Hello All! Welcome to my Gluten-Free Guide to Cape Canaveral! I stayed here in Cape Canaveral as I got ready to sail off on the Celiac Cruise to the Bahamas. You can read all about the Celiac Cruise by reading my guide on it by clicking here!
Before we left Jersey I looked up Cape Canaveral on Find Me Gluten Free (FMGF) and I was WORRIED. There were only a few restaurants listed on FMGF. Most of the restaurants listed there had a low safety rating or were very pricey.
That’s not what I was looking for at all!!!
Fortunately, we found TWO different places that weren’t on Find Me Gluten Free that were both celiac friendly, in the same exact shopping plaza, AND in the same plaza as a grocery store.
Now let’s get to my full guide!
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Where to Stay:
The place I am recommending to stay is NOT where we stayed. However, if we are ever back in Cape Canaveral this hotel will be where we stay and I’ll share why below…
I didn’t stay here so I can’t attest to the quality of the hotel or if the breakfast has any gluten-free friendly options. However, the CONVENIENCE of this hotel will be why we stay there next.
Why Stay at the Holiday Inn Express?
Holiday Inn Express is located right next to this great shopping plaza which has 2 gluten-friendly restaurants, a grocery store, and even a celiac-friendly Catholic Church!
Because we stayed at a hotel closer to the water we needed to take 3 different Ubers to get to dinner, back from dinner, and to church. That cost us about $35.
Not the worst, but if we stayed at Holiday Inn we could have walked everywhere!
Gluten-Friendly Restaurants in Cape Canaveral
Here are the two places we ate while staying in Cape Canaveral. Both restaurants were technically in Cocoa Beach but that’s only a 5-minute Uber from Cape Canaveral if you don’t stay at the Holiday Inn I recommended.
Jersey Mike’s (Always a Safe Bet for Celiacs!)
If you didn’t know Jersey Mike is one of the safest fast food choices for celiacs.
How???
A franchiser of Jersey Mike’s has a daughter with celiac disease. Because of her, Jersey Mike’s started rolling out gluten-free at some stores and then brought it to all of their stores! Jersey Mike now trains their employees to take being gluten-free very seriously!
This is what their website has to say about their protocol:
“Jersey Mike’s team members wear new gloves when handling the rolls and use knives and other utensils that haven’t touched other bread products when slicing the gluten-free rolls. They also prepare gluten-free subs on parchment paper to avoid contact with gluten.”
JerseyMikes.com
When you go to order say you need a “Gluten-free sub because of a gluten allergy.” Not all team member knows what celiac disease is but they all know what to do when you say “gluten allergy”!
Jersey Mike’s Employees will immediately
- Put on new gloves
- Bring out a completely separate knife and cutting board
- A gluten-free sub roll in sealed packaging
- Cover the shared surface with new parchment paper
- Get to work!
I have eaten at 5 different Jersey Mike’s locations (both in and out of New Jersey!) and EVERY time the team members are so kind and caring about accommodating for me. I’ll say “Thank you” over and over and they respond “Of course!!” “It’s not a problem at all!” “I understand!”
I legit teared up in Jersey’s Mikes one time about 3 months after I was diagnosed because I appreciated the team member’s care and kindness.
We chatted while he made my sub and said he didn’t know exactly what celiac disease was. I explained it to him and he was so attentive and sympathetic.
I appreciated it SO much after just being diagnosed.
The Cocoa Beach location was no different! The 3 team members were on top of the gluten-free safety protocols and were so kind while making the sub.
All Jersey Mike’s subs are made on Udi’s Gluten Free Sub Rolls.
Shoutout to Udi’s for making gluten-free sub rolls for us and Jersey’s Mike’s for having the option!
BUT, like most gluten-free bread, the crust is basically edible cardboard LOL.
I got my usual Gluten Free Italian Sub, Mike’s Way, with EXTRA juice. The extra juice helps the dryness of the gluten-free bread. However, I usually end up peeling off most of the crust anyway.
Either way, I absolutely love Jersey’s Mike’s and I was grateful to have this option outside of Jersey in Cape Canaveral!
Flavors of India
Flavors of India is SUCH a hidden gem that my husband found.
We love Indian food! Especially because most Indian dishes are naturally gluten-free. Other than naan and fried dishes Indian food is usually a safe bet!
I was skeptical of trying Flavors of India because they are NOT on Find Me Gluten Free. But there were a ton of reviews on Google that mentioned “gluten-free” and a few that even mentioned “celiac disease!” So we gave it a shot!
There was no wait when we got there at 6:30 on a Saturday but by 7:00 there was a wait. They do not take reservations.
Our server, Alka, was without a doubt one of the kindest and hardest working servers I have had the pleasure of having!
He didn’t know what “gluten” was but I explained to him I had a “flour allergy” and he understood. He then told me which dishes didn’t have flour. The only dish that we wanted that I couldn’t eat was the Chicken 65 appetizer. The Chicken 65 has gluten in it!
These dishes were gluten safe!
- Chicken Kadai
- Butter Chicken (Chicken Makhani)
- Chicken Hariyali
- Vegetable Vindaloo
- Mango Chutney
Yes, we ate all of that, haha!
- Vegetable Vindaloo
Alka warned us that the Vindaloo was spicy. Boy, was he right!
I am a medium-spice person. I love a little kick that doesn’t set my mouth on fire. The Vindaloo set my entire head on fire haha. I do NOT recommend the Vindaloo unless you’re one of those people who likes to snack on Habanero Peppers for fun.
My husband liked it but was dying a bit at the level of spice. Fortunately, he got the Chicken Hariyali which came with a side of Makhani sauce. Those two complimented and cooled the heat of the Vindaloo very well.
- Chicken Hariyali
This dish is a great grilled chicken dish. The Hariyali is a mint rub/sauce that the chicken is grilled in. It’s a very mild dish. It is served with a little bit of salad, basmati rice, and a side of Makhani sauce.
It was a fantastic compliment to the Vegetable Vindaloo. The mint on the chicken helped cool the heat of the vindaloo. You could also use the side of Makhani sauce to help drown out the heat!
In my opinion, I find tandoori or grilled dishes make a solid side dish not as a main dish. You’re missing out on all the amazing flavors of the dishes served in a sauce!
- Butter Chicken (Chicken Makhani)
I loved the side of Makhani sauce that came with the CHicken Hariyali so much that I asked for a to-go order of Chicken Makhani (also known as Butter Chicken).
This was one of the BEST versions of Butter Chicken I have eaten! I ordered it mild to be safe after the vindaloo. There was absolutely no spice in the mild. If you hate spice this is a perfect option for you!
- Chicken Kadai
This isn’t my favorite Indian dish but I was craving it! It is a heavy dish with peppers and onions. The medium had a bit of spice but was not overpowering at all.
- Mango Chutney
This was my first time ordering this dish and WOW was it tangy! It was definitely not what I expected but I understand why people like it. To me, it was more of a dessert rather than an appetizer. It was almost like eating a spicy and tangy fruit pie filling. I couldn’t finish it because it was so tangy but it did save me from the heat of the Vindaloo.
We took our extra food and our leftovers to go because our hotel had a fridge and a microwave and I knew we had a long day tomorrow at the Kennedy Space Center!
This was a lifesaver! We were so tired after a full day of walking around, learning a ton, and being in the sun. So it was great having the food in our room to pop in the microwave when we got back!
Overall I give Flavors of India
Celiac Friendly Catholic Church
I do go to church every Sunday! My faith is a huge part of my life and I am so grateful to be able to see so many different churches around the world as I travel.
My husband was searching for a church for us to go to when he saw this on Our Savior Parish Website…
This was the FIRST time in 2 years of being celiac that I found a celiac-friendly church. I felt so loved and seen!
(Our Savior Parish is located within a 5-10 minute walk from the Holiday Inn Express I recommended!)
As the awkward person that I am, I was a little worried about going to church on Sunday because I had no clue how getting communion as a celiac worked.
I approached one of the men greeting people and told him “I am celiac and I heard you had gluten-free hosts!” But he had no idea what I was talking about haha, but he directed me to the deacon for help. The deacon said he would check for me!
The deacon then told me that they did have celiac hosts and he would distribute communion on my side of the church to make sure I got the gluten-free host.
Half of my awkwardness was over!
I had no idea if they would think to keep the gluten-free host separate from the regular hosts or if would I get slightly glutened because it would be tossed in with the regular hosts.
But they knew what they were doing to keep celiacs safe!!
When I approached the Deacon for Communion he pulled out a tiny Pyx (a separate container!) which contained only the gluten-free host.
He even knew not to hand it to me because he was touching the regular communion!!
I went back to my seat and cried.
It was the first time in months I received Communion and I was so appreciative for the precautions and care Our Savior Roman Catholic Church took for me to be able to receive Communion!
(I’ll write a full Celiac’s Guide to Communion soon! But spoiler, you can buy your own hosts (Amazon even has them!) and bring them to Mass and ask the Priest to consecrate it during communion).
Overall Rating for Celiacs in Cape Canaveral
OK.
Good for 1-2 day trip while waiting for your cruise. If you need more options you will have to travel to places 5-15 minutes away
(Alternative Suggestion – Orlando)