Gluten-free Travel: Bamboo Sushi (Portland, Oregon and beyond)
An unforgettable dining experience in Portland for our family has been Bamboo Sushi. The sushi is certainly good, but the Roasted Maitake and the Crispy Brussels Sprouts are the dishes I remember most. That and the ability to sit outside at the Alberta St. location, which for a Texan in the summer is a pure delight.
Their website says “We welcome diners with any dietary restrictions! Even though our kitchens are not strictly vegan, vegetarian, and gluten-free, most of our menu items do not contain gluten, and we have lots of vegetarian options. We always recommend speaking with your server about any food allergies, or dietary restrictions. “
Interestingly, the menu doesn’t list items as “GF”, but does tell you if they contain gluten as noted by a “G”. An “N” would tell you which dishes contained nuts.
As they state, most menu items did not contain gluten. The Wagyu burger and Wagyu slider were the only items I saw on the menu listed with a “G”, but it would be best to ask. Even the tempuras were not listed as containing gluten.
Having been to a few sushi restaurants in my day, I have begun to rate sushi restaurants by how many unique menu items they offer. Bamboo has many interesting options, though I have yet to try all of them. When dining at a sushi restaurant, I tend to get one sushi roll and a salad in order to get my vegetable servings. Bamboo has the most vegetable and salad options I have seen so far and, of course, there are those amazing maitake and Brussels sprouts dishes I mentioned previously.
Bamboo mentions its commitment to seafood sustainability. According to the website, “In 2008, Bamboo Sushi became the world’s first certified sustainable sushi restaurant.” They contribute a portion of sales to environmental nonprofits dedicated to preserving fishing and ecosystems. Perhaps one can consider this dining to be guilt-free as well as gluten-free.
We have tried a few sushi restaurants in Portland, Oregon, but so far Bamboo will be the one I remember most.
UPDATE:
A recent visit to Portland, Oregon for the Rose Festival gave us the chance to visit Bamboo Sushi. The appetizers were as yummy as we remembered. Our eyes were bigger than our stomachs so we ordered the Setto board. The chopped salad that came with it was very good, but by the time we had eaten our favorite Cauliflower Tempura (GF) and Roasted Maitake mushroom, plus the sushi board we were pretty full.
I see on Bamboo’s website that they have restaurants in Seattle, Denver, and the Bay area. https://bamboosushi.com This should give more people a chance to enjoy my favorite!
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