Are you craving a bite but not sure where to hit up for a gluten free treat?
I had a friend recently approach me asking me if I could give her a list of spots she could go out to enjoy a gluten free meal because she was feeling very limited in terms of options. So, I thought.. why not write a post out of it and share it with the rest of you to help some of you out or anyone that has some gluten free friends/family as well! :)
Eating out when Gluten Free can be quite the challenge at times and although many places claim to offer gluten free menus, the issue of cross contamination is still present making it a no-no. For people like me with celiac disease, that completely sloshes our chances of enjoying something at least half decent while hanging out with friends. The last thing you want to do is watch everybody chow down burgers, wings, pizzas, and fries while you sit there eating a plain steak with some kale (unless by choice ofcourse! :) ). I'm the type of person who likes to go all out and indulge when I eat out. If you're anything like me, then you've come to the right place. :)
After a ton of research, trial, and error, I've put together a list of my favourite and safest (celiac safe) gluten free spots in the Toronto area up to date. Here it is :
If you're looking for an actual meal:
Eating out when Gluten Free can be quite the challenge at times and although many places claim to offer gluten free menus, the issue of cross contamination is still present making it a no-no. For people like me with celiac disease, that completely sloshes our chances of enjoying something at least half decent while hanging out with friends. The last thing you want to do is watch everybody chow down burgers, wings, pizzas, and fries while you sit there eating a plain steak with some kale (unless by choice ofcourse! :) ). I'm the type of person who likes to go all out and indulge when I eat out. If you're anything like me, then you've come to the right place. :)
After a ton of research, trial, and error, I've put together a list of my favourite and safest (celiac safe) gluten free spots in the Toronto area up to date. Here it is :
If you're looking for an actual meal:
- Riz (Certified gluten free restaurant) : This is the only spot where I eat sushi in Toronto! This place is certified gluten free and sooo good! On top of being certified, they make sure to label all gluten free dishes with plates labeled gluten free (how awesome is that ?! :)). This restaurant has 2 locations : Riz on Bayview - located at 1677 Bayview Avenue and Riz North - located at 3321 Yonge St.
- The Dirty Bird : If you're craving some chicken and waffles this is going to become your go- to! The dirty bird is located in the Kensington market and their staff is very knowledgeable on celiac and will take precautions to allow you to enjoy some gluten free chicken and waffles. They also have a separate gluten free waffle maker which puts us at ease in terms of cross contamination. :) Overall, awesome chicken and waffles spot. You can't go wrong.
- The Relish Bar and Grill : This restaurant is a recognized gluten free restaurant since 2005. To add to that, they have a separate celiac friendly menu with a wide variety of dishes! Not only does this place serve food, but they have live bands which makes for a fun night out with friends. :) Located at 2152 Danforth Avenue.
- Live organic food bar : Known as a Toronto plant-based, organic, gluten and refined sugar-free restaurant and live organic raw products since 2002. So no worries about cross contamination here woo-hoo! :) You can find their products in many grocery stores. They also have 2 restaurants. The first one is located at 264 Dupont St., Toronto and the second at 134 Atlantic Avenue, Toronto.
- Tori's bakeshop: Sweet little bakeshop located at 2188 Queen St. East. This bakeshop offers an awesome selection of GF treats. More so, they are a bakeshop by day offering after hours by night!! :) During after hours, they offer a menu of shareable GF platters and drinks! :)
- Basil Box and Salad King: Both these restaurants are located right at Yonge and Dundas, across the street from one another. Basil box is entirely gluten free which is awesome because you could eat anything off the menu while salad king offers gluten free items on their original menu. While Salad King is not entirely gluten free, you'll find a symbol indicating which of their dishes are gluten free.
- Moxie's : While I have found that most commercial/big chain restaurants offer gluten free menus that aren't so gluten friendly towards celiacs, Moxie's made the list for me for the sole purpose that they take allergies very seriously and do their best to provide modifications to your meal so that you can have an equally awesome experience. My personal favorites are the Kale and Quinoa salad + they have a gluten free cheesecake! There are several locations so this place definitely won't be hard to find.
- Hey Lucy's : I absolutely love this spot! Hey Lucy's has two locations, the 1st is located in the Annex at 440 Bloor St. West, and the 2nd is located in the entertainment district at 295 King St. West. The King St location also has a rooftop patio which I love. While this place isn't entirely gluten free, I love the atmosphere and they are very accommodating in terms of allergies and offer gluten free options. My personal favourites are the pizzas!
If you are craving a treat :
**most of the places I previously listed above have desserts as well but if you're simply just craving a treat and you're on the go, here are some options :
- Tori's Bakeshop
- Bunners : The first and still my favourite all time entirely gluten free bakeshop!! They have everything from cupcakes, ice cream, poptarts, to my absolute favvvve...cinnamon rolls! Anyone who hasn't been here is truly missing out. This bakery is located in Kensington market and they also have another location in the Junction at 3054 Dundas St. West.
- Menchies and Yogurty's : Both label their GF froyo flavours so it's easy to identify. Several locations across Toronto and the GTA.
- Prairie Girl : Located at 100 King St. West, this bakery has some delicious gluten free cupcakes. I swear to you, you wouldn't know they're gluten free.. or at least I didn't.
- Aroma espresso bar : Several locations. You can manage to get yourself a meal, a snack or a drink here. (My favorite is the ice aroma light and their GF brownie!)
- Starbucks : Starbucks has an awesome Rice Krispie called a marshmallow dream bar that is GF! They also have apple chips, moon cheese GF bags, and roasted GF nuts.
- Jugo juice : Jugo juice has hands down the best gluten free packaged brownie. For those of you living downtown, you can find a location at the Eaton's centre.
- Rich Tree grocery store : This store is filled with gluten free snacks on the go and are easily accessible through the Eaton's centre. Whether you're craving chips, chocolate, bars, cheesecake, and the list goes on.. they have it all :)
- Kernel's : Last but not least, if you're craving popcorn, you have one of these in practically every mall you go to. All of Kernel's popcorn flavours are gluten free which is a plus because there is no possibility of cross contamination! :)
And there you have it! I hope this helped some of you, if not all, at finding some GF spots to hit up and indulge in some delicious food with no compromise! :) Although i'm sure there are far more options out there (some that I have even come across myself), I made sure to list the ones that I personally found to be the safest/most diligent with allergies and specifically Celiac friendly. :)
Do you know of any other sweet gluten free spots in the Toronto area?! Do you plan on trying any of the above/have you and what was your experience like? Let me know in the comments below or feel free to message me! :) Anyone who knows me knows I'm always eager to find new gluten free spots. Also, this post will most likely be constantly getting updated as I discover some other gluten free gems so be sure to stay in touch if you're as eager as me for those gluten free goodies! :)
Happy eating!
with lots of love,
Léa S.
