My daughter is at University in Cardiff so has spent a lot of time searching for good gluten free food and trying out places. Most of these are her discoveries. It did initially seem harder to find many choices outside of the usual chains however we found that some places don’t have GF options advertised online or on the outside menu but did have plenty options when we asked.As always, we have found our firm favourites.
Santiagos Tapas, Church Street
Canarian cuisine. Not that many of the tapas are actually gluten free unless you like a lot of fish, but pretty much all of the mains are. The first time we came here we had Pinchos De Pollos (Chicken skewers) with Canadian potatoes and it was so nice I have been back four times and had the exact same meal, so can’t comment on the other options! All looks amazing and service is nicely paced. This place does get busy during rugby and event days, in fact the whole street is crammed with restaurants, most of which have outside seating which makes for a lovely atmosphere.. Comes with the Mojo Roja and Mojo Verde sauces which are nicer than some I have had in the canaries. The pub across the road, Head of Steam, does a gluten free beer too.
Daffodil, Windsor Place
Independent pub/restaurant which uses all Welsh local and seasonal ingredients, so the menu changes regularly. Have tried the traditional welsh cawl and lamb rack. My daughter says the lamb was the best she has ever had. At our second visit Salmon was on as a special which came with the best lobster sauce I have every tasted. Sunday roasts are all available gluten free including with gravy which is often a hard one to get. Only things we couldn’t have were the Yorkshire pudding, stuffing and the leek gratin however they kindly made us buttered leeks as a replacement and gave us extra roast potatoes. We have had the chicken and the lamb option, meat cooked to perfection. Veggies were seasonal and served on a sharing board.
Bike Lock Cafe, Windsor Place
Much larger than it looks from the outside. Order at the bar and then take a seat. Plenty of space when we visited, a good place for students to get some work done. You can actually lock your bike up in the cafe and leave it there. The menu here is quite small and mainly breakfast/lunch options. Gluten free bread is available with a couple of sandwich options. (I had halloumi and sweet chilli which came with sweet chilli crisps). Cheesy beans on toast also available. Honourable mention to the (sadly NOT GF) fish finger sandwich on giant doorstep bread that my husband ordered.
Giovanni’s, Park Place
Traditional Italian and the oldest family run Italian restaurant in Cardiff, celebrating its 40th year this year. There are three branches in Cardiff with slightly different menus. We visited the Park Place branch which offer gluten free pizza bases and pasta as well as a couple of the meat/fish options being available gluten free. Excellent service and a lovely atmosphere. The walls are covered with pictures of all the celebrities who have visited over the years. The pizza base was so good we had to double check that the order was correct! Great choice of cocktails – I enjoyed a generously sized Hugo spritz.
Cosy Club, Cardiff Bay and City locations
Part of the lounges chain and Coeliac Society accredited so never fails and has been our preferred option for breakfast on UK city breaks for many years. The Dirty Breakfast butty is my favourite followed closely by the Chorizo hash. They do a nice selection of teas and juices too. We have visited the City and Bay branches. We also had lunch at the City branch this time, there are a good selection of hot and cold sandwich options on gluten free rolls which all come with fries.
Honest Burger, Church Street
Another trusted chain. Burgers cooked to perfection, all come cooked medium but you can ask for well done if preferred. Speedy no fuss service. Always very busy, sometimes a queue but moves quickly.
The Bagel Place , St Davids Shopping Centre
This is an absolute gem of a find inside the Dewi Sant shopping centre. There is a small seating area just opposite too. Since our first visit they have installed ordering screens which has made it a lot easier as previously one person was taking orders and cooking. Any of the bagels can be made gluten free. On our first visit they told us that are not cooked in a separate area through if you are coeliac please check. I am very sensitive and did not have a reaction. On our second visit we were told they were cooked separately. I have tried the pizza bagel, deli meat and cheese and ham. Small portions for the price but very tasty and nice and hot.
Eat the Bird, St Mary Street
Cafe style seating and table service. This is the first time I have been to a fast food place like this with so much choice, especially with the breaded chicken options also being gluten free as standard. All burger choices available on gluten free rolls and all sauces gluten free except for one. The fries are also cooked in a dedicated gluten free fryer. Generous portions and very filling, I was so full after this I could barely move. A selection of wine, beer (not GF) and cocktails also available.
Base Camp, Park Place
This place has just opened earlier this year and we heard good things from early reviews so were keen to visit. Very friendly staff with excellent knowledge and guidance on what to order. We were made to feel so welcome. Almost the entire menu could be made gluten free, there was even a bread we could have – the Kodo Ko Roti – which is a millet bread. I struggle to eat a large amount of food in one go so always feel a bit disappointed that I cant try everything. We all opted for curries and rice at both visits, however they have an excellent small plates selection here so I cant wait to go back later in the year and try some of those. The fish curry that I had was made with salmon which was a great texture and didn’t fall apart into the sauce. Poppadoms and dips also gluten free. Excellent choice of cocktails. Not a lot of dessert options, really just sorbet but we were full from the curries so not complaining! We ordered a mango lassi as dessert which was lovely.
Franco Manca, Church Street
If you are Coeliac this may be one to avoid as unfortunately they cant guarantee there wont be cross contamination due to the layout of the kitchen and the fact that the pizzas all share the same oven. Gluten free pizza bases available on all the pizza choice for an additional £2-3. My favourite is the No 7. Spicy Salami. They also do a very strong tasting Negroni!
compass and coaster 