A gluten-free lifestyle can present many challenges, but local restaurants have eased the burden by providing a variety of gluten-free options to make dining out easier for those with celiac disease or gluten intolerance.

Restaurants including Mama Lucia’s, Pete’s Apizza, Mon Ami Gabi, Mi Cocina and ShopHouse all provide gluten-free meal options on their menus for customers with dietary restrictions.

According to a study by the Institute of Food Technologies, an increase in awareness for celiac disease and gluten intolerances has driven interest in the gluten-free food market.

Senior Josie Schwartz, who can’t eat gluten, said that while not all the gluten-free options in Bethesda restaurants are advertised, they’re available for those who look.

“We have to find the food, but it isn’t hard to find,” Schwartz said.

At Mama Lucia’s in Bethesda, gluten-free pizzas and pasta dishes are offered and have proven to be quite popular, manager Adrian Anorbe said.

The restaurant strives to protect customers by taking measures to limit cross-contamination with flour in the kitchen. The staff uses separate trays for the gluten free pizzas and pastas and is conscious of cleaning the tables and utensils that handle the gluten-free food.

Sophomore Liza Sachs, who was diagnosed with gluten intolerance last year, said that she likes Mama Lucia’s gluten-free options.

“They’re pretty good,” Sachs said. “You can’t really taste the difference.”

Gluten-free pizzas and pastas are also served at Pete’s Pizza in Friendship Heights.

“We want to make sure we can serve as many people as we can,” assistant general manager Angela Hobby said. “People with allergies should not be exempt from dinning out.”

At Mon Ami Gabi, general manager Adam Murphy said that they have been providing gluten-free meals for a number of years. The restaurant provides a gluten-free menu completely separate from the restaurant’s normal menu.

Murphy said that the demand for gluten-free options is high in Bethesda, reflecting the rise in the gluten-free market.

“I’ve managed restaurants in four different states and [the revenue from gluten-free options] is much higher here than I’ve had anywhere else,” Murphy said.

The gluten-free menu, like the normal menu, offers a variety of signature French dishes from appetizers to desserts.

Murphy said that they take their allergy program very seriously. The restaurant has a strict procedure for people who have dietary restrictions that requires the server to fill out a ticket detailing the customer’s dietary restrictions. It is then taken to the chef to confirm that the meal will meet the requirements and be made free of cross-contamination.

Like Mon Ami Gabi, Mi Cocina also has a separate gluten-free menu. The menu contains traditional Tex-Mex meals that range from gluten-free chile con queso for an appetizer to a Mexican flan for dessert.
New to Bethesda, ShopHouse’s Southeast Asian menu is entirely gluten-free. The restaurant is set up like a Chipotle, where you can create your own meal with options of rice, meat, vegetables, sauces and seasonings.

“The ShopHouse is definitely the best place for gluten-free options,” Sachs said. “Because the whole menu is gluten-free, it makes it really easy.”