Please take the time to tell us YOUR favorites in the Albany area for the best:
All-around restaurant with gluten-free entrees
Gluten-free bakery
Gluten-free pizza
Mexican/Central/South American restaurant with gluten-free entrees
Asian restaurant with gluten-free entrees
and gluten-free burger!
How to Participate
To nominate and vote for your FAVORITE Albany area eats, please be sure to do the following:
Take the survey below between 1/27/19-2/09/19 and vote for your FAVORITES from those already nominated or if not already listed, write in your favorite eateries within 1 hour of Albany, New York.
Before nominating an eatery, please verify they have good practices in place to prevent against cross contamination. Not sure what to check for? Please see this post on eating out safely gluten-free.
Follow The Helpful GF on Facebook and Instagram, or subscribe to my newsletter below to be sure you are notified when the results of the survey are posted!
Use the grey social buttons at the bottom of this page to share this post with your friends so they can vote too!
Don’t forget to subscribe to my newsletter to ensure you get the survey results once posted. Plus, you’ll get FREE instant access to my online library of free printables designed to make your gluten-free lifestyle totally easy!
Do you live outside of the Albany area but want to work with me to do something like this in YOUR hometown? Comment below or email me at sharon {at} thehelpfulgf {dot} com.
This post contains affiliate links. If you order through one of these links I’ll earn a small commission at no extra cost to you! My full disclosure isn’t that interesting, but you can find it here.
On Saturday, I decided to journey into Albany, New York to check out the Allergen & Gluten Free Expo held at Crossgates Mall. Expos are a great way to try some free samples and learn about some new products—and this expo did not disappoint! I got SO many freebies—it was a good thing they gave me a bag to carry them all in.
The Gluten Free Expo had a large number of brand representatives, local restaurants & bakeries, and even informational stations where gluten-free and food allergy authorities like doctors and school nurses were available to answer questions about gluten-free living. Plus, there were a couple cooking demonstrations by local chefs and bakers.
Here is just a glimpse into some of the fun things we saw and tried at the Allergen & Gluten Free Expo in Albany!
Want some freebies of your own? Get FREE instant access to my online library of free printables designed to make your gluten-free lifestyle totally easy!
Sherry Lynn’s Bakery
Sherry Lynn’s Sandwich Rolls
Sherry Lynn’s Samples, a bite of donut and sandwich roll
Sherry Lynn’s Bakery is one of the (if not THE) first 100% gluten-free establishments. My husband, Tyler, has been eating their baked goods for years. I was super excited to stop by their booth at the Allergen & Gluten Free Expo, eat some samples of their bread and glazed donuts, and even purchase some apple fritters and donuts!
Sherry Lynn’s is located in Schenectady, New York.
O’Malley’s Oven
O’Malley’s baked goods for sale
This is a local restaurant I’d never heard of before—but I’m happy I stopped by their booth at the Allergen & Gluten Free Expo.
In addition to directly selling their pies and other baked goods they also frequent the Troy Waterfront Farmer’s Market, which my family goes to often. This is also a 100% gluten-free establishment.
The Vermont Spatzle Company
Our sample of Spatzle!
The Allergen & Gluten Free Expo is the first time I’ve ever tried spatzle (or honestly…ever heard of it). It’s a German potato noodle, and it’s yummy! One of the downfalls of gluten-free pasta is that it’s prone to mushiness—especially when overcooked. Spatzle is a noodle that is pan-fried, and is ready to eat in 90 seconds! Yay for fast dinners! My 5 year old daughter devoured her sample, which was cooked in butter, in less than 90 seconds.
You can purchase The Vermont Spatzle Company’s products at retailers across New York and Vermont, or order it direct.
Saratoga Gluten Free Goods Bakery
The baked goods for sale were totally drool-worthy!
I’ve tried a couple items from this bakery in the past (dinner rolls, cookies, and pies), but it was fun to see them represented at the Allergen & Gluten Free Expo. All of their products are mouthwateringly-delicious. Plus, I enjoyed my sample of pumpkin bread. yummm
The Saratoga Gluten Free Goods Bakery is located in Schuylerville, New York.
Bread Empire’s Buddha Bread
Free Samples of fresh-baked bread!
This is a new product I learned about at the Allergen & Gluten Free Expo. This cheese bread is super easy to make and it tastes GOOD! Definitely a great option!
You can purchase goods from Bread Emprie online or at assorted stores across the United States.
Pamela’s Gluten-Free
I got a lot of free samples of Pamela’s gluten-free snacks and flour blend at the Allergen & Gluten Free Expo. I’m familiar with Pamela’s pancake mix (that’s what we use at home!), so I enjoyed the chance to try some other products! I really loved the Whenever Bars and the Big Fig bar. These will definitely be on my shopping list soon.
Listen—I love my snacks. Luna Bars are a trusted staple for me already, and I love some free samples! While the samples were mini, they sure were yummy.
For kids (or adults!) with nut allergies, Wowbutter is a cool substitute to peanut butter. It’s made of soy, and it tastes great. You can even choose between creamy and crunchy styles. My toddlers dipped apple slices in our free samples of the creamy WowButter and they didn’t even notice it wasn’t peanut butter! It’s a great nut-free option and I’m so happy we got to try it at the Allergen & Gluten Free Expo!
Like I mentioned before, there were SO many vendors there’s no way I could cover them all. Have you been to this, or another Allergen & Gluten Free Expo? What was your favorite part? Comment below and let us know. My favorite thing were all the freebies! Plus, I’ve designed some fun freebies just for you.
Get FREE instant access to my online library of free printables designed to make your gluten-free lifestyle totally easy!
This is not a sponsored post. This is an honest review and all opinions are my own. My full disclosure isn’t that interesting, but you can find it here.
Brown’s Brewing Company–Walloomsac Taproom: A Restaurant Review
Brown’s Brewing Company first opened in Troy back in the ‘90s and it holds the reputation in the Capital Region of New York as having excellent food and atmosphere. However, breweries can be risky places for the gluten-free. They tend to put beer. in. everything. And in all honesty, Tyler was ‘glutened’ at Brown’s early on in our marriage. He ordered a garden salad with chicken on top, no croutons—but did not tell the waiter that he needed his meal to be gluten-free. I’ll stress, this was not Brown’s fault. We did not inform them that we needed gluten-free accommodations. Furthermore, that menu item did not make gluten-free claims.
note: learn from our mistakes and ALWAYS inform wait staff that you are gluten-free for medical reasons. For simplicity, we usually we just say “wheat allergy.” When your food is delivered, double check: “Is this gluten-free?” Every. Stinking. Time. This was one of our early learning experiences on the need to advocate for yourself when dining out.This is also why I designed an “allergy alert” card to use when eating out. It makes advocating easy peasy!
Download the allergy-alert card for FREE here, plus get instant access to my online library of free printables designed to make your gluten-free lifestyle totally easy!
Fast forward 6 years to today, and Brown’s Brewing Company makes our gluten-free hearts (and tummies) happy! They’ve opened a new location, the Walloomsac Taproom, in an old manufacturing facility about 2 miles from where we live–and it’s one of our current favorites. Keep reading to see why!
Atmosphere
I cannot say enough about the atmosphere at Brown’s Walloomsac Taproom. They’ve restored an old factory complex from the mid-1800s and actually create and distribute their craft beer from the location. We haven’t done a brewery tour, but unfortunately, none of their craft beers are gluten-free, but we can dream huh?
In addition, Brown’s Walloomsac Taproom hosts entertaining theme nights including live music and trivia. Not only does this location have eclectic and rustic indoor décor including original brick walls and antiques, but it’s located right on the Walloomsac River. If you choose to dine outdoors you’ll not only view the river, but hear the little water fall as well.
Menu
The Walloomsac Tavern does not have a dedicated gluten-free menu, but each of the times we’ve dined the waitstaff was very knowledgeable about the gluten-free options available. That’s a big plus! When eating out, it is unsettling to have a waitstaff that does not understand gluten-free accommodations—amiright? The staff at Brown’s explained their gluten-free accommodations and confirmed that each item they brought us was gluten-free. As an added bonus, many of their menu items are locally sourced. (And I mean local. I actually know some of these farmers personally!)
The menu specials change weekly, but there are some staple gluten-free substitutes including gluten-free tortilla chips (note: the gluten-free chips are not the house-fried tortilla chips. They do not have a dedicated gluten-free fryer), gluten-free buns, and gluten-free pizza crust. On our most recent trip we shared the nachos appetizer (made with gluten-free chips) and Yushak’s pizza.
The nachos came topped with onions, tomatoes, peppers, jalapenos, black olives, cheese, and sour cream and served with a cup of salsa on the side. I’m a sucker for nachos, pretty much any nachos, but I’m telling you—these were excellent! The Yushak’s pizza has on a gluten-free shell and topped with chunks of pepperoni, Yushak’s sausage, and bacon. This honestly is probably one of the best gluten-free pizzas we’ve eaten. I actually asked our server a second time if it was actually a gluten-free pizza. The cheese was so melty and stretchy and the toppings were perfect. There were none of the tell-tell signs that the crust was gluten-free. The texture, consistency, and flavor were spot on for pizza crust. It seriously tasted that good. (It definitely was gluten-free! No gluten reactions!) Plus, can you go wrong with bacon on a pizza?
We’ve had a couple other menu items at past visits including the Tiashoke Farm Wood Fire Grilled Hamburger on a gluten-free bun with a side salad. This choice was also super yummy!
Final Thoughts
I am seriously so impressed with the gluten-free food we ate at Brown’s Walloomsac Taproom. While their gluten-free selection is not expansive, we’ve been a couple times and have not been deprived. Especially when there are more pizza creations to try and their specials change weekly. Have you eaten at Brown’s? If so, share your experience with us in the comments! If visiting the Capital Region of New York, I highly recommend you visit one of the Brown’s Brewing Company restaurant locations.
Also–just to make sure that you don’t make the same mistake we did the first time we ate at Brown’s, I made an Allergy-Alert Restaurant Card just for YOU! Download it now and print at your own convenience. It’s business card sized, so it fits right in your wallet to carry with you whenever you eat out. When you order, give the card to your waiter. Happy dining!
Are you ready to do gluten-free living totally STRESS-FREE? Get FREE instant access to the allergy-alert restaurant card and my WHOLE online library of free printables designed to make your gluten-free lifestyle totally easy!