Catalina Island is a wonderful place to vacation. About 10 years ago I went with my family and we had a great time doing water activities and zip-lining. This time I went for a bachelorette and we enjoyed nights out on the town, a cabana at the beach club and hanging out at the pool at our hotel.
This trip, we stayed at The Catalina Canyon Inn. Great things about the hotel were free shuttles to and from the Catalina express and free shuttles to and from town. Our room also had a refrigerator and a microwave. You can purchase snacks and drinks in the front lobby area, including alcohol and popcorn. Not great things were the empty hot tub and the restaurant. If you aren’t a celiac then the restaurant is fine. First day I explained that I have celiac disease and asked what I could eat and she literally said, “even if they say they will change something they won’t”. She went on to say that all restaurants are like this. As someone who worked in restaurants for years that just not true unless you are an asshole (excuse my language). I skipped dinner that day and ate some snacks and popcorn purchased from the lobby. By the 3rd day I had to risk it and I ordered a salmon salad with no croutons. It came with croutons and I’m pretty sure they didn’t re-do the whole thing because it came back out very quickly, even though I did explain that it would need to be re-made completely. Looking at the large menu, I find it difficult to believe that none of it would be safe if only the waitress was motivated enough to ask and explore with the kitchen, which she very clearly was not.
What I did the other days is what I recommended doing. There is a Von’s grocery in town, you can buy plenty of gluten free foods and snacks to keep in your room and fridge. Also, I ate at Cafe Metropole one morning and got a gluten free sandwich to go and kept it in the fridge which saved me for a good day and a half. I should have gotten two. Below is the reviews of where we ate that was good. It’s not much because it was a quick trip.
Cafe Metropole: They have limited options but they had one naturally gluten free breakfast bowl option that was delicious. They also have gluten free bread and were able to use parchment paper on panini press to protect bread. The sandwich was delicious.
Blue Water Grill: This is a beautiful spot right on the water with plenty of fresh water options. The fish is amazing and so were the oysters.
NDMK: While I didn’t eat here I wanted to include it because someone reached out to say they were one of the safer places for celiacs with plenty of fish options as well.
Have you eaten somewhere that should be included? Send me an e-mail or DM on instagram to let me know! As always, check Find Me Gluten Free and ask your own questions.
