Finding Friendly Food

We’re in Bend for a funeral in the end of June 2024 and we have a few meals to cover while we’re here. We’re only in town for less than two days but we find so many great sounding options for food and drink. We wish there was time to sample more. 

Let’s start with what I’d consider the greatest gluten-free and dairy-free pizza I’ve ever eaten. I’m not kidding. We are actually thinking about looking for burgers at a brew pub, but as we walk by Pizza Mondo we look at each other and say let’s go inside just to see if they have pizza for me. We’re in for a treat. Whatever vegan cheese they use is the most melty amazing stuff. I even burn the roof of my mouth for the first time in over 20 years. I choose pepperoni as my topping and it is delish. It would be good with veggies too, but I’m craving the standard. Their gluten-free pizza only comes in one size and it’s pretty big. And kind of pricey. But it’s worth it. A few other guests from the funeral have joined us and since we both ordered full-sized pizzas, my boyfriend went with a veggie with regular person cheese and crust, we offer to share. The others kind of turn up their noses at the gluten-free, dairy-free pizza but I convince a few of them to try it and they like it so much they come back for more. I hear the regular pizza is good too. 

We are just here for two nights. After dinner the first night, my boyfriend and I take a walk along the beautiful Mirror Pond. It’s a perfectly lovely evening and the sun is just about to set. It’s a Wednesday evening and we hear music coming from somewhere next to the pond. We stumble upon Bend Brewing Co. It’s hopping. We’re not used to this on a weeknight, but it is the summer and we’re in a fun town that lots of people like to visit. We go to the bar and order two beers (not gluten free but I’m pretty sure they have at least a cider option if not a gluten-free beer) and take them to a table overlooking the pond. The beer is really good and so is the vibe. After our pizza night at Pizza Mondo, we walk around some more and then decide we liked this place so much we want to go have another beer here. And so we do. We don’t eat any food, but I check out the menu and see that they do have allergens listed and have a couple options that I could eat if I want to. 

We get to eat at just two other restaurants on this trip. One is quite meh, Laughing Planet. Their menu is very friendly for those of us with food allergies and intolerances, but sadly, the food isn’t very good when we visit. Maybe it’s just a bad night. 

The other restaurant, Spork, though, is quite delish. We try to go here on our first night in town, but the line is out the door and our dining companions don’t want to wait. I get to try again for lunch the next day with my brother and his family. The menu is interesting and things that are gluten free and/or vegan are clearly marked. And there are lots of choices. I opt for the vegan Peanut Tomato Curry. 

This trip to Bend is too short, but we like it so much we will be back and who knows, maybe we’ll end up coming up here to live for a year or two.