The Best Wheat and Gluten Free Restaurants in Toronto

The biggest complaint of friends of mine with glutten allergies is that makers of the food are always trying to combine foods that appeal to too many different groups.

Most places will combine glutten free with lactose free, organic, vegan, vegetarian, low sodium, low fat, or any combination of. It's understandable. They want to cater to as many groups as possible, but the problem is that instead of creating a good, glutten free/lactose free/vegan/etc meal, they're opting for a mediochre all of the above.

It's nice to see that many on this list focus on just glutten free foods.

wow almost all of these take a high-carb or vegan approach to the gluten-free thing.. how about some real food (meat & veggies) that doesnt have grains.. now that would be refreshing (worth the $)

Thanks so much for this great list Tim!

The problem that I often run into as a gluten-free diner though is that waitstaff and kitchen staff -- even in restaurants that pitch themselves as wheat-free and gluten-free friendly -- are completely untrained in avoiding cross-contamination. I have had to avoid some of these restaurants because they do not seem to recognize that gluten-free foods cannot be fried in the same fryers, prepared on the same surfaces, or in any way come into contact with gluten. Even a miniscule amount of gluten can make celiacs very very ill.

Fortunately, some of these restaurants do a fantastic job with ensuring the safety of their gluten-free diners. I especially love Hibiscus, Camros, Magic Oven, Villa, and Le Cafe Vert.

I've had celiac's disease for over 10 years, and am pleased to see restaurants offering more choices. I love Big Mamma's Boy, and I know that Deep Blue Fish and Chips uses a separate fryer for the gluten-free batter. Magic Oven is ok but a bit pricey, as is Il Fornello's gluten-free options. I plan on trying out some of these places on your list I didn't know about - thanks! If only bars would start stocking gluten-free beer...

Hello, Thank you for the great listing of restaurants. My only concern is that spelt is not considered gluten free. Here is a link discussing this.

http://www.csaceliacs.org/documents/Spelt220062-10-06_3_.pdf

Thanls
Mike

Agreed. But spelt is considered wheat free which is why this is called "the Best Wheat and Gluten Free"

Yes, but there are several references here to "gluten free" followed by "spelt", which is somewhat misleading. Spelt is most definitely NOT gluten-free; spelt bread makes me sick as a dog.

My assumption is that people who are gluten free know that spelt is not gluten free. I didn't feel the need to clarify in the post because I assume those interested in these types of restaurants know the restrictions of their current diet and whether spelt is acceptable or not.

Spelt IS wheat. Spelt is NOT wheat-free as stated above. The link posted above even states this.

http://www.csaceliacs.org/documents/Spelt220062-10-06_3_.pdf

Sorry. Let me clarify. A number of people who have trouble digesting wheat are able to eat spelt. Not everyone, but some people!

Thanks for the clarification regarding why you including spelt, I was surprised to see that in the article. Perhaps some clarification in the text would be useful.

on the note of Pizza pizza offering gluten free crust, I just tried to order a pizza from there and they make it incredibly difficult. They have a special for large pizzas - 5 toppings, 14$. I wanted this on gluten free crust. Because they don't hae large gf pizza, they refused to let me have the deal. Even when I said to just put it on a medium pizza and charge me the gluten free surcharge, they refused saying that the deal was for large pizzas only. When I pointed out that they only have gluten free MEDIUM pizza, their response was actualy "yes mame, gluten free is medium, this special is only for large pizzas". I don't understand why they would offer gluten free on only one size and then not be flexible at all about it.

Just want to make a correction. You mention spelt as being gluten free. It ISN'T. Just so readers won't think it is.

I have been following the gf diet for 15 years.

w.a.

Hello. Someone referenced that some of these restaurants still suffer from cross-contamination. Has anyone been to Riz? IS it reliable in terms of truly being gluten free for the menu items listed?
TIA

I was pleasantly surprised to find out that East! on Queen near John has gluten free options. They don't have a menu to hand you, but they have a list of about 8 options. The hostess when I went didn't seem terribly knowledgeable but the cook did, which is what matters. I had sexy summer rolls (no sauce) and sweet and sour chicken. Which is salmon and meat for Greg as well.

Please note that spelt is NOT gluten-free! It is an (old) wheat....like kamut!!!

g-free means no wheat, rye, oats (some g-free persons can allegedly tolerate, but for me, no way! I scream with pain for 24hours) or barley
..but OK for amaranth, arrowroot, millet, montina, lupine, quinoa, sorghum (jowar), sweet potato, taro, teff, chia seed, and yam. Various types of bean, soybean, and nut flours are sometimes used in gluten-free products to add protein and dietary fiber. In spite of its name, buckwheat is not related to wheat; pure buckwheat is considered acceptable for a gluten-free diet, although many commercial buckwheat products are actually mixtures of wheat and buckwheat flours, and thus not acceptable. Gram flour, derived from chickpeas, is also gluten-free.

Hope this helps!

Thank you - a helpful and thorough article for someone without dietary restrictions but looking for healthier/alternative dining options, especially for going out with friends with particular diets. You seem to have covered every corner of the city - awesome!

Amazing, thanks for the tips.