There are only a handful of places in NYC that are legitimately gluten-free. I’m talking pots, pans, separate prep tables, etc. Bistango is one of those places. I found their original restaurant in the Murray Hill area while using my trusty Find Me Gluten Free app. My first couple experiences there were so favorable that I wanted to host my 28th birthday but was turned away because they didn’t think they could accommodate so many people. No hard feelings. Sadly the downside of the place was when management either switched over or they just got too comfortable because the food began to fall off a bit in my opinion.

Well I was clearly in the minority as they opened a second location not too long ago in the Kimberly Hotel on east 50th Street, and man did they come in swinging. Gaudy lobby with a giant circular fish tank, red velvet chairs and couches await you as you then walk past an impressive wine room that was either there before they moved in or was installed once the restaurant was taken over by the Bistango Kimberly crew. I had been there once before when I went with my ex girlfriend and her mother as we tried to find a place on the upper midtown area that wasn’t too far away from their subway train back to Queens.

You’re made to feel right at home as they offer fresh gluten-free bread for the table along with the usual basket of bread for the gluten eaters. Last night they brought out homemade hummus with EVOO which may be odd to some but somehow worked with the small baguette slices. I sadly couldn’t eat it as I also have issues with garlic and lemon juice. My accompaniments, who were in town from San Diego, went all in on the homemade hummus with immediate praise. I ordered the grilled octopus as I tend to do when they have it on the menu at a place I can eat at. It was accompanied by baby arugula and was delicious. The two others got a simple salad to share. Wine list was pretty extensive, but I was shocked that they offered Chopin at the rooftop bar that we waited at for our table to be ready, but not in the restaurant down below that promotes a gluten-free menu. Very odd but I settled for Tito’s which is usually a gluten-free alcohol staple.

For our mains, one got the spaghetti chittara which was fresh pasta in a thick cream sauce that looked similar to a Carbonara sauce.  The other got a bolognese dish. I settled on skipping the pasta dish and got the rib-eye steak accompanied by roasted baby potatoes. Food came out quickly, staff was very accommodating and although the steak looked a lot more like a skirt steak than a rib-eye, it was cooked to perfection and I was able to cut it using only my fork. I devoured that bad boy.

Definitely recommend this location to gluten-free eaters who want to impress, eat well and find a place in an endless sea of possible tourist traps just north of Grand Central Station.