-containing slices.
The thermometer used to check temperature of cooking meats or of buffet dishes can contaminate gluten-free items, if not washed before touching them.
Fried foods can be contaminated when cooked in oil where battered foods have previously been fried.
Grilled foods (steaks) can be contaminated if the grill is not cleaned after cooking gluten-containing food.
At the table, be careful when sharing a butter dish with others who are eating bread. Check for crumbs.
