Gluten Free in Germany
#1
Original Poster
Join Date: Jun 2006
Location: SJC/SFO
Programs: UA lifetime gold; Hilton Gold; Marriott/SPG Plat; Hyatt Discoverist
Posts: 2,954
Gluten Free in Germany
I mantain a strict gluten free diet due to Celiac Disease. It is not a choice.
I have not traveled much in Germany but the couple of times I was there had difficulty with Gluten Free meals.
Part of the problem is that I do not speak German.
I usually do fairly well in Spain, Italy, Portugal, France and UK/Ireland
I will be in Nurenberg, Vienna, Salzburg and Munich during the Christmas Market period this year.
Any suggestions of where or what is safe to eat will be welcome.
Any special pastries or restaurants that you can recommend
Monitor: I was not sure if to post in "disabled travel" or here in dining buzz. Please move as you see fit.
Thank you
I have not traveled much in Germany but the couple of times I was there had difficulty with Gluten Free meals.
Part of the problem is that I do not speak German.
I usually do fairly well in Spain, Italy, Portugal, France and UK/Ireland
I will be in Nurenberg, Vienna, Salzburg and Munich during the Christmas Market period this year.
Any suggestions of where or what is safe to eat will be welcome.
Any special pastries or restaurants that you can recommend
Monitor: I was not sure if to post in "disabled travel" or here in dining buzz. Please move as you see fit.
Thank you
Last edited by cblaisd; Sep 13, 2015 at 5:00 am Reason: Removed reference to Austria; split to its own thread
#2
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Jan 2009
Location: London & Sonoma CA
Programs: UA 1K, MM *G for life, BAEC Gold
Posts: 10,220
I'm gluten intolerant rather than coeliac, so am less concerned about cross contamination. As always it depends where you go. It's certainly a well known condition but, at the same time, typical German food is heavy on wheat. But there are limited menu options possible, and breakfasts are easy with their focus on meats, cheeses and yoghurts.
As a side note, LH lounges are very aware, with GF breads available.
As a side note, LH lounges are very aware, with GF breads available.
#3
Join Date: Dec 2007
Posts: 215
#4
Join Date: Oct 2004
Programs: LH HON
Posts: 3,414
I mantain a strict gluten free diet due to Celiac Disease. It is not a choice.
I have not traveled much in Germany and Austria but the couple of times I was there had difficulty with Gluten Free meals.
Part of the problem is that I do not speak German.
I usually do fairly well in Spain, Italy, Portugal, France and UK/Ireland
I will be in Nurenberg, Vienna, Salzburg and Munich during the Christmas Market period this year.
Any suggestions of where or what is safe to eat will be welcome.
Any special pastries or restaurants that you can recommend
Monitor: I was not sure if to post in "disabled travel" or here in dining buzz. Please move as you see fit.
Thank you
I have not traveled much in Germany and Austria but the couple of times I was there had difficulty with Gluten Free meals.
Part of the problem is that I do not speak German.
I usually do fairly well in Spain, Italy, Portugal, France and UK/Ireland
I will be in Nurenberg, Vienna, Salzburg and Munich during the Christmas Market period this year.
Any suggestions of where or what is safe to eat will be welcome.
Any special pastries or restaurants that you can recommend
Monitor: I was not sure if to post in "disabled travel" or here in dining buzz. Please move as you see fit.
Thank you
#5
Original Poster
Join Date: Jun 2006
Location: SJC/SFO
Programs: UA lifetime gold; Hilton Gold; Marriott/SPG Plat; Hyatt Discoverist
Posts: 2,954
I will be in Nuernberg for 2 days in early December.
Planning on visiting the Christmas markets.
I eat everything and anything as long as it has no gluten.
I eat oats but only if they are gluten-free (lots of contamination during the processing of oats)
Any suggestions in Munich will also be welcomed.
thank you
#6
Moderator: Lufthansa Miles & More, India based airlines, India, External Miles & Points Resources
Join Date: Dec 2002
Location: MUC
Programs: LH SEN
Posts: 48,132
Germany implemented EU rules this year, requiring restaurants to mark the common allergens in menus. My son is allergic against egg and tree nuts (thankfully down to class 2 now, used to be life threatening class 5 a few years ago) so we have to ask every time. So in major restaurants you will be fine. In small ones you are in trouble. We just had an aunt visiting last weekend who has celiacs, she is very very careful and can manage. We went for dinner at the ratskeller, their allergen menu is here: http://www.ratskeller.com/files/rats...rd_english.pdf (1= Gluten)
Whenever you ask nicely, everyone does check. Don't expect that to happen in busy xmas markets though. When in doubt they will just say 'we cannot be certain/guarantee anything' and leave you standing empty handed.
If you are looking for day to day snack/supplies, visit a local reformhaus to stock up on glutenfree items: http://www.reformhaus.de/filialfinder.html
Whenever you ask nicely, everyone does check. Don't expect that to happen in busy xmas markets though. When in doubt they will just say 'we cannot be certain/guarantee anything' and leave you standing empty handed.
If you are looking for day to day snack/supplies, visit a local reformhaus to stock up on glutenfree items: http://www.reformhaus.de/filialfinder.html
#10
Moderator: Lufthansa Miles & More, India based airlines, India, External Miles & Points Resources
Join Date: Dec 2002
Location: MUC
Programs: LH SEN
Posts: 48,132
#11
Join Date: Aug 2000
Location: New York
Posts: 1,255
No, "Ratskeller" is just the restaurant under the city hall; it's not a chain or the name of a particular restaurant. Almost every town has a "Ratskeller." "Rat" is German for council," and "Keller" for cellar.
#12
Exact. It´s like Marktschänke, Dorfkrug, Zur Linde, Zur Post, Zur Krone. Italian restaurants are often called Roma, Napoli, Toscana, Pinocchio, Greek restaurants Akropolis, Athen, Poseidon, Dephi or Olympia. Not very creative
#13
In Memoriam, FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Jul 2002
Location: Durham, NC (RDU/GSO/CLT)
Programs: AA EXP/MM, DL GM, UA Platinum, HH DIA, Hyatt Explorist, IHG Platinum, Marriott Titanium, Hertz PC
Posts: 33,857
I forwarded this thread to my sister-in-law who writes:
I stayed in Berlin this summer and I had great difficulty eating GF. I also have Celiac's and I can speak a little German, but most servers were not educated in ingredients the way I expect American servers to be. I frequented Doner Kebab stands sometimes but witnessed a lot of cross-contamination, and really shouldn't have been doing that. Grocery stores have far more GF options than American ones, but my greatest recommendation would be to frequent Indian and Thai restaurants.
#14
Suspended
Join Date: Jan 2015
Location: Bregenz, Austria
Programs: AA, BAEC, Alaska, Flying Blue, United, IHG, Hilton
Posts: 2,950