Colorado’s affinity for dietary options was recognized in the USA TODAY 10BEST Readers’ Choice Awards.
Two restaurants with Colorado locations, a brewery and a cidery were all recognized among the nation’s best for their gluten-free offerings.
Via 313 Pizza, which has two Colorado locations, was recognized as the nation’s best spot for gluten-free pizza. Just Be Kitchen ranked No. 2 among the best restaurants for gluten-free dining.
On the beverage side, Holidaily Brewing had two of the 10 best gluten-free beers, while Waldschänke Ciders + Coffee was recognized as one of the best cideries.
“Once upon a time, eliminating gluten from your diet meant severe restrictions on what you could eat, with things like pizza, pasta, beer, and sweets all but off the table,” 10BEST wrote.
“Today, thanks to a growing understanding of what it means to be gluten-free and a new wave of gluten-free menus and products, these restrictions are a thing of the past.”
Here’s what readers love about the bites and sips in Colorado:
Via 313 ranked No. 1 spot for gluten-free pizza
Via 313 Pizza is a fast-growing Texas-based chain, with its only outlets outside of the Lone Star State and Utah found in Littleton and Centennial. The restaurant specializes in Detroit-style, a soft, rectangular deep-dish take on Sicilian pizza, with gluten-free crusts (and dairy-free cheese) available on all its Detroit-style pizzas.
There are more than a dozen topping combinations available for Via 313’s gluten-free pizzas as well as gluten-free cinnamon sticks.
Just Be Kitchen ranked No. 2 for restaurants with gluten-free dining
Just Be Kitchen was founded in 2017 in Denver’s LoHi neighborhood and has a second location in Boulder. The menu of all-day breakfast, burgers, wraps and more is “free of gluten, grains, refined sugars, dairy, soy, corn, peanuts, legumes, and seed oils,” 10BEST wrote.
“In fact, they’re the first restaurant in the country to be officially certified seed-oil free by the Seed Oil Free Alliance,” 10BEST added.
Holidaily Brewing has two of the top 10 gluten-free beers
Holidaily Brewing in Golden landed a pair of beers on 10BEST’s list of gluten-free beers.
Favorite Blonde, which gets its name from a nickname owner Karen Hertz got from her grandfather, ranked No. 3 on the list. It has “a blend of hops with a light bitterness and some malty sweetness,” according to 10BEST.
BuckWit Belgian, a Wit-style beer, ranked No. 8. The seasonal beer “has an invigorating aroma and refreshing flavor with coriander and orange peel,” 10BEST wrote.
Waldschänke Ciders + Coffee ranked 10th among cideries
Waldschänke in Denver calls itself a Swiss-inspired cidery, with more than 15 varieties you can try in the tap room. Its unique ciders include “the sultry Dark Cherry Bomb, coffee-infused Mad Lion, sweet Purple Rain, and their flagship Base Kämp,” 10BEST wrote.
How are USA TODAY 10BEST Readers’ Choice Awards decided?
USA TODAY 10BEST says a panel of experts nominated gluten-free food and drink options in each award category, with the final nominees selected via editorial review by its editors. Once the nominees in an award category were announced, the public had four weeks to vote online for their favorites. People could vote for one nominee in each category each calendar day.
Nate Trela covers trending news in Colorado and Utah for the USA TODAY Network.
This article originally appeared on Fort Collins Coloradoan: Does Colorado have some of the best gluten-free spots? 10Best says yes