The essential gluten-free guide to Bloomington

I developed a gluten intolerance at the end of my freshman year. As you might imagine, going gluten-free as a college student is a pretty big challenge — transitioning from eating pizza and Kraft mac-n-cheese on a weekly basis to eating minimal amounts of processed foods was no easy task, especially as a carb addict and all-around foodie.

Luckily, I’ve discovered a number of restaurants and food stores on IU’s campus and in Bloomington that cater to my dietary needs but still allow me to eat without feeling like I’m sacrificing my enjoyment of food for the sake of my stomach.

Diagnoses of gluten intolerances and Celiac disease are on the rise. It’s likely many newcomers to IU will face the same issues I once did. To help put your minds — and digestive tracts — at ease, here’s a list of some of the best gluten-free friendly spots in Bloomington.

Restaurant: Scotty’s Brewhouse

This IU favorite offers high quality comfort food and an awesome college-sports-town atmosphere. Not only are several of the main menu options easily alterable for gluten-free customers, but Scotty’s also has an entire grouping of pages within its menu that detail all of the exclusively GF options it has to offer.

Recommendation: Order a grilled chicken sandwich All-American Lincoln style, and replace the ranch with honey mustard. Slap on a gluten-free bun, and you’ve got yourself a delicious and filling meal.

Restaurant: The Owlery

This Bloomington original is one of many great restaurants to be found downtown. It offers an entirely gluten-free menu and is able to alter many of their main menu items to become more GF friendly. In addition to being GF and vegan friendly, The Owlery is also completely vegetarian.

Recommendation: The grilled cheese sandwich on GF bread. As many who are gluten-intolerant will know, it can sometimes be a struggle to find GF breads with the same taste and consistency as wheat-based bread. Complete with baby spinach, tomatoes, and avocado, the Owlery succeeds on being able to provide a pretty darn good grilled cheese on high quality GF bread.

Restaurant: Runcible Spoon

Located on Sixth St., this cozy, quirky restaurant offers a wide variety of breakfast and dinner foods to Bloomington residents. Although there isn’t a separate gluten-free menu from the main menu, many of the dishes are GF in their original form or can be easily modified to fit GF needs.

Recommendation: The Gypsy Chicken. It’s a grilled chicken breast served with black beans, sautéed vegetables and mashed potatoes — you can’t go wrong. I get this dish every time I go there for dinner because it’s so fantastic.

Restaurant: Rainbow Bakery

This adorable all-vegan shop is the perfect place to satisfy your sweet tooth. Rainbow Bakery offers both GF and non-GF varieties of donuts, muffins, cupcakes, cakes and more.

Recommendation: The GF chocolate chip cookie with marshmallows. That — along with a cup of their coffee — is heaven on earth.

Store: Bloomingfoods

With several convenient locations in Bloomington, this local foods store caters to the needs of people with a number of dietary restrictions, including GF people. I’m always able to find a good selection of my favorite GF brands and products there.

Store: Kroger on College Mall Road

Lovingly referred to by IU students as “Kro-Gucci,” this particular Kroger sells a wide selection of GF products from a number of notable GF-friendly brands — Udi’s, Amy’s, and Evol, to name a few.

Many of these products are dispersed throughout the main stretch of the store, but there’s also a well-supplied organic foods section near the produce where many other gluten free products and cooking supplies can be found. This Kroger has become my GF haven in Bloomington — I almost always get my groceries from here.

On campus:

If you’re living on a college campus, it can sometimes be difficult to find food that is both gluten free and wholesome. Luckily, IU has a few spots on campus that have decent options for its GF residents.

The Union Street Market c-store

Out of the five dorm-based convenience stores IU has to offer, the Union Street Market provides the most GF options. GF products are scattered throughout the store, but there’s a whole collection of shelves in a corner of the store that exclusively hold gluten free foods and baking ingredients.

The Forest Restaurants at Woodland

Although there aren’t a ton of GF-specified options within The Restaurants at Woodland, this seems to be the dining hall at IU that is best able to cater to the needs of GF people. When I still lived on campus, I frequently ate at Woodland and didn’t have too much difficulty finding a variety of meals I enjoyed there.

Going gluten free is a long-term learning process. It can be challenging and frustrating at times, and there is a good deal of trial and error involved. But allowing yourself to be open to trying new things and exploring local options can lead to a whole new world of exciting food experiences.

Fortunately for B-Town residents and IU students, Bloomington is a place filled with great local food options, making leading a GF life easier and more enjoyable.