If you have celiac disease or food allergies, travel can be hard. You can’t just stop at a gas station and grab a hot dog and a donut, and stopping at the closest fast food restaurant is probably out of the question. Even if you’re staying in a city, it can be hard to find places to eat. Sure, there are some chains that many people with celiac and food allergies rely on. But how many times can you eat the same burger? I don’t know about you, but I get bored. Luckily, many cities are getting on the gluten free bandwagon. This is a blessing and a curse. Some restaurants offer the bare minimum for their gluten free customers. But some places go above and beyond.
Although I can’t stand Nashville traffic, I love their food scene. There are a lot of great restaurants that really take care of their celiac and food allergic customers. There are even some places that only do gluten free food! Um, yes please. Today on Gluten Free Friday we’re talking about three of my favorite places to eat in Nashville.
A Matter of Taste Eatery, also known as AMOT Eatery, is gluten free. Yes, everything on their menu is gluten free. Not “can be made gluten free.” Is gluten free. We’re not talking rabbit food, either. When my friend and I went last, we ordered the “classic breakfast,” which is a take on the traditional diner breakfast. We also ordered the “veggie benedict,” which is eggs benedict with veggies instead of Canadian bacon. Instead of a dry English muffin, my eggs and vegetables and hollandaise crowned a cornbread waffle. There were plenty of other good-looking options on the menu, like chicken and waffles, sandwiches, and even some salads. The vibe at AMOT Eatery is hip and trendy, but it’s still pretty family friendly. I saw three or four families with small children enjoying their food in the restaurant while we were there.
Vegan Vee is a gluten free and vegan bakery. For those who aren’t aware, I absolutely love baked goods. Specifically donuts. There’s a vegan restaurant in Chattanooga offering gluten free donuts, and I’m obsessed with them. However, I never turn down the chance to try other gluten free pastries! We went to Vegan Vee on a Saturday. They’re open from 7 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Saturdays, and we arrived around 9 a.m. By that time they were already sold out of a lot of things! If you go, make sure to get there early. Luckily for us, there were still plenty of things to choose from. Between the five of us, we got two muffins, four donuts, and a soy-free cupcake. Although the donuts were fine, the blueberry muffins with lemon glaze were life-changing. Even my friend who can eat gluten and dairy said it was the best muffin he’d ever had! I appreciate that Vegan Vee offers soy free and nut free options and is a peanut free bakery. Add in that they’re gluten free, dairy free, and egg free, and it’s a safe treat for so many people!
Sunflower Café in Nashville was recommended to us by my vegan friend. We like to eat at vegan restaurants when possible because there’s no chance of the baby accidentally getting dairy. Unfortunately, many vegan restaurants rely on soy to fill in the dairy gap! Sunflower Café has gluten free, soy free, and oil free options. Everyone was happy! Although Sunflower Café is set up cafeteria style, the employees did a great job with preventing cross-contamination. I felt that they were very knowledgeable about food allergies, and they changed gloves without being asked once I said I had celiac disease. We actually wound up going there twice during our weekend trip to Nashville recently. The first night I had the tempeh barbecue bowl, which was delicious. The second day I branched out and tried the Sunflower Burger, jalapeno style, on a gluten free bun. The gluten free bun was made in house, and it tasted like it. Although it was pale, it wasn’t dry and crumbly. Even the most carnivorous in our party enjoyed their food at Sunflower and asked to come back. I’d say that was a success!
Although there are lots of places for people with celiac disease and food allergies to eat in Nashville, these are three of my favorites. Whether you’re looking for something sweet or a whole meal, these restaurants have you covered! Which restaurant would you like to try first?
We also have lots of GLUTEN FREE RECIPES available. Missed any of the previous weeks? See more GLUTEN FREE FRIDAYS here.
I love their food scene too. Great list! The foods look delicious and I’ve always wanted to try vegan foods.
Oh i heard a lot of Nashville and i want to visit here someday. Those foods looks so delicious!
I want to try vegan foods! I have never been to Nashville, sounds like a great city to find healthy meals!
OMG this is great!! I have celiac disease and dread eating out. When they say ‘i can make it gluten free’ means i’m going to get sick. A restaurant where I can eat EVERYTHING on the menu and not worry is great! AMOT is the restaurant for me!
It’s nice to know that there are many restaurants now that offer gluten-free food. They look amazing too!
Celiac disease is becoming more and more frequent so I’m happy to know that there are restaurants that serves allergy friendly meals.
Everything on this list looks amazingly delicious! We’re not too far from Nashville I may have to give these places a try!
Great to know the gluten free options around the city! It can be hard to eat out when you’re not familiar with restaurants.
It is true that finding somewhere to eat in the city is not always easy. Thank you for these helpful tips, hoping that I have time to visit these places soon.
It’s been quite some time since I last went to Nashville and I think it’s awesome that they have allergy friendly restaurants over there. It’s going to make people’s lives easier!
This is a very helpful list for those that are traveling. I know how difficult it can be when you have allergies. I am sharing this with my BFF who is always having to find new places to eat that serve gluten free.
This is great information. I have friends with celiac disease and can’t imagine how hard it is for them to dine out.
We don’t suffer from any food allergies. Always good to have options especially for those people who do suffer.
Mmmm. Thank you for the list. I’ve never been to Nashville, but I hope to go someday.
What a great list! I have friends traveling to Nashville this week so sharing it with them too.