Gluten-Free Restaurants in Austin, Texas
Hi everyone! I made a list of our favorite gluten-free restaurants in Austin, Texas. It’s really nice to live in a city with so many options!
I’m super sensitive to cross-contamination so gluten friendly or gluten free-ish places didn’t really work for me. But lately I’ve been impressed with how knowledgeable chefs and staff are and how easy it is to safely eat out. And so many 100% gluten-free kitchens are popping up.
Sometimes we’ve had to sit down with a manager and talk to them about food preparation and potential cross-contamination. We had a great experience at many different restaurants around town that aren’t necessarily thought of as gluten-free restaurants.
Whereas we probably ate at a popular chain in The Woodlands fifteen times before I got gluten-ed really bad. Every restaurant is unique even if it is part of a chain well known for gluten-free options. And when a new restaurant opens the dedicated fryer might start out gluten-free but then get contaminated, suppliers may change, chefs may change.
It is a learning process for everyone.
I feel safest when the server asks if I need to eat gluten-free for my diet or because of celiac disease. Then I know that they understand the difference. And they will try to reduce cross-contamination and keep it safe for my level of sensitivity.
It has been pretty incredible as I’ve started to eat out more often in this town. It’s so exciting to have so many options and an ever-growing list of gluten-free restaurants!
Gluten-Free Eats in the ATX
Alamo Draft House
Although it is a movie theater and not a restaurant, they do have a gluten-free menu. It’s so fun to catch a movie, eat and drink here. I usually order one of the salads. The endless popcorn with clarified butter is pretty great, too.
Asiana Indian Cuisine
If you are in the mood for Indian cuisine Asiana is absolutely delicious.
Although not marked, most of the menu is gluten-free except for the naan, of course. You can order the dosa, which are thin rice flour crepes filled with various things like onions and potatoes (masala dosa). These are great for dipping in all the sauces.
Other favorites were the reshmi kabob, chicken tikka, lamb korma, and chicken briyani. But there are more things I want to try!
menu | address
Bar Peached
The newly opened Bar Peached on West 6th street is awesome! It is such a pretty venue with a nice outdoor patio, wonderful staff, and a super engaged manager. They have a delicious signature margarita rimmed with habanero salt that does not disappoint.
And true to the Peached Tortilla franchise, the food is so unique and tasty (Asian Southern Food Fusion). There are so many vegan and gluten-free options on the menu.
The cauliflower tacos (on corn tortillas) were incredibly delicious. Of course, they serve the signature BBQ brisket tacos with creamy apple slaw and roasted peach BBQ sauce.
The kale tempura with maple ponzu sauce and thai chili was awesome. They use rice flour and have a dedicated fryer to keep the gluten-free food safe from cross-contamination.
Maple roasted carrots with cilantro chimichurri and dragon salt were cooked to perfection and a just the right blend of sweet, savory and spice. And the charred Brussels with Sichuan peppercorn peach glaze, fried shallots, and sesame blew me away.
They take reservations and they have free valet parking on the weekends.
Culinary Dropout
This place is so cool. Huge bar, live music, games, great pub food. Our server was so knowledgable about dietary allergies and restrictions, too.
There are things you can eat here that are gluten-free. I went with antipasti and goat cheese and it was awesome. Seems like a perfect place to watch the Horns play, too.
District Kitchen + Cocktails
This is probably one of our favorite gluten-free restaurants in Austin. The menus change seasonally and are sourced from local farms and vendors. They serve a variety of dishes with a Mediterranean flair.
All gluten-free dishes have a little “gf” next to them on the menu. The servers are super knowledgeable and fun, too.
We first went for Sunday Funday happy hour on the dog-friendly patio. We had fabulous margaritas with house made Triple Sec and some tasty apps. They have a great wine list and specialty drinks, too.
We really like the signature staples like the Moroccan lamb kabobs (no bread for gluten-free) and street tacos. The bison burgers are fantastic. Salads are amazing!
During the fall they serve Cast Iron Chicken, which is actually the most delicious and unique Persian walnut pomegranate dish – fesenjan/fesenjoon – with orange scented basmati rice.
Eddie V’s Prime Seafood
This is an elegant and upscale steak and seafood house. They have an extensive gluten-friendly menu in-house and are very knowledgeable about gluten free options. From the perfectly cooked steak with choices for enhancements like a Parmesan and horseradish crust, to a beautiful South African Lobster tail, to even a crab cake (minus the breadcrumbs). They play live music in the V Lounge and it is a really wonderful experience. I highly recommend it for a special occasion – they treat you very well.
Fleming’s
They have an extensive, expensive and delicious gluten-free menu at Fleming’s as well. We’ve been a few times and enjoyed our dinners. I had a steak, of course.
Fogo de Chao
This is a Brazilian steakhouse that serves all kinds of rotisserie meats cooked with an open flame. It is a fun experience because the servers will bring various meats to your table and ask if you’d like to try them.
They also have an extensive market table with all kinds of fresh goodies.
Most of the food is gluten-free including the bread. But the chicken, pasta salad, grilled zucchini and a few other things from the market table are not safe. Tell them that you need to avoid gluten and they will bring out an allergen sheet to walk you through what to avoid.
Hopdoddy
Hopdoddy has three locations in Austin and serve all kinds of different burgers with gluten-free ingredients. They have gluten-free buns or lettuce for wraps available, too. And they know to use a clean area to grill the buns as not to cross-contaminate. What is really exciting is that the only thing that goes in the fryer are the fries. And so they are all safe, too. I especially love the parmesan truffle fries with truffle aioli.
MezzeMe Turkish Kitchen
MezzeMe hosted our 2019 Austin Food Blogger Alliance Holiday Party with an absolute feast of Turkish food, wine, beer, coffee and dessert. Mezze Me also caters between 20-250 people and have so many gluten-free and dairy-free options. Check out their catering menu for specifics. Here we have the hand-stacked on a vertical rotisserie beef and lamb doner, chicken shish kebab, falafel and roasted red bell pepper hummus. They also have a seasonal winter menu, but you need to ask what is gluten-free.
Old Thousand
Serving up dope Chinese food on the East side, Old Thousand is a super cute spot with lots of gluten-free options on the menu.
Oseyo
A great place to find Korean food on the East Side of Austin. All of the gluten-free options are clearly marked on the menu and they only use gluten-free Korean soy sauce in their dishes. Pictured here is the wood grilled beef bulgogi served with banchan and lettuce for making wraps. I also really loved the Ddukbokki (rice cakes & seasonal vegetables sautéed in a sweet & spicy chili sauce) as a starter.
Paul Martin’s American Grill
This restaurant serves classic comfort foods cooked in a from-scratch kitchen. There are gluten-free options clearly marked on the menu and the server was very knowledgeable. We went for Austin Restaurant Weeks 2019 and I was so impressed with the quality of our food.
The seasonal salad (minus the croutons) with lemon basil vinaigrette was pretty fantastic. And the braised beef short rib was tender and perfect. The salads are fantastic. They also have really nice special deals throughout the year.
Although it is on the other side of Austin (North Domain) we’ll definitely be going back!
The Peached Tortilla
The super popular Peached Tortilla food truck now also has a brick and mortar location on Burnet.
This original concept combines Southern comfort food with an Asian flair. The gluten-free offerings are clearly marked on the menu.
Some of the GF dishes are Asian pear miso salad, charred brussels with bacon jam (amazing!), BBQ brisket tacos served with creamy apple slaw and smoky roasted peach BBQ sauce (awesome!), the crispy umami chicken wings, and cauliflower three ways with nori butter.
On Taco Tuesday, the tacos are $4 and margs are $5.
The Soup Peddler
Here you will find lots of options for gluten-free and dairy-free soups, as well as grab and go salads. And they often have seasonal soups specials as well. There are several locations around Austin to choose from, too.
Thai Fresh
Another one of our regular rotation gluten-free restaurants. Love the food here. I die for the Pad Thai with beef! Most of the menu is gluten-free and they have an entirely gluten-free bakery.
They make vegan ice cream with some pretty interesting flavors.
You can order online and there is even an app you can download onto your phone to order takeout then swing by to pick it up. Cooking classes and catering are also available.
menu | address
True Food Kitchen
We finally made it to True Food Kitchen during Austin Restaurant Weeks and got to try a few of the dishes. The food is super clean and really delicious. Between us we tried six different dishes including desserts.
I loved that there were so many gluten-free and dairy-free options. They have this vegan coconut lime yogurt to replace sour cream, which is fantastic. And vegan ice cream.
I have to say my two favorite dishes were the charred cauliflower appetizer and the strawberry rhubarb crumble. The menu changes seasonally so there is always something new.
24 Diner
I really like this place, too. It’s a diner and open late night. I love the hash – probably the best I’ve had so far in this town. Perfect potatoes, jalapeños, sausage, bacon and medium eggs for me because I don’t like runny raw eggs. They have a gluten-free menu with tons of options and servers know to ask if it is dietary or celiac disease for cross-contamination purposes.
Wilder Wood Restaurant & Bar
This restaurant serves a combo of Mexican and American dishes and it is a 100% gluten-free kitchen! They serve lots of fried goodies, too!
Starters like hand-cut onion rings, calamari and super nachos or entrees like chicken fried steak and country fried chicken. They have street tacos, fajitas and enchiladas. Salads.
But I was really drawn to the burgers and hand cut fries because I also have to avoid cow’s milk dairy (i.e buttermilk).
You don’t get to eat fries many places because they share the fryer with other items that contain gluten. But the fries here are safe and were delicious. The black Angus beef burger was really good, too.
Honestly the bun was one of the better gluten-free hamburger buns I’ve tried. We’ll be frequenting this place because there are so many things I want to try now.
Wu Chow
Wu Chow is located in downtown Austin on West 5th street. The food is fresh and delicious. They serve farm to table Chinese food and most of the menu is gluten-free. The fryer was safe the last time we dined in, since the dumplings (do contain gluten) are steamed not fried. But after the restaurant closing and re-opening, there may be new items on the menu that may contaminate the fryer. To be safe, I would look at the online ordering menu to see what is marked GF.
Want More Guides to Eating Gluten-Free in the ATX
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Such a great list! I know here in South Austin, my celiac friend ate the fried chicked at Phoebe’s Diner and was thrilled!
Thank you so much! Oh I didn’t know about Phoebe’s diner. Will have to check that out real soon. 🙂
http://glutenfreeguidehq.com/68-essential-gluten-free-restaurant-menus-you-need-to-know/
http://austin.eater.com/maps/best-gluten-free-restaurants-austin