A New Yorker’s Guide to the Best Gluten-Free Restaurants in NYC

Gluten-free is a pretty common diet term these days, which is great news for those who are Celiac or have a gluten intolerance. But this wasn’t always the case.

Almost twenty years ago, I was diagnosed with an auto-immune disease. My nutritionist at the time recommended I try a gluten-free diet to help alleviate my symptoms. First, I had no idea what she was talking about when she said gluten-free, and second, once I did my research, one of the only places in the city where I could find gluten-free products was a health food store that would have fit in easily in Berkeley but it was a bit of an anomaly in downtown NYC. Needless to say, I felt a bit lost!

Read my post about living with an auto-immune disease and learn more about my journey.

Thankfully, the food and restaurant industry has come a long way since then, and it is now relatively easy to find gluten-free options, especially in urban areas like NYC. Since I have been living a gluten-free lifestyle for a very long time now, I wanted to share what I consider some of the best gluten-free restaurants, cafes, and shops in NYC.

Plus, at the end of the post, I’m also including some great gluten-free resources to help you better understand the lifestyle. These resources include gluten-free tips, recipes, and a database of where to find gluten-free restaurants all over the country!

So, are you ready to find the best gluten-free restaurants in NYC? Then keep reading, and make sure to bookmark or pin this post so you’ll always have this list handy!

The Best Gluten-Free Restaurants in NYC:

1. Keste Pizza

This Neopolitan Pizza place in downtown Manhattan has an entire gluten-free menu, which includes 19 individual pies to choose from! They have the best, most authentic, gluten-free pizza I’ve ever had, and trust me, I’ve tried it at a million places in the city.

2. Risotteria Melotti

This is the OG restaurant in NYC serving up amazing gluten-free food, and it also happens to be one of my favorite gluten-free restaurants in NYC! Located in the East Village, Risotteria is a gluten-free person’s dream. Everything from the breadsticks and rice balls to the 14+ risotto options on the menu is gluten-free. I’m sure they deliver too.

3. Erin McKenna’s Bakery

Ok, technically this isn’t a restaurant, but I’m including this bakery because it is so hard to find really delicious gluten-free baked goods in NYC. Well, Erin has perfected the recipe for everything from gluten-free donuts and brownie bites to cakes. All of her products are also vegan and kosher. And if you can’t get to Erin’s bakeries in NYC, LA, or Orlando, they also ship nationwide!

4. Murray’s Bagels

I almost cried when I found out that the beloved Murray’s Bagels is now serving gluten-free bagels. Granted, they are not as good as a bagel with regular flour, but I’m just thrilled that I can now partake in a classic NYC tradition again and enjoy a bagel with lox and cream cheese. (Murray’s also serves dairy-free, tofu-based cream cheese!)

5. Senza Gluten

This restaurant is known as ‘the gluten-free place in NYC’ for good reason. They guarantee that every ingredient and every dish is 100% gluten-free. So if you are celiac and normally worry about trace elements of gluten in your food, you can relax at Senza Gluten. Plus, their Italian cuisine is delicious!

6. Le Botaniste

At Le Botaniste, they say ‘let food be medicine.’ And I wholeheartedly agree. This fast-casual chain serves 100% organic, plant-based food, and most of it is also gluten-free! They also have an impressive list of natural wines. Check out their apothecary-style spaces at one of 4 locations in the city, including the UWS, UES, midtown-east, and Soho.

7. Friedman’s

One of the original owners of Friedman’s has celiac disease, so he insisted on the restaurant offering a multitude of gluten-free options. That exists to this day. From gluten-free banana bread, pancakes, and French toast (on request), to gluten-free bread and buns for sandwiches and burgers, Friedman’s has it all.

 8. Café Mogador

Cafe Mogador is one of my favorite places to eat in the city. In particular, I love the location in Williamsburg, Brooklyn. (They are also in the East Village in Manhattan.) While Café Mogador doesn’t claim to be a gluten-free restaurant, most of its Mediterranean and Moroccan-inspired food is. I always order the chicken tagine, with a side of rice. Their multitude of mezze mostly focused on grilled vegetables and hummus are also gluten-free. I love this place so much that I recommend this place to everyone – gluten-free or not!

9. Wild

Wild is one of the best gluten-free restaurants in NYC, with locations in both Park Slope, Brooklyn, and the West Village in Manhattan. (There’s also a location in Guatemala if you’re ever in that neck of the woods!) They are a 100% gluten-free eatery. They serve everything from pizza, pasta, burgers, and hearty salads. They also have a great brunch menu.

10. Dosa Royale

This South Indian spot in Clinton Hill, Brooklyn serves incredible dosas made from rice and lentil flour, and are naturally gluten-free. Choose from a variety of fillings for your dosa. Most of them are gluten-free. The restaurant also serves great kebabs and curries.

11. Rubirosa

Rubirosa has a cult following and for good reason. Their pizzas are insane! Even better, they now serve gluten-free options as well! So now you can indulge in their gluten-free crust pizza as well as gluten-free mozzarella sticks, fried calamari, chicken parm, and arancini. While they don’t have a separate gluten-free kitchen, the staff is knowledgeable about cross-contamination, which I know is important if you are celiac. Make sure to ask them any questions you have when ordering.

Looking for a gluten-free pizza cookbook? I’ve got you covered! You can order this cookbook on Amazon for 75+ recipes!

Additional Gluten-Free Restaurants in NYC

The list above of gluten-free restaurants in NYC is a round-up of my absolute favorite spots in NYC. However, there are quite a few other gluten-free restaurants, pizzerias, and bakeries in NYC. I just haven’t had a chance to try them all!

Here’s a short list of some additional restaurants with gluten-free options that come highly recommended. While I haven’t been to these places yet, I promise you, they are on my list!

• Cosme: Outstanding Mexican food, much of it is corn-based
• Dirt Candy: An Outstanding vegan restaurant with many gluten-free options
• The Little Beet Table: An entirely gluten-free restaurant serving seasonal fare.
• By the Way Bakery: A gluten-free, dairy-free, kosher bakery

Gluten-Free Restaurants in Brooklyn

Since I currently live in Brooklyn, it would be remiss for me to not share some of the best gluten-free restaurants specifically in this borough! While I included a couple of Brooklyn-based restaurants in my list above, here are some more that are in constant rotation for me.

• Fornino: An Italian restaurant and pizzeria (with 3 locations in Brooklyn), serving up amazing gluten-free pizzas. (Please note it’s a shared pizza oven and not certified gluten-free for customers with celiac disease.)
• Court Street Grocers: People swear that this sandwich shop is one of the best in the city. They have 3 locations in Brooklyn: Carroll Gardens, Red Hook, and Williamsburg. They offer gluten-free bread for most of their sandwiches and it is so good!
• Shelsky’s: An epic bagel shop serving arguably the best, smoked fish in the city, that also have gluten-free plain and everything bagels.
• Springbone Kitchen: With multiple locations in both Manhattan and Brooklyn, serving wholesome, nutritious meals, most of which are gluten-free.
• 7 Grain Army: A spot in Williamsburg for casual fare that has an entire gluten-free menu that includes baked goods, breakfast sandwiches and more.
• Colonia Verde: Most items at this Latin American-inspired restaurant in Fort Greene are gluten-free, and the staff is very knowledgeable about people who are celiac and cross contamination.

Additional Gluten-Free Resources: 

One of the best online resources for everything gluten-free is the website that was created by the actress, Jennifer Esposito. She has celiac disease and after many frustrating years of not being able to find good quality, gluten-free food she took things into her own hands, creating an incredible database with her brand Gluten Free Follow Me. In addition to tips and recipes, she also has a database to help you find gluten-free restaurants near you.

And last but not least, here are some of my favorite gluten-free cookbooks.

• Gluten-Free Cook Book for Beginners
• Cannelle et Vanille Bakes Simple
• The Gluten-Free Cookbook for Slow Cookers
• True Comfort
• Jennifer’s Way Kitchen
• BabyCakes Covers the Classics: Gluten-Free Vegan Recipes from Donuts to Snickerdoodles

Did you find this post helpful? Then you might be interested in my post about Where I Love to Eat and Drink Outdoors in NYC and my Brooklyn Travel Guide.