Tuesday’s Travels – gluten free in Boulder, CO

… Choices, Choices, Choices!

Recently one of my readers sent an email asking if I had any detailed information on eating gluten-free in Boulder, Colorado (as I had referred to this in a previous post of Tuesday’s Travels in Aurora, CO). I’m so glad she inquired!

As I didn’t have an extensive amount of time when visiting Boulder, I mainly was stopping in on some great companies like Justin’s Nut Butters and Earth Balance (my visits were amazing), I wasn’t able to do a personal dining experience at all of the great restaurants and eateries offering gluten-free menu options (darn it anyway!) But I’ve done some homework, and think that this information will hopefully lend itself to fabulous gluten-free dining in Boulder, should you be lucky enough to visit.

If you’ve not been to Boulder, CO, let me assure you that the breathtaking mountains, the healthy, energetic lifestyle, and the abundance of places to play, eat, shop, and explore will have you hooked. In the summertime, the options for outdoor activities that include, yet reach much beyond, biking and hiking, are abundant. Winter generates its own outdoor playground of skiing, snowboarding, and ice skating, just to name a few activities. Checkout Boulder’s Calendar of Events for details for each month. Be sure to allow time for meandering down Pearl Street – a walking district full of shops, restaurants, museums, and lively street entertainment. Boulder is a busy college town home to Colorado University, Boulder, and If you love football season (Go Buffs), the Pearl Street Stampedes march through Downtown Boulder before each Friday night home game. There’s so much to see, do, share and enjoy in Boulder. Society often puts food at the center of our social activities, but there’s so much more that brings people together … removing the focus of being gluten-free and embarking on other points of interest is easy when in Boulder (okay, a bit off the track perhaps) …

But when you do get hungry from all of your playtime, there are many gluten-free restaurants to satisfy your hunger pangs (some even state they can accommodate dairy-free and vegan diets as well). I found this resource of gluten-free restaurants in Boulder.

Below is a list of the restaurants and eateries from the link (gluten-free restaurants in Boulder) above that I found particularly stand out in a positive way, either by sharing a gluten-free menu right on their website or by having menu items that lend themselves to being easily adapted to gluten-free. I’ve gone through each link to get a little better feel for what each restaurant is truly all about. I encourage you to do the same, so you have a better understanding for whether you feel your needs can be met at these locations. I also encourage you to contact the restaurants of interest directly before dining there; sometimes their information is out of date (which can go in a positive or negative direction). Giving them advance notice that you’d be dining there can help make the entire dining experience a very easy and pleasurable one. So on to the dining options …

Aji – 1601 Pearl Street – has gf menu

Boulder Dushanbe Teahouse – 1770 13th Street – looks like they might easily be able to accommodate – check to be sure

Chipotle – 919 Pearl Street – always ask them to change their gloves and line your corn tortillas with foil if they are warmed in the heat press

The Kitchen – 1039 Pearl Street – looks promising – check to be sure

Leaf – 2010 16th Street – has a gluten-free menu

Q’s Restaurant – 2115 13th Street – each item on all of their various menus has an “+” next to it if it can be made gluten-free … there are a LOT of choices (this marking is mentioned at the bottom of each menu also)

Rueben’s Burger Bistro – 1800 Broadway, Ste 150 looks promising – check to be sure

Shine Restaurant and Gathering Place – 2027 13th Street – has a 100% dedicated Gluten-free kitchen – Yay!!!!

Smooch – 1926 14th Street – has all gluten-free frozen yogurt and ice cream

Tee and Cakes – 1932 14th Street – this bakery features one flavor of cupcakes each day that are gluten-free and vegan

T/ACO – 1175 Walnut Street – looks promising – check to be sure

Walnut Brewery – 1123 Walnut Street – looks promising – check to be sure

West End Tavern – 926 Pearl Street – looks promising – check to be sure

Zoe MA MA – 2010 10th Street – states gluten-free and vegan friendly – some items are listed on their menu.

I also discovered a list of gluten-free restaurants at BoulderCountyCeliacs.org. You’ll want to verify that the information provided at this site is still accurate with any of the restaurants, as the list was last updated August 2011. I’ve not gone through it myself, but wanted to share it with you for more potential options.

My email friend suggested checking out Julia’s Kitchen. Their website states they are 100% plant-based and gluten-free. Wish I’d had time to check this one out:(

There’s a Tokyo Joe’s in Boulder – 2525 Arapahoe Ave – check out our review.

Red Robin Gourmet Burgers is also in Boulder – 2608-2698 Arapahoe Ave – another place that I’ve eaten with GREAT success (I’ve dined at the Aurora, CO and Schaumburg, IL locations). They do a fantastic job of accommodating gluten-free meal requests – as well as all of the top eight allergens. Be sure to let your host/hostess know  you’ll want to look at the allergen-binder.

While I was visiting my friends at Justin’s and Earth Balance, I stopped in for a quick iced tea at little place called Pekoe Sip House. There are two locations in Boulder, 1225 Alpine Avenue and 2500 30th Street, #100. I stopped into the 30th Street location and discovered that they sell Outrageous Baking (another Boulder-based company) slices of breads, like pumpkin bread and lemon poppy seed bread. Outrageous Baking breads are amazing! (I’ll be doing a review of them very soon). You’d want to double check about the brand of the baked goods if you visit one of the others – as well as always double checking every time anyway. This was a great afternoon refreshment and tasty treat!

Along with the recognizable names already mentioned, Boulder, Colorado is home to numerous other companies making their delicious contributions to the gluten-free industry, including New Planet Beer, Rudi’s Organic Bakery, and Udi’s, and Glutino (which are part of Boulder Brands). It only makes sense that eating gluten-free in Boulder, CO, is commonplace. Yay!

I hope this list of gluten-free restaurants in Boulder is helpful to you. Enjoying all that Boulder, CO has to offer is now easier than ever for your gluten-free lifestyle.

Have you explored gluten-free Boulder? We’d love to hear about your experiences!

Let me know if you have questions … or if there’s info that you’re looking for and are not finding. That’s what I’m here for! 😀

Safe food is a journey … Thrive!™

 More Tuesday’s Travels – gluten free for you to explore!