Dedicated gluten-free nights, special menus—and did someone say gluten-free pizza?
Prima, an Italian steakhouse in Charlestown, has gluten-free Mondays. / Courtesy of Prima Boston
For gluten-free folks, finding a place to eat out with a group can be a slog, since the old standbys of pasta and pizza seem off the table. But these 16 Greater Boston restaurants dish out mindful meals that skip the gluten, and not the taste, with either separate gluten-free menus or servers on standby to help pick your plates. As always, check in with the restaurant about your allergies and cross-contamination. Then get ready to savor house-made gluten-free pastas (yes, really) and crisp-edged arepas, not to mention some piece of mind.
First published May 20, 2024.
Bar Volpe
Yes, celebrated chef Karen Akunowicz serves pristine Best of Boston-worthy pasta at her southern Italian spot. But worth a trip alone is the gluten-free grilled octopus with a Sicilian chickpea stew and rose harissa—with slightly charred tentacles that pop from the spicy stew. There’s also a roast chicken boosted by black truffle and served with Tuscan kale and fingerling potatoes too. Even better: make a reservation and mention a gluten allergy and the servers will have a separate gluten-free menu already waiting at the table.
170 W. Broadway, Boston, 617-865-7100, barvolpe.com
See also: Top Chef All Stars’ Karen Akunowicz Opens Bar Volpe in South Boston
Burtons Grill & Bar
If your culinary travels take you outside of the city, hit up one of Burtons’ locations and dig into the special separate gluten-free menu. In fact, the bread service—gluten-free focaccia with pesto, herbed garlic butter, and olive tapenade—might be worth a trip to Burlington alone. The classic-focused menu showcases favorites like burgers, fresh salads loaded with goodies, and huge steaks. The general tso bowl—which skips the allergen-unfriendly batter usually found in this beloved Chinese-American dish—is a real treat, along with the gnocchi studded with succulent shrimp and lobster.
43 Middlesex Turnpike, Burlington, 781-221-2281; 30 Worcester Road, Framingham, 774-540-6005; Derby Street Shops, 94 Derby St., Hingham, 781-749-1007, burtonsgrill.com.
Capo’s gluten-free chicken parmesan / Courtesy of Capo Restaurant & Supper Club
Capo Restaurant and Supper Club
Leave it to delightfully raucous Capo to roll out the welcome mat in a big way. Along with allergy-sensitive options available every day, the entire menu is gluten-free on Tuesday nights. Come ready to bite into the behemoth menu, with everything from scores of antipasti—tuna crudo with crispy shallots, prosciutto-wrapped figs with goat cheese—to pizzas and rigatoni alla vodka among the seven-plate pasta menu. Another reason to celebrate: gluten-free garlic bread, hallelujah! A special treat is the gluten-free risotto menu, too, where a lobster version is an especially decadent delight.
443 W. Broadway, South Boston, 617-993-8080, caposouthboston.com
Carolicious Venezuelan Food
Who knew that within Somerville’s Aeronaut Brewing Co., there’s a veritable Venezuelan bounty? “Everything is gluten-free” declares the menu at Carolicious, and it’s worth several trips to traipse through the whole offerings of arepas—or cornmeal cakes stuffed with a wealth of ingredients. The slightly crispy outside and fluffy inside is the perfect home for beef and cheese (the classic pelua) and chicken, avocado, and mayo (the reina pepeada). The fillings both stay true to the founders’ Venezuelan roots—meats, cheese, beans, and avocado—and get a little more global, like the capresa, filled with mozzarella and fresh basil. All the goodies are topped with a signature basil sauce (you’ll want to get extra). A couple of bowls and gluten-free desserts like vegan brownies are on offer, too.
Within Aeronaut Brewing Co. Food Hub, 14 Tyler St., Somerville, 857-316-7842, carolicious.net.
Comfort Kitchen. / Photo by Stefanie Belnavis/The Diahann Project
Comfort Kitchen
This Best of Boston Dorchester spot has snagged accolades and recognition from near and far since its 2023 opening in Upham’s Corner. It might as well take home another trophy solely for how detailed the menu is, labeling menu items as gluten-free so you won’t feel like you’re pestering the servers. Most of the menu is gluten-free or can be made that way with a few quick adjustments. Blue-ribbon bites include the beef kafta with yogurt tahini and roasted duck with bold jerk spices that’s served with rice and peas, plus a zipply pickled relish condiment called pikliz. End things on a sweet note with a slice of Basque cheesecake, too.
611 Columbia Rd., Dorchester, Boston, 617-329-6910, comfortkitchenbos.com.
Review: Comfort Kitchen Beautifully Executes a Soulful, Global Menu
Front-row seats to the Newbury Street bustle. / Photo by Adam Detour
Faccia a Faccia
Let’s face it, when thinking of gluten-free options, pasta does not immediately spring to mind. But at Ken Oringer’s coastal Italian nosh-spot on Newbury, nearly all the pastas can come with a celiac-safe pasta instead—and not a random boxed pasta, but one lovingly made in-house. Stuff your face with cacio e pepe with a zippy chive crème fraiche and a sea-celebrating dish with uni, squid ink, and melted leeks bolstered by Calabrian chili. The il pisello, meanwhile, pairs the classic flavors of English peas with a basil-mint pesto. Celiac-friendly non-pasta plates include mozzarella sticks and fried artichoke if you’re feeling like making a meal out of allergy-friendly appetizers.
278 Newbury St., Boston, 857-991-1080, facciabruttaboston.com.
Jennifer Lee’s Gourmet Bakery
Three magic words: “Gluten” “free” “bakery.” Instead of skipping the baked goods, hoof it over to this bakery inside the Boston Public Market, where chef/owner Jennifer LaSala casts a spell with cinnamon buns, cookies, cakes, and more. Everything is not only gluten-free, but also free of the top allergens of dairy, eggs, peanuts, tree nuts, fish, shellfish, soy, and sesame. The daily-rotating roster includes both sweet and savory delights, from strawberry shortcake blondies to calzones. Breakfast sandwiches on bagels or white bread that’s made in-house include vegan cheesesteaks and spins on classic sausage, egg, and cheese sandwiches, too. Plus, Lee ships nationwide for you to send coffee-cake care packages for friends not lucky enough to live nearby.
Inside the Boston Public Market, 100 Hanover St., Boston, 978-414-5180; 127 Cambridge St., Worcester, jenniferleesshoppe.com.
See also: Where to Find Gluten-Free Bakeries Near Boston
Kane’s Donuts
It’s a heck of a lot easier to roll out of bed in the morning knowing that there’s a donut waiting for you once you swat the alarm. Kane’s Donuts, with a downtown spot as well as two Saugus locations, perks things up with especially robust gluten-free offerings: donuts made in a different facility with completely different utensils and oil as the other items on the menu. The flavors are no afterthought either. Find ten varieties, from plain glazed to cinnamon sugar, maple bacon and butter crunch. Coconut delights are looking for a dunk in coffee, while jelly donuts bring the dessert-for-breakfast vibes.
90 Oliver St., Boston, 857-317-2654; 120 Lincoln Ave, Saugus, 781-233-8499; 1575 Broadway, Saugus, 781-558-5179, kanesdonuts.com.
Krasi’s dining room. / Photograph by Brian Samuels
Krasi
Come to this wine-forward Back Bay Greek spot with a deity-sized appetite. As an added boon, many of the meze and larger meals are gluten-free, with a separate menu available upon request. Dive into the dips—you’ll have to skip their pillowy pita, but sliced veggies are an equally divine delivery method—like the htipiti (spicy whipped feta with roasted red peppers) and the tzatziki Greek yogurt dip with cucumber and dill. The tsipoura (a grilled whole sea bream with shaved fennel) and a sea bass carpaccio with mustard seeds and plums swim among the seafood offerings, while pork belly with mustard and a daily rotating selection of skewers tempt landlubbers. For dessert, the flourless chocolate cake is downright heavenly.
48 Gloucester St., Boston, 617-536-0230, krasiboston.com.
The Lexington
Lest you worry about being cooped up inside, look to the Lexington in Cambridge Crossing for a roof deck restaurant and bar, plus a dedicated gluten-free menu. Better yet, the Lexington has a separate gluten-free fryer—the spot’s French fries with parmesan and black garlic aioli and crispy maple-tossed Brussels sprouts absolutely need to be in everyone’s life. Another allergy-safe option is the silky burrata with roasted butternut squash. And the French onion grilled cheese on gluten-free toast? It’s a masterful mouthful of Gruyere, caramelized onion, and mushroom jus that’s basically the lovechild of French onion soup and a classic grilled cheese.
100 N First St., East Cambridge, 617-945-1349, thelexingtoncx.com.
The dining room at Myers + Chang. / Photo by Ruby Wallace-Ewing
Myers + Chang
This beloved South End neighborhood is a hit every time. Absolutely pop in for dinners of tofu fresh rolls packed with herbs and served alongside kicking chili-peanut sauce, spicy barbecue roast pork with rice noodles, and Indonesian fried rice studded by pork and shrimp that’s so addictive no one will bat an eye if you lick your plate. Gluten-free options are all labeled clearly on the menu. Which just makes the dim sum brunches, served Thursdays to Sundays, even more of a homerun. Where else can you scarf down plate after plate of ginger-scallion bok choy, lemongrass mussels that are still screaming hot from the wok, and cool off with spicy green papaya salad before noon? Look to the housemade gluten-free ginger fortune cookie for some life advice, too.
1145 Washington St., South End, 617-542-5200, myersandchang.com.
Nebo
No surprise that Nebo landed on this list, as it nabbed our trophy for best gluten-free menu a few years back. Even diners who swear by their Nonna’s lasagna recipe are bound to be swayed by the zucchini lasagna at this elegant Atlantic Wharf eatery. After all, it kicked Bobby Flay’s keister on Beat Bobby Flay. The separate gluten-free menu sees a wealth of antipasti—grilled sweet and spicy Italian sausage, calamari with Mediterranean aioli, cured meats with cheeses and jams—plus plenty of pastas and pizzas. Take a walk on the dark side with the fra diavolo, which sees Maine lobster and shrimp swimming in a spicy sauce, or lighten up with the bianco white pizza. All in, Nebo dishes out comforting flavors, buoyed by the fact that these plates are allergy safe.
520 Atlantic Ave., Boston, 617-723-6326, neborestaurant.com
Petula’s gluten-free mushroom pizza topped with caramelized onions, ricotta and fried garlic. / Courtesy of Petula’s
Petula’s
Sunny and soothing Petula’s is a little slice of heaven on L Street in Southie. And then there are the actual slices—the gluten-free pies, that is. We’d call the 12-inch beauties “personal pizzas,” but more than likely you should bring a few friends, all share a bunch, and call ‘em “social slices.” Take the ridiculously good prosciutto and delicate squash pizza, bearing dollops of ricotta and drizzles of pesto, plus the pristine margherita. Save room, too, for the veggie, as hot honey plays well off the confit green garlic and bounty of garden delights. Other plates, plus a bountiful seafood tower, are clearly marked as gluten-free, too.
81 L St., South Boston, petulasboston.com.
See also: Petula’s, a Charming All-Day Restaurant, Is Opening in South Boston
Go to Prima for all the meats. / Courtesy Prima
Prima
Get gussied up and start your week with some decadence at this swanky Italian steakhouse in Charlestown. You can find allergen-free options other days of the week, but Mondays are totally gluten-free with a special menu—and everyone needs a reason to celebrate a Monday, anyway. Sure, you can stick to lighter offerings. Take the Caesar salad with baby lettuces and pecorino cheese, or the tuna crudo with earthy pine nuts balanced by briny capers. But who are you kidding—come here for all the meats. Rack of lamb. Ribeye. Aged striploin and dry-aged porterhouse steaks the size of your face. Top it all with butter-poached lobster because while life is short, Mondays always feel too long.
10 City Sq., Charlestown, Boston, 617-804-7400, primaboston.com.
See also: The Most Beautiful Restaurants in Greater Boston
Shy Bird
While plenty of the restaurants on this list call for dressed-up date nights, sometimes you just need a chill hangout with some grub. Shy Bird, an all-day rotisserie spot that started in Cambridge, expanded not long ago to the industrial-chic Iron Works development on Old Colony Ave. in Southie. That nesting spot means you and your pals can go rock climbing at Rock Spot, hit the pickleball courts at PKL, then flock to Shy Bird for rotisserie chicken, snacks, and other entrees. The rotisserie chickens are the main event, of course, and besides the piri piri bird, the other options are gluten-free and served with sauces and a house salad. Other clearly marked gluten-free items take flight, like the blackened shrimp tostada that gets a lift from a chipotle lime crema, and the steak a la plancha with smashed potatoes that sing with pecorino cheese.
12 Old Colony Ave., Boston, 617-766-8309; 390 Third St., Cambridge, 617-714-4200, shybird.com.
See also: Shy Bird Has Landed in Kendall with Wine, Coffee, and Rotisserie Fare
Tres Gatos
Come to pick up some records and books, stay for the gluten-free tortilla Española, with Yukon gold potatoes, eggs, and pimentón aioli. The Spanish menu at this favorite neighborhood go-to changes based on the season, but that hit-single of a dish is pretty much always in residence. Let the servers know about an allergy and they’ll bring you a marked menu with gluten-safe items. Most things that don’t hit the fryer can be adjusted for a gluten allergy, too. Of note, the paella—a vegetarian version with eggplant and mushroom sofrito, especially—should be in your rotation. Get a small for $35 for yourself, or a large for $56 for yourself (plus leftovers!).
470 Centre St., Jamaica Plain, 617-477-4851, tresgatosjp.com.
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