Where Can I Find Gluten Free Restaurants & Cafes In Melbourne?

Melbourne, Victoria, is home to a wide variety of gluten-free dining establishments, both in the city proper and in the surrounding suburbs. The city caters to any and all culinary desires, with restaurants serving everything from authentic Japanese to authentic Mexican to authentic Italian, and everything in between.

There has never been a better time to be a foodie, thanks to the rise of restaurants that specialise in accommodating diners with special dietary needs, such as those who suffer from food allergies or intolerances.

For some, avoiding gluten is not a choice but a matter of life and death, making it difficult to find eateries that can cater to their specific needs. Those who are suffering can take comfort in the fact that Melbourne's restaurant scene is stocked with delicious, high-quality options. Next time you need a gluten-free option that doesn't skimp on flavour or quality, give one of these restaurants a try.

The best gluten-free cafés and restaurants in Melbourne

It can be difficult to eat out when you have celiac disease or another condition that prevents you from eating gluten. Cross-contamination is a concern for people with coeliac disease because gluten is used as a binding and preservative in so many different types of foods.

This is why we have compiled this list of gluten-free-friendly eateries: so that you and your gluten-free friends can go out to eat without worrying about cross-contamination.

Chocolate Buddha

• Restaurants
• Melbourne

If you're worried about gluten at Chocolate Buddha, a Japanese restaurant, the wait staff will be happy to reassure you. Gluten-free items are prepared in a separate area of the kitchen with their own set of equipment and ingredients, eliminating any possibility of contamination.

More good news: there is zero gluten in the soy sauce. The noodles and dumpling fillings in a gluten-free household are made with chestnuts, prawns, and salmon. They've teamed up with Melbourne's Compassionate Kitchen to offer vegan and gluten-free desserts.

Mamasita

• Restaurants
• Melbourne

One of the business's owners, Nick Peters, has said, "We are always looking for new ways to incorporate gluten-free options into our menu." These alternatives can be made with many different types of flours and other components. They would appreciate it if you would share any creative and tasty gluten-free Mexican food ideas that you may have.

Shop225

• Restaurants
• Italian
• Pascoe Vale South

The preparation of Italian food is undeniably a labor-intensive endeavour in terms of carbohydrate consumption, and flour plays a significant role in the cuisine. This means that those of us with coeliac disease can rejoice, as Shop225 now offers all the classic dishes in a gluten-free option. The partner of co-owner Lorenzo Tron found it difficult to find suitable dining options after being advised to follow a gluten-free diet.

This inspired him to create a menu with an emphasis on gluten-free pizzas cooked in wood-burning ovens without compromising on flavour. Their dedication to providing excellent service is reflected in details like the designated areas of the kitchen and the use of baking paper for the gluten-free pizza bases.

Their handling is done with a separate pizza paddle and set of cutters to avoid cross-contamination. To our knowledge, they are the first pizza place in all of Australia to receive this recognition from Coeliac Australia.

Tutto Bene

• Restaurants
• Italian
• Southbank

This restaurant serves 11 different types of risotto for those who are gluten-intolerant but have a hankering for traditional Italian comfort food but can't eat the pasta and bread that are staples in Italian cooking.

Everything from the braises to the ingredients in our risottos is gluten-free prepared, and it pairs beautifully with our organic vialone nano rice. In most restaurants, flour is used to coat proteins before serving them in a braising or main dish. Tamara Volkoff, owner of the company, says, "When necessary, we will use rice flour."

Foodies Cafe

• Restaurants
• Cafés
• Camberwell

The Foodies café serves identical copies of each dish on the menu. There is a separate area for working, serving, and preparing gluten-free food, and half of each appliance and utensil is kept there to prevent cross-contamination. To further guarantee the highest standards of hygiene throughout the preparation of your food, the staff has been trained to minimise the possibility of cross-contamination at all times.

Our gluten-free burgers are always a hot item. Not only do we serve mac and cheese, pulled beef burgers, and fried chicken burgers, but we also have a vegetarian option. Additionally, we serve French toast and bubble waffles. Although the gluten-free parmigiana is excellent, Luke Lucas, the company's manager, claims that it is impossible to beat. Restaurants that cater to those on the low- and medium-intestinal bacterial phospholipid (FODMAP) diet are also common.

Saba's Ethiopian

• Restaurants
• African
• Fitzroy

Saba's serves traditional Ethiopian dishes prepared with only 100% pure teff flour, making it safe for those with celiac disease and other gluten intolerances.

Vegetarians and vegans have plenty of options, and that number is approaching half of the menu. For those with fructose intolerance, it's recommended that you give the restaurant at least 24 hours' notice before your reservation so they can prepare appropriately.

Tekebash Gebre's earthy pulses, rich stews, and bubbling injera are what bring in the crowds. Saba Alemayoh's mother Tekebash Gebre spends hours slaving over the stove while her daughter takes care of the floorwork. However, their homey restaurant has been a welcome splash of colour on this stretch of Brunswick Road for the past five years, when it was primarily known for its many pubs and late-stage gentrification.

There is no need to worry about cross-contamination for those with gluten sensitivities or celiac disease at Saba's because everything on the menu is made with teff (whereas many other restaurants use a flour blend). Injera can be used to scoop, swipe, and mop up every last morsel because it is both a carbohydrate and utensil.

Saba works tirelessly as a one-person operation, handling orders, mingling with regulars, and directing the occasionally bewildered newcomers with her trademark wit and charm. This does, however, mean that things move slowly, and that there are often extended intervals between the beginning of courses and their arrival. That being said, if you are in a rush, this is not the place for you. Do not delay in placing an order for some entrees, and for the love of God, try to take it easy on the Ethiopian lagers.

You could try the crisp, poker-hot florets of cauliflower that have been battered in teff, but you shouldn't pass up the katana, which is a simple after-school snack made from triangles of steaming injera that have been sandwiched with chilli butter. Flavortown, with a capital F, is this slightly sour bread dripping with bright red grease from every pore. You could call it fairy bread. You have only dishonour to show for your actions.

When the main courses are served, a performance follows. Vegetables, stews, and everything else are inverted on a colourful, injera-lined basket, side by side in a wheel of delicious fortune. The wait staff needs to be made aware of any passengers who follow special diets as soon as possible.

Each bite of injera has a mildly sour flavour, so it goes well with foods that have a wide range of textures. The red lentils are first reduced to a paste and then the robust spices are added.

Ethiopians use a potent spice blend called berbere, which includes chilli, garlic, ginger, and a dozen other ingredients. Cubed goat is simmered in a berbere-seasoned tomato-and-onion stew. You'll be fighting over the last piece of injera soaked in meat juices because the meat is so tender, rust coloured, and richer than Croesus, but it's over so quickly.

Delicious Cuisine

• Restaurants
• Indian
• Ivanhoe

When Coeliac Australia first began its accreditation programme, the first restaurant to do so was in Ivanhoe. There are both classic Indian dishes like naan pizza and pancakes and more modern interpretations of Indian food like curries and lentil cakes that are made in-house. Our expertise lies in desserts.

You can top the rice and quinoa panna cotta with your choice of salted caramel, berry coulis, or pomegranate coulis.

All of the ingredients have been lab-tested for gluten, and the suppliers have been handpicked for their ability to share in and uphold Delicious Cuisine's ethos. This means that every step, including the means of transport, is scrutinised to rule out the spread of any kind of contamination. Furthermore, everyone on the team must complete a Coeliac Society of Australia online course before beginning work. Having this done guarantees that your food is being handled by skilled personnel.

Café Henkel

• Restaurants
• Cafés
• Brunswick

Cafe Henkel is a standard fare in Brunswick, but this location is gluten-free and coeliac-friendly. Maria Stamalof, the coffee shop's owner, claims, "There is not a trace of gluten anywhere on the premises." We never use anything with gluten in it. Food is prepared on the premises for the most part, and anything brought in is checked twice for glutenous hitchhikers.

Pies, sausage rolls, and sandwiches are all fair game for those with a gluten intolerance now. Café Henkel bakes special-order cakes that are safe for those with coeliac disease who don't want to deal with the hassle of making their own.