*a gluten allergy (Celiac disease) is classified differently than a gluten intolerance, but the treatment is the same: avoid foods with the protein "gluten" from wheat, rye, and barley, and "heirloom" wheats, like kamut, spelt, and farro. This includes many processed ingredients, too, such as malted grains
Fortunately, there are loads of bloggers who have dealt with international travel and a food allergy, and I found a few great resources quickly. A few recorded their experiences dining in other cities, and a few offered tips and a gluten-free restaurant card created by Celiac Travel to provide to servers when first sitting down at a table. I printed several cards in different languages before we left, but you can just have the pdf open on your smart phone to show the server, too.
Matt from Wheatless Wanderlust has certainly become an expert resource for me, and I judged his credibility by reviewing his write-up of Seattle. He caught all the major brands.
It also turns out that a simple search of "gluten free" or "gluten-free restaurants" on Google Maps reveals several gluten-free businesses in an area. I created a new tag for food businesses and restaurants to avoid mixing the flags up with museums and sites. I think I'll also create a new flag for gluten-free businesses versus ones that might be flagship businesses for local foods.
In Budapest, we found a few blog posts that listed out restaurants, and we traveled to a few of them, especially when they were en route to a destination. Something we have noticed is that cafes open later than one would expect, with the earliest opening time at 7am. No, we're not hitting up the businesses earlier than that, but coming from the US where S-bux opens at 5am or 6am in some places, it was a little surprising.
There were a few times at 9am we would walk to a cafe to find that they're not ready for business. Still others we visited didn't seem organized or prepared to serve a customer. Finally, some others didn't seem to have as many items, though the time of day didn't suggest that they had sold out. So, when you're planning your breakfast occasions, double check their operating hours.
Our winners, for explicitly gluten-free items
Zagreb - Vis a Vis - gluten free palacinka (crepe-like)
Zagreb - Melt - gluten free bread for avocado toast
Budapest - Manioka - best flaky croissant since Coffee & A Specialty Bakery in Seattle
Budapest - Coli Bisztro - gluten free grocery and bakery, serving coffee, pancakes, sandwiches, pastries, and pizza
Budapest - Free - gluten-free bakery, bottled beer, pizza
