Here is a selection of restaurants we have sampled in London, with good gluten free options – and several others that have been recommended to us that we have not yet visited.
Cubana, Waterloo
This has been around for years and is hugely popular as an all day venue that serves street food as well as offering music well into the early hours for the morning. Book ahead as it gets extremely busy – people were queueing at the door when we arrived at 7pm on a Saturday night. The menu offers a mix of tapas, small plates and larger dishes with allergens clearly marked. There are separate menu sections for sea food, Cuban barbecue and slow cooked styles of cooking. We opted for the slow cooked pork and the beef, both served with rice, beans and fried plantains. I have never had plantain before and I really enjoyed it, the sweetness really complemented the meat which was melt in the mouth tender. Service quick and efficient.
Niche, Islington
I had high hopes for this one as one of only a handful of exclusively gluten free restaurants we have ever visited but it just didn’t do it for me. At the time of our visit we had just returned from a week in Budapest where we had eaten some excellent food so maybe we didn’t give it a fair chance. I had the French onion soup to start complete with cheesy bread. The bread was gorgeous but the soup its self was very rich and perhaps a little too much for a starter. For main I had the glamorgan potato cake. The onion rings it was served with were very heavy and dry. It was all just a little too heavy for me so I would like to go back and try something else on the menu. My daughter had beef with baby roast potatoes (no longer on the menu) which she enjoyed but again was a little overcooked and tough. The cutlery also wasn’t up to the job. Our visit was in June 2024 so we will definitely give this one another chance just because its still so rare to find a fully safe place. Presentation excellent, service average. We felt like we had been squeezed in despite booking well in advance.
Imad’s Syrian Kitchen, Soho
Stunning food and presentation however we made a mistake with the way we ordered – we definitely should have asked the server for advice! The menu offers a selection of small plates and signature dishes. We ordered a signature dish each but they were presented in such a way that we believe these are also designed for sharing. Our fault for not checking. Portion sizes extremely generous – will definitely be returning to sample more. We had the Shish Tawook which was grilled chicken, with spiced potatoes and Harissa Mayo. We even had gluten free pitta. If you wanted this as a starter a selection of dips are available. Also had one of the nicest cocktails I’ve had in a while (all original mixes) – it was called 1000 and One Nights. Excellent service and value. The restaurant is located on the upper floor of Kingly Court shopping arcade, which has a huge selection of bars and restaurants, a couple of which are on our list for next time. The Cahoots Underground and Ticket Hall bars are also in this complex.
The Port House, The Strand
Everything on the menu is gluten free with the exception of a couple of items – they even offer bread. We have been here a couple of times and you really are spoilt for choice. Highlights for us were the duck lasagne and the croquettes with four different filling options as breaded items are such a rarity. We always have the meatballs. Service is good, tapas come out as and when. The atmosphere is lovely, its a very small narrow restaurant with booth style seating and low level lighting which gives a cosy feel. A bit on the pricy side compared to some but well worth the money. The Spanish tortilla is one of the best I’ve had. If you’ve got room for dessert there is Basque Cheesecake on the menu, which is gorgeous but be warned the portion size is huge!
Materello Bolognese, Aldgate
A little on the expensive side, this was a pre-theatre treat on our way to watch The Hunger Games on stage at the new purpose built Troubadour theatre in Canary Wharf. The pasta here is hand made on the premises and it was possibly the best I’ve ever had. Our water was served in a decanter shaped like a fish which glugged when you poured it – a source of great amusement throughout the meal. Service was fast, attentive and friendly. We tried the house bolognese and some tortellini (another rarity as a gluten free option) and both were excellent. It was £42 for a bottle of wine to share, but again excellent quality.
Casa Do Frango, London Bridge
There are four of these in London and we found the London Bridge one by chance after walking one street too far after visiting Borough Market. Portuguese tapas/sharing style cuisine. The menu is fairly small but what is available is excellent quality and portion sizes are decent. The speciality is the chicken which we always order with the garlic and rosemary potatoes, chorizo and fish croquettes. The black olive dip that comes with the chorizo is lovely and can be ordered as a separate dip. We also ordered a veg dish this time (green beans and tender stem broccoli) Everything is cooked and seasoned perfectly we have had maybe 4 visits now and never had a bad meal or service.
Arepa & Co, Brixton
This was a lighter meal on the way to watch Halsey at the O2 Brixton Academy. Brixton Market is absolutely packed with hidden gems like this and we will definitely be returning to sample more of them. We were a little early for our booking so we stopped for a quick drink in nearby Sarava which offered some pretty strong cocktails! They also had a full crepe and pancake menu including gluten free options so possibly one for next time. Arepas are naturally gluten free as they are made from corn. The restaurant was pretty quiet at the time of our visit. We opted for the beef brisket and chicken options, both came with fried plantains which were gorgeous. There is also choice of dips – I chose a spicy one which really complemented the chicken & avocado on the arepa. They also offer Cachapas (sweetcorn fritter) and rice bowls. The majority of the menu is naturally gluten free.
Honourable mention to Leon for keeping us in breakfasts during our London visits- thankfully there seems to be a branch near a lot of the train stations in the City.
Others on our list for future visits:
Cotto Italian, Waterloo
Offers gluten free pizza bases and pasta. Can cater for many allergies and intolerances. There is an additional charge for gluten free pizza and pasta however the meat and fish dishes are priced the same, presumably because they are naturally gluten free.
Emilia’s Crafted Pasta, Canary Wharf
This is a chain of a few restaurants but currently the Canary Wharf location is the only one that has gluten free pasta. The pasta is made freshly onsite each day and can be ordered with as selection of classic sauces. Choices are pastas and salads, does not offer pizza.
Brother Marcus
Mediterranean restaurant chain with several branches across the city. Sweet potato fritters are the stand out gluten free option on the brunch menu which doesn’t seem to have loads of choice, however the Meze options make up for this as most are gluten free.
Ugly Dumpling
Branches in Carnaby, Fitzrovia and Brixton. There is a separate gluten free menu and gluten free food is served on black crockery. They cant guarantee no cross contamination due to use of wheat flour in the main product. Choice of ten different flavours, there are various deals where you can add sides and drinks. They also offer sweet dumpling options including Nutella and pecan pie.
Mayfair Chippy
This one has become a bit of a social media sensation – we did walk past the Mayfair branch (there is also one in Knightsbridge) on our last visit and there was a queue down the street! Gluten free batter for the fish has to be requested and the chips are fried separately. Fish with chips, peas and your choice of sauce will cost upwards of £25. Booking strongly advised.
We usually stay on Borough High street which has Honest Burger, Casa Do Frango, Leon, Subway (with gluten free subs available) and several options in Borough Market itself.
compass and coaster 