Dublin, Ireland – June 2nd-8th, 2017
I had an amazing experience while traveling in Dublin with my mom in June! I was lucky enough to be her guest on the company trip that she qualified for in Ireland. A big part of what made my experience so positive were all of the gluten free options Dublin had to offer! If you have a dietary restriction, you know how difficult it can be to find things that are safe to eat, especially those that represent the local cuisine. Below are a few of my favorite gluten free meals from the trip!
Gluten Free Afternoon Tea – The Westbury Hotel
During one of our free afternoons, we stumbled upon tea time at our hotel. I was hesitant and told the wait staff that I wouldn’t be able to eat any of the hors d’oeuvres because I am gluten free. They told me that this would not be a problem, and they were right! I was given my own separate three tiered serving tray filled with gluten free sandwiches, scones, and pastries!
Gluten Free Crepes – Lemon Crepe Coffee Co.
We had dinner outside of the hotel one morning and I expected it to be difficult to find gluten free breakfast items as it often is when traveling in Europe. We stumbled upon Lemon Crepe Coffee Co. and I was happy to see gluten free breakfast crepes on the menu! I ordered the spinach crepe and it definitely hit the spot.
Gluten Free Pancakes – Balfes, The Westbury Hotel
I went to breakfast in the hotel’s ground floor cafe and was pleased to see various gluten free options on the menu. I decided to go with the Gluten free pancakes made with oats, and it was a great choice! Very filling!
Gluten Free Fish & Chips – Balfes, The Westbury Hotel
I never expected to be able to indulge in Fish & Chips since breaded fish will typically always have gluten. When I saw “Gluten free Fish & Chips” on the wall in the cafe in the Westbury when I was having breakfast, I couldn’t believe it! I was so excited to return to try gluten free fried fish, and it exceeding my expectations!
Miscellaneous
Dinner at FX Buckley
FX Buckley came highly recommended to me by my boyfriend’s parents, as they had visited Dublin several months prior. My mom and I went for dinner on our only free night and it was fabulous! We had steak (they’re known for their aged meat), potatoes, and green beans – all of which are naturally gluten free!
Lunch/Dinner with tours
The trip we were on had various scheduled tours with lunch included and dinners. It was easy to find gluten free options on the menu everywhere we ate by asking the wait staff (Dublin is full of incredibly nice, approachable people!). If there were no gluten free options on our designated menu for some reason, they would offer to make something separate. Risotto was a common menu item the chef would make for me!
THE SIDECAR BAR – THE WESTBURY HOTEL
Not exactly a gluten free food item, but my favorite drink from the trip was the bartender from The Westbury Hotel’s specialty drink with a frothy, egg white topping! It was very light, not too sweet, and very refreshing!
As you can see, I was thrilled to see all the gluten free options present in Dublin and definitely lucked out by staying off of Grafton street at The Westbury Hotel. I will definitely be returning and hope I will be pleasantly surprised in other cities as I continue to travel to new places!