Gluten-free Vegas is a celiac’s mecca.

For various reasons, I’ve been to Vegas several times since I was diagnosed with celiac disease. Not surprisingly, Vegas has a lot to offer in the gluten-free world. There’s something for everyone. I always feel heard and taken care of when ordering gluten-free. I’ve never felt my needs were dismissed or glossed over.

Most of the places I went to were on the Strip. This last trip was the first time we really ventured off-strip and found an amazing breakfast spot. We also try to avoid large chains when we travel so we don’t go to say Applebee’s. We will go to local chains or smaller chains that we don’t have in Phoenix. We like to try different places than we can get at home.

So, where have we eaten? Everywhere it seems.

Buffets

Buffets can be tricky for those of us with celiac disease. The very first time I went to one I cried at the table because I was so scared of getting sick. Despite reading that this buffet was good with gluten-free and the Chef comes out to talk to you I was freaked out. Turned out, I didn’t have anything to worry about. Although, I am always super careful with buffets and if something looks suspect, messy, or shared utensils I skip it. It also helps if you are one of the first people at the buffet. If you aren’t comfortable with buffets, skip them. There are so many options to choose from besides buffets!

Aria
I walked through with the Chef and everything was pointed out. It was a bit overwhelming trying to remember everything that was gluten-free. Thankfully, everything was marked. I was also told they could make other gluten-free items. Food was pretty good and I would probably go back if I was staying at Aria.

Bellagio
I wasn’t offered a Chef walk through at Bellagio. Everything was labeled which makes it a bit easier. Of the three, this was my least favorite. The food wasn’t that great and the drinks (coffee, pop) were at a drink station which always turns into a clusterfuck. For the price paid, the waitstaff could bring out the drinks.

Wicked Spoons – Cosmo
This was probably my favorite of all three buffets I’ve been too. The food was good and a ton of labeled gluten-free options. I was asked by the front desk and wait staff if I wanted the Chef to come out. I declined this time, as everything was labeled and we were the second people in (little risk of cross-contamination). I wanted to eat more but was so stuffed!

Harrahs
I did not choose this. My brother and SIL had a renewal ceremony and went to Harrahs for the reception. I was given the option of chicken, salmon, or both and some veggies. Everything was bland. The best part was the gluten-free cupcakes my SIL brought from Phoenix for me. LOL

Mexican

Border Grill – Mandalay Bay
We went to Border Grill twice (and probably will go again) because it is quite tasty! We always start with their ceviche. It’s fresh and tasty. The margaritas are yummy and I have yet to have a bad dish. The chips and salsas are tasty but I try not to fill up with those before getting my entree. I have had their tacos and they were yummy!

El Dorado
We stopped at El Dorado after spending the day in Death Valley. It’s technically off the strip (kind of behind Circus Circus) and shares a building with Sapphire (a very large strip club). It could be easy to miss if you didn’t know it was there or hadn’t run past it a few nights before. BUT! You should go and eat there. The chips and salsa are really good, especially the green salsa. I got a margarita and it was strong but not overpowering. Anytime I can order carne asada I do. I went with the entree over tacos and it was quite tasty!

Everything Else

Yardbird – Venetian
I didn’t believe that I could really have fried chicken. The blog said you let them know and they do the gluten-free fried chicken in a separate fryer. I was skeptical but decided to try it. When our waitress came over I asked her about the chicken and fryers, told her I had celiac disease and she knew exactly what that was and explained that yes, they do have a separate fryer for the chicken. So I had fried chicken. I may have died and gone to heaven! I haven’t had real fried chicken in years and it was so good! Now, if only they had a gluten-free mac n cheese. (I also discovered I enjoy white whiskey).

Sake Rok – The Park/New York New York
This place was loud. It’s not a place I would typically choose but sushi sounded good. There were tons of options online for gluten-free sushi so we picked one close to our hotel, which happened to be Sake Rok. It’s definitely a party atmosphere, not somewhere you go to have a conversation. It was fun and the sushi was good. The menu wasn’t marked but the waitress was knowledgeable. I am pretty good at figuring out what is most likely gluten-free and the rest I asked her about.

Cracked Egg
This is off-strip. We went to two locations and both were good and dealt with gluten-free well. They have a separate menu so be sure to ask for it! I tried two different egg scrambles. They were both good but the pesto one was the best. The flavors were different and worked really well together. They warn about the toaster on the menu so just ask them to do your bread on the flattop. They also mention the potatoes were done in the same fryer so I avoided those. The non-gluten-free member of my party had a really good looking coffee cake so for those of you that can eat gluten I recommend that! LOL

Mon Ami Gabi – Paris
We went to Mon Ami Gabi for breakfast and dinner. They bring out gluten-free bread (Udi’s) for you so you don’t have to just sit and watch your tablemates eating the free bread. I have not been disappointed by anything here yet. I loved, loved the French onion soup. That is not something you can get every day. I was a little weary about the fries but they were safe to eat.

Burger Bar – Mandalay Bay
We ate here twice and would definitely go back. They have about a zillion burgers or you can build your own. There are plenty of gluten-free options. And the best part? We can eat the steak fries! I am always down for places that let me eat fries.

Lupo – Mandalay Bay
It’s hard to go wrong with Italian, especially a Wolfgang Puck Italian place. They had one type of gluten-free pasta but could do several different sauces. There’s no separate menu or indicators on the main menu, but the staff is knowledgeable and able to answer questions.

Nine Fine Irishmen – New York New York
I had the gluten-free shepherd’s pie and it was so good! It came out really freaking hot so I had to try to patiently wait to dig in. I may or may not have burnt my tongue on the shepherd’s pie. Wait staff was knowledgeable. I would definitely go back and see what else they have. Or just eat more shepherd’s pie!

Steak

Joe’s – Ceaser’s
This has become our go-to steak place in Vegas. Everything we have had here is amazingly good. Drinks, steak, seafood are all amazing. You need to get the sweet potato side. Promise me, ok? And the main reason I love going back…? They have a gluten-free brownie and you would never know it was gluten-free! My partner in crime loves the Havana pie so all you non-gluten-free people can have your own dessert. Because I don’t share gluten-free brownies. Nope. No way.

Stack – Mirage
It is really hard to screw up a steak so it’s not surprising that Stack had an excellent selection. We shared a giant steak and the sauces that came with it were to die for. And usually I don’t get creme brulee (because it’s about the only dessert you can get most places) but I had to try it at the stack. It was creme brulee with cherries and orange. It was so tasty!

Food is one thing a lot of people love to try when traveling. For someone with celiac disease, it can be a stress point when headed somewhere new. I hope my gluten-free Vegas helps ease your anxiety a bit. There are also tons of resources out there for places to eat. This is just the top of an iceberg. I have many more places I want to try the next time I visit Vegas, as well as head back to a few of my favorites.

Gluten-free travel is a challenge but not difficult.

Gluten-free travel is a necessary evil for those of us with celiac disease. If we want to leave our house, our city, our state we have to trust we can find gluten-free foods in the big wide world. If you haven’t noticed, I love to travel and try to do as much of it as I can. Before I had celiac disease, I had a dream to eat at every place featured on Food Networks Diners, Drive-Ins, and Dives. I was able to go to a few before my diagnosis but barely put a dent in the ever-growing list. That dream has changed but I still try to find fun and unique places to go when I travel.

For me, gluten-free travel requires more prep work ahead of time. There is no such thing as winging it when it comes to food. Before any vacation I do a google search, I check the find me gluten free app, and I will go through hashtags on Instagram and Twitter for ideas. I will even tweet out, with hashtags, that I am traveling to fill-in-the-blank city and would love some gf places to go! I usually get a few places that I hadn’t yet found.

I have kept track a few different ways. For Vegas, I made a google doc that I shared with my travel buddy. It was just a list of restaurants and each day we’d consult it and decide what we felt like for the next day. We like to try and plan a day ahead in case we need to make reservations. For Chicago, I bought an Erin Condren travel journal and listed all the places in there. We don’t always stick to the list because we may find different places on searches or that are recommended to us. That way it still feels a little spontaneous.

I love trying new places and new foods. If someone offers a gluten-free dish I can’t normally find, I will dig in!

If you are traveling to a National Park, you can usually find gluten-free foods at the park’s restaurant. I have found gluten-free at Volcanoes (Hawaii) and Bryce Canyon (Utah). Resorts, and often time hotels, will have gluten-free options. We often had a large breakfast at the resorts in Hawaii and then toured until dinner. Resorts and hotels are often accommodating because they want you to be happy and come back!

I always make sure to include that I am gluten-free when making reservations. Most places will then alert the waitstaff. I still tell everyone that I need gluten-free because of celiac disease but if they have the heads up I usually don’t have to ask as many questions. They are prepared and can go over the menu with me right away. I also try to review the menu online. I love when places have a specific gluten-free menu or mark a menu online so I can have an idea. If they don’t have anything marked and say the can accommodate I like to look to see what would *most likely be* gluten-free (sometimes I am wrong – how does gluten sneak into soooo many things! LOL). I also have to scope out the dessert menu. If all they have is creme brulee I usually skip it. Everyone offers creme brulee as a gluten-free dessert and it gets boring. Although, Hawaiian places tend to add fun twists to their creme brulee. I am more likely to try it if the Chef has put a different spin on it!

How do you handle gluten-free travel?

I previously shared a bit about gluten-free flying. Check it out here. Thank god Delta now has gluten-free snack mix and/or Kind bars on all flights!

The Fourth of July is almost here.

I am a little sad that I won’t be in Wisconsin this year and running the Firecracker Four Mile. I’ve run it the last two years with my dad. And Phoenix will never have such a thing because it is just too damn hot. So, what am I doing instead? Most likely sitting around my house in the patriotic tank top I bought to mark the occasion.

J will be working so unless my BFF can hang out, it will be me and the dogs. I will celebrate with a workout, followed by some Justified or Twin Peaks binging (Yes, I just started watching the original Twin Peaks. I am a bit behind). I want to make something on the grill for dinner and a fancy cocktail. I am really into fancy cocktails and want to try my hand at making different ones. So I am thinking watermelon mimosas for breakfast and slushies to keep cool during the day. Oh, and I found these. Yes, please!

What are your plans for the Fourth of July?

I spent the weekend at the gluten free expo in Glendale.

I love having a place to go where I don’t have to think about what I’m eating. Everything was gluten free. I was talking with a few other bloggers before the expo and we all agreed it was great to be amongst people that have the same issues and able to eat EVERYTHING. And I discovered I’m not the only one that hates when the gluten free menu is a salad or vegan dish.

The expo was sponsored by Glutino and Udi’s so of course, they were there. I won a $1 off coupon from them. Last year they had more full-sized products they gave away. I liked that better. LOL Enjoy Life had a huge set up as well. They had a little trail you followed and collected samples at.

Aleia’s Gluten Free Food was a small sponsor who was not there last year. They gave us bloggers a ton of full-sized samples. Their cookies have grat flavor but they are more crunchy cookies. I prefer my cookies to be soft and chewy. Now, their macaroons? To die for. They were so moist and chewy I was all, are these really gluten free?? They gave us a shake n bake type product so I can’t wait to try that. They also asked what we want in products. We all said croissants. I laughed because I had just told someone a few days earlier that I had yet to find a gluten-free croissant.

ProYo was back with their ice cream this time. I sampled the mint chocolate chip and it was amazing! I had previously bought the chocolate so I really wanted to try a new flavor. I have a thing for ProYo.

There were a lot of booths I skipped. I don’t go for home improvements, essential oils, or dairy free cheese. Last year I went to every booth and then got a lot of paper, emails, and phone calls I really didn’t want. I made myself promise to only go to booths I wanted to and was interested in this year.

On the way out they said the expo would be the same time next year. I am not 100% sure if I will attend. I love the expo but it was more enjoyable in November than June. I had to venture out in the heat, good thing I can start my car from an app! I bet when it gets closer to time to apply I will do it again because I know me. I can’t resist free food and new products.

If you aren’t following me on Instagram, you missed out on all the fun stuff at the expo! I posted tons of stuff on my stories. Don’t miss out and go follow me now!

What are your plans for Fourth of July?