The Gluten Free Travel Blog

Work has ended for the day, and libations are to be had. House of Shields is a favorite local drinkhole that is quite honestly the strangest mix of people I’ve ever seen drinking in one spot. A combination of bike messengers, businessmen, and the ocassional catagory “other” wandering in. Symbiosis among social classes, it encompasses all the best of living in San Francisco. The bar is located at the base of 55 Montgomery St. in the financial district. The place packs people in, and isn’t for those who hold their personal space near and dear, but be patient and it clears out soon enough. Obviously the beer is a no-no for the gluten intolerant (except for a few beers made from fermented sorghum – Redbridge for example). Having always been a beer drinker, not a cocktail guy, getting used to the harder stuff was a change. House of Shields uses V8 for their Bloody Mary mix, and I haven’t had any problems (aside from being over salted at the end of the night). My alternative go to drink when I’m not feeling like a sodium overdose, is the vodka 7. Vodka (an easy liquor for most people to tolerate) and 7up (a fantasticly uncaffeinated beverage – nothing to do with gluten, I voluntarily gave up the caffeine) are together a great choice to ween yourself off of the beer. If you are visiting San Francisco, make sure you experience one of the best happy hour bars in the city, just don’t take my seat!