A Gluten-Free Guide: Raleigh-Durham, NC

Living the Celiac life is challenging enough without having to worry about tracking down Gluten-Free restaurants on your own. Here’s a list to get you started.

All of this information is based on contributions from members of the Raleigh Celiac Support Group, per their website.

Restaurants with Gluten Free Options

Cary

• Barry’s Cafe  in Cary that has GF food choices
• Outback Restaurant, 901 Walnut St, Cary
• Brixx, 4112 Bradford Green Square and 1111 Parkside Main St, Cary
• Burger 21, 14220 Bradford Green Square, Cary – chain serving burgers; restaurant website has GF menu of burgers, salads and shakes; restaurant advises to let them know about allergy
• Glory Days Grill, Publix Pointe Shopping Center,1413 Kelly Rd.,Apex, NC 27502  (919) 629-6111, glorydaysgrill.com, Glory Days Grill in Apex does a great job with gluten free food items and processes. 
• Goji Bistro, 100 Maynard Crossing Ct, Cary  – Asian; review of restaurant website shows they have GF menu
• Gonza Taco Y Tequila, 525-105 New Waverly Place, Cary– Colombian and Mexican; no GF info on restaurant website
• Lugano Ristorante, 1060 Darrington Dr, Cary – Italian and American; review of restaurant website indicates they have a GF menu, has GF dough and GF pasta, GF menu also has appetizers, salad and other entrees
• Red Robin Gourmet Burgers, 2260 Walnut St, Cary
• Sassool Mediterranean Café, 1347 Kildaire Farm Rd, Cary  – Mediterranean and Lebanese; review of restaurant website shows few items marked GF though if look under nutrition then indicates full list of menu items that are GF
• Stellino’s, 1150 Parkside Main St, Cary  – Italian; according to restaurant website, has GF menu restaurant; review of restaurant website has select menu items marked GF
• Bang Bang Bahn Mi – GF Vietnamese food truck

Chapel Hill/ Carboro/Pittsboro

• Bartaco, 201 S. Estes Dr, Suite E3, Chapel Hill – tacos-chain; review of restaurant website doesn’t indicate GF info
• Brixx, 501 Meadowmont Village Circle 
• The Living Kitchen. 201 South Elliot, Chapel Hill
• Mediterranean Deli and Bakery, 410 W. Franklin St, Chapel Hill (also in Elon); (919) 967-2666– Mediterranean/ middle eastern food; restaurant, bakery and market; GIG certification, GF pita; see catering menu to identify GF items; serve falafel, gyro, hummus, shwarma, kebabs, etc. Note: not all dishes are GF; note: marinate. 
• Zoe’s Kitchen, – chain; need to review allergen chart
• Al’s Burger Shack,516 West Franklin St – have bunless burger; dedicated fryer for GF French fries
• Fearington House Restaurant – special occasion restaurant, take care of celiac’s food 
• Oakleaf, 480 Hillsboro St, Pittsboro – knowledge of dietary restrictions (according to Rachel, a celiac who posted this info on web); mains priced in high 20’s
• The Pig Restaurant – GF barbecue, focus on pork and hog
• Venable Rotisserie Bistro, 200 N. Greensboro St., Carroboro – careful with celiac’s order, GF items marked on menu (according to Rachel, a celiac who posted this information on web)
• The Living Kitchen. 201 South Elliot, Chapel Hill

Durham

• Treforni Pizza, Hope Valley Commons, 1125 W. NC Highway 54, Durham  27707 https://www.facebook.com/treforni
• Red Robin Gourmet Burgers, 5313 New Hope Commons Boulevard, Extension; Durham
• Firebirds, South Point Mall, Durham
• Bonefish Grill, South Point Mall, Durham
• PF Changs  Southpoint Mall
• Maggiano’s South Point Mall limited GF items
• Ted’s Montana Grill, Renaissance Center, 6911 Fayetteville Rd, Suite 102 – GF menu
• Zinburger Wine and Burger Bar, 8030 Renaissance Parkway #905 – Burger; have GF buns; celiacs report shown a menu with GF items, have dedicated fryer for GF items and told to inform server to prevent cross contamination
• Guasaca South American Grill,  Venezuelan  food,  in Raleigh and Durham, 2200 West Main Street,  Durham  and 4025 Lake Boone Trail, Raleigh

South Durham and Near Brier Creek (BC), Mall

• Lugano’s (GF menu)
• Travinia (GF menu)
• Georgina’s Pizza (GF pizza crust)
• Red Bowl (small GF Menu)
• Smithfield’s Chicken and BBQ (Pork BBQ, cole slaw and French fries- GF) *check if dedicated fryer.
• Chipotle (Qdoba as well)
• Mez Mexican Grill
• Page Road Grill (GF menu)
• Pei Wei (BC)
• Brixx Woodfired Grill (BC) (GF pizza crust)
• Red Robin (BC) (GF burger bun or lettuce wrap)
• Tasu Asian Bistro (Pad Thai only) (BC) (haven’t been in quite a while not sure if this is still the case)
• Los Tres Magueyes or El Dorado (BC) (corn taco shells)
• Jason’s Deli (BC)
• Tomato Jakes Pizzeria, 8202 Renaissance Pkwy, Suite 101, (Southpoint Mall),   website, shows only has GF pasta
• Brasa Brazilian Steakhouse (BC) –options avail on the appetizer/salad bar- all meat GF
• Hibernian (GF menu) 
• Carrabbas, 5312 New Hope Commons Ext – chain restaurant
• Bull and Bean Café – serve breakfast all day; GF items marked on the menu; GF bread from Imagine That Gluten Free for “toast” menu items; local neighborhood eatery; M-F 8:00-6:00; Sat/Sun 8:00-3:00
• Neomonde, 202 Corcoran St, Durham  – Mediterranean; review of restaurant website indicates has GF options
• Dos Perros, 200 N. Mangum St (downtown) – Mexican; many items  menu are GF, staff are knowledgeable according to web reviews; Tuesday – closed; lunch: M, W, Th and F 11:30-2:30; dinner M, W & Th 5:00-9:00; Friday/Sat 5:00-10:00; Sun 12:00-9:00
• Geer St. Garden, 644 Foster St – burger and sandwiches; appears on Find Me Gluten Free; have GF bread for sandwiches
• JuJu Asian Tapas Bar, 737 Ninth St, Suite 210, (919) 286-3555 – menu has GF items; restaurant and chef won award 
• Local 22 Kitchen and Bar, 2200 W. Main St., (919) 286-9755 – GF items marked on the menu
• Nasher Café at Nasher Museum of Art on Duke university campus
• Outback Steakhouse, 3500 Mount Moriah Rd
• Parizade, 2200 W. Main St – innovative Mediterranean food in fun atmosphere; online restaurant menu notes GF items; longstanding Durham restaurant; appears on Discover Durham restaurant list
• Piper’s in the Park, 2945 S. Miami Blvd, Suite 112 – has GF bread and sweets; according to web reviews, cooks separately for celiac
• Refectory Café, 2726 Durham-Chapel Hill Blvd – health food restaurant; according to Find Me Gluten Free, celiacs report staff knowledgeable and eat here, try to accommodate different dietary needs; online menu notes gluten friendly (not gluten free) items; appears on Discover Durham restaurant list
• Sitar Indian Cuisine – Indian, appears on Discover Durham restaurant list; GF dishes according to Durham blog; need to talk to restaurant since only a few dishes marked GF on restaurant menu on web; Durham local favorite
• Taberna Tapas, 325 W. Main St – GF items marked on menu, celiacs have eaten here based on reviews
• The Parlour – ice cream shop makes own ice cream; according to Find Me Gluten Free, celiacs report mark GF items on menu and have GF cones, will change utensils and bring out fresh container but may need to ask; staff knowledgeable about ingredients in ice cream; appears on Discover Durham restaurant list
• Toast Paninoteca, 345 W. Main St, (919) 683-2183 – Italian sandwiches; Durham favorite; according to Find Me Gluten Free, celiacs report GF bread available and put on foil to prevent cross contamination and have eaten here; Tues-Fri 11:00-8:00, Mon and Sat 11:00-3:00, Sun closed; can dine in or take out; use bread from Imagine That Gluten Free; appears on Discover Durham restaurant list 
• Twisted Noodle, 4201 University Dr, Suite 112 – Thai; according to Find Me Gluten Free, celiacs have eaten here and report staff knowledgeable and can modify dishes; small casual local favorite; appears on Discover Durham restaurant list, and been mentioned  Bon Appetit according to Discover Durham

Morrisville

• Fount Coffee + Kitchen, 10954 Chapel Hill Rd, Morrisville – review of restaurant website, according to restarauntant they have 100% GF dishes but also has cautionary note so need to let them know when ordering 

Raleigh

• Bonefish Grill, North Hills, Good gluten free menu, knowledgeable wait and kitchen staff
• Carrabbas 4821 Capital Blvd, Raleigh (also in Apex and Durham)Gluten free menu, separate grilling surface for gluten free, gluten free desserts
• Red Robin  7860 Alexander Promenade Place, Raleigh
• Vivo’s Italian Restaurant This restaurant is on Six Forks Road. Has separate area in kitchen for preparing gluten free meals.  Food is excellent. 
• Outback Restaurant two locations in Raleigh: 3105 Capital Blvd and 7500 Creedmoor Rd – Gluten free menu, separate grill surface for gluten free food, gluten free brownie dessert
• PF Changs  4325 Glenwood Ave, #2089, Raleigh near Crabtree Mall
• Bella Monica Restaurant  Extensive gluten free menu including pastas and desserts 3121-103 Edward Mills Rd, Raleigh – according to Raleigh Celiac support group,Extensive gluten free menu including pastas and desserts; also recommended by WakeMed Cary Celiac Support Group
• Centro  106 S. Wilmington St, Raleigh, Mexican restaurant downtown, make their own corn tortillas.  They are so good I actually called the waitress back thinking she had given me flour tortillas by mistake.-http://www.centroraleigh.com
• Angus Barn  9401 Glenwood Ave. Highway 70, east of RDU, ask the waiter for Gluten Free options.
• Big Al’s BBQ  They have lots of GF options to choose from.  The staff is aware of GF people. The only item you may not want to eat is the french fries as they are cooked with other items.
• Winston’s Grille Winston’s  6401 Falls of Neuse Rd, Raleigh www.winstonsgrille.com
• Milton’s Pizza and Pasta8853 Six Forks Rd, Raleigh (also in Wake Forest) – based on review of restaurant website, have GF pasta, alert them to special diets; make their pizza from scratch, have GF pizza crust; choose toppings for pizza; www.miltonspizza.com
• Grabbagreen Food and Juice, 4421 Six Forks Rd, #103B (North Hills) (also in other locations)  – organic, healthy quick food; review of website shows they serve bowls, soups, smoothies, juices; can make own bowl
• Fresh Levant (100% GF)
• Arepa Culture (100% GF)
• Medley (100% GF)
• Akshi Sushi Bar(Serv Safe certification for Allergen handling)
• The Melting Pot (GIG certification for Gluten Free Food service)
•  “Vic’s Italian Ristorante.”  On  Lake Boone Trail, near Rex and have had their G.F. pizza and salad.  They also have G.F. Lasagna and other items to choose from.  There is also another Vic’s Italian Restaurant in downtown Raleigh owned by the same family.  
• Mellow Mushrooms – Several locations in the area.  They have “Imagine That Gluten Free” gluten free pizza crust and prepare in a separate area. They also they have vegan cheese
• Gonza at The Factory (This location is very knowledgeable about which items can be made gluten free and also has a dedicated fryer for chips. I love the fish tacos on gf tortillas w a side of rice and the queso dip w gf chips.)
• Village Deli. They have a delicious gf pita that they can use with most of their sandwiches and burgers. They also have gluten free sandwich bread but the pita is so much better. They are very knowledgeable about which menu items are gf. Most of their sides are gf except the fries. The french dip, the pulled chicken sandwich, the roast beef and may others and all are delicious, esp on the gf pita. They also sell JP’s desserts. I have heard that all of their locations are just as gf knowledgable.
• Over the Falls  They have an extensive gf menu. The manager who is very committed to making it safe to eat gluten free. 
• Cowfish in North Hills at Raleigh. Have a great gf menu. and have fed me safely several times. 
• Jason’s Deli on Falls of Neuse and at Brier Creek is a go-to for me for lunch. 
•  Firebirds  in North Hills at Raleigh  
• Shaba Shabu on Wake Forest Rd. In Raleigh
• Vivace (North Hills)
• McCormick & Schmitt (Crabtree mall) (very small, limited GF menu)
• Burger 21, 6196 Falls of Neuse Rd, Suite 116, North Raleign  – chain serving burgers; restaurant website has GF menu of burgers, salads and shakes; restaurant advises to let them know about allergy
• Bida Madagluten free options and dairy free., Laotian Restaurant in Raleigh. 222 south Blount Street, Raleigh
• Guasaca South American Grill ,  Venezuelan  food,  in Raleigh and Durham, 2200 West Main Street,  Durham  and 4025 Lake Boone Trail, Raleigh
• Bida Mada gluten free options and dairy free., Laotian Restaurant in Raleigh. 222 south Blount Street, Raleigh
• Zoe’s Kitchen catering, Zoes’s Kitchen, Mediterranean –141 Park Hills, and 6004 Falls of the Neuse, Raleigh; need to review allergen chart
• Triangle Gluten Free LLC, catering service.
  Order ahead for desserts, pies, casseroles too. https://triangleglutenfree.com or email contact@tringleglutenfree.com

Rolesville

• Rosalini’s Pizza and Subs,6210 Rogers Rd., Rolesville, NC. Tel: 919-453-1466. – based on review of restaurant website; Menu states has GF options (pizza, pasta, salad, dessert) at additional cost; prepare in dedicated area; www.RosalinisPizza.com

Southern Pines (NEW)–

• Petro’s Chili and Chips, Open on July 2, 2020 drive-thru only for awhile .  

Gluten Free Bakeries

• Whole Foods Gluten Free Bakery- http://www.wholefoodsmarket.com/gluten-free/gluten-free-bakehouse-faq
• The Celiac Cakery- www.theceliaccakery.com
• Sugar Buzz Bakery- http://www.sugarbuzzbakerycafe.com/gluten_free_sugar_buzz_bakery.html

Grocery Stores with Gluten Free Options

• Kroger- https://www.kroger.com/topic/gluten-free/#/the-kroger-co-dot-private-label-products-shopping-cart-guide-for-gluten-intolerant-customers
• Harris Teeter- http://www.harristeeter.com/yourwellness/gluten_free.aspx
• Whole Foods- http://www.wholefoodsmarket.com/stores/Raleigh
• Harmony Farms Natural Food Store 5653 Creedmoor Rd.- www.Harmony-Farms.ne
• Walmart
• Target

Of note, “Imagine That Gluten Free” is a triangle-based bakery that sells only gluten-free products. Here’s a list of locations where you can buy this brand, per the Raleigh Celiac Support Group:

• Raleigh– Mellow Mushroom, Village Deli Cameron Village, Village Deli Lake Boone Trail, Winstons, Café Sola
• Wake Forest– Village Deli , Mellow Mushroom
• Cary– Ruckus Pizza Tryon Rd., Ruckus Pizza Harrison Ave., Mellow Mushroom
• Apex– Daniels
• Durham– Bulldega, Kings Red and White, Durham Co-op Market, Geer St. Garden, Mellow Mushroom, Primal, American Meltdown, Durham Farmers Market, Bullcity Burgers
• Chapel Hill– Mellow Mushroom, Root Cellar, Merritts, Weaver St. Market Southern Village, The Loop, Bagel Bar, The Pig
• Carrboro– Weaver St. Market, Neals Deli, Elmos Diner , Carrboro Farmers Market
• Hillsborough– Weaver St. Market, Bella Bean Organics
• Pittsboro– Phoenix Bakery, Virlies Grill, Mod Deli, The Root Cellar
• Morrisville– Ruckus Pizza 3, Village Deli
• Saxapahaw– The General Store

Stay Healthy and Stay Golden,

Emily

The Journey to My Celiac Diagnosis

Hi everyone! I hope you’re having a great week so far. I got my official biopsy results and diagnosis today, so I figured I would sit down and write a blog post about my journey.

For about 2 years now, I’ve been experiencing a lot of new health problems, from migraines and alternating constipation and diarrhea to even these weird bumps on my upper arms. Now I cannot prove that all of these things were caused by Celiac Disease, but it is definitely possible that they are. I’m really just going to focus on the GI symptoms that I’ve seen over the past few years.

I’ve experienced a lot of bloating, diarrhea, constipation, nausea, gas, and severe abdominal cramps and pains. Along with that, if I had a really fatty meal, my stool would turn a yellowish color. Honestly, I’ve been so busy that I wasn’t concerned with getting it checked out because I self-diagnosed it as alternating IBS. However, it appears that ignoring the problem for 2 years did way more damage than it did good (duh!).

Honestly though, I was never really able to find a trigger food. At least not that I could tell. Part of that is probably because gluten was in almost every meal that I consumed. Finally, I decided that I had enough and decided to make an appointment with a gastroenterologist.

Flash forward to early December, I met virtually with a gastroenterology PA, who recommended that I get a celiac panel and an inflammatory marker panel drawn from my blood and return a stool sample for testing.

The celiac panel (IgA and Tissue Transglutaminase IgA) was positive and so was the inflammatory marker panel (CRP and ESR). That was the first clue that I had something inflammatory going on and that specifically, it had something to do with gluten.

Moving on to my stool sample, they were measuring inflammation in my bowels by looking at the calprotectin level in the stool. This level for me was slightly elevated (upper limit of normal), but not concerning to my provider. Therefore, I likely do not have inflammatory bowel disease (IBD). We decided to then move forward with an upper endoscopy to confirm suspicions of Celiac Disease.

Prepping for that procedure was pretty painless. Luckily, I was able to get in to have that procedure done about a week after I found out the results of my bloodwork. So on December 17th, I went in to the gastroenterology clinic to have my procedure.

Of course, I had to go in 3 days ahead of time to get a pre-procedure COVID test, which was negative. I was instructed to continue to eat gluten in my diet from the time of positive celiac panel results to the time of the endoscopy. This was to make sure that everything was inflamed and that it was pretty clear whether or not I had Celiac Disease.

I got there an hour before the scheduled surgery time, and I had to go through the pre-operation paperwork and prepare my IV for analgesia drug delivery. The endoscopy was pretty quick and painless. It lasted ~15 minutes and the only pain I really had afterwards was a minor sore throat and bruising at the site of IV insertion. They looked around the first part of my small intestines and took 4-6 samples to biopsy. Anywho, the surgeon told us after the procedure (in the hour of post-surgical waiting) that my small intestines (specifically the duodenum) were very inflamed and had damage consistent with Celiac Disease, but that I would get the biopsy results in 10-14 days to confirm.

The surgeon recommended that I go ahead and start eating Gluten-Free because even if I don’t have Celiac Disease, I have a gluten sensitivity or intolerance.

Six days after the surgery, I got the results of my biopsies and they confirmed that I do in fact have Celiac Disease and must adhere to a 100% Gluten-Free diet. Luckily, I had already been living the Gluten-Free lifestyle for almost a week at this point.

Now that I’m a diagnosed Celiac, I can start my new journey to becoming healthier and get to feeling better.

I just want to say how thankful I’ve been for all of the support I’ve had in just the past week. I know I’ll continue to receive support, and I’ll be here to help anyone else that is trying to go Gluten-Free.

Even though I would rather not have this diagnosis, I’m planning to use it as a tool to help others who need someone to talk to.

Stay Golden,

Emily