* A list of all my gluten free Shoreditch finds *
London is a fantastic city for those of us who have to avoid gluten and it seems like every time I step outside of my neighbourhood to explore, I make new brilliant discoveries at every turn.
I used to work near Shoreditch what now seems like a lifetime ago and used to love sampling all the different cafes, stalls and restaurants at lunch time. But this was well before my gluten free days and since then, although I’ve returned a million times, it’s simply not an area I spend that much time eating in. But as I was strolling around the other day, it dawned on me just how many gluten free options there are in the area. So I took it upon myself to finally put a list together, of old favourites and new finds.
I’m certain there are many more out there and I’ll be sure to keep on updating this post as I go along. But for now if you’re heading to Shoreditch, as a lot of tourists and Londoners do, then here are my gluten free finds.
UPDATE 2022
As I wrote this guide a few years ago, please bear in mind that some of these places may have closed or changed location since then. Always make sure to research online to double check that a place is still opened before making any plans. 😉
My Gluten Free Shoreditch Guide:
* If you’re a business operating in the area and are gluten free or have Coeliac safe options, feel free to message me or leave a comment below. I would love to know about you! ? *
Find me on Instagram at @kimi_eats_gluten_free
1. BEIJUMMY
Nearest Tube Station: Liverpool Street + Shoreditch High Street (Overground) + Old Street
Gluten free status: 100% gluten free food stall
Food: Brazilian / Amazonian flatbreads with filling
Address: Spitalfields Market (E1 6EA, Lamb Street) or Whitecross Street Markt (143 Whitecross St, London EC1Y 8JJ)
Opening times: Monday to Friday – 11am to 4pm, Saturday & Sunday – 12pm to 5pm
Website: beijummy.com
This little Brazilian food stall makes THE BEST sandwiches ever. Using unbelievably delicious Amazonian inspired flatbreads – called beiju – made entirely of cassava starch (there are literally no other ingredients). They cook them fresh right there in front of you and don’t even use oil in the cooking process. Then they add cheese on top, your choice of protein (chicken, tuna, veggie or vegan) and a selection of fillings (red onions, tomatoes, sun-dried tomatoes, rocket, spinach, black olives, chilli sauce and fresh chilli). They taste amazing, are healthy and nutritious and left us feeling great afterwards.
You can find them every day of the week in Spitafields Market or Monday to Friday in Whitecross Street Market.
P.S.: the sandwiches are huge and they don’t hold back on the filling. Highly recommend!
2. ANDINA
Nearest Tube Station: Shoreditch High Street (Overground) + Old Street (Tube)
Gluten free status: gluten free options / suitable for Coeliacs
Food: Peruvian / Pisco bar
Address: 1 Redchurch St, London E2 7DJ
Website: cevichefamily.com/andina
This is one of my favourite restaurants in London. If you’re not familiar with Peruvian food, Andina is the perfect place to start. Even if you have absolutely no idea what’s on your plate at times, if you love trying new things I promise you will enjoy it. The food is unique, of excellent quality and so full of flavour.
The menu consists of small and larger plates that are ideal for sharing so we ordered a bunch of different things to sample as much of the menu as we could. Ceviche, stew, chips, fermented beetroot & avocado crema and a delicious dessert.
It’s perfect for an evening meal, especially for those times when you’re dragging non-gluten free people along with you and hope to impress them. You know what I mean… sometimes being gluten free means choosing restaurants based on safety and not necessarily because they’re the best of the best gastronomically speaking. But Andina is one of those that suits both. A fantastic restaurant anyone will enjoy, gluten free or not. ?
3. VIDA BAKERY
Nearest Tube Stations: Shoreditch High Street (Overground) + Old Street (Tube)
Gluten free status: 100% gluten free
Extra: 100% vegan / dairy free / egg free
Food: bakery – cakes, cupcakes, etc.
Address: 139 Brick Ln, London E1 6SB
Website: vidabakery.co.uk
Bonus point: doggos allowed
UPDATE (2019): Vida Bakery is now 100% gluten free!
How cute is this cupcake? And with a mini doughnut on top! We stumbled on this bakery in Brick Lane (had never noticed it before, weirdly) and it turns out it’s virtually all gluten free. In fact the only gluten thing that finds its way in their kitchen is ‘normal’ Oreo cookies. For that reason they didn’t want to claim there to be no risk of cross contamination in their kitchen, although they said they are careful to keep these separate. But they’re looking into switching them for the new Morrisons gluten free ‘oreos’ so Vida Bakery should be 100% gluten free soon enough!
I had literally just eaten elsewhere so I didn’t take anything, but my boyfriend (always taking one for the gluten free team) took this cupcake and said it was delicious (especially the mini doughnut) and that it had a great texture.
P.S.: for those interested, this bakery is also completely vegan / dairy free / egg free.
4. BIRD – Update: PERMANENTLY CLOSED
Nearest Tube Stations: Hoxton + Shoreditch High Street (Overground) + Old Street (Tube)
Gluten free status: gluten free options / suitable for Coeliacs
Food: gluten free free range fried chicken
Address: 42-44 Kingsland Rd, London E2 8DA
Website: birdrestaurants.com
UPDATE (2019): Sadly this restaurant has now permanently closed, but you can still find BIRD in Islington, Camden and Stratford (Westfield).
If you miss fried chicken, then this is the place for you! All their fried chicken is gluten free, prepared and cooked in a separate area away from gluten and no gluten goes into their chip fryer either. Just be careful as not all sauces and glazes are gluten free, but there is a great selection (I highly recommend the coconut jerk and katsu curry ?).
5. REDEMPTION
Nearest Tube Station: Old Street (Tube) + Shoreditch High Street (Overground)
Gluten free status: 100% gluten free restaurant
Extra: completely vegan and low in refined sugars
Bonus: they have a lovely outdoor terrace, perfect for a summer brunch in sun.
Address: 320 Old St, London EC1V 9DR
Website: redemptionbar.co.uk
NOTE: while everything is technically gluten free, a few dishes are made with a buckwheat flour that comes with a ‘may contain gluten’ warning on the label so these aren’t recommended for Coeliacs.
This restaurant was recommended to me by a fellow Coeliac on Instagram and what a find. These guys are really on the ball with Coeliac Disease. So much so that as soon as I asked about their menu – which only mentions “wheat free”, not gluten free – they assured me that everything is indeed gluten free, but a few dishes are made with a buckwheat flour that comes with a “may contain gluten” warning so they don’t recommend these for Coeliacs. But everything else is absolutely fine. Even the oats they use are certified gluten free.
I went for the ‘bolognese’ with brown rice penne pasta which is a tomato, purple sweet potato and shiitake mushroom sauce with roasted pecan ‘parmesan’ and fresh rocket on top. Honestly, and I say this as a non vegan, I really enjoyed it. The flavours were nice, the portion was huge and the crushed pecans added a little texture to the sauce that compensated for the lack of minced beef and was (surprisingly) similarly satisfying. I will definitely go back. ?
6. LEON
Nearest Tube Station: Liverpool Street + Shoreditch High Street (Overground)
Gluten free status: tonnes of gluten free options / suitable for Coeliacs
Food: healthy lunch boxes, burgers, chips, breakfast, desserts, etc.
Address: 3 Crispin Pl, London E1 6DW (in Spitalfields Market)
Website: leonrestaurants.co.uk
This fast food chain is everywhere in Central London and a dream for gluten free food on the go. A good chunk of their menu is safe for us, even the burgers. Perfect if you’re looking for a quick and relatively healthy bite to grab.
7. GISELLE RICHARDSON (MACARONS STALL) – Update – CLOSED
Nearest Tube Station: Liverpool Street + Shoreditch High Street (Overground)
Gluten free status: 100% gluten free
Food: gluten free macarons
Address: Spitalfields Market
Website: gisellerichardson.com
You can find this stall in Spitalfields Market. They sell a large selection of entirely gluten free macarons with very interesting and unique flavours.
UPDATE: THEY NO LONGER HAVE A STALL IN SPITALFIELDS MARKET, but you can find them in Victoria Park Market (Hackney / Bethnal Green area) on Sundays. You can also order their macarons for collection from their Clerkenwell kitchen via their website.
8. POPTATA
Nearest Tube Station: Shoreditch High Street (Overground) + Old Street
Gluten free status: virtually 100% gluten free (except for one sauce)
Food: Loaded chips with a huge selection of toppings
Address: Boxpark Shoreditch
Website: poptata.com
You can find this stall inside Boxpark Shoreditch. It’s completely gluten free (well except from one sauce – the caramelised onion one if I remember well) so basically it’s all safe and there’s no risk of cross-contamination.
They have a tonne of options for toppings as well like pulled pork, chorizo, pulled chicken, different kinds of cheeses, lots of different sauces, etc. For some reason I always walk right by Boxpark without ever checking it out properly so I had totally missed these until now. It’s well worth a try if you’re around!
P.S.: and for those interested, you can also find them in Boxpark Croydon, Tooting Market and Portobello Road.
9. PHO
Nearest Tube Station: Liverpool Street + Shoreditch High Street (Overground)
Gluten free status: nearly all gluten free / suitable for Coeliacs
Food: Vietnamese
Address: 48 Brushfield St, London E1 6AG
Website: phocafe.co.uk
10. ROSA’S THAI CAFE
Nearest Tube Station: Liverpool Street + Shoreditch High Street (Overground)
Gluten free status: gluten free options / suitable for Coeliacs
Food: Thai
Address: 12 Hanbury St, London E1 6QR
Website: rosasthaicafe.co.uk
11. HONEST BURGERS
Nearest Tube Station: Liverpool Street
Gluten free status: nearly all gluten free / suitable for Coeliacs
Food: free range burgers
Address: 12 Widegate St, London E1 7HP
Website: honestburgers.co.uk
12. DISHOOM
Nearest Tube Station: Old Street + Shoreditch High Street (Overground)
Gluten free status: gluten free options / suitable for Coeliacs
Food: Indian / Iranian
Address: 7 Boundary St, London E2 7JE
Website: dishoom.com
13. 100 HOXTON
Nearest Tube Station: Hoxton (Overground) + Old Street
Gluten free status: gluten free options / suitable for Coeliacs
Food: Asian fusion
Address: 100-102 Hoxton St, London N1 6SG
Website: 100restaurants.co.uk
14. WAHACA
Nearest Tube Station: Old Street + Shoreditch High Street (Overground)
Gluten free status: gluten free options / suitable for Coeliacs
Food: Mexican
Address: 140 Tabernacle St, London EC2A 4SD
Website: whahaca.co.uk
15. NANDO’S
Nearest Tube Station: Shoreditch High Street (Overground) + Liverpool Street
Gluten free status: gluten free options / suitable for Coeliacs
Food: Afro-Portuguese peri peri chicken
Address: 114-118 Commercial St, London E1 6NF
Website: nandos.co.uk
This restaurant chain has been my safe place for years for quick meals on the go. Not only do they have an allergy book and offer loads of gluten free options, but in my experience the staff are helpful and are obviously well trained regarding allergens and cross contamination. And with them being absolutely everywhere around the country, it’s nice to know there’s always a safe option nearby no matter where you go. And let’s be honest, who doesn’t like a cheeky Nando’s from time to time?
16. ITSU
Gluten free status: gluten free options / suitable for Coeliacs
Food: Japanese fast food
Address: multiple locations
Website: itsu.com
This Japanese fast food chain has quite a few gluten free options on their menu as well bites to grab on the go.
OTHER:
Here’s a list of other restaurants and cafes in the area that offer gluten free options. I have not personally tried or researched these so I don’t feel comfortable recommending them, but I thought I’d include them in here so you know what’s out there.
Arepa & Co
Dinerama Market
Yauatcha
Comptoir Libanais
Wagamama
Giraffe
Pizza Union
The Real Greek
Breddos Taco
Carluccio’s
Duck & Waffle
Gaucho
Pizza Express
The Breakfast Club
Rossopomodoro
/ MY GLUTEN FREE SHOREDITCH GUIDE
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