Gluten free in Las Vegas with the kids

We stayed at MGM Signature Towers. I found it to be reasonable compared to other hotel rates, plus all rooms were suites. Each suite had a microwave, refrigerator. One bedroom suites have an oven and a stove, if you’re up for cooking. All appliances were top notch, like brand new. Bosch dishwashers, Miele oven and stove, and sub zero refrigerator. We bought some breakfast stuff at CVS down the street. The whole place seemed like brand new, and was very clean. We stayed in Tower 2 on the 21st floor. The view was spectacular. There is no casino at the Towers, so it was very quiet and non smoky. There is a covered walkway going from Towers to MGM Grand, which was very close. There was a small Delights Cafe in Tower 2, but it didn’t have any gluten free options, except for omelett. MGM had a fast food court, but nothing with gluten free options. There were several upscale restaurants there, but we didn’t visit those.

We walked from the Towers up and down the Strip. My kids, ages 7 and 11 loved walking through the hotels and exploring and never complained about walking. We found a shortcut through Harmon Ave that will bring you almost in front of Aria hotel. Bellagio is next to Aria.

I bought tickets to see the magician and comedian – Mac King at Harrahs Hotel. He had very good reviews on Trip Advisor. I bought tickets online while planning the trip, although I heard some people saying that tickets were cheaper buying directly before the show at the box office.  Before the show we stopped at Chipotle for lunch, which is next door to Harrahs. I was surprised to see Calories on the menu at Chipotle in Las Vegas. Never saw that in Florida. Also they had a Patron Margarita on the menu, unlike in FL.

Mac King was very entertaining. He had a lot of audience participation and was  appropriate for younger audiences.  You never know in Vegas. My kids loved it especially when he called their Dad on stage to help him with his tricks. I highly recommend the show.

After the show we explored more hotels, stopped at Mirage for Siegfied and Roys Secret Garden.  It was $80 for the 4 of us, but it didnt take long to explore it. They had Dolphins, lions, tigers and leopards.  I guess we are spoiled by Theme Parks in Orlando, which have a lot more animals and fish.

For dinner we ended up at the Wynn. I read through reviews that out of all hotels Wynn lists food allergies on all their menus. We went to eat at Allegro Cafe.

They had Gluten Free menu but no kids menu. Not many restaurants in Vegas have kids menus. We ended getting half of adult order of just plain pasta for my picky 7 year old. My daughter who is 11 and I, both eat Gluten Free. We shared Gluten Free pasta from quinoa and sauteed shrimp with garden salad,  with Gluten Free bread with dipping sauce.

The waitress kind of freaked me out. Due to our Celiac Disease we have to be very careful with crosscontamination. While ordering, I made sure they cook gluten free pasta separate, and she said that it’s cooked in the same WATER!!!  So I called the manager, and he assured that it’s prepared separately, and I shouldn’t worry. At the end they prepared the food exactly how I wanted and it tasted good, and no one got sick. The restaurant is located close to the casino, so I could smell the smoke a little, but the kids were hungry and needed a break, and it was very crowded everywhere.

We booked a helicopter ride to the Grand Canyon with Maverick Helicopters. They picked us up in the morning in the hotel, and we took the helicopter ride from their station. The whole thing took about 2.5 hours. After we boarded the helicopter, it was a 30 min ride there, 30-40 min on the ground after it landed in the canyon, and 30 min ride back. First time for all of us in the helicopter. We absolutely loved it. The view was breathtaking. The pilot pointed out Hoover Dam, and told us brief history.  We could easily communicate with headsets during the whole trip. They also served champagne, juice, water and some glutinous pastries while at the Grand Canyon.

After the flight we asked them to drop us off at Mandalay Bay hotel. At first we thought to see the Shark Exhibit, but then just decided to keep exploring hotels. The kids were hungry and we ended up at the Raffles Cafe at Mandalay Bay. That place was  HUGE!  The service was very very slow. We spent a long time for lunch. It was also very overpriced. The waitress seemed frazzled, and told us she was counting the minutes till she gets off her shift. My Apple garden salad without pecans and substitute dressing and added grilled chicken was $26.  It wasn’t that big, or even that good. My daughter had an omelett with hash browns and no toast. My little one had French toast.

I would recommend against going to Cafes at these giant hotels. They are all huge, overpriced, and with slow service.

We had dinner at Mon Abi Gabi that evening at the Paris hotel. That was my favorite. The restaurant has a very nice Gluten Free menu with Udis warm Gluten Free bread. The servers are knowledgeable about Gluten. I made a reservation on Open Table app, which I highly recommend. That place was very busy.

We were lucky to get a table on the patio overlooking the fountains of Bellagio hotel.

The view was spectacular. They had heaters on the patio. It was in the low 50s outside and heaters made it very comfortable.

I had Salmon with quinoa and wild rice no barley with orange sauce, salad. It was delicious. My  11 year old had grilled chicken with vegetables. They also have a Kids menu for $4.99!

Gluten free dishes came out with special sticks that said Allergy.Very smart, so there is no confusion.

They also had a flourless chocolate cake a gluten free chocolate mousse, and  sorbet.

My 11 year old wanted to go back to Aria hotel. It was one of her favorite. It’s very modern, and didn’t feel as smoky inside. We ended up eating at the Aria Cafe. The server was knowledgeable about gluten, and it wasn’t stressful ordering. They didnt have kids menu though. We ended up ordering a half order for my 7 year old, and my 11 year old and I, both had omelettes without toast with hashbrowns.

The Food was good, but cafe was very crowded and service was slow.

For dinner we went to PF Changs, which was located at Planet Hollywood. I made reservations online. It was very crowded. After dinner, there were enough left overs that I took with us for the plane ride home next day. This way I didn’t have to worry about finding gluten free meals at the airport.

After dinner we went across the street to Bellagio Hotel to see O show by Cirque Du Soleil. It was amazing. The kids absolutely loved it.

It was a great trip. The kids did get a few laughs from seeing “Hot Babes” signs on ads on the streets, but it’s Vegas after all.

You definitely need comfortable shoes to walk the strip. We took taxi a few times, but the main road was congested, that it almost took as long taking a taxi as walking.

I was surprised though that in Las Vegas with such an abundance of restaurants and tourists, Gluten Free diet still needs a lot of work. It would be nice if the Cafes at these big hotels went through their menus and marked gluten free options, as well as educated their servers.