Hopefully, someone will come to my rescue! I will be traveling to Hopewell, NJ in the coming weeks and will need to eat. I know that Hopewell is near Princeton. That about covers what I know!

What places to eat are safe? Where can I shop for gluten-free food?

I will have access to a gluten kitchen so some meals I can make.

Thanks for any and all help!
Hez

There's a Wegmans in Princeton. They have a nice gluten free section plus they label all of their house brand products gluten free with little "G"'s in an orange circle. My favorite place to shop. Have a nice trip!!!

How close is Princeton to Hopewell? On the map it looks close but with traffic it may take longer than it should.

Any places to eat out?

Good places to visit with kids?

Thanks,
Hez

when I go someplace new I use Mapquest directions to get an idea of how far and how long between places. I locate the addresses of places in the area that have gluten free foods or menus.

To locate local health food stores I use the store locator area of specialty gluten free products. I tuse he store locator for chains that I know carry gluten free food such as WholeFoods. I try to match the area code with my hotel.

I follow the same process for places to eat out. I pull up each website of the chains that I know have a gluten free menu such as Outback, Wendy's ect... I find the address and plug it into Mapquest to see how far it is.

I will also call if I have addtional questions such as traffic patterns and availablity of products.

Have a nice trip.

Princeton is about a 15 minute drive from Hopewell when there is little traffic, but in rush hour it can easily be at least double that time. From Hopewell take Rt 518 east to Rt 206 south into Princeton.

For grocery shopping, in Princeton on Nassau Street (Rt 27) there is a health food store called Olive May that has a lot of gluten-free foods. The Whole Earth Center, a little bit farther north on Nassau Street, has a lesser selection, but may have a few items that Olive May lacks.

There is a PF Chang's restaurant on Rt 1 (southbound side) in West Windsor by the Market Fair Mall, near Princeton; they have a special gluten-free menu. In Princeton on Route 27 at the intersection with Harrison Street there is a Thai restaurant called Tom Yum Goong that does not use oyster sauce or soy sauce in their dishes unless the menu so indicates; they use fish sauce. There are numerous sushi places, but be sure to use your own gluten-free soy sauce and avoid the eel (which is usually marinated in soy sauce). There are also many Indian restaurants which have primarily gluten-free entrees; I recommend A Passage To India on Alternate Route 1 in Lawrenceville (southwest of Rt 95).

I hope that you enjoy your stay in Mercer County, New Jersey!

Ken

Thank you Ken! I am looking forward to seeing our friends. This is really my first time traveling gluten-free to a non-resort (we did a cruise and disney) type place. Just a little nervous.

Thanks,
Hez

I forgot one restaurant in my first post. I received this message a few months ago from a celiac friend of mine:

We just ate at the Blue Bottle Cafe in Hopewell, and they had asterisks on the menu to denote celiac-friendly
items: all three salads, four entrees, and one dessert! The dessert was pavlova with raspberry sorbet, some sauce and fresh berries. They are fairly expensive, no liquor license, reservation required due to the excellent review in the NYTimes. They are worth a trip.

I haven't eaten there myself yet, but I trust my friend's judgment. The Blue Bottle is in Hopewell Borough along Rt 518 on the east side of town. You can look at their dinner menu here: http://www.thebluebottlecafe.com/MenusD1.html

Ken

Thanks Ken!

The Brothers Moon on Main St in Hopewell is very good, and they should be able to make some things gluten-free. I have had some great burgers (without the bun), salads, and risotto there. You can check their menu online. Most of their ingredients are fresh and local. Might be less $$$$ than the Blue Bottle. But PF Chang's is the only place around with a dedicated gluten-free menu, dagnab it.

Thank you Lee for this!

Hez