Some Love for New York City

Great gluten-free spots around town get noticed

They say it never rains but it pours. That’s been true of this past April, where it felt like it rained nonstop. But I’ve also noticed another — better — trend: New York City’s impressive gluten-free offerings are getting new attention.

It started with the New York Times, with Nikita Richardson writing a Where to Eat column about “Three Gluten-Free Friendly Restaurants.” She starts by noting some terrific, long-established spots, including Senza Gluten in the West Village, Agata & Valentina and Noglu (both on the Upper East Side), Modern Bread & Bagel in Chelsea and the Upper West Side, and the Friedman’s chain of restaurants around Manhattan.

But she doesn’t stop there. The three restaurants she features are newer and less well known. They are:

Nami Nori: a casual, entirely gluten-free temaki bar that specializes in open-style sushi hand rolls. Its three chefs are partners in the business, all trained in fine Japanese dining. (Note that Taka Sakaeda, one of those partners, has Celiac disease.) Nami Nori has three locations: in Manhattan’s West Village, in Williamsburg, Brooklyn, and in Montclair, NJ.

Claro: founded by T.J. Steele (another gluten-intolerant chef), this is a Mexican restaurant inspired by the bold flavors of Oaxaca. Claro is located in Gowanus, Brooklyn.

Inday: Technically, there are two Indays. One is Inday All Day, a full service, sit-down restaurant in Williamsburg, Brooklyn; the other is Inday Express, a fast casual chain with multiple locations in Manhattan and Brooklyn. None of these are dedicated gluten-free spots, but all locations feature many GF dishes.

And then I read Rachel Ciordas’s delightful post “Gluten Free New York City.” Rachel writes the Next Level Gluten-Free newsletter on Substack and was in town recently for a conference. Sadly, I was out of town while she was visiting, so we didn’t get to meet. Her report of her visit is a delight and a must-read!

Last but certainly not least, the lovely couple behind Wheatless Wanderlust just updated their guide to New York City. Read it here!