And they are willing to accomodate special diets including gluten-free! By calling ahead a day or two before your visit (or even hours before, if not the busy season), Chef Bryant can go over your needs and collaborate with you to come up with some scrumptuous dishes!

On our serendipitous visit, we noticed some gluten-free choices in the case (segregated to one side). These were the Risotto Cakes (contain cheese) and the Gluten-Free Coconut Chicken. But, we also discovered that there are many daily offerings that are made gluten-free such as the Broccoli Salad, Haddock and Steak Kabobs. However, Chef Bryant still advised us to call in our orders ahead of time so he could personally oversee the process and ensure safe cooking practices.

Closed Tuesdays

The Tew-Mac Tavern, located within the Tewksbury Country Club , is quite accomodating when it comes to helping customers with food concerns as each dish is made to order.

The impetus for our visit was the successful substitution of a gluten-free meal during a function I’d attended.  How surprised I was to discover that the Tew-Mac tavern actually had a gluten-free menu (not available online)! Though the selection is limited, there are salads,  seafood, chicken and vegetarian options.   The real prize here though seems to be the daily specials, some of which are gluten-free!

Our eggplant dish was listed as one of the daily specials and noted as gluten-free. It consisted of thinly cut eggplant slices that were ” battered” with egg and parmesan cheese. Between each layer was fresh mozzarella cheese and tomato slices. This was topped with a balsamic glaze. Delish!  I wish they’d include this every day on their standard gluten-free menu!  Other dishes that have been listed as daily specials include the Seared Herb Crusted Salmon (farm raised salmon served on a cauliflower puree with fingerling potatoes and lemon butter sauce), Tuscan Pork Chops (2 grilled center cut pork chops topped with cipollini onions braised in a red wine & honey reduction served with mushroom risotto) or the Lobsters & Steamers (Yes, gluten-free, obviously, but still worth mentioning.  This includes 1.25 lb pre-cracked lobster and 1 lb of Maine steamers and an ear of corn).  It’s best to call ahead to know what the daily specials are, or to find out what’s in the pipeline for a future visit.

Seasonal outdoor dining is available on their patio with incredible views of the golf course while charming fireside dining is available during the off-season.

After learning that Jason Carron, formerly of the food allergy-friendly Fleming’s Steakhouse , was the executive chef of the Sea Dog Brew Pub, we knew a visit was in order. Upon arriving, we were happily surprised to find a full gluten-free menu ( not available online)! This menu (click on picture to expand) includes appetizers (mostly salads),  a variety of entrees ranging from steak, pork chops and baked haddock to pasta dishes that are available with sides such as asparagus, mashed potato, red bliss potatoes, fries, peas, broccoli and mushroom risotto.  Burgers (with buns!) and pizza (crust is dairy-free) are also options. Dessert is not posted on this menu, but on the night of our visit, they were serving a gluten-free brownie sundae.

We enjoyed the Spinach Salad (contained walnuts) and Chicken Margherita Pizza which ,obviously, contained grilled chicken, tomato sauce and was topped with shredded cheddar jack cheese.  Another dish tried was the Grilled Chicken Pasta. This chicken was served over a bed of gluten-free penne, tomatoes and broccoli and was finished with a rum cream sauce. They did a great job cooking the pasta and were also concious of contamination by having management deliver our ‘special’ food. You may notice the chicken is lacking in the picture of the pasta dish above.  Though our server seemed embarrassed that the dish had a missing component, I didn’t mind at all when I discovered that it was specially and separately prepared from the regular grilled chicken and, thus, arrived on a separate plate.

Oddly, they do NOT offer gluten-free beer!

Besides the Woburn location, there is the  Sea Dog Brew Pub in Hull, Ma. It has a similar (if not identical) gluten-free menu. However, the gluten-free options vary at the Maine locations. For instance, the Bangor location provides a list of substitutions when needing gluten-free, such as trading pasta for rice.  They do not currently have gluten-free buns, pasta or pizza (yet)…

Be sure to check out the fun events!

We recently had the pleasure of visiting the American Girl Bistro located in the Natick Collection in Natick, Ma.  By making reservations online, we were able to specify the need for a gluten and nut-free lunch. While there is no menu to view ahead of time, upon arrival, we were pleasantly surprised to find that gluten-free pizza (crust is also dairy-free) was offered!  Also, a nice surprise was the fact that the kitchen was tree nut and peanut-free!

The gluten-free appetizers included Fresh Fruit Plate (must omit the mini muffins) with yogurt dip, Salad Skewers, and the Veggie Platter with Ranch Dip and a Dill Dip. For entrees, there was the Roast Salmon with Potato (must substitiute potato for orzo), Chicken Lemon Caper with  Garlic Mashed Potato (must have chicken prepared without flour coating), and of course, the pizza. To designate the gluten-free dishes, two American flags were placed on top of the food.

The dessert menu was large (with lots of cupcakes, brownies, cookies, etc) but the gluten-free choices were limited to mostly ice cream.  A variety of milk shakes, an Ice Cream Sundae, a Banana Split and a Raspberry Sorbet with Fresh Fruit were available.

Overall we had a great experience. The food was tasty and the staff was phenomenal in their effort to accomodate food allergies. We appreciated how our tenacious server made numerous trips to the kitchen to verify menu ingredients and potential substitutions.  The only desire I have is that they take advantage of the ever increasing number of  local gluten-free bakers. In this day and age, there is no reason not to have a gluten-free muffin, brownie, cookie or bread on a menu!

Ice Cream Sundae

No need to travel to Boston for fine dining!  This restaurant  is easily accessible on Moody Street with plenty of on-street parking (well, usually).

Pizza is also served here. The gluten-free ”pizza”  is made from a chickpea flour/flax seed mixture and is know as a Bonzo Cake.  How silly! To keep it vegan, a veggie-soy cheese is available for topping.   

There is a dedicated fryer for the gluten-free items (unfortunately, not so for vegan items) so the fries, sweet potato fries, plantains and fried tofu are a go! The Gravy Danger dish sounds tempting. It consists of French fries covered in gluten-free house-made gravy topped with bacon and cheese. Could this be a gluten-free susbtitute for the ever so elusive Poutine that I have only witnessed my friends enjoying?

For dessert, try the gluten-free brownie or the fried plantains with honey or maple syrup, cinnamon, toasted pecans and coconut.  Known as  Sweet Dreams, this dessert can remain dairy-free by opting for soy or rice ice cream over the traditional cow’s milk version.  Same option applies for the ‘milk’shakes.

Certain food and ingredient concerns are addressed in the following list, but if you have further questions be sure to ask! The staff is willing to check labels for you!

If you visit in warmer weather, consider sitting out back on the seasonal patio!

Closed Mondays

Starting this month, Treat Cupcake Bar is offering four gluten-free cupcake choices everyday ! These ambrosial cupcakes are not only gluten-free but vegan as well!  This cupcakery encourages you to ‘build your own’ by picking your cupcake, frosting and optional mix-ins. Or, you can always choose from one of their scrumptious and very creative signature cupcakes.

Some of the standard gluten-free flavors are Chocolate with Vanilla Frosting, Orange Chocolate with Orange Chocolate Frosting, Mint Chocolate Cake with Mint Frosting and a Vanilla Coconut Cake with Vanilla Frosting.  These can vary, depending on which day you visit.

It’s best to call ahead to see what particular flavors they are offering, or, just show up like we did if you relish the element of surprise. And we were surprised! My kids were thrilled to see a cupcake stacked high with frosting loaded with cookie chunks. This was the Funky Chunky “Oreo” cupcake and was one of the four signature cupcakes offered that day. These were displayed in a segregated section of the bakery case.  This particular cupcake was one of the “Gourmet Specials” of the day and is part of the Rotating Treats as seen on the menu.

Though the mix-in bar was tempting,  we couldn’t resist boxing up more beautiful signature cupcakes to take home.  We chose the Mint, which was a chocolate cupcake topped with mint frosting that sat atop a layer of ganache and we also picked the Plain Jane which was a chocolate cupcake with vanilla “butter”cream frosting. There was nothing plain about this however. It was absolutely beautiful with snowflake confections and edible glitter!  Almost too pretty to eat.  The Vanilla Coconut was also chosen and it featured a vanilla cake. The cake was incredibly moist and the crunchy, toasted coconut topping was the perfect counterbalance to the cake.  Each cupcake was delightfully unique and all were delectable.  A moist, tender, great tasting, non-crumbly gluten-free/vegan cupcake is a rare find!

Luckily, on the day of our visit, all of the gluten-free cupcakes just happened to be nut-free too.  Nuts/peanuts are featured in some of the  items. So call ahead to verify your needs, if necessary.

This cheery, kid-welcoming bakey is also the perfect spot for a child’s birthday party  as well as a huge relief for us parents looking for a food allergy-friendly spot to take them!

Kudos to Treat Cupcake Bar for their efforts to better the community by donating a portion of proceeds to select local charities.

Breakfast is served until 11 am while lunch is served until 4 pm.  Currently dinner is offered on weekends only.  The  seasonal menu  makes note of allergen-friendly choices. Everything is made in-house from scratch so there are no unknown ingredients. For breakfast try the homemade granola which is vegan and gluten-free and can be served with either soy or cow’s milk. For lunch, there are wraps and panini’s but these, unfortunately, must be made sans bread to be considered gluten-free.  There are many gluten-free appetizers and a decent amount of entrees.

Save room for dessert!  There are plenty of cupcakes, cakes, cookies, bars and tea breads which are gluten-free and some are vegan as well. Holiday cookie trays and tea breads are for sale too.

Delivery  available.

 Closed Monday

Not Your Average Joe’s has had a gluten-free menu for sometime now, but they recently revamped their menu to include gluten-free buns!  The buns are both gluten and dairy-free (contain egg whites and soy) and are made in a dedicated gluten-free, tree nut and peanut-free facility.  There are three different sandwiches to go along with the buns and also offered on the menu are plenty of entrees, salads and appetizers too.

The childrens’ menu features Grilled Salmon, a Sirloin Burger or a Grilled Chicken Sandwich with a choice of vegetable, fresh fruit (nice to see!) or mashed potato (avoid the fries here, no dedicated fryer!).

On our visit we tried the Turkey BLT with the greens and the kids had the Sirloin Burger.  One of whom didn’t care for the choice of sides or the thought of  ’eating a cow’ and ended up with only a plain roll- thanks Joe for not charging us $9 for that one roll!  Their meal also came with a Hoodsie, but raspberry sorbet could be substitited if dairy is an issue.  Most of the items at Joe’s are made to order so accomodating other food intolerances may be possible.   

Be sure to ask for the gluten-free bread for dipping in their flavored oil prior to your meal.  We were not aware of this treat until reviewing the menu later which reads  ”Each meal begins with a gluten-free version of Joe’s legendary bread and dip.”  Oh well, I guess another visit is necessary! 

UPDATE:  Since this post was written, there has been a change in the bun purveyor. They are currently using Buckwheat’s  Gluten-Free Burger Rolls which are made in a dedicated facility. 

Enhance any of the salads with the addition of grilled chicken, salmon, shrimp or scallops.  Call ahead to find out if the current nightly specials are gluten-free.

Desserts include Creme Brulee and Sorbet.   

During the warmer months the patio is adorned with colorful flowers  and sets the right mood for people watching. Enjoy live music on Wednesdays!