Definitely not a walk in the park, gluten free food is hard to come by in New York.

Eating gluten free in New York was definitely a lot more difficult than we thought it would be and we quickly realised we had to do a lot more research.

My parents, my brother and I went to New York for a week. Both me and my Mum are gluten free and we truly thought we’d be able to walk in anywhere and there’d be a gluten free option or two. This could not be more wrong!

The first couple of days were a real struggle and we often went hungry instead of eating, not great when you’re averaging 18,000 steps a day and getting over jet lag right?

So, where did it go wrong and how did we fix it? I’ll be talking about the worst gluten free spots, as well as some absolute corkers we found after doing some more research.

Times Square is a no go

Stay away. It’s that simple. If you’re can gluten free, don’t even try eat on or around Times Square. Cafes only have pastries, sandwiches or granola pots which weren’t gluten free.

The traditional diners also don’t really do gluten free, whether that’s breakfast or dinner. One of the diners where we went most mornings 15 years ago (pre being gluten intolerant) was particularly unhelpful. I went for the granola which they assured me was gluten free, but judging from my dodgy tum afterwards I’m not so sure.

My Dad and I also went to a diner right on the square for dinner, whilst my Mum and brother stayed in the hotel as they were feeling sick….from the diner breakfast (Mum is also gluten free, and Matty is allergic to dairy). This was probably the worst experience so I won’t name them, as again if I didn’t have allergies, it would’ve been fine. I opted for the BBQ prawns with fries which I kind of assumed would be an easy option. Very wrong. It became pretty clear pretty quickly that there was gluten in what the prawns were cooked in.

As I am intolerant not coeliac, I decided to scrape the batter off instead of ditching the meal all together…as this was a dish priced at 20+ dollars and I was starving. Safe to say it wasn’t really what I was looking for and it was a pretty unenjoyable meal.

So lesson number one: don’t eat on Times Square…as incredible as it is!

Gluten free bagels?!

Yes you read that correctly. This was the biggest win. Once we ventured over to the Upper East Side or the west village, we found a lot more options.

Bagel shops were particularly impressive, with a range of fillings and the majority having a gluten free option or two. This is a must for easy on the go food if you’re in between sight seeing.

My personal favourite was an egg white, avocado and cheese filling. Super yummy without being too stodgy.

Friedman’s in Hell’s Kitchen

When I say this was life saver, I’m under exaggerating. My Mum found this place on day three and good god, it was incredible. You have to queue for a little bit outside and it was quite noisy when we went due to building works, but I would honestly queue for twice the amount of time we did as it’s just that good.

The range of options is insane. To be able to not just have the token allergy friendly dish was very exciting, especially for two foodies like me and my Mum (we can EAT). It was so fab that we went three out of our seven mornings for brunch, and here’s why.

One word: pancakes. It’s that simple. Completely out of this world, delectably fluffy American style pancakes. That were gluten free?! I was as shocked as you. Friedman’s stack of three pancakes comes with a delicious berry compote and side of maple syrup, neither of which they held back on….one of the best things about America.

We had these all three of our visits and have no regrets. 10/10 a must go for anyone who is as much of a pancake fiend as us.

Stock up on gluten free snacks at Whole Foods

A must! With an incredible range of snacks such as granola pots, smoothies, sushi and more, this became a go to. Whilst Whole Foods market is still considered expensive compared to the UK, it’s cheap compared to restaurants.

We particularly loved the one by Bryant Park. We’d grab our food and head to a nice sunny spot for a bit of people watching and sunshine whilst marvelling at the beauty of New York City. What could be better?

Pizza pizza pizza

Now thank GOD we found pizza. One of my favourite foods in the world (as well as everyone else, very basic I know), this was a must and once we started properly digging online, we weren’t disappointed.

The Time Out market just across Brooklyn Bridge in Dumbo served quality gluten free pizza with piping hot toppings that made the walk across well worth it.

Pappardella in the West Village just off Central Park was a real winner. With an incredible crusty base, rich tomato sauce and perfect ratio of delicious mozzarella cheese, there wasn’t a single fault.