Gluten-free in Central Oregon
Gluten-Free Central Oregon: A Traveler's Guide from RDM
If you eat gluten-free — by choice or because your body insists on it — you already know the particularities of landing somewhere new and hungry. Where's safe? What's actually gluten-free versus "we have a salad"? Do I need to ration the granola bar in my bag?
Central Oregon is one of the easier places we know to settle. Here's how to travel it well, starting the moment you step off the plane.
Flying in: Redmond Airport (RDM) is your gateway
Almost everyone visiting Central Oregon flies into Redmond Municipal Airport (RDM), also called Roberts Field. It's the region's main commercial airport, about two miles from downtown Redmond, with direct flights from cities up and down the West Coast and beyond. It's small, friendly, and quick to get out of — which is wonderful, except that the gluten-free choices behind security are slim.
So the move is simple: pick-up your bags, call your rental car or ride, and make your first real stop a good one.
Your first stop off the plane
We'll be honest about our bias here — this is our blog — but it's also just true: we're about a one-minute drive from the RDM terminal, and we're a dedicated, 100% gluten-free facility. There's no wheat in our kitchen at all — no gluten-free section, no "ask your server," nothing to cross-contaminate. The whole menu is yours, safely.
That means at Good Friend you can walk in, look at the board, and order anything on it. Superseed toast — almond and honey, cinnamon, avocado, whipped ricotta with seasonal fruit. A superseed cookie still warm from the morning bake. A pour-over, an espresso, a matcha. Coffee that's actually good, in a room that wants you to sit down for a minute after a flight.
We're at 1950 SW Badger Ave in Redmond, open Monday through Friday, 7 AM to 2 PM. If your flight lands in that window, come straight over. If it doesn't, read on — there's plenty to plan around.
Stock the car before you drive off
Central Oregon spreads out. Bend is about twenty minutes south, Sisters and Smith Rock a short drive in other directions, Sunriver a bit further. Between trailheads, viewpoints, and long stretches of high desert, you'll be glad you packed real food rather than hoping for a gas-station rescue.
Before you leave Redmond, grab a couple of superseed loaves for the trip — dense, seedy, genuinely filling, and built to travel. They make breakfast in your rental kitchen, a sandwich at a trailhead, or just something to tear into when the afternoon runs long. If you've got a kitchen where you're staying, a few bake-at-home mixes turn into fresh bread in under an hour. A box of cookies never hurt anyone's road trip either.
This is the quiet advantage of leaving from an all-gluten-free bakery: you're not just fed for now, you're provisioned for the week.
Where you're headed
A quick orientation for the gluten-free traveler:
- Bend — the hub, and your best bet for the widest range of dining. More places here understand gluten-free than anywhere else in the region.
- Sisters — small, walkable, charming; worth a slow afternoon.
- Smith Rock State Park — world-class rock climbing and hiking.
- Sunriver / La Pine — quieter, more remote; stock up before you go.
Wherever you land, two habits make gluten-free travel here easy: keep the Find Me Gluten Free app open when you're deciding where to eat, and call ahead when a place looks promising but you're not sure how careful they are. Most Central Oregon kitchens are friendly about it — this is a region that tends to help you out — but you're always your own best advocate.
A few practical notes for celiac and gluten-sensitive travelers
- The high desert is high. Redmond sits around 3,000 feet, Bend higher. Elevation plus dry air plus hiking means you'll want more water and more snacks than you think. Pack accordingly.
- Trailheads have no concessions. Smith Rock, the Cascade Lakes, the trails around Bend — bring your own food. A loaf and some cookies cover a surprising amount of ground.
- Mornings are your friend. Many of the best small spots, ours included, are open early and close mid-afternoon. Plan the sit-down meals for breakfast and lunch.
- Take some home. Anything shelf-stable — mixes especially — travels home in a carry-on just fine.
Come see us on the way through
However your Central Oregon trip shapes up, we hope a slow morning at the bakehouse is part of it — a good cup, warm toast, nothing on the menu you have to worry about. We're a few minutes from the airport and glad to be the first friendly face after baggage claim, or the last loaf before your flight home.
Come sit awhile. We'll have the coffee on.
