At The Salted Fry, gluten-free doesn’t mean a separate menu or a handful of substitutions. The entire restaurant is built around it — from Belgian-style fries and sandwiches to smash burgers, beer and dessert.

For anyone who has ever had to search a restaurant menu for the tiny “GF” symbol, The Salted Fry offers a very different experience.

There isn’t a special gluten-free section.

There doesn’t need to be one.

The entire restaurant is 100% gluten-free.

Located at 112 W. Third Avenue in downtown Mount Dora, The Salted Fry was created around what it calls “fun food without the gluten worry,” giving diners with Celiac disease or gluten sensitivities the freedom to order from across the menu rather than choosing from a limited handful of options.

And while that makes it an especially noteworthy stop for gluten-free travelers, you certainly don’t have to follow a gluten-free diet to understand the appeal.

It starts with the fries.

Mount Dora’s Take on a European Frite Shop

The Salted Fry describes its concept as bringing the European “frite shop” to Mount Dora.

At the center of it all are pommes frites — hand-cut, Belgian-style fries cooked until crispy on the outside and soft in the middle.

You can keep things simple.

Or you can very quickly stop keeping things simple.

The restaurant’s loaded fry creations include favorites like Truffle Fries, Pizza Fries and Poutine, layering its hand-cut fries with toppings and sauces that turn an order of fries into considerably more than a side dish.

Then come the dipping sauces.

The Salted Fry makes a variety of sauces in-house, giving you plenty of reasons to order a few and start sampling.

So yes, technically you came for french fries.

They just happen to come with considerably more decisions than expected.

And It Isn’t Just Fries

The menu expands well beyond the fryer.

The Salted Fry serves specialty smash burgers, cheesesteaks, both cold and hot sandwiches on gluten-free breads, and even gluten-free chicken fingers. Fresh ingredients and plenty of comfort-food favorites turn the restaurant into a full lunch or dinner stop rather than somewhere you visit only for a snack.

That variety is part of what makes the concept work.

This isn’t a menu built around reminding you what has been removed from your food.

It is the kind of food people already want to eat — burgers, cheesesteaks, sandwiches, chicken fingers and a whole lot of fries — that simply happens to be gluten-free.

And that means you don’t need to follow a gluten-free diet to find plenty of reasons to stop in.

Even the Drinks Get the Gluten-Free Treatment

The commitment carries into the drink menu, too.

Alongside teas, spring water and Boylan craft sodas, The Salted Fry serves gluten-free beers, ciders, wine and refreshing wine slushies.

That means someone specifically seeking a gluten-free restaurant isn’t limited to finding one entrée that works and calling it a day.

The idea stretches across the experience.

Fries.

Burgers.

Sandwiches.

Chicken fingers.

Beer and cider.

And dessert.

All without having to navigate a separate gluten-free menu.

Why That Matters When You’re Traveling

Finding somewhere to eat is usually one of the easiest parts of planning a day in Mount Dora.

Unless someone in your group has a dietary restriction.

Then the questions begin.

Does the restaurant have gluten-free options? Are there enough choices to make the stop worthwhile? Will everyone else in the group find something they want?

A restaurant where the entire concept is gluten-free changes that equation.

For visitors with Celiac disease or gluten sensitivities, The Salted Fry was specifically designed to take much of the menu searching out of dining out. For everyone else at the table, there are still smash burgers, cheesesteaks, sandwiches, loaded fries and plenty more to choose from.

That makes it particularly handy for mixed groups.

Nobody has to be the person whose dietary needs determine where everyone else reluctantly agrees to eat.

You can just go get lunch.

Make It Part of a Downtown Mount Dora Day

The Salted Fry sits at 112 W. Third Avenue, putting it within easy walking distance of downtown Mount Dora’s shops, galleries, parks and lakefront.

Grab lunch and keep exploring downtown.

Stop in for loaded fries between shops.

Or take your order to go and find a spot outside to enjoy it while exploring Mount Dora.

For someone searching for a gluten-free restaurant before visiting town, it may already sound like an obvious stop.

For everyone else?

Start with the fries.

You probably won’t spend much time thinking about the fact that they’re gluten-free.

And that may be the whole point.

Plan Your Visit

The Salted Fry is located at 112 W. Third Avenue in downtown Mount Dora.

The restaurant is 100% gluten-free and serves Belgian-style pommes frites, loaded fries, specialty smash burgers, cheesesteaks, hot and cold sandwiches, gluten-free chicken fingers, house-made sauces, gluten-free beers and ciders, wine, wine slushies and more.

Check The Salted Fry’s website for current hours, the latest menu and ordering information before your visit.

Meet Me in Mount Dora is a recurring visitor series featuring memorable ways to eat, explore and experience the city.