Bistango

413 Third Avenue

(between 29th and 30th Streets)

Best gluten-free restaurant in New York City. Great place to take friends who can’t or don’t want to eat gluten.

Bistango has several locations in Manhattan, but the one to go to is the one on Third Avenue. The restaurant is cozy and relaxing and the service is excellent.

An out-of-town friend, who can’t eat gluten, insists on coming here at least once for dinner during her once-a-year business visit. She is always in awe that they offer gluten-free bread.

We started off with the Calamari Bistango (sautéed calamari and tomato sauce).  Light and chewy goodness!

My friend ordered the Wild Mushroom and Ricotta Ravioli with pesto sauce. She always orders a ravioli entrée. She was a bit disappointed this time, though, as she felt the dish had too much pesto sauce on it.

 

I ordered the Risotto Primavera, Burrata, and Lite Pesto. LOVED the burrata, but like my friend, I did feel they went a bit overboard with the pesto.

For dessert, we had the Torta Di Carota—carrot cake with buttermilk crème frosting. Simply delicious! Unbelievably moist and light. Could have had two of them and still want more!

 

To accompany the entire meal, we ordered a bottle of the Primitivo—a wonderful full-body red with a very smooth finish. Whenever I see the Primitivo on the wine list, I go out of my way to order it, as it never has disappointed!
 

Pros:

A must-go-to if you are looking for a gluten-free meal.

Good service.

Great carrot cake.

Cons:

Too must pesto on dishes.

Final Thoughts

Will return next year!