Gluten-free fast eats near the Philadelphia Flower Show

The Philadelphia Flower Show is a Philadelphia institution, usually held the first week in March, and is a much-awaited herald-er of Spring. It has been an especially cold and snowy winter here, so I expect people are chomping at the bit to get there and see some beautiful and artistic floral offerings. (If you want to join the 2014 gluten-free Flower Show meet-up, check it out here: http://www.meetup.com/Gluten-free-in-Delaware-County/events/167490402/)

250,000 people come to the show. That means that, statistically speaking, thousands of people with celiac and thousands and thousands of people with gluten intolerance will be descending on the Pennsylvania Convention Center, and will, undoubtedly, want to eat something.

If you are like me, you don't want to spend your Flower Show viewing hours waiting in line to get something to eat that's not very entertaining. And you don't want to spend a ton of money. A couple of years ago, I put together this list of inexpensive places that are not too far away but which might be far enough to be free from the crush of Flower Show visitors.

That said, if you are staying in town and have time to be leisurely, check out any Center City Stephen Starr restaurant or Garces restaurant. I haven't met a Starr or a Garces that couldn't well-accommodate my gluten-free and vegetarian self. I've also heard wonderful things about chef Marcie Turney's places, and they are definitely on my must-eat list for 2014. I also want to try Zavino this year! I've heard many good things about their gluten-free pizza.

This post, however, is about where to eat if you want to stay REALLY close to the Convention Center, eat pretty cheap, and get back to the show. Almost guaranteed, if you go at normal mealtime hours, you will wait. And have a hard time finding a place to sit. So, pack a snack to tide you over and eat your meals at weird times to maximize happiness and success. Also know that the Flower Show is THE BUSIEST time of the year for all of these restaurateurs, and if you are super sensitive to gluten or worry about cross contamination, you should definitely pack your own food in and just know that you are there to see the Flower Show.

Reading Terminal Market: 

Beiler's Bakery is a Pennsylvania Dutch bakery that carries marvelous gluten-free sweet rolls and other pasteries that are separately wrapped and not prepared on site. Check their hours. Beilers is CLOSED on SUNDAYS and MONDAYS. Flying Monkey bakery also has gluten-free desserts that they make on-site. Their website notes the possibility of cross-contamination, so no guarantees for those of us with celiac. I have not eaten there and cannot vouch for their food handling techniques.

12th Street Cantina has been able to accommodate my gluten-free vegetarian requests quite well, though I usually get a black bean salad. It's tasty, filling and reasonably priced and has it's own seating, which is a big plus.

I ate at Nanee's Kitchen last year during the show. So nice to have some interesting food options! They have a number of gluten-free signs up but I was a little concerned about the proximity of the naan to the gluten-free chana masala. They've also been mentioned on Glutenfreephilly.com also, so definitely worth checking out.

You can find miscellaneous eats at the Fair Food Farmstand, which has awesome local offerings in produce and cheese that you really should go and appreciate. I've gotten amaranth bread there, plus my first paw paw. Iovine's Produce and OK Produce are also right there for fruit, veggies, nuts, and dried fruit on the run. I always stop in to one of these places daily during the show to get a load of produce to enjoy during my Flower Show shifts.

Across the Street:

Maggiano's Little Italy is at 12th and Filbert. I understand that they offer many gluten-free items, though I haven't eaten there personally.

Panera opened a location at the corner of 12th and Arch in this past year. I have eaten at a number of Panera's just fine -- mostly salad and/or the black bean soup, if they are offering it. The black bean soup has no gluten-containing ingredients (From their nutrition website today, though their allegen statement was clearly written by lawsuit-averse lawyers: water, black beans [may contain soy], onions, celery, vegetable base [cooked vegetables {carrot, celery, onion}, tomato paste, corn oil, yeast extract, potato flour, salt, onion powder, garlic powder, natural flavoring], red peppers, modified food starch, salt, spices, lemon juice, garlic powder). Make sure you tell them that you are gluten-free and that they should not put a roll anywhere near your food and give you the apple instead. I would definitely not go here during their busy times in order to give them a fighting chance of getting it right.

I hope this has given you some leads about where to eat when you come to the Convention Center. Have a healthy and happy trip to the Philadelphia Flower Show! We all need some spring! (Look for me at the Gardener's Studio, where I'll be stationed this week.)

My typical gluten-free meal at 12th Street Cantina