First, let me say a heartfelt thank you to the Gluten-Free Guidebook’s paid subscribers. New weekly posts have been free (though the archive is not), so it means a lot to me that some readers chose to support my work financially. This newsletter is a labor of love, but also takes time away from my day job, so I really do appreciate it.
One of those paid subscribers inspired this week’s post. In an email exchange we had about an upcoming trip to Savannah, Georgia, this subscriber wrote, “What on earth do you find to eat in the deep south where the food looks like a gluten explosion?” If we’re being honest, not every part of this country is equally welcoming to gluten-free diners. I maintain that there are great spots everywhere, but sometimes you need to dig to find them. And sometimes, you unearth trash — like one restaurant I called the first time I visited Houston, Texas, where a waiter snapped at me, “You want me to tell you what’s in a steak?” before hanging up on me.
Some destinations really are more intimidating than others for the gluten-free. That’s why I thought I’d do some digging on Savannah travel and dining (I’ve never been there, myself). And I’m happy to report that there’s some good news on the gluten-free front!
My first find: Visit Savannah, which is part of the Savannah Area Chamber of Commerce, has a list of a dozen restaurants and cafés that offer gluten-free items. As far as I can tell, none of these are dedicated gluten-free spots, but some cater to multiple food allergies, so they seem sincere about taking care of their clientele. The list of recommendations includes Alligator Soul, Olympia Café, Coco and Moss, and 22 Square.
TripAdvisor has its own list of user-recommended gluten-free-friendly restaurants in Savannah. This list dovetails nicely with the one from Visit Savannah, but it also includes spots like the casual Green Truck Pub and the formal Olde Pink House.
Absolutely everyone recommends the Crystal Beer Parlor, which sounded crazy to me until I learned that it has gluten-free beer and bread and a dedicated gluten-free fryer. Local NBC affiliate WSAV3 has more about it and some other local spots.
I also came across the blog A Gluten Free Plate, which has this long, informative post about dining in Savannah. With every spot mentioned, the author notes that it’s not a dedicated gluten-free facility. That’s also true of the Savannah Scone Company, a bakery that makes a variety of gluten-free scones. Its kitchen also produces scones made from wheat.
My own philosophy about dining gluten-free has me regularly dining at restaurants that aren’t dedicated facilities, but I understand that everyone’s comfort level is different. That said, read this Travel & Leisure piece about what to do in Savannah and tell me you don’t want to visit. Anyone who has had a successful gluten-free dining experience there, please tell us about it in the comments!
I’m definitely bookmarking this for future journeys to Savannah! How lovely
Such great recommendations! I've heard such great things about Savannah generally. Now I know there are some yummy gluten-free eats there too!