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To grow your restaurant business, updating the menu at least once per year is advised. This doesn’t mean going in an entirely different direction but adding vegan drinks, CBD-infused drinks, or simply creating a separate gluten-free menu.
With the increasing number of people looking for plant-based and/or gluten-free options, as well as other alternatives to food and classic drinks, it’s crucial to make some changes. From adding plant-based milks to your coffee drinks or creating a separate list of gluten-free beverages, there are many ways to ensure a better customer experience.
There are different types of menus you can use for your restaurant. You can decide on a type based on the concept of your business. You can still, however, have some offers added to your menu that will meet the needs of your customers.
Here, we want to focus your attention on a very specific group of meals and drinks that will go great together. They will be great additions to your year-round or seasonal menu. Let’s see what type of gluten-free drinks go with what foods, so you can incorporate some of them into your offers as soon as possible!
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Gluten-Free Menu: Drink and Food Pairings
If you are a restaurant owner looking for ways to spice up your menu, you will find this helpful. Let’s talk about some delicious gluten-free meals and all the gluten-free cocktail drinks or other gluten-free beverages you can pair them with.
Key Takeaway: There are many great gluten-free menu items you can combine with refreshing drinks and make your customers enjoy dining at your restaurant. From wine options to infused waters and teas, there’s plenty you can serve!
Seafood or Grilled Chicken
Tasty grilled chicken and seafood dishes would pair nicely with refreshing drinks. If your customers prefer something fresh and light to sip on when enjoying the delicious meal, offer sparkling water or infused water with different fruits.
Some light, great cocktails made with gluten-free ingredients would also be a perfect match. For these cocktails, the bartender needs to use spirits without any gluten content (see: gluten-free alcohol), as well as mixers suitable for people who have intolerance, allergies, or celiac disease.
Gluten-Free Pasta and Marinara Sauce
There are so many types of pasta and fortunately, there are gluten-free types you can serve for your clients who are on a special diet. People who are eating gluten-free should not feel limited with their food choices. Restaurants should be one step ahead and stock up on some gluten-free pasta options.
When you do that, you can offer to your customers a nice, fresh gluten-free pasta with marinara sauce paired with a glass of red wine. You can serve Cabernet Sauvignon or Chianti (see: red wine types chart) because these types of wine will complement perfectly the rich flavor of the sauce.
Other great drink options to serve alongside gluten-free pasta with marinara sauce are gluten-free beer or a glass of rosé for a nice, refreshing feel.
Quinoa Salad with Mixed Vegetables
Quinoa is brings a lot of health benefits to people, and it’s also gluten-free. You can create many delicious salads and other dishes with it, which makes it a great ingredient to use in your restaurant.
If you decide to serve refreshing salads with vegetables and quinoa, you can also offer your customers a glass of iced herbal tea, such as hibiscus or chamomile, to enhance the fresh and light flavors of the salad.
In case they prefer a different drink, you can suggest sparkling water with citrus fruits for a vibrant combination. If the customers are interested in your wine list more than in the non-alcoholic drinks, offer them a nice, cooled glass of rosé.
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Grilled Steak or Tofu and Roasted Potatoes
As part of your gluten-free menu, you should have options for both vegans and people who enjoy meat. Here, we suggest you offer grilled steak or grilled tofu with yummy roasted potatoes with different herbs and spices.
Either food option would go nicely with a glass of full-bodied red wine, such as Malbec or Syrah (see: red wine types). However, if the customer prefers a non-alcoholic gluten-free drink offer them tart cherry juice or a gluten-free dark ale.
Sushi Rolls with Gluten-Free Tamari
Who doesn’t love sushi? There are not many people out there who wouldn’t enjoy a nice, fresh sushi set and that’ why you should have it on your gluten-free menu. There are even amazing vegan options that would pair perfectly with vegan wine and some vegan non-alcoholic drinks.
Some great gluten-free drink options to serve with sushi are sake or a light and crisp Japanese lager. In case the customer would prefer something non-alcoholic, offer water infused with refreshing cucumber or green tea.
Green Salads with Gluten-Free Dressings
Especially during the summer months, restaurant guests enjoy fresh green salads. If you serve some options with gluten-free dressing, that would be great for your customers who can’t have any gluten. Of course, you should have some beverage options for them as well.
White wine, such as Riesling or Pinot Gris (see also: types of white wine), will create a light and aromatic combination with the green salad. The alternatives to wine which you can offer with the salad is iced green tea or a gluten-free cider.
Gluten-Free Pizza with Various Toppings
Pizza is something many people who need to be on a gluten-free diet miss a lot. That’s why it would be great if you can serve some gluten-free pizzas at your restaurant, especially if you are focusing mostly on Italian cuisine. Pizza would be a staple on your gluten-free menu, for sure!
If the base of the pizza is gluten-free, you can add various toppings and achieve finger-licking-good results. To make things even better and ensure customer satisfaction, offer a glass of medium-bodied red wine, such as Merlot or Sangiovese.
As an alternative to wine, you can serve gluten-free beers, a cider, or a glass of iced herbal tea.
Frequently Asked Questions about Building a Gluten-Free Menu
If you are building a gluten-free menu for your restaurant, you probably have some questions. And that’s completely normal! It’s not always easy to move away from the ingredients we know and love to use.
Building a gluten-free menu can be a true challenge but the answers to these questions can offer you the information and support you need.
What Type of Pasta Should I Have on My Gluten-Free Menu?
A naturally gluten-free pasta you can serve in your restaurant is corn pasta. Using corn pasta in your dishes will allow more customers to enjoy them, even those with celiac disease and gluten-intolerance or allergies.
You can also look into sourcing quinoa pasta, chickpea pasta, and brown rice pasta. They will go well with different sauces, and you can experiment a bit to create the best possible pasta dishes for your restaurant.
How to Make Gluten-Free Pizza?
Gluten-free pizza is baked with gluten-free flours mixed with starches. That can be almond flour, rice flour, potato starch, and tapioca starch. There are different recipes you can try and see which works best for the pizza you want to create.
Can I Have a Separate Menu for Gluten-Free Items?
Restaurants can create a separate gluten-free menu. They can also mark gluten-free items in the regular menu they are using. If you don’t want to create a separate menu, make sure everything that doesn’t contain gluten is marked, so people can easily choose what’s suitable for them.