A guide to Easton’s gluten-free options

Whether it is scientific fact or fad, restaurants in Easton are keeping up with the times and getting on the gluten-free train and offering more gluten-free options.

The contestants offering these dietary options on their menu are Don Juan’s Mexican Grill, Sette Luna, Mesa Modern Mexican, Pearly Baker’s Alehouse, just to name a few.

Several restaurants such as Morici’s and Valenca offer accommodations for guests with special dietary restrictions, including gluten. For dessert, Sweet Girlz Bakery even has gluten-free Fridays, offering gluten-free chocolate chip cookies, cupcakes and varied icings.

Some attribute the recent rise in popularity of gluten-free foods to a trend, but studies from Mayo Clinic show gluten is responsible for more people getting sick from gluten found in barely, rye and wheat.

Gluten is behind celiac disease, a condition causing stomach ache, bloating and diarrhea, which is on the rise. This increase may be attributed to the larger quantity of processed foods, containing gluten. Because of this, many of establishments in our college town have started to offer gluten-free options.

“We’ve always been gluten-free for the reasons of lifestyle, dietary needs, celiac disease,” the manager of Don Juan’s said. “We serve about two hundred customers a day and out of that about one or two ask specifically whether there is gluten in a dish, otherwise people may know and may not ask us.”

For the gluten-free eater, here is a full list of gluten-free dining:

• Porter’s Pub, 700 Northampton St.
• Pearly Baker’s Alehouse, 11 Centre Square
• Don Juan’s Mexican Grill, 518 March St.
• Mojo Hill, 516 March St.
• Blue Sky at the State Cafe and Grill, 16th Fifth St.
• Maxim’s 22 Bistro & Brasserie, 322 Northampton St.
• Terra Cafe, 321 Northampton St.
• Sette Luna, 219 Ferry St.
• Two Rivers Brewing Co., 542 Northampton St.
• Sogo Fusion, 237 Northampton St.
• 3rd and Ferry Fish Market, 56 S. Third St.
• Sweet Girlz Bakery, 40 N. Third St.
• Mesa Modern Mexican, 42 S. Third St., Easton
• Black & Blue, 683 Walnut St.

And Restaurants offering accommodations for gluten-free eaters:

• River Grille, 243 Northampton St.
• Valenca, 64 Centre Square
• Cherubina Ristorante, 1001 Northampton St.
• Morici’s, 218 Cattell St.
• Ocean, 235 Ferry St.