Gluten Free Washington DC

Exploring gluten free Washington DC is a lot of fun, given the delicious coeliac (celiac) friendly food offerings the city has to offer. It hosts an impressive array of options for gluten free visitors, from amazing fully gluten free bakeries with fresh bread and pastries, to gourmet restaurants with coeliac friendly processes.

We visited as part of an epic road trip on the US East Coast, with our two young children in tow. While eating safely gluten free was challenging outside of the big cities, I found it to be relatively smooth sailing in Washington DC, New York and Philadelphia. My main advice is to always ask questions about processes and safe preparation of gluten free food if, like me, cross contact is an issue for you.

However, DC’s gluten free scene includes a number of dedicated bakeries and eateries, which mean even nervous coeliac travellers can have a worry-free visit to the city. And in this guide I have also outlined a number of mixed facility restaurants that (at the time of writing) have good processes in place to minimise the risk of cross contact.

Where to Stay

We actually stayed 20 minutes drive North of the centre, in a lovely suburb called Bethesda. Hotels were simply so much cheaper here and we could get on street park overnight for very little cost. We then drove into Washington each day and found the parking lots to be reasonably priced.

It’s also brilliant for gluten free, with two gluten free bakeries (Josephine’s and Red Bandana Bakery), a fully gluten free eatery (Rooted3) and other coeliac friendly restaurants in the neighbourhood.

Our hotel was the Marriott Bethesda Downtown and I would really recommend it. It was a lovely, modern hotel, very comfortable and with spacious rooms (ideal when travelling as a family of four). Reasonably priced too. We were able to find on street parking just up the road and I picked up breakfast from the local gluten free bakeries. And there’s also a Trader Joe’s and Starbucks nearby.

If you prefer to stay in the centre of Washington DC, there are plenty of other hotels to choose from.

Gluten Free Washington DC

There are lots of gluten free goodies to discover in Washington DC, so below I’ve divided the list into gluten free bakeries, dedicated gluten free spots and coeliac friendly eateries. If you’ve any additions or changes, please do pop me an email [email protected].

I have tried to ensure the information in this guide is as accurate as possible, but it is your responsibility to check with the eatery/bakery before you order to ensure the food is safely gluten free. Menus and processes do change and I am only one woman trying to keep up! Remember to ask questions about food preparation and to always tell your server if you are coeliac.

Gluten Free Bakeries in Washington DC

Rise Bakery

What a bakery! Absolutely worth the trip away from the tourist areas to visit this amazing gluten free bakery. From freshly baked breads and croissants to baked sweet treats and cheesecakes, they have everything a coeliac could dream of.

When we visited they also had breakfast options (served until 12), sandwiches and paninis and pizza. I bought quite a few things to try and was especially impressed with the ham and cheese croissant.

Sweet Crimes Gluten Free Bakery

We didn’t get to visit this location during our visit but now reading the reviews I HAVE REGRETS. A selection of baked goods, freshly make doughnuts, sounds yummy!

They also do gluten free sandwiches, biscuits and specials such as pizza and mini quiches.

Josephine’s

We stayed so close to this fully glutne free bakery but didn’t get a chance to eat here. I did pop in briefly and say they had lots of sweet and savory waffle options, as well as cupcakes and sweet treats that looked really good.

Red Bandana Bakery

We had a nice tomato and cheese bread from this bakery, although the bagel and cookie we bought weren’t that good. However I’m sure I just ordered badly and as a fully gluten free bakery you should pop in if you are in the locality.

Fully Gluten Free Eateries in Washington DC

Rooted3

Up in Bethesda (where we stayed), this fully gluten free eatery serves great salad bowls and also sell a huuuge selection of gf products. I really enjoyed my bowl, finding it really filling and full of yummy fresh produce.

They had lots of products I had never seen before, although the owner did mention to me to double check the products for may contain warnings as I am coeliac, but said all kitchen products fine for me.

They also serve fries and buffalo cauliflower but were sold out when we visited. Great smoothies and juices and lovely customer service.

Chaia

Fully gluten free and vegetarian tacos and nachos and desserts, they have two locations – one in Chinatown and one in George Town.

On their website they confirm that there is no risk of cross contamination and their menu is also nut free (only their cookies are made in a facility that uses nuts so avoid those if you are allergic to nuts). They can also cater for dairy free, egg free and vegan diets.

BIBIBOP

A fully gluten free chain with a couple of central Washington locations (and others further out), serving Asian bowls and noodles. A good grab n go option.

Seoul Spice

I popped into this Korean chain (they’ve a few locations around Washington) and they confirmed the menu was fully gluten free.

They offer Korean-inspired lunch bowls and “korritos” (a nori sheet burrito) and the menu looked delicious. A good place for a grab n go lunch/dinner.

Taqueria al Lado

A fully gluten Mexican menu, with two locations in Washington DC (one is close to Rise bakery, so you could combine!). I see fish tacos on the menu – yum!

The Little Beet

A fully gluten free grab n go eatery with healthy lunch bowls.

Olivia Macaron

Located in Goergetown, this speciality macaron shop is 100% gluten free. In addition to macarons they also have the cracking chocolate iced mocha and latte drinks that are currently going viral.

Union Market

Note not everything in the market is gluten free but there are apparently two fully gluten free stalls -DC Dosa and Arepas Zone.

The Corn Factory

A fully gluten free food truck serving arepas, tacos and cachapas. Check their Facebook to find their current location.

Other Coeliac Friendly Eateries in Washington DC

Some other gluten free Washington DC a options – eateries that can reportedly cater well for coeliacs, but that I have not tried them all personally:

True Food Kitchen – (pictured below – salmon teriyaki and quinoa bowl) we ate at the Bethesda branch of this chain restaurant, which has lovely interiors and is a great place for a healthy meal. Loads of gluten free options and cross contamination controls in place. The server was super helpful and my food came out as a “celiac order”, which was reassuring.
Mozzeri a – I saw this deaf-owned restaurant on Somebody Feed Phil and was happy to learn they offer a range of gluten free options. Dishes include meatballs, mozzarella sticks and cauliflower wings. They have gluten free pizza too, apparently with accomodations for coeliacs if you request it, but please do ask when you visit.
Yardbird – gluten free fried chicken, waffles and pancakes. They have a dedicated fryer and processes in place for coeliacs.
Lapis Bistro – modern Afghan restaurant with good gluten free options and coeliac friendly processes.
The Salt Line – specialising in oysters, staff here are very helpful at advising which dishes are suitable for coeliacs.
Joe’s Seafood Prime Steak and Crab – this eatery has lots of positive reviews from coeliacs and a good selection of gluten free dishes. As the name suggest, the focus is on steak and seafood.
Letena – Ethiopian cuisine with a good range of gluten free options. A great place to try naturally gluten free injera.
Legal Sea Foods – located in the airport, this eatery has good commitment to catering safely for coeliacs, with good gluten free choices.
Bartaco – have a largely gluten free menu, including tacos and rice bowls. Their website says staff can assist with ordering safely.
The Royal – arepas and cocktails sounds good to me! They have a good selection of gluten free dishes here and measures to minise the risk of cross contact. Ask to see the coeliac menu, which distinguishes which of the gf dishes are free from cc.

Gluten Free Options for Non-Coeliacs

GCDC – if cross contamination isn’t an issue for you, this grilled cheese spot does very good gluten free toasties.

While they have some processes in place (such as dedicated tongs and a tray for the gf toasties), it’s a very busy spot and it seemed to me there was cross contamination in the sandwich assembly section (same fillings used for gf and non gf). I spoke to the server and she confirmed they all came from the same tubs.

My family really enjoyed the gf grilled cheese and said the bread was excellent, but if you are coeliac like me I would say play it safe and avoid this spot.