Gluten-Free Eating in Savannah: Ask the Kitchen

Gluten-free eating in Savannah comes down to asking the right questions at Southern coastal tables, where breading, roux and shared fryers are the usual hiding places. Savannah is a tourist city, with about 14.8 million visitors in 2019 by Wikipedia's count, so many kitchens hear the question often. Here are words to use and a way to keep notes.

No dish is safe by default, so ask the kitchen every time and follow your own medical advice.

How do you manage gluten-free eating in Savannah?

Start with the dish, not the label. Savannah's table leans on seafood, rice, grits, vegetables and pork, much of which has no wheat in it by nature. The risk comes from what is added: flour for dredging, breadcrumbs, beer batter, a roux that thickens a stew and sauces made with soy or wheat.

Tell the server at the start that you need to avoid gluten and say whether it is a preference or a medical need. A medical need deserves a conversation with the kitchen, not just the server. Ask who in the kitchen can answer detailed questions and wait for the answer. If the server is unsure, ask them to speak with the cook, and be ready to thank them for the effort. A short, calm exchange at the start of the meal saves a longer problem at the end of it.

The city's visitor traffic helps. Kitchens that serve many travelers are often used to dietary questions, but it is still your job to ask, and an unsure answer is a reason to choose another dish.

Which Savannah dishes need the most questions?

Fried seafood is the first. Fried shrimp, oysters, fish and crab cakes are usually dredged in flour or cornmeal mixes that may include wheat, and they often share a fryer with other breaded items. Hush puppies and fried chicken raise the same question.

Gumbo and other stews are the second. Many are thickened with a roux made from flour. A Savannah cook quoted in a local feature describes her gumbo as reddish brown because of tomatoes and tomato paste, which says something about the pot but not whether flour thickens it. Ask.

Sauces and gravies are the third: cocktail sauce, remoulade, barbecue sauce and pan gravies may contain wheat or soy sauce. Ask which sauces are made in house and what goes in them.

Is shrimp and grits gluten-free?

The base ingredients, shrimp and grits made from ground corn, do not contain wheat. The question is what else is in the pot. Some versions use a roux or flour in the sauce, and some cooks use stock or seasoning blends with wheat. Grits may also be cooked in a shared pot or finished with a thickener, and some kitchens stir in a seasoning blend that you cannot see. None of this is cause for alarm, only for a clear question and an honest answer from the person who cooked it.

Corn is naturally free of gluten, but cross-contact can happen in the milling, the pot or the spoon. Ask the kitchen how the grits and the sauce are made, and whether the cook can use a clean pan. Treat the answer as information.

What is cross-contact, and what do you ask about it?

Cross-contact means gluten reaches a food that has none, through a shared fryer, grill, pan, water, utensil or cutting board. A food with no gluten ingredients can still pick it up this way.

Good questions: is there a separate fryer for gluten-free items, are grills cleaned before use, and can the cook change gloves and use a clean pan? If the kitchen cannot give a clear answer, choose a dish that does not rely on shared surfaces, such as a simple grilled fish with vegetables, or eat elsewhere.

What naturally gluten-free choices do Savannah menus include?

Grilled or steamed fish and shellfish, rice dishes, vegetables, salads, grits and many pork dishes may fit, depending on how they are made. Rice features strongly on the coast; the red rice guide explains a Gullah Geechee side dish, and the questions about meat and seasoning apply there too.

Dessert needs the same care: pralines and pecan sweets can be made without flour, but cakes, pies and cookies use it. Ask what is in each, and ask whether the dessert was made in the same kitchen as the breaded items.

How do you keep gluten-free notes with Mosey?

After you eat, open the Mosey app and rate the dish. Write what you asked and what the kitchen told you, such as separate fryer confirmed, or sauce contains flour, and add a tag that fits. Photograph the menu line if it helps.

Keep a list called Savannah gluten-free questions and invite a friend by link to add theirs. Follow friends who share your needs to see what they rated and saved. The ratings page explains rating by the dish. Tags show what the person who rated chose, so confirm every detail with the place.

Mosey also supports local places: listing is free, the tools are affordable and the place pays no hidden fees.

Where else can you read about Savannah?

Related reading: the shrimp season guide, the finding good food guide and the seafood guide. See the Savannah page, the Georgia page and the US food guides.

Before you order dinner, get the Mosey app, add the questions you asked to your rating and start a list to share.