Gluten-free food at Flume Restaurante & Bar in Arcos de Valdevez
We test restaurants in and around Arcos de Valdevez for gluten-free food, from our own experience with celiac disease.
Dining with a stunning view
Last Sunday, we went out to dinner to test how gluten-free food is there.
The restaurant is located on the Rio de Vez River, with a terrace and views over the water. Not a big place, just a bit smaller. That often feels a bit more personal.
The service was friendly and took the time to think with us. That's always the first check for us: is it taken seriously?
Gluten-free eating: clear, but with limitations
Gluten-free eating could be done well there, but with restrictions.
For example, there is a shared fryer, so the fries were already off.
What was there was just good.
Appetizers and main course
We started with three appetizers. Grilled peppers with coarse sea salt, slightly spicy but certainly not heavy. A stuffed mushroom with cheese and vegetables from the grill, really good. And scampi, normally served with bread, but they left that out for us.
And honestly: we didn't miss that bread one bit.
Then we got two nice pieces of meat, with rice instead of potatoes. The rice was well flavored and it came with a fresh salad. Simple, but just well done.
Suitable for children
For small children, though, the choice is limited.
There is no gluten-free pasta or pizza available. So they have to kind of eat along with what's on the menu, like a piece of meat with rice. That doesn't work for every child.
Dessert: few options
There was an OLA card, which you find everywhere in Portugal and for children is a great alternative.
In fact, the desserts from the menu itself were all inappropriate. Almost everything had something like crumble or a similar component and they could not make it gluten-free.
Our conclusion
All in all, we had a great meal there.
Not a place with endless choice, but a place where, if you tune in, you can eat safely and deliciously.