Everywhere I ate gluten free in New York City
In February, I spent five days in New York. Here's a listing of everywhere I ate during this trip to the city (gluten free, of course).
A few months ago, my fiancé and I got invited to a wedding in Manhattan that took place last month. I did what any gluten free person would do under these circumstances: I made a list of everywhere I wanted to eat.
The list turned out to be quite long, so I decided to take one for the team and head to New York a few days early to eat at as many gluten free spots as I could. I polished off my Virgin Atlantic GF meal, got off the plane, and was thrilled to see that the gluten free scene in New York was even better than I remember.
This post will have three categories: restaurants I can recommend, restaurants I can’t recommend, and restaurants I did not have time to visit.
Where ranks highly on your gluten free New York list? Drop a comment here or send me a message with where I’m missing!
Restaurants I can recommend
Lili and Loo
My first dinner in New York was with a content creator turned IRL friend
(also known as nycbutglutenfree on Instagram). She was extremely supportive of letting me live my truth and insist that we visit a place that’s been on my to visit list in NYC for ages: Lilli and Loo.What stood out to me: the General Tso’s chicken, spring rolls, and the gyoza. You should absolutely consider these must orders. We ordered Pad Thai and lo mein, but I was not as wowed by these noodle dishes. Honestly having lo mein was a novelty, but it did not hit the same as I remember it hitting over a decade ago.
The restaurant does have a huge gluten free menu with pan-Asian dishes, plus an entire sushi menu that can be made gluten free, so you won’t exactly be starved for choice. I highly recommend looking at the menu before you go to avoid 30 minutes of analysis paralysis deciding what to order on the day - not like I’m speaking from experience or anything.. I just posted a video review on Instagram here.
Editor’s note: This meal was comped. I would gladly have paid and plan to visit on my own dime in the future.
Modern Bread and Bagel
Does Modern Bread and Bagel really need an introduction? This might just be the gluten free spot in New York with thousands of posts dedicated to their six restaurants across just about every social media platform.
And you know what? It’s worth the hype.
On each trip, I always get a bacon egg and cheese on an everything bagel and a pastry. They have perfected the gluten free breakfast sandwich and I reliably get the egg, cheese, and (kosher) bacon on an everything bagel. In big personal news, I learned that you can get cream cheese on your bagel sandwich which adds a certain je ne sais quoi to the experience.
Their UWS and UES locations now sell pizza - I couldn’t try these this time around. If you’ve had their pizzas, please let me know so I can live through you.
I went to their Chelsea location three times (lol oops) during this visit and regret not going more.
Sushi Counter
Did you know Australian-style sushi is a thing? Neither did I. Sushi Counter serves up about a dozen varieties of Aussie-style hand rolls, miso soup, and some handmade drinks. Everything here is gluten free including the soy sauce packets and homemade sauces. The owner has celiac disease and they’re working on a gluten free certification for the restaurant. Some rolls are vegan, as well.
The woman working that day was SO lovely and, at her insistence, I tried four different hand rolls along with the spicy mayo (this is a must get and is worth the upcharge). The tempura shrimp and their monthly special (vegan umami crunch) were my favorites.
The quality of the rolls, how filling they are, and the price point (three rolls for $12) is a combination that is very hard to beat. I sometimes find sushi has a not great rice to filling ratio, but that is absolutely not the case here.
Sushi Counter now has two locations, one in the West Village and one in the East Village. The latter should have more seating options than the West Village which is predominantly for takeaway.
Editor’s note: This meal was comped, but I did not plan it. I walked in expecting to pay but after a chat they offered me a comped meal in exchange for content. It does not change my views of the restaurant!
Nadas
You might be sensing a pattern here, and that is that yes, the West Village is a bit of a gluten free hotspot. Nadas is a staple of that gluten free scene.
Their storefront is small, but Carlos and his team have a wide range of empanadas on offer. I can’t recommend the guava & cheese and blueberry goat cheese empanadas - those are my favorites. I do love a dumpling with a sweeter flavor profile, though, and the savory ones are still very good. It’s just that I could eat those two for days on end. Be sure to wash this down with a soursop juice (also on the menu).
At time of writing, Nadas is considering closing the West Village storefront, but they just opened a shop in Westchester and still have a strong direct to consumer business.
Playa Bowls
I was almost certainly the first customer at the West Village Playa Bowls the day I went; the people working there were not exactly thrilled to see a customer two minutes after they opened. Despite that, the bowl hit exactly as it should. They’ve got a big menu, though if you’re looking for inspiration, I always get the electric mermaid with gluten free granola with half pitaya base and half banana base.
Almost everything in all of their locations is gluten free. I’m pretty sure the granola is the only gluten containing topping, which there is a gluten free version of on request. You can customize your bowl as you wish, with toppings and variety of bases.
Senza Gluten
Senza Gluten was one of the first gluten free restaurants that ever came on my radar years ago. It still holds true to its mission today: serving a fully gluten free Italian menu in a gorgeous West Village restaurant alongside an experience that does not feel like your typical gluten free restaurant.
This visit, I went with a friend (hi glassofweinstein!) and we ate our way through the menu. We started with the burrata (I liked) and the fried calamari (I loved). We continued with the mushroom ravioli and lasagna, both of which I thought were excellent. After that, we split the milanese which was good, but I think would pass on for a future visit in favor of the pasta.
For dessert - there is always a second stomach for dessert - we split profiteroles. These were good enough, but not the most memorable. On my last visit I had tiramisu and I would say that is worth ordering for dessert.
I visited Senza a few years ago and my primary concern on that visit was that just about everything needed a pinch of salt. I’m happy to report that this concern has been addressed on this visit :)
Editor’s note: This meal was comped, but it does not change my views of the restaurant.
Postcard Bakery
If you haven’t heard of Postcard, it’s a fully gluten free Japanese-inspired bakery in the West Village. While they stock some treats like cheesecake and mochi donut holes, the focal point of their menu is their range of sandwiches, including chicken katsu, to egg, to fruit. To the best of my knowledge this is the only spot that sells all three of these sandwiches gluten free under one roof.
What sets them apart is their milk bread. It is pillowy soft and fluffy and utterly irresistable. These types of sandwiches are iconic in Japan, especially the fruit sando, and it’s a real treat to be able to get these safely gluten free.
The chicken katsu sando here might just be one of the best gluten free sandwiches anywhere. I don’t say that lightly. Postcard is an absolute must visit in New York.
Senza Gluten by Jemiko
Two things on the menu drew me to Jemiko’s cafe in the West Village this time around, and you should absolutely know about them. At our Lilli and Loo dinner, Lex told me the bomboloni is a must try, and I am pleased to report that she is correct. The texture is unbelievable. I got a custard filled bomboloni, but they also sell a nutella filled version.
A few days later, I heard about Jemiko’s cheese bread, and the way it was described sounded suspiciously like khachapuri. The next day at the restaurant, the Italian-Georgian influence of Jemiko’s menus was confirmed. This is full of multiple types of cheese, egg yolk, and butter, surrounded by bread.
This is one of two places I’m aware of that sell gluten free khachapuri, the other being in Tblisi. Know that if you order this, you’re having a very special dish!
Do note that both dishes I ordered do require a bit of extra time to prepare. I waited under 10 minutes for the bomboloni and under 20 for the cheese bread, you may need to wait longer during a busy period.
Thyme & Tonic
Under 48 hours after I booked my flight to New York, Lex announced a Galentine’s Day party at Thyme & Tonic. The universe does sure work in mysterious ways. Immediately booking a ticket (after double checking that Galentine’s Day is open for the girls & the gays) was an excellent call.
Fun fact: Before going to Heathrow to catch my flight to NY, I stopped by Selfridges to grab a Borough 22 doughnut. While waiting for them to open, I met a flight attendant from American Airlines with the same mission for a doughnut as me. She casually mentioned the Galentine’s Day party in NY that she was planning on going to, and in an ultimate small world moment we realized it was the same one.
My previous experience with Thyme & Tonic previously was only meeting two friends for apps. For main courses, their burgers blew me away, and I also fell in love with the gyoza and spicy tuna on crispy rice. The Galentine’s Day crowd was great, too - getting to meet so many cool people was a ton of fun. This is a must visit for New York in my opinion.. I cannot wait to get back here.
Ofrenda
I visited Ofrenda with some friends for a catchup dinner as I was craving Mexican food. The restaurant can be loud, which can make high level negotiations with waitstaff about gluten free needs tough, but I found the staff to be knowledgable on this front.
The margaritas and tacos were very very good, as was the queso. Do note there is no dedicated fryer (but there is a separate prep space for the gluten free items), so the chips won’t be fair game if you can’t do cross contact. I wouldn’t rush back here, but it is a great and largely safe option to keep in your back pocket.
Posh Pop
This is without doubt the most over the top gluten free bakery in New York. I would recognize the bright pink paint on the walls anywhere. Each time I walk into Posh Pop I get overwhelmed by the colors and variety and am literally overwhelmed by the choice - I suppose this is a good problem to have in the gluten free world.
What I was craving was a pop tart, or as they call it a posh tart (shout out to trademark law). They warmed it up and it met the craving for something exactly like this. The puff pastry they use is quite nice.
If you want to be more adventurous: they have an extensive (to say the least) range of products, from multiple kinds of cheesecake (I’m partial to the cookie dough cheesecake), loaded brownies and blondies, cinnamon rolls, deep fried Oreos, cookies, cakes, cake pops, and more. They’ve got dairy free options, too.
I generally find everything in Posh Pop to be quite sweet, so come in expecting a sugar rush.
Sixteen Mill
The lore of Sixteen Mill runs deep. I’ve heard excellent things about this bakery but its location in Brooklyn is far from where I normally visit in New York, but in the spirit of taking one for the team made a visit happen this time around!
You’ll find a small storefront when you get there with a modest selection of baked goods and breads. What they lack in a huge range is more than made up for with huge flavors. I got a vanilla waffle (smash), chocolate babka muffin (smash), and a scallion scone (also smash). The textures and flavors were phenomenal; I regret not getting a few more things, especially their bread.
The bakery storefront is very small and you won’t find much of a place to sit. This is a bit of a bummer on a day like I went that had pouring rain.. Do note that they don’t use sugar as a sweetener - I think they use maple syrup? - if that isn’t your thing.
Kellogg’s Diner
This is a diner in Brooklyn with a Tex Mex twist on their menu of typical brunch fare. It fell on hard times in the last few years and changed ownership somewhat recently. The reviews on Google are quite bad but the negative sentiments date from before the owner changed. I had a pleasant experience here catching up with some friends.
The food was generally very good, but I didn’t get a great idea on their cross contact prevention protocols. I wouldn’t call the diner out as celiac unsafe, but I would recommend verifying what you need before making a booking. On that note, it does get busy on weekends, so make a reservation to avoid a long queue.
Restaurants I can’t recommend
Hill Country
The aforementioned wedding had the rehearsal dinner here and some BBQ meat was served. Of everywhere on this list, this is the one spot I would wholeheartedly not recommend for anyone with celiac disease.
I had some meat - their brisket is genuinely very good - but I got the impression the kitchen is a hotbed of cross contamination. The staff were unaware about which sides and sauces contained gluten and which did not.
If you don’t have an allergy nor celiac and can handle trace amounts of gluten or cross contact, you’ll be fine here. Tread carefully otherwise.
The Harvard Club of NYC
The wedding I went to was held here and, full disclosue, I need to drag this place. First, I was offered gluten free bread - sliced toast, while everyone else got an artisanal roll. I was also refused butter without explanation. I had to steal someone else's butter who left the wedding early. The waiter who denied me butter noticed. She didn't say anything.
You know? I could overlook that. I’m used to going to a restaurant and getting subpar gluten free bread, or no bread at all (just comments saying “I’m soooOoOo sorry you can’t eat the bread!”). I’m used to that. What really got to me was dessert. All the gluten eaters got THREE (!) different types of dessert. Me? I got this.
Now, look. I was fresh off of a week of eating everything else on this post. My caloric intake was through the roof. My poor stomach needed a break from eating. However, this is about the principle of the matter. Everyone else got three kinds of cake and the best they could do for me was berries?
I asked for ice cream and the waiter responded that she had to check if it was possible to do that. Based on her reaction you would think I asked her to make a fresh batch of ice cream from scratch right then and there. You'd think the normal reaction would be "this guy is eating a bowl full of berries while everyone else has three kinds of cake, let me see if I can make his night a little better". But okay miss girl, do you.
You'd think with the size of Harvard's endowment they could invest a little bit of money into gluten free options, but here we are. The food was otherwise very good, but I was just shocked at how asking for literally the same treatment as everyone else was such a hassle.
Restaurants I ran out of time to visit
I deeply regret having to announce that my stomach is not limitless and that I could not visit everywhere I wanted to. I know, it was a shock to me, too. For more inspiration, here are the spots I ran out of time and stomach space for:
Palma, West Village: Their gluten free pasta looks insane (a nycbutglutenfree rec).
Agata & Valentina, UES: An entirely gluten free grocery store and market that has a seemingly very large section of prepared food.
Coqdaq, Flatiron District: Fried chicken that looks amazing, but reservations are extremely competitive. Book early!
Cosme, Flatiron District: Contemporary Mexican restaurant from the same chef who graced us with Pujol in Mexico City.. I really, really want to go here.
Nem’s Bistro, Williamsburg: Serves up gluten free mochi waffles that look absolutely unbelievable.
Claro, Gowanus: Oaxacan food that is gluten free aside from a few beers on the menu. The food looks brilliant.
Where do you like to eat gluten free in New York City?
Talk soon,
Matt x
Cornell Club- same as Harvard Club.
Damn, Harvard Club... doing the actual least!