Walking into a restaurant as someone with a gluten intolerance can feel eerily similar to approaching an unknown doom. What if the server is new and doesn’t know that the canned chipotle peppers used for the chipotle mayo actually contain gluten? What if I order a dish garnished with malted rice and have to send it back because it contaminated everything else on contact?
You would think these are just hypothetical situations but they’re not – I have encountered both of these seemingly far-fetched scenarios while eating out. Even though society is becoming much more aware of dietary restrictions, those who can’t eat gluten could still use some help.
In comes NOBREAD, an online restaurant guide for eating gluten free at the city’s best restaurants, which recently launched a DC chapter.
Photo courtesy of NOBREAD.com
NOBREAD was founded by Nicole Cogan, who was diagnosed with Celiac Disease about six years ago. To help cope with the drastic lifestyle changes ahead of her, Nicole started a blog documenting several tips for going gluten-free, and started the @NOBREAD Instagram account.
Both the blog and Instagram became a huge hit, and Nicole decided to ditch her analyst job at J.P. Morgan and pursue NOBREAD full-time. The site started in NYC and is now in Los Angeles, DC, and will soon be expanding to San Francisco.
Photo courtesy of NOBREAD.com
The DC NOBREAD chapter has over 50 restaurant reviews, which can be easily sorted by location, cuisine and occasion, from “Girls Night Out” to “Dinner With the Parents.”
While the gluten free restaurant reviews are a main focus of NOBREAD, the site also offers gluten free product reviews and gluten free recipes you can make at home.
With all the trendy restaurant write-ups, healthy product reviews and overabundance of recipes focusing on brunch and dessert! (yes, with an exclamation point), it’s apparent there is a certain “NOBREAD lifestyle,” which revolves around living and eating through life to the fullest, even on a gluten free diet.