The Best Gluten-Free Restaurants NYC Has to Offer

This Michelin-starred Mexican restaurant in Gowanus is an ode to chef TJ Steele’s passion for Oaxacan cuisine. Unable to eat gluten himself, Steele made the entire menu at Claro gluten-free. Some must-haves include his moles, yellowfin tostadas, aguachiles and chorizo memelas. 

284 Third Ave., Brooklyn; clarobk.com

We keep going back for the (gluten-free) bread basket. The newly Michelin-starred vegetable-driven modern restaurant by chef Alain Verzeroli doesn’t advertise itself as gluten-free on purpose, even though it mostly is. All the breads from head baker Tetsuya Yamaguchi are gluten-free, like the cereal baguettes and Parker House rolls. Many of the desserts from executive pastry chef Salvatore Martone are too. Lightly indulge in gluten-free entrées like Ora king salmon, winter squash and beef tenderloin. Finish with their super popular gluten-free and plant-based ice cream (chocolate and rice milk, pistachio and cashew milk, and coffee and rice milk). 

610 Lexington Ave.; lejardinier-nyc.com

Executive chef Sherry Cardoso of this restaurant/all-day wellness space works with a network of integrative doctors and healers to create a gluten-free menu that uses vitamin-rich ingredients and focuses on the healing properties of different herbs. The menu is also free of artificial flavors, colors and sweeteners, as well as inflammatory oils, fillers, stabilizers, added hormones, antibiotics, pesticides and GMOs. 

Some favorites include the soft dosa, a savory lentil and rice pancake served with turmeric-spiced scrambled eggs, and the coconut cauliflower fried rice with pasture-raised egg, baby carrots, fermented ginger and Cherry Lane farm chilis. 

2 E. 15th St.; the-well.com/kitchen-and-table

Executive chef Ashley Eddie created a fully gluten-free menu at Santina in the Meatpacking District, featuring Amalfi Coast–inspired dishes like fritto misto (which uses rice flour), chitarra Santina and eggplant parmigiana.

820 Washington St.; santinanyc.com

Many ancient alternative gluten-free grains like house-milled sorghum, einkorn and amaranth flours make appearances on the menu at vegetarian, Ayurvedic-inspired Divya’s Kitchen. The restaurant’s staff grinds its gluten-free flours fresh in-house with a special grain mill dedicated to only gluten-free grains. Employees are also trained to carefully avoid cross-contamination with gluten, and there are g-free options for most of the menu items: crackers for the appetizers, lasagna (also vegan), biscuits, bread for toasts and tortillas for wraps. 

25 First Ave.; divyaskitchen.com

Known for its “feel-good” pizzas made on crust that’s grilled and seared in avocado oil, Oath Pizza just launched a new menu that includes plant-based, dairy-free, vegan and gluten-free pizza offerings, as well as a new cauliflower crust option available with any pizza.  

New menu items include a vegan Spicy Hawaiian pizza made with Daiya cheese, a gluten-free Basil Beyond Meatball pizza, a vegetarian Beyond Meatball Parm panini and a [[gluten-free?]] Chicken Pesto pizza.

Multiple locations; oathpizza.com

Little Beet Table is a 100 percent gluten-free restaurant with locations in NYC, Chicago, Greenwich, Connecticut, and Chevy Chase, Maryland. The menu, created by culinary director Matt Aita, includes nutrient-dense small plates, entreés and sides like sunflower seed hummus, jackfruit al pastor tacos, cavatelli with mushroom Bolognese, and roasted chicken with slow-roasted carrots.

Multiple locations; thelittlebeettable.com

Plant-based Le Botaniste is 99 percent organic and gluten-free. Founded by the creator of Le Pain Quotidien, Le Botantiste charms with savory “prescriptions” like the Tibetan Mama rice bowl served over brown rice with steamed vegetables and kimchi) and the Pasta Bolo, a gluten-free fusilli with botanical Bolognese, green herbal oil and super-seed mix.

Multiple locations; lebotaniste.us

Indian food, but make it gluten-free. Inday’s menu is completely free of gluten, dairy, soy and refined sugar. Laden with curry, coconut and warming spice flavors, its bowls are more veggie-focused rather than smothered in heavy creamy sauces (get the cauliflower rice!). Try their best-selling curry chicken bowl, vegan Holy Macro and bone broths. Don’t skip out on the avo cocoa for dessert, a decadent dairy-free whipped chocolate mousse made with dark cacao, avocado and coconut milk. 

Multiple locations; indaynyc.com

This LES bakery is the spot for all the gluten-free cupcakes, cookies, loaves, brownies and more. EMB uses a mixture of garbanzo–fava bean flour and brown rice flour in its sweets, and gluten-free oat flour along with garbanzo–fava bean flour mix in its savory dishes. The bakery’s most popular items are its doughnuts and cookie sandwiches.

Founder Erin McKenna was inspired to open the bakery back in 2005 because there were no bakeries offering gluten-free, vegan and soy-free products. “My mission did not stop at creating a safe bakery for the underserved, but I also wanted it to be mouthwateringly delicious and in a fun environment where you can forget your worries,” says McKenna. 

248 Broome St.; erinmckennasbakery.com

Hu Kitchen sells paleo chocolate, ’nuff said. The restaurant is one of NYC’s most popular go-to spots for paleos, and its chia seed puddings, root mashes and veggie lasagnas are some of the most beloved items on the entirely gluten-free menu (and dairy/grain-free in most cases). 

78 Fifth Ave.; hukitchen.com

Chef Jemiko L. Solo was inspired to open Senza Gluten after seeing how difficult it was for his friends with celiac disease to eat out. He would make them homemade gluten-free pasta and “see the spark of joy on their faces.” Known for its gluten-free pasta, Senza Gluten, as the name implies, serves many other Italian dishes that are also completely gluten-free. (The secret to these standout meals? Solo created his own gluten-free flour blend.)

Many of the restaurant’s most popular menu items are dishes that are hard to find gluten-free: lasagna, gnocchi, ravioli, tiramisu, chicken Parm, arancini and fried calamari. (Their fryer is, of course, dedicated to cooking gluten-free dishes only.) 

206 Sullivan St.; senzaglutennyc.com

This eatery in Chelsea Market, with other locations around NYC, is a casual gluten-free spot that all eaters, gluten-free or not, love to dine at (the restaurant was inspired by owner Jonah Phillips’s sister, who has celiac disease). Friedman’s uses a unique, house-made gluten-free flour blend with a base of rice flour.

The restaurant’s pancakes and chicken and waffles are its big sellers, and the shop recently created gluten-free blintzes. You’d never know that all their desserts (pies, cheesecakes, chocolate cake and more) are baked in-house and gluten-free. Well, now you do. 

Multiple locations; friedmansrestaurant.com

This gluten-free, fast-casual Venezuelan spot with locations in Gramercy, Midtown East and Soho appeals to both traditionalists and modern health-conscious eaters alike. Founder Celestino Diaz hails from Venezuela, where arepas (a corn cake that can be stuffed, like a pita pocket) are a daily staple. Vegans, vegetarians, omnivores and carnivores alike will want to take a bite out of favorites like the Reina Pepiada (white arepa filled with shredded chicken, avocado and cilantro), the vegan Brooklyn (a green arepa with vegan rice mix, avocado, radish and jalapeño) or the juicy Downtown (yellow arepa with short rib and de mano cheese). Don’t skimp on their house-made gluten-free sauces. You’ll want to ask for extra.

Multiple locations; areppas.com