There’s nothing like a good pizza. The combination of melted mozzarella, spicy sauce and warm crust is enough to make me drool as I write this.
Since cutting gluten out of my diet I have experimented quite a lot (and in my humble opinion, perfected) making gluten-free pizza crust.
But to be honest, what I miss the most is coming home after a long day of work and being able to pick up the phone and order a pie when I don’t have the energy to cook. When first starting out on a gluten-free diet, a lot of people think they must bid farewell to pizza. But as awareness continues to grow, so do our options for having a hot pizza delivered to our door or to order pizza at a restaurant.
Local as well as national pizza chains have been adding gluten-free crust to their menus, and some even going the extra mile to meticulously avoid cross-contamination. So which restaurants offer gluten-free options?
Domino’s
Domino’s makes its gluten-free crust from a combination of rice flour, rice starch and potato starch. It has been described in reviews as similar to their thin crust. Unfortunately, Domino’s has stressed that their gluten-free pizzas are very much vulnerable to cross-contamination and recommend that people with celiac steer clear of their pizzas. Bummer, Domino’s!
California Pizza Kitchen
This gourmet pizza chain boasts 4 gluten-free pizza options on their menu: original barbeque chicken, pepperoni, mushroom, pepperoni & sausage and the classic margherita. Gluten-free diners can also request a plain cheese pizza. California Pizza Kitchen takes extra precautions to ensure that their pizzas are not subject to cross-contamination, including gluten-free prep stations, and color coded toppings containers, cutting boards and slicers. They have also created special rimmed pans to protect the pizzas from coming into contact with other pizzas in the oven. This is all great news, considering that a few years back, CPK offered a gluten-free pizza not appropriate for Celiac sufferers. They have taken note of the high demand for strictly gf pizza, and boy are we glad! The only downside is that they don’t deliver.
Uno Chicago Grill
Uno’s offers three types of gluten-free pizza on their menus: cheese, pepperoni, and veggie. The restaurant assures that they go out of their way to ensure that no gluten comes in contact with their gluten-free menu items, whether purchased or prepared in house. However, they unfortunately cannot guarantee that these items stay clear of gluten contamination during preparation in the kitchen. Uno’s doesn’t deliver, but they have an entire gluten-free menu including hamburgers, desserts and beer. Worth a visit or two!
Godfather’s Pizza
Godfather’s is a 40-state, 600-branch national delivery chain offering six different gluten-free pizzas for delivery or pick-up. Their pizza options include cheese, pepperoni, sausage, beef, all-meat combo and classic combo. Their gluten-free pizzas are prepared at an off-site gluten-free facility and stay individually wrapped until heated in store, where additional precautions are taken. Some branches offer prepared pizzas you can bake at home.
Chuck E Cheese
After a pilot program at Chuck E Cheese branches in Minnesota, the kid friendly restaurant began offering a gluten-free menu last year. Their menu includes pizza and cupcakes and all products arrive to their locations sealed from a gluten-free facility in New Jersey. They also take particular care and attention to guarantee no cross-contamination. Chuck E Cheese gluten-free options are available nationwide. This is especially exciting for me because I really loved Chuck E Cheese growing up. I’m glad that they are taking the steps necessary to provide this experience to kids who need a gluten-free diet!
Boston’s Gourmet Pizza
Boston’s Gourment Pizza has locations in 23 states. They have been serving gluten-free crust since 2009. Boston’s is known for it’s unique, gourmet pizzas, and 12 of the 16 choices can be prepared gluten-free. Some of their interesting choices include Tropical Chicken, Florentine and Mama Meata. Their crusts are prepared using strict guidelines to keep them clear of cross-contamination and the restaurant has separate gluten-free stations and pans, knives and cutting boards. Restaurant goers are provided with a list of gluten-free sauces and toppings. While we have heard that these pizzas are extra delicious, they are quite pricey, so make this a special treat!
Pizza Fusion
Pizza Fusion has locations in 7 states and offers gluten-free crust with almost all of their toppings (bbq sauce and sausage are the only non gluten-free topping options). Their crust is made from a combination of garbanzo bean and fava bean flour, giving it a unique taste. Pizza Fusion is also organic and eco-friendly!
While Pizza Hut currently offers gluten-free crust in places like the UK, Australia and Israel, they have yet to offer this option in the United States. Call or write to your local branch to put some extra pressure on Pizza Hut. We want gluten-free stuffed crust pizza!! If any of you have given these pies a try, share with us what you think. Also, please let us know if we left any restaurants out, as we are always looking to update our pizza delivery list! Strictly for business reasons, of course. As always, proceed with caution when ordering gluten-free menu items prepared in a facility that serves gluten. Notify your waiter of any intolerances or allergies even if you are ordering off of the gluten-free menu.
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