RESTAURANT - The Burger Garage: Queens, NY

Photo from: www.theburgergarage.com

DING DING DING!!! We have a winner!!! I hereby dub The Burger Garage in LIC, Queens the most gluten free friendly burger joint in NYC!

The Burger Garage opened in August 2010 on Jackson Ave, just a few blocks from the G, E, M, and 7 trains. Serving up such delights as burgers, cheeseburgers, hot dogs, and sweet potato fries, this has quickly become my new favorite gluten free fast food restaurant in NYC.

For one, the interior of the restaurant has this great old-fashioned meets modern diner feel. The burgers are fresh, the fries are crispy, and everything is made to order. Come to think of it, it sounds a little like my ultimate favorite burger, In N Out, which we all sadly know does not have an East Coast location.

Now, onto the good stuff. No gluten free burger joint is complete until you evaluate the gluten free bun. I've had my fair share of dry, crumbly, gummy, tasteless gluten free buns in my time.

But these...were....awesome. To give you an idea, Eric and I ordered 1 regular hot dog and 1 gluten free hot dog. When we got them to the table, we had a hard time telling the two apart! I had to go back up and ask the cook to tell us which was which. They looked identical and tasted nearly identical. With the gluten free bun you can taste the rice flour a bit, but this was the only way I could tell the difference. They were soft, chewy, and held up well to the burger and tons of toppings. It was everything you'd want in a bun, and everything you wouldn't expect in a gluten free bun.

Here's a snippet from their website on their gluten free menu items:

Gluten Free Burger & Hot Dog Buns: The Burger Garage restaurant in Long Island City, NY is proud to be one the few fast-casual burger restaurants to offer GLUTEN FREE BUNS for our burgers and dogs. While many restaurants offer a "gluten free burger or hot dog" option it is typically served without a bun or wrapped in lettuce. For those who require (or choose) a gluten-free diet that's no fun.  We want our customers to enjoy our burgers and dogs the way they are meant to be enjoyed - served on soft, delicious buns with a side of crispy fries which we fry in "designated gluten free" fryers. 

All current food and beverage items on our menu are GLUTEN FREE (AS LONG AS YOU ORDER A GLUTEN FREE BUN with burgers and dogs) except for the following items:

GRILLED CHEESE, CHILI, CHILI CHEESE FRIES, FRIED ONION STRINGS, HALF FRIES + HALF FRIED ONION STRINGS, SOY MARINATED JALAPENOS, ALL DESSERTS  & BEER. 

THESE LISTED ITEMS CONTAIN GLUTEN AND SHOULD BE AVOIDED.

IMPORTANT!

For those who have severe reactions to trace amounts of gluten, please note there is a very slight chance of cross contamination on our prep surfaces and caution is advised. 

Is your mouth watering yet? I thought so. Do yourself a favor and take a trip over to Queens. Manhattan is overrated.