If you’re gluten-free and vegan like I am, you probably went through a period when you only ate food that you prepared yourself. After all, so many yummy veg*n foods are made from seitan, or they’re battered in a gluten-containing grain (like—yum!—the Buffalo Unchicken Wings at Kate’s Joint). And how many times have omnivorous friends suggested eating Italian because there are so many veg*n options? Brown bagging it for lunch is one thing, but dinner, too? It’s not fair!

Well, Italian chefs have come to the rescue—in Italy, at least. More than a third of the top restaurants in Italy now offer gluten-free options—even bread! Several have entire menus dedicated to gluten-free dining. Grazie mille, ragazzi!

Closer to home, Jeff MacLean is opening Splitt, which is likely the first entirely gluten-free restaurant in North America, in Calgary, Canada. While not specifically Italian, it surely bears mentioning.

I’d love to say the same for Risotteria, a restaurant in the West Village offering gluten-free pizza, bread sticks and beer (as well as “normal” fare), but there’s nothing on the menu for the vegans among us.

But it’s a start. If you’re in Canada or Italy, buon appetito!

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