Need Gluten Free Restaurants / Food Stores in Puerto Rico
 

We'll be spending several days in San Juan and then a week in Rincon in June. Hotel in San Juan and rental house in Rincon. I need to safely feed a 5-year-old celiac. Can anyone suggest restaurants that reliably serve gluten-free meals (kid-friendly would be a nice plus) or grocery stores where gluten-free food can be purchased? Thanks.

http://www.happycow.net/north_americ...an/puerto_rico

www.livingwithout.com good info Celiac.org restaurant cards

very helpful to have explaining what cannot be eaten.

Might print out some of those....

Happy Journey,

Thanks. I've got the cards and made good use of them in France last year. Definitely a must-have for those not fluent in the local language!

Please let me know how you make out i am going to rincon in april and am also gluten free. Try emailing some of the resturants before you go to see if they do gluten free. I dont recall the supermarket having gluten free foods. I am planning to bring food with me so I have some staples that i need.

I have been here in Rincon this past week and am leaving sadly in the morning. I only ate out at one resturant and that was the Rum Shack at the lazy parrot. I had the chicken with cheese and bacon minus the bread with a salad both times. They were aware of gluten free. Not sure if the menu is for a 5yo. There is no childrens menu. We cooked the rest of the time. The best supermarket to shop was edwards. They had the best produce section. There is no gluten free food or health food section in any of the supermarkets. Bring lots of snacks and staples. I was afraid to eat out and getting sick. The last time I got sick it lasted 2 weeks. Hope this was helpful.

Thanks, Trish! I plan to ship a box of pastas, crackers and snack foods to the house we're renting. I imagine we'll eat at the house for most of the meals.

I would love to know how things worked out for your 5 year old. We will be traveling to Puerto Rico in Jan with a 4 & 6 year old with Celiac Disease. My 4 year old is extremely sensitive. We will bring all our own bread, pasta, and pancake mix but I'd love to know if you found any restaurants that are aware of gluten free or any dishes that worked our well for you. Any tips you have will be greatly appreciated. We will definately be staying in the Rio Grande area for a few nights and then maybe Fajardo area? We haven't finalized that part yet. We will definately spend some time in Old San Juan. Thanks!

Here is a list of places that are gluten-free friendly in PR.

http://pandorasingluten.blogspot.com...re-to-eat.html

Here is a wonderful list of Gluten-free friendly places to eat.
ENJOY
http://pandorasingluten.blogspot.com...ico-where.html

Wow! I haven't come back to this thread in over a year! We had a wonderful trip to PR last summer. My daughter existed primarily on grilled steak, steamed rice and fresh fruit, which somehow acted as a detox for her eczema-covered body, and her skin has been clear ever since! We didn't eat out much while at our rental house in Rincon, but I cannot say enough good things about our wonderful experience at the Ritz-Carlton in San Juan. Chef Simon Porter, who is the chef de cuisine at BLT Steak in the hotel, came out to personally talk to our daughter, offering to make her anything she wanted. She settled on a Kobe burger on a GF bun with fries (separately prepared and cooked from the battered fries on the regular menu). We were so impressed with his thoughtful approach to her that we are returning to the Ritz in two weeks. We'll be spending seven days there, comfortable in the knowledge that I will not have to worry about feeding my now 7yo daughter. She cannot wait to have Chef Simon's hubcap-sized GF pancakes again!

I realize that the OP has come and gone, but now that this thread has come up again, I will mention that I noticed a generous selection of gluten-free items at the large SuperMax supermarket in Condado, where I spent a few days earlier this month. The market is near the DoubleTree Hotel and within walking distance of La Concha (where we stayed) as well as other beachfront hotels on the Condado strip.

http://www.supermaxpr.com/maxcercadeti.html

The Caribbean is actually not a horrible place for people with celiac disease. Rice and beans are staple starches, and they should have no gluten. But battered fried foods and patties are also staples. Hamburgers can almost always be made with a lettuce wrap when gluten-free bread is not available (and it's rare to find that so I'm happy to hear that some supermarkets in Puerto Rico do now carry gluten-free products). Fruits, yougurt, and oatmeal are almost always available for breakfast.

Puerto Rico in particular has several Chinese restaurants, which can be reliable standbys for people with gluten allergies and sensitivities.

I think the biggest challenge will be gluten-free breads, which will be very difficult to find except on some islands with big U.S.-style supermarkets (Puerto Rico, Grand Cayman, St. Croix, St. Thomas, St. Martin, and Providenciales).

Doug: The SuperMax that I mentioned above had a gluten-free bakery section. Although I do not follow a gluten free diet, I was so surprised to see it that I took notice. It is a vast supermarket, handy for anyone with a kitchen near Condado..