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Between all of Cape Cod’s lobster roll spots and a town literally named Sandwich, you’d be forgiven for assuming that the peninsula is a challenging destination for gluten-free travelers. But that couldn’t be further from the truth. I’ve been coming to the Cape my whole life; when my mother developed a gluten intolerance and my wife was diagnosed with celiac disease, I learned firsthand how seriously Cape Cod restaurants treat this dietary restriction.
In addition to serving New England classics like clam chowder and fried seafood, the Cape still proudly showcases its historic Portuguese identity through its cuisine. (Many folks from this region came over in the mid-1800s to work in the whaling industry.) I grew up slurping kale soup with my fish, and I devoured linguiça long before I liked lobster.
Seasonal migration by Jamaicans has also been spicing up local menus since the ’90s; these days there is a robust community of year-round Jamaican residents and an established tradition of locally inflected jerk, curry, and more.
All of these offerings, plus creative dishes that gently update the Cape’s culinary identity, are available gluten-free, ensuring that folks who can’t eat gluten don’t need to compromise.
Some of the following spots are old family favorites; others have joined the fold more recently. While there are restaurants on this list from the Upper and Mid Cape, the Outer Cape is better represented, partly because of where my travels have taken me and partly due to the influence of local restaurateur Mac Hay, who is himself gluten-intolerant. One bite of Mac’s gluten-free fried fish sandwich and you may just think the Cape is the greatest GF destination on earth. Here’s where to try it—plus plenty of other spots worth a stop on your next trip to the area.
Located in: Falmouth
A down-to-earth café along Falmouth’s Main Street, Pickle Jar Kitchen excels at creating gluten-free sandwiches, salads, and other options—even gluten-free French toast—for a casual breakfast or lunch. When I dined here the staff was knowledgeable about what could and couldn’t be prepared sans gluten, though there are many options from across the menu. For breakfast order a GF egg and cheese with linguiça for some local Portuguese flair; at lunch top your lettuce leaves and other assorted veggies with apple-cranberry vinaigrette and chicken salad, or try a sandwich with pastrami-cured salmon, pea shoots, and fennel.
