Please sign in to post.

Gluten Free Dining in London

I always like to share with others when we have had successful gluten-free dining experiences. On our recent trip to London we ate at several Celiac friendly places.

Two places were 100% gluten-free. Gluten-eating people will be happy at both. Beyond Bread is a 100% gluten-free bakery (this is really only for breakfast or lunch as they close at 5:00 p.m.). The service was excellent and there were a number of delicious pastries, sandwiches, and egg dishes. Leggero is a dedicated gluten-free Italian restaurant located near China Town. Many of the options are vegan and vegetarian, but our entire group enjoyed the food.

We enjoyed good fish and chips at Hobsons. They have a couple of locations which prepare regular and gluten-free fish and chips. All of the desserts were gluten-free. We appreciated the opportunity to enjoy this British classic.

Our favorite Indian restaurant, Dishoom, once again did not disappoint. We like it so much we ate at two different locations (Kensington and Covent Garden). They truly seem to understand the need for careful preparation of gluten-free dishes.

Honest Burger was also a great find. They do not fry anything with gluten, so we were able to enjoy their batter-dipped (gluten-free) onion rings. They do charge an extra pound for the gluten-free bun, but the burgers were fresh and tasty.

We have been impressed with each trip to London the increase in safe dining options for those with food restrictions.

**edited to add one more restaurant.

Posted by
8572 posts

Thanks for posting this.

Although I don’t have food allergies as a long time Forum poster I always appreciate it when others share pertinent helpful info they discovered while traveling.

Posted by
11056 posts

Very helpful to know these places. The highest incidence of celiac disease is found among people of Irish and British heritage so this makes sense.

Posted by
5240 posts

The highest incidence of celiac disease is found among people of Irish and British heritage so this makes sense.

It's actually Scandinavia and parts of North Africa that experience the highest incidence. However, one has to bear in mind the vast differences in testing and recording for coeliac disease and therefore figures from less developed countries are more likely to be less acurate than more developed ones.

It's also interesting to note that many people are foregoing gluten not because they are intolerant but because they believe that it is unhealthy. I recall a recent BBC report where a number of people were interviewed at a London food market, many of whom were avoiding gluten but when asked for their reasons they simply replied that it was unhealthy, most were unaware of coeliac disease and many did not even know what gluten actually is. So whilst the wider interest in gluten issues is a boon for coeliacs and others who are intolerant to it there are a lot of people avoiding it for no reason and are actually at risk of eating products that are less healthy.

Posted by
219 posts

Thank you for the kind remarks. When one must find truly, safe gluten-free food it is really important for everyone to share their experiences. We have had plenty of poor experiences with food that is marketed as gluten-free, but is not safe from cross-contamination. The quality of information found on this forum is incredible. I am happy to share when I can.