Just in time to make your summer vacation travel plans, I have a guest post from Marina about traveling to Washington DC gluten free. Marina has an eleven year old daughter who was diagnosed with celiac disease one year ago.
My daughter was diagnosed with celiac disease in February 2010 and we started her on the gluten free diet March 1, 2010. It wasn’t easy in the beginning, as it is not easy for most of us gluten free moms.
We decided not to give up travel and I started planning our first gluten free trip to Washington, DC. We live in the Philadelphia area, so it’s about a 3 hours drive for us to reach Washington, DC. We planned just a three day trip in April for spring break to see if we are able to manage our gluten free diet while traveling.
First I wanted to find a good gluten free restaurant in the Washington area and then plan the trip around it.
I found Lilit Café in Bethesda, MD with the help of the website Gluten Free Registry.com.
Bethesda is a very nice area. The subway from Bethesda will take you to Center City Washington in just 20 minutes. I found several hotels in walking distance from both the subway station and Lilit Cafe. We stayed at the Hilton Garden Inn.
Dining Gluten Free:
A small Middle Eastern restaurant with an extensive gluten free menu that includes full meals, pizza, and bread. All of their sorbeto (dairy free) and gelato (milk based) are gluten free.
Lilit café didn’t disappoint us. Their kabobs and lamb chops were excellent but very spicy. We also ordered the cheese sampler and meat platter with a gluten free baguette. It was a treat.
On the first day we drove to the hotel, parked our car, had a good lunch at Lilit Café and walked to the subway station. On the way to the station we passed The Original Pancake House that had a big sign on the door: Gluten Free Pancakes. So next morning we had breakfast there.
They are located at 7700 Wisconsin Ave. Bethesda, Maryland 20814 phone: 301-986-0285. If you decide to visit, call first and make sure they are still making gluten free pancakes.
We had a dinner at Austin Grill which is near the Spy Museum. Their gluten free pork chops and mashed potatoes were very good. Make sure that they don’t bring you their chips with salsa, since they are not gluten free. The waiter was not sure. So if you go there ask for a manager.
On our last day we checked out of the hotel, had breakfast at the Original Pancake House again, and went to the National Zoo. Then we had lunch at Lilit Café, got our car from the hotel garage (you can keep your car in the garage after you check out), and started driving home.
Our first gluten free trip was very successful! Now, a year later I am planning another short trip to Washington, DC and searched on Gluten Free Regsitry.com for Bethesda, MD.
I found a new entry there for Lebanese Taverna. They have several locations in the area. The menu looks really good to those who like Middle Eastern cuisine. I am planning to go there this spring and will let you know how we liked it.
Marina Novikov
Follow this link to read Marina's travel review of London.
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