EuroTrip2k17 Gluten Free Food Travel Series: Noteworthy Restaurants
This wouldn't be a worthwhile EuroTrip Gluten Free Food blog series if I wasn't specific about the incredible places where I went to eat, now would it? Don't worry, I didn't forget! I'm sharing some of my standout restaurant experiences below!
Now I always wanted to go to Nando's after hearing about the whole "cheeky Nando's" Internet joke (which I still don't understand) and because I read about their South African/Portuguese style chicken with a variety of flavorful sauces; some of which are gluten free! This half Portuguese girl loves her spicy food, so it was an absolute must on my travel list. Let me tell you, in the three days we spent touring London, we ended up in Nando's TWICE. My God, this food is good!
The waiters were more than happy to bring out an allergen binder (which is also available online!) and make meal recommendations. I ultimately went with chicken thighs with medium sauce, rice, salad, and (I risked cross contamination) had some fries. Everything was packed with flavor and absolutely delicious. One note - I impulsively ordered their Peri-naise sauce (their version of spicy mayo) on the side at the last minute. It came in a small prepackaged container on the corner of my plate and after a quick glance at its ingredients, I realized was not gluten free. My husband wasn't too upset to have some extra dipping sauce, so it worked out.
Two of the greatest food experiences in my life happened in Rome. This isn't surprising because it is ROME, but it is surprising because both meals were 100% gluten free and still made my top ten list EVER. When our tour stopped for a dinner break, my husband spotted a little restaurant directly next to the Pantheon with a sign that said Gluten Free Pizza. One of our gluten intolerant trip buddies ran over there with us and we had an straight up FEAST. This place was absolutely insane. Giant pizza list, great wine list and did I mention it was NEXT TO THE PANTHEON?!
We heard someone singing on the street who sounded just like Andrea Bocelli, and it was one of the most magical experiences of my life. When I took my first bite of this pizza, my FitBit told me that my heart rate hit 120. Between the excitement and the carbs, I could feel my heart racing. It was out of this world delicious. We ordered two gluten free pies, a pizza margharita and a pizza al prosciutto with fresh parma ham. My husband ordered a regular pasta and said sitting with two gluten intolerant people eating Italian pizza was actual entertainment because we couldn't stop flipping out over the taste of this food.
Strangely enough, I couldn't find a name to this restaurant anywhere. I took pictures of everything around it, (except for the pizza because it disappeared MINUTES after I took a quick video) but I couldn't find a name. Last week even I sat staring at Google Maps for an hour trying to find it, and it wasn't listed either. I guess it could be a pop-up restaurant or incredibly new, but either way, go to the restaurant that gives you a view of the Pantheon to your left, the fountain in the Piazza della Rotunda directly in front of you and eat all the pizza your body can handle!
Now, I could probably write an entire separate blog post dedicated to this restaurant. The only reason why I won't do that is because I already used a ton of caps lock letters in my post about pizza near the Pantheon and I'm trying to be a bit more chill. Husband and I (I'm still working on a fun blog name for him) had an extra free evening in Rome after our tour ended and wanted to have a special dinner, just the two of us. We stumbled upon this restaurant through quick a Google search and decided to take our chances as walk-ins.
Let me tell you, I was 100% positive that they would not let us in for dinner when we saw the place. Don't get me wrong, we were totally dressed fancy enough. However, Casina Valadier was a breathtakingly stunning mansion on the top of a hill overlooking Rome and even had a real red carpet at the entrance.
Nando's in London, England
Now I always wanted to go to Nando's after hearing about the whole "cheeky Nando's" Internet joke (which I still don't understand) and because I read about their South African/Portuguese style chicken with a variety of flavorful sauces; some of which are gluten free! This half Portuguese girl loves her spicy food, so it was an absolute must on my travel list. Let me tell you, in the three days we spent touring London, we ended up in Nando's TWICE. My God, this food is good! |
Rossopomodoro in Venice, Italy
our guide offered to take everyone to a great pasta-to-go place that she frequents when visiting this gorgeous city. Unfortunately, we had long passed the point where we could walk by all of these incredible smelling Italian restaurants just to find a fast food place to grab our first real Venetian dinner. One of the places we passed by while walking with our group smelled SO delicious AND was on the list that my husband found for gluten free options. We said a quick farewell to our group and ran right into the restaurant for dinner.
I decided to order their gluten free LASAGNA, simply because I've never heard those three words spoken together before. Full disclosure: Not a huge lasagna fan, but this was fantastic. It came out in its own skillet and was piping hot. We also split the best mozzarella and tomato appetizer that I've ever had. Period. A few minutes after ordering our food, we discovered that a bunch of our friends from our tour decided to ditch the pasta excursion and head into that amazing smelling restaurant that we ducked into. Total trendsetters. ;) Oh, and if you are wondering. the gluten filled regular pizza was fantastic. My husband didn't speak for the first few minutes of eating it and tried convincing me that it was awful (note: he's the best), but I was happy that he had an incredible meal too.
Both Nando's and Rossopomodoro have many other locations besides the ones I visited in London and Venice. I added links below to their sites, so you can search for a location near you!
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| Talk about a table with a view! |
Gluten Free Pizza next to the Pantheon in Rome, Italy
Two of the greatest food experiences in my life happened in Rome. This isn't surprising because it is ROME, but it is surprising because both meals were 100% gluten free and still made my top ten list EVER. When our tour stopped for a dinner break, my husband spotted a little restaurant directly next to the Pantheon with a sign that said Gluten Free Pizza. One of our gluten intolerant trip buddies ran over there with us and we had an straight up FEAST. This place was absolutely insane. Giant pizza list, great wine list and did I mention it was NEXT TO THE PANTHEON?!We heard someone singing on the street who sounded just like Andrea Bocelli, and it was one of the most magical experiences of my life. When I took my first bite of this pizza, my FitBit told me that my heart rate hit 120. Between the excitement and the carbs, I could feel my heart racing. It was out of this world delicious. We ordered two gluten free pies, a pizza margharita and a pizza al prosciutto with fresh parma ham. My husband ordered a regular pasta and said sitting with two gluten intolerant people eating Italian pizza was actual entertainment because we couldn't stop flipping out over the taste of this food.
Strangely enough, I couldn't find a name to this restaurant anywhere. I took pictures of everything around it, (except for the pizza because it disappeared MINUTES after I took a quick video) but I couldn't find a name. Last week even I sat staring at Google Maps for an hour trying to find it, and it wasn't listed either. I guess it could be a pop-up restaurant or incredibly new, but either way, go to the restaurant that gives you a view of the Pantheon to your left, the fountain in the Piazza della Rotunda directly in front of you and eat all the pizza your body can handle!
Casina Valadier in Rome, Italy
Now, I could probably write an entire separate blog post dedicated to this restaurant. The only reason why I won't do that is because I already used a ton of caps lock letters in my post about pizza near the Pantheon and I'm trying to be a bit more chill. Husband and I (I'm still working on a fun blog name for him) had an extra free evening in Rome after our tour ended and wanted to have a special dinner, just the two of us. We stumbled upon this restaurant through quick a Google search and decided to take our chances as walk-ins. 
Let me tell you, I was 100% positive that they would not let us in for dinner when we saw the place. Don't get me wrong, we were totally dressed fancy enough. However, Casina Valadier was a breathtakingly stunning mansion on the top of a hill overlooking Rome and even had a real red carpet at the entrance.
I just knew walking in without a reservation would not be possible. Well, I was completely wrong. They brought us directly outside and gave us menus that knocked our socks off. We decided to make the "When in Rome" phrase work for us and ordered a six course meal. When I informed the waiter of my gluten allergy, he didn't even blink. He said they would prepare mine without gluten and prepare my husband's meal as usual. Our food came out at the same time. The waiter even gave us the same explanations but mine always ended with "made without ____ gluten product." It was the first time since becoming gluten free that my husband and I could enjoy the same meal with or without gluten. Perfection.
I have to say, I never, ever, normally eat veal, but I was not going to turn down the opportunity to eat a six course gluten free meal in a mansion on a hill overlooking Rome at night. I'm just not. Everything they put on our table, (including gluten free bread!) was honestly fantastic. Each course was better than the next. However, my spaghetti (instead of fusilli ) with smoked buffalo mozzarella and pesto was definitely a highlight.
Our only misstep was that we didn't fully hear the explanation of the palate cleanser and took too big a bite, Princess Diaries style. We still laugh about trying to quietly eat mouthfuls of freezing cold strawberry ice cream with giant chunks of ginger. All in all, it was a spectacular experience and I can't recommend Casina Valadier enough.
I hope you enjoyed my Noteworthy Restaurants installment of my EuroTrip2k17 GlutenFree Food Series! The final installment will be posted shortly!
Don't forget to check out the links based on my blog post below!
Talk soon!
-KB
*LINKS!*
Website for Nando's
Website for Rossopomodoro
Website where my husband and I found Casina Valadier
Website for Casina Valqdier
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