Gluten Free Vancouver

Vancouver is an absolute gluten free haven and a great place to visit if you want a vacation which combines the sea, mountains and city.

The city on Canada’s west coast has a tonne of great restaurants and cafes which cater for gluten free.

I found there is also a really good, all-round knowledge of coeliac disease.

Plus there are also FOUR dedicated gluten free bakeries in Vancouver meaning you’ll be absolutely spoilt for choice!

The gluten free options I found during my six-day trip included sushi, burgers, pizza, Lebanese platters, paninis, pastries, fried brioche doughnuts (yes!!) and much more.

Because I was spending time with my friend who avoids eggs and dairy, most of these places have vegan options.

There is such a varied choice of restaurants across Vancouver. Even when heading to nearby Squamish and Bowen Island I found spots I could eat safely.

So here is my guide to gluten free in Vancouver – I’ll share all the spots I ate and also a few recommendations I never got time to visit in person. I’ll save them for next time!

I’ve broken this guide down into sections to make it a little easier to navigate depending on what you want to find:

• Eating safely with coeliac disease in Vancouver
• Gluten Free Bakeries in Vancouver
• Gluten Free Restaurants in Vancouver
• Gluten free ice-cream in Vancouver
• Gluten Free Cafes in Vancouver
• Gluten Free Bowen Island
• Gluten Free Squamish
• Gluten Free Vancouver Map

I also made a handy video guide to Vancouver from my trip which you can watch here:

Eating Safely with Coeliac Disease in Vancouver

I had a really great experience with lots of coeliac friendly eateries in Vancouver.

All the waitstaff I encountered were so helpful and everyone seemed to know what coeliac disease was.

Most places asked if there were allergies on our table and if it was a preference or an allergy, so it seemed like they’d had lots of training.

My top tips to remember when eating out gluten free in Vancouver are:

• Look out for ‘gluten-friendly’ labels (I hate this term but they use it a lot!) and GF on the menus, but don’t just rely on this.
• A lot of coffee shops will have ‘gluten-friendly’ cakes in counters touching ‘normal’ cakes but there are so many dedicated GF places around so never risk it.
• Always tell the server you have coeliac disease and have to avoid gluten.
• Ask about their cross contamination procedures and check they have separate fryers/waffle-irons/griddles for gluten free food.
• Double check again when the food arrives that it is definitely gluten free – it always pays to be safe rather than sorry.
• Remember to tip! Tipping is a ‘thing’ in Vancouver so if your server has been super helpful then maybe add an extra % or two onto the tip when paying.

If you need some more general tips I have a full guide to eating out with coeliac here.

Gluten free bakeries in Vancouver

Vancouver actually has four dedicated gluten free bakeries and I managed to visit three of them during my trip.

The gluten free bakeries in Vancouver are: Lemonade, Gluten Free Epicurean, Panne Rizo Gluten Free Bakery and Mountain Top Wheat and Gluten Free Bakery.

There was a fifth bakery, Eightfold Eats, but as far as I could see this is now closed.

All of the bakeries I visited are 100% gluten free with a huge variety of dedicated gluten free options. I felt each one had a different speciality too.

Gluten Free Epicurean

The Gluten Free Epicurean was my favourite of all the gluten free bakeries in Vancouver. So much so that I visited them twice!

Located on East 15th Avenue in the Mount Pleasant area, the bakery has expanded in recent years. It’s now taken over the adjoining unit for even more gluten free bakes!

Gluten Free Epicurean has a whole host of treats including brioche fried doughnuts, galettes, savoury pastries, cookies, muffins, cupcakes, quiche and even spanakopita.

They also make pizza and fresh bread. Though there are different bread offerings on different days so it’s best to check before you go.

My advice would be to get there early! We visited first thing and had a large choice but my second visit the cabinet was much emptier.

This was in the afternoon and having seen the queues, I’m not surprised.

The brioche doughnuts were my absolute favourite but I also loved the pizza slices!

Plus they have a wide range of frozen doughs and products so great if you’re self-catering.

Lemonade

Lemonade is another 100% gluten free bakery in Vancouver and can be found in Cambie Street.

Their pastries blew my mind and the shop is in a cute little area with some lovely independent shops nearby too.

Lemonade gluten free bakery appears to specialise in pastries. I got a cinnamon swirl, a rhubarb and apple galette, and a lemon meringue pie from them. All amazing!

They also sell a few other bits like flour mixes and granola. And they had quite a few gluten free vegan options including a chocolate passionfruit tart we tried.

Lemonade makes everything with it’s own house-ground flour blend and also has lots of nut-free options too.

When I went they were closed Mondays and Tuesdays. This may change through the seasons so double check before making the trip.

It’s a little far out from downtown Vancouver but easily accessible by bus. The city’s buses are super cheap and easy to use to get around!

Panne Rizo Gluten Free Bakery

Panne Rizo is found on Cornwall Avenue in Kitsilano. It’s probably my favourite neighbourhood in Vancouver as it has a chilled out, beachy vibe.

This is a lovely, small little bakery and has a much smaller range than Lemonade or Gluten Free Epicurean. But the bread they did have was lovely.

We found a few cakes, cookies and panini options as well as a homemade mac and cheese!

The gluten free panini I had was gorgeous – studded with cranberries and more like a focaccia-style bread.

This was a lovely place to sit in and grab a bite to eat and a great location if you’re there in the summer and planning to head to one of the beaches for the day.

When I was there they closed on Thursdays but again this may change with the seasons. Their opening hours vary by day so do check before you go.

If you do find they are closed, there’s a nearby little foodstore called Be Fresh you can visit on West 1st Avenue. It has lots of gluten free snacks and lunch options.

Mountain Top Wheat and Gluten Free Bakery

I didn’t get a chance to visit Mountain Top Wheat and Gluten Free Bakery, though I read some great reviews of their food from other gluten free travellers.

You can find this gluten free bakery in Lonsdale Avenue in North Vancouver. It could be a great one to check out if you’re driving out of the city to the mountains.

From their website they have a great range of gluten free goodies, including fresh gluten free bread, pizza, sausage rolls and pot pies.

They are only open Tuesday, Wednesday and Friday at the time of writing. So make sure to double check before venturing to North Vancouver especially!

Gluten free restaurants in Vancouver

There is a huge choice of restaurants across Vancouver with lots of gluten free options and plenty of vegan choices too.

From burgers to sushi, we tried a range of different cuisines and all of the restaurants we went to were great with handling my coeliac (celiac) disease too.

Nuba

I’ve never tried Lebanese food before so was excited to try Nuba. It’s a Lebanese chain which has a few restaurant locations in Vancouver.

They don’t have a gluten free menu but most of the food is gluten free and the staff were really helpful.

I did enjoy the amusement that they don’t have gluten free bread so I got a giant bowl of cucumber to go with my houmous.

I tried a vegetarian mezze platter with a mixture of dishes including falafel, mjadra, batata harra and za’atar roasted tomato.

We also got some other tasty dishes including a delicious halloumi and orange salad and the chicken shish tawook.

Virtuous Pie

If you want a gluten free pizza in Vancouver which happens to be vegan as well then Virtuous Pie is the place for you!

Found Downtown, Virtuous Pie offer gluten free bases and gluten free pasta for most of their dishes and prepare everything separately.

They also have a separate pizza oven for allergy orders and for dessert they do gluten free cannoli waffle cones which were insane!

Juke Fried Chicken

Juke Fried Chicken is a super popular spot in Downtown Vancouver and one you won’t want to miss!

Tucked away inconspicuously, this fried chicken joint offers completely gluten free fried chicken and chicken nuggets as well as fried.

We popped her after Virtuous Pie so I was pretty full but didn’t want to miss out – so I took three chicken pieces back with me for later!

They were perfectly crunchy and delicious and I’d happily go here again. Be warned that it does get very popular with queues most weekends!

MeeT on Main

If you want a vegan restaurant in Vancouver then MeeT on Main is a great spot, found in Gastown.

This is my friend’s favourite restaurant and I can see why! I loved the look and feel of the place and the staff were super helpful.

We were recommended the risotto special which was absolutely delicious!

But their menu had lots of great choices and would be perfect if you have multiple allergens to avoid.

Bin 4 Burger

I wish this terrible photo did Bin 4 Burger justice because it was one of the BEST meals I had while in Vancouver!

This stacked burger was so good! The staff were really helpful with cross contamination and they have a separate fryer for the fries.

Bin 4 Burger is on Granville Street and definitely worth a visit if you’re in the area and just want an easy dinner you can scoff.

They did have a few vegan options too and were helpful in making swaps and substitutions to make things allergy-friendly.

Iki Japanese

I wish we had managed to visit sushi restaurant Iki Japanese but it’s absolutely top of my list for my next visit to Vancouver.

Finding gluten free, coeliac-safe Japanese food can be difficult but apparently Iki offers sushi, tempura, teriyaki, soup and more.

It’s a 100% gluten free spot but apparently is closed Mon and Thurs so probably worth double checking and booking if you can.

Gluten Free Cafes in Vancouver

If you’re after breakfast, brunch or lunch options then these Vancouver cafes are probably the places you want to stop by.

From breakfast-specific haunts to lunchtime cafes I found lots of great gluten free cafes in Vancouver.

Plus I’ve added some extras I didn’t get a chance to try.

Gobble

Gobble is a cute little cafe on West 4th Avenue in Kitsilano. They serve up tasty salad bowls which are all 100% gluten free and dairy free.

I absolutely love that the window is filled with plants! It has a really relaxed vibe, the perfect stop for lunch if you’re visiting all the little nearby shops.

I had a chicken salad bowl but they also have vegan options including two tofu options which sounded really tasty.

Jam Cafe

We were thinking of visiting Jam Cafe but it’s super popular and we just didn’t have time to fit it into our trip!

Jam Cafe has branches in Kitsilano, Beatty Street and now North Vancouver and it sounds like they do lots of gluten free options.

As we didn’t get a chance to go I can’t speak for what their food is like but it sounds like they are very generous and staff are helpful with allergies.

The Breakfast Table

I knew I had to visit The Breakfast Table on Granville Street as soon as I heard they did gluten free waffles in their own, dedicated fryer!

They were pretty clear on which dishes would be coeliac-safe and which weren’t but I was hyper-focused on the waffles by this point.

I really enjoyed the food and coffee here and would definitely recommend it for a breakfast or brunch spot.

Heirs Pears

I had heard really good thing about Heirs Pears, a gluten free cafe in Downtown Vancouver.

We didn’t get a chance to go but it sounds like they have a good selection of gluten free options including breakfast, brunch and lunch.

Breakfast includes gluten free bagels, brunch has gluten free pancakes! Lunch includes options like pizza, nachos, salads and sandwiches.

Gluten free ice-cream in Vancouver

I will preface this section by saying I went in February and had no inclination to eat any ice-cream at all in near freezing temps!

That being said, Vancouver can be a popular summer spot so I’ll share a few places I’d love to go next time I’m visiting.

Some good spots for gluten free ice-cream in Vancouver include:

Innocent Ice-Cream

This is a 100% gluten free ice-cream shop on Main Street which sounds insane!

They do gluten free ice-cream sandwiches and it sounds like everything is oat-free as well which is great news if you can’t eat oats.

Virtuous Pie

I know I mentioned Virtuous Pie in the restaurants section but a shoutout to them for this EPIC gluten free cannoli.

This was a huge, gluten free waffle cone stuffed with vegan ice-cream and was absolutely divine!

Stuffies Ice-Cream

Situated in North Vancouver, Stuffies was a little out of the way for me this trip but they do gluten free and vegan ice-cream.

And to top this, they come in FISH-shaped waffle cones! It sounds insane but honestly if it was warmer, I’d have 100% made the trip.

Gluten Free Bowen Island

If you want a lovely day trip I highly recommend getting the bus to Horseshoe Bay in West Vancouver and taking the ferry to Bowen Island.

There are lots of great walks on the island and a couple of eateries in Snug Cove we found which offered gluten free.

Branch at Bowen offers gluten free rice bowls (I had the satay tofu one and it was so good) and there’s a small coffee shop next door.

The coffee shop did have a gluten free and vegan soup but this was sold out by the time we got to trying it.

Although they can make gluten free sandwiches, we agreed the risk of cross contamination was too big due to the tiny kitchen.

Both places were really helpful but I’d definitely recommend bringing some snacks as they can sell out quickly when it’s busy.

Gluten Free Squamish

We took a flying visit to Squamish to ride the Sea to Sky Gondola which I 100% recommend for the amazing trails and walks!

The town of Squamish is quite small and we didn’t find a lot of food spots.

But we did stumble across Taka Ramen & Sushi which had lots of gluten free options, all clearly labelled.

This included gluten free soy sauce and gluten free gyoza which were delicious!

Gluten Free Vancouver Map

To help you plan your time in Vancouver, here’s a handy map of all the gluten free spots I tried and was recommended.

That way if you’re visiting a certain area you can see what is nearby when deciding which gluten free food joints to hit up!

Like this gluten free Vancouver guide?

I really hope you’ve found this helpful – if you find any other great gluten free Vancouver spots please do let me know!

Leave a comment below or share your finds in my friendly Facebook support group.

Need some more gluten free travel guides?

Make sure you check out some of my other guides if you’re planning a gluten free trip…

• Gluten free places to eat in Glasgow
• Gluten free guide to New York
• Full gluten free North Devon guide

And if you like this post, make sure you pin my gluten free Vancouver guide for later: