The Official Guide to Eating Gluten-Free at USC
By Paul Samaha ‘17
Yes, being on a gluten-free diet can suck at times. I personally was diagnosed with Celiac Disease about four years ago, and haven’t intentionally had gluten since. There are a vast number of reasons why some people don’t eat gluten (Celiac Disease, allergy, intolerance, preference, etc). But the good news is that being gluten-free at USC is not only possible, but it’s actually quite simple. I know that there will be a good amount of incoming freshmen in the fall that had the same questions I had when I entered USC… “what are my gluten-free food options on campus?” Well, thankfully, there are a lot of convenient options for us glutinos at ‘SC; no one even realizes my diet is different from theirs. To help you find your meals on campus, I have sufficiently compiled this guide for you!
1. Dining Halls
Since I began my Trojan dining hall experience in 2013, USC has always been very aware of those with GF (gluten-free) diet restrictions. At all three dining halls–EVK, Café 84 and Parkside–each food item has a respective menu card with allergen info in front of each dish. This comes in handy as all one has to do is peek the card above the dish and look for the wheat symbol. More specifically, Café 84 and Parkside will certainly become your friends as they cater to the gluten-free crowd very well.
Café 84 has GF chex cereal, Udi’s GF bread (perfect for the panini bar), Udi’s GF muffins and GF cookies. I lived right next to Café 84 last year in Webb Tower, and it was so nice to always have an on-the-go gluten-free option! Parkside goes the extra mile by providing a separate food bar called the “Gluten Awareness Station” for those on a gluten-free diet. The bar area always contains lunch and dinner dishes sans gluten, such as beef fried rice or sweet potato chicken curry. The bar also contains GF bagels and bread. Although EVK is the one dining hall that doesn’t specifically cater to GF diets, it isn’t too hard to find a balanced meal there by simply reading the allergen info cards above each dish and taking advantage of their outside grill.
2. Campus Center
Finding gluten-free options at the campus center is pretty easy. Basically, just avoid Panda Express and you’ll always have some delicious GF options wherever you go. Seeds Marketplace is the most GF friendly as their mini-market area has GF products like pretzels and cookies, their sandwich bar has GF bread and almost all of the rotisserie area is GF as well as the salad bar. Lemonade is very GF friendly as well. Although it tends to weigh in on the pricier side, properly marked allergen cards and a wide variety of dishes to choose from (veggies, meats, fish, salads and of course, lemonades) make Lemonade a fast and healthy option for those on a GF diet. If you’re lacking protein, The Habit Burger Grill will make any of their delicious burger variations on a perfectly put together lettuce wrap. My personal favorite is the Santa Barbara Style lettuce wrap, which is a cheeseburger with avocado and grilled onions. Yum! Verde is similar to chipotle, offering GF corn tortilla tacos and burrito bowls with your meat/veggies of choice. Lastly, California Pizza Kitchen offers a tasty BBQ chicken salad that I would recommend, although they sadly don’t offer any GF pizza options.
3. Nearby/Alternative Options
Close by to campus center, Nektar Juice Bar located in the Roski School of Art and Design offers a ton of healthy options that are all gluten-free. If you’re looking for fresh pressed juice, a smoothie or my personal favorite, an açaí bowl, then Nektar is your go-to spot. Just right across the street from campus on Figueroa St., you can get a gluten-free pizza at Pizza Studio or a burger on a gluten-free bun at Built Custom Burgers. To stock up on groceries, I would recommend Fresh & Easy, a market just steps away on Jefferson Blvd. Fresh & Easy has a gluten-free aisle with staple items like GF pastas, breads, cookies, flours and more. Outside of the direct USC campus area, there are plenty of delicious restaurants a mile or two away in Downtown LA that are very accommodating to gluten-free diets. Thankfully, the City of Angels is a city that prioritizes health and accommodates other’s diets very well. A quick gluten-free Yelp search can help you find your next dinner date location in DTLA. Now, get out there and eat every single thing that your gluten-free heart desires!
