When my older sister (a gluten-consuming individual) began her college search, she based some of her criteria on how accessible a good bagel was from campus. While bagel proximity was not a priority for me, I still managed to find luck in State College!
In this week’s blog post, we will be straying from the usual campus eateries to investigate a downtown dining option. I was referred by a friend to test the gluten-free bagels from Irving’s, located on E College Ave, a quick stroll away from campus. Irving’s is lovely cafe, offering a variety of smoothies, coffees, bagels, and baked goods. I ventured to out to confirm that it wasn’t too good to be true.
Irving’s was off to a strong start with their convenient online ordering. I was able to select my bagel preference, being the gluten-free option. Explicitly stating this in my order was wonderful for peace of mind as a customer with celiac. It was a refreshing change of pace from my prepackaged Udi’s bagel from the dining hall, warmly toasted and very yummy.
However, the website does indicate that bagels are not prepared in a gluten-free facility. This is also concerning relating to their toppings. When the gluten-free customer opts to add cream cheese or butter on their bagel, it is unclear if a shared utensil is being used between regular and gluten-free items. This provides opportunities for significant cross-contamination, with gluten-containing crumbs potentially being found in toasters, on counters, on spreading knives, or in containers of cream cheese. While this is unfortunate and not ideal for celiacs, the transparency is reassuring and positively reflects the deliberate nature of Irving’s as a whole in being aware of dietary restrictions and allergens.
Another disappointment is the lack of flavors for gluten-free bagels. While the regular bagels are offered in cinnamon raisin, blueberry, everything, salt, and so many more, the gluten-free bagel is limited to one flavor: plain.
I was fortunately able to accompany my gluten-free bagel with a delicious smoothie. Gluten-free baked goods tend to be very dry, so this was very refreshing. Their coffees, teas, and regular smoothies are safe for celiacs; however, the ingredients in the protein powder and shakes are yet to be determined. The wraps and sandwiches are also obvious no-gos. Their salad dressings, oatmeal, and breakfast meats are not verified gluten-free. I wish their were more nutritional information on their website to investigate.
If you are a gluten-free eater in the market for a quick breakfast of a bagel and a smoothie, coffee, or tea, Irving’s is your place. Even with some cross-contamination concerns, I had no reaction to my meal. However, the rest of their menu is quite mysterious regarding allergens. Due to these factors, I award Irving’s a 3 star GF rating.
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tmd6040
February 12, 2024 — 5:16 am
I could definitely see there being cross-contamination in a case like this. From personal experience, I know that restaurants do not always follow standard protocols when preparing their foods. They might be supposed to be using separate utensils for standard and gluten-free bagels, but that doesn’t mean they actually are 100% of the time. I do see a common theme among all of your posts that there aren’t enough gluten-free options. While this is unfortunate, it is understandable from a business perspective.