Wow, San Diego is a great city for being gluten-free. They have so many options available from dedicated gluten-free bakeries close to restaurants that really know their stuff about cross contamination. I had a blast last year visiting this city with some great gfree friends of mine, Erica of Celiac and the Beast and Brigette team member of Gluten Free Calendar. We had lots of laughs and big food baby bellies from all the good food. It was also so wonderful to connect with our other lovely friends Whitney of Bakery on Main, Annie of Annie’s GF Grub, Rahnee from Nutrasumma and KC of G-Free Foodie. What wonderful women they each are and let’s be honest…tons of fun to be with as well!! It was hilarious how tiny adorable Miss Annie was especially next to this 5’9 long legged girl! 😉
The first spot we visited was The Mission. They really did such an amazing job at providing us with safe, delicious gluten-free food. Our waitress was very knowledgable from the get go, almost as if she did this multiple times a day. We were very impressed with her. Our food arrived and was fantastic! I ordered the Tamales Verde with a side of crispy rosemary potatoes. Oh my goodness were those potatoes good! They were just as described, crispy and perfectly seasoned with just the right amount of rosemary. The sweet chili tamales were good but a little heavier than I would prefer. The salsa verde was fantastic though.
Brigette ordered the Mission BLT with in house made grilled, gluten-free rosemary bread and it was absolutely fantastic! The crisp, double smoked bacon was matched perfectly with fresh lettuce, roma tomatoes and just a bit of mayo. This bread was so impressive and one I would love to try again in another dish. I highly recommend it!
Our next stop after that was to the Celebrate Celiac™ pre-game party and Celiac Awareness Night with the Padres at Petco Park. I was really impressed with the many gluten-free options in the park. Everything from Mexican to traditional baseball food of hot dog and hamburgers complete with gluten-free buns. They had a dedicated gluten-free cart where you could choose what you wanted which made things very easy. No worries at this park when your gluten-free.
After the game we wanted a delicious dinner that was from an indigenous restaurant to San Diego. We got so lucky when someone told us about Local Habit. They had the most delicious thin crust, gluten-free pizza around. I loved how unique the flavor combinations were for them as well. We couldn’t resist the Homemade Andouille with Marinated Chicken, Bell Pepper, Caramelized Onion and Garlic Oil and Aged Gouda pizza. It. Was. Awesome!! They only use organic and local ingredients for their dishes. Everything is as fresh as possible. For the gluten-free crusts they get them California’s own Venice Bakery, a dedicated gluten-free bakery. For dessert we were in Heaven with the Chef’s choice options which included a gluten-free cheesecake with edible flowers and an amazing ginger crust plus a vegan, gluten-free chocolate pudding. Both were mouthwatering.
Our last stop was breakfast on our way out of town at Snooze Eatery. We had heard wonderful things about them so wanted to check it out first hand. I am totally a Snooze fan now! They have everything including gluten-free pancakes and waffles and a VERY friendly, upbeat and knowledgable staff. I enjoyed the trio gluten-free pancakes that included Pineapple Upside Down Pancakes: Buttermilk pancakes with caramelized pineapple chunks, housemade vanilla crème anglaise and cinnamon butter, the strawberry shortcake pancakes and the blueberry cheesecake pancakes. Yes, they were awesome!! My friends did the Reeses pancakes as well and I have to say they were sinfully delicious too!! I am not really a sweet breakfast eater but I had to try the pancakes so I also got the famous corned beef and hash. It was my favorite of all the dishes here. It was made with Snooze’s signature shredded hash mixed with locally made corned beef, caramelized poblanos and onions and came with gluten-free toast as well as eggs. It was foodie bliss I tell you what! The restaurant was kind enough to bring us OMG! French Toast: Fresh gluten-free bread stuffed with mascarpone and topped with vanilla creme, salted caramel, agave soaked strawberries and toasted coconut on the house. It was another awesome dish and one I would for sure order again, but then again, who wouldn’t order that if they could?!
It was a great trip with wonderful friends! I look forward to making it an annual trip with Gluten Free Calendar for our event with the Padres and these awesome girls. We will be sure to keep you all updated on the best gluten-free food finds each year. Until then, goodnight San Diego! 🙂
This years trip to San Diego was a blast with my sweet friend Brigette. We loved meeting up with our other darling friend Whitney of Bakery on Main too. As usual, the company and food were both fantastic! (Don’t mind my pregger belly making it’s debut. 😉 )
Because we loved The Mission so much last year, we decided that we just had to return and try out some new things. This year we decided on The Mission french toast with gluten-free cinnamon toast decorated with blueberries, berry puree and powdered sugar. It was divine! The bread was soft and thick and went great with the sweet syrup.
We also decided to try the Roast Beef Hash and Eggs. It was served with their fresh rosemary gluten-free bread as well as farm fresh eggs. The grilled Meyer’s natural beef was topped with a delicious horseradish sauce that I could have licked off the plate. Their crispy potatoes are always so good and leave me feeling full.
I loved the hot chocolate so much last time that I just had to order it again. It didn’t disappoint. 😉
Want to know more about gluten-free dining in San Diego? Check out my more in-depth feature from last year’s visit with includes three different restaurants.
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