Gluten free in the middle of nowhere Burnham, PA

While we were in PA at Thanksgiving, I knew I wanted to visit my grandma.  She lives in a small town near Lewistown, PA and I assumed I would just have to pack a gluten free lunch, as there would be nothing for me to eat out there.  I was wrong. I researched before the trip (as I always do, traveling as a celiac) and found OIP Burnham had several SAFE gluten free items! OIP is a series of independent restaurants in central Pennsylvania, standing for Original Italian Pizza.  It’s well known for pizza and subs, however this day I delighted in my gluten free choices.

They had gluten free pizzas on their menu, but I instead opted for their gluten free chicken tenders and french fries, both fried in a dedicated gluten free fryer.  I was also able to partake in some gluten free chicken wings, fried in the same dedicated fryer! (Sorry I forgot a picture of those).  This small town gem had nice people, nice service, and great care in their gluten free menu…we will return anytime we go to  visit my grandma!

If you ever find yourself on the other side of the mountain from State College, PA and need gluten free, be sure to stop in OIP Burnham!

La Mattina in Fayetteville, PA

-La Mattina on Rt. 30 between Chambersburg and Gettysburg

In what is an amazing display of how gluten free friendly central Pennsylvania is, in what feels like the middle of nowhere near Caledonia State Park, on Route 30 between Chambersburg and Gettysburg (officially in the town of Fayetteville) is an amazing little “mom and pop” Italian restaurant called La Mattina with several amazing gluten free options.  I had a cheese pizza and it came in a special foil pan so it didn’t touch the pizza oven and it came with my own person red and white plastic cutter (sealed in plastic)!  They seemed very knowledgeable when I asked about separate utensils, etc. Their very extensive gluten free menu also offered gluten free ravioli, stuffed shells, pierogies, and pasta!  I did not get sick at all from their pizza! The crust was a bit dry and flavorless, but the sauce and cheese made it tasty and the leftovers reheated well the next day.  It was a pretty large size (probably would comfortably feed 2, not your usual personal size for GF) and I think about $11.  I didn’t remember to take a picture, sorry!

(As usual, I was not compensated in any way for my review, just my honest thoughts to help others gluten free or with food allergies! It’s also not medical advice.)

Flinchy’s – great Gluten free options in Camp Hill, PA

I apologize I haven’t posted anything lately, life has gotten so very busy!  What a winter we’ve had, huh? You’ll be happy to know that despite my hiatus, I’ve been taking pictures and notes of lots of Gluten free goods & bads and I will be working on sharing them all soon!

Flinchy’s (Camp Hill, PA) dedicated fryer, GF pizzas

Another amazing place in central PA with a HUGE gluten free menu is Flinchy’s.  It’s on Hummel Avenue in Camp Hill, PA near the Capital City Mall.  They offer gluten free pizzas with unique toppings (last time we shared a Cheeseburger Pizza and a Chicken Parmesan pizza-both delicious and safe!). 

They also have a dedicated fryer, so I could even have fries. They had a crabcake with cornstarch instead of flour so it was gluten free (and it was so delicious, I forgot to take a picture until I had eaten the crabcake!). It was real crab and not any or much filler, amazing!

They also have wings, Redbridge GF beer, GF pasta! They suprisingly don’t have GF bread, but if you want to bring your own, you can have many of their sandwiches.

(Disclaimer: I was not compensated for this review. I simply like to share my good & bad finds with other gluten free people).

Thanksgiving in PA – Isaacs Deli

Over the Thanksgiving holiday, I was in PA to visit family and friends and that inevitably means some eating out (and some questionable eating in gluten-filled kitchens), here are the tips I learned and restaurants I ate at. The first and most frequented was Isaacs Deli – central PA from Harrisburg to Lancaster (I personally visited Lemoyne, York, and Mechanicsburg locations).

Isaacs Deli is a small deli chain in Central Pennsylvania that specializes in sandwiches, named after birds. They have a gluten free flatbread and several gluten free meats, cheeses, and dressings.  My favorite sandwich is the Whooping Crane–it comes with onions, spinach, honey mustard, turkey, and swiss cheese and it’s heated. They are very accomodating and if you let them know it’s an allergy, they are usually very good about changing their gloves and being aware of cross contamination. They have a yummy complementary pickle mix they serve that’s gluten free too! They serve Utz potato chips on the side of most sandwiches (it’s a mix of white, purple, and sweet potatoes) that are gluten free as well.  They even have a gluten free flourless chocolate torte and ice cream available for dessert!  The torte is very good, very rich!  You can also buy 3 or 4 of the flatbreads to go for $7.99. I have eaten at Isaacs many times and maybe once or twice out of 15 times have I gotten sick (and once it could have been some other desserts I had right after), so overall a good choice. I don’t know how I failed to take a picture, but for now at least I wanted to put their logo so you can find the restaurant if you’re looking for them!

(As usual, I was not compensated in any way for my review, just my honest thoughts to help others gluten free or with food allergies! It’s also not medical advice.)