Gluten Free Amsterdam

WOWOW my first post in 2 years, what a time to be alive!! We’ve emerged out of peak pandemic, pros at the art of online food delivery… and dare we say…traveling again?Yes, you’d better believe it. Traveling! On planes! On trains! In automobiles!

In fact, I started a new job at the start of 2022 and am doing a decent amount of international traveling. I am also doing my very best to tack on personal time to each trip to explore alllll of the (gluten-free friendly) restaurants as I firmly believe that the food of a city is the best way to experience the local culture.

On a recent vacation/work hybrid, I visited Amsterdam, Antwerp and Paris. Posts to come on each of those, but we’ll kick off this series with Amsterdam, as I spent the most time there. First off, what a beautiful city – the architecture and history there in amazing. Second…wow you will not be disappointed by the gluten-free options in Amsterdam.

I typically bring the Legal Nomads restaurant cards with me when I travel, but I forgot to purchase a Dutch one. But luckily, English speaking is so prevalent there that it was not needed in the city of Amsterdam. (I didn’t have the time to visit other parts of the Netherlands so can’t speak to those – would be good to have it just to be safe!)

So without further ado here are my recommendations for gluten-free Amsterdam… both gluten-free restaurants and gluten-free bakeries!

Breakfast

• Factory Girl – Casual, hip/chic vegetarian and vegan breakfast and lunch place; lots of GF options and good coffee.
• Bagels & Beans – Coffee and GF bagels. Cold toppings only on the bagels – otherwise there is cross contamination in the toaster oven.

Lunch

• Oliver Green – Salads and bowls, all plant-based and GF items labeled on their menu. I ordered delivery one evening after a long work day and the team gave me a call to let me know that there is bread/flour present in their kitchen when they saw my Celiac comment on the delivery order. It was late and I was starving, so I had no other choice – but luckily, all was good and I appreciated their transparency.
• Pancakes Amsterdam – Traditional Dutch pancakes, in a super safe environment – not only do they have an extensive GF menu, they also place a blue chip on the pancake when serving as a double-verification of it’s G-freeness.
• Croque Madame Gluten Free Food – 100% gluten-free restaurant. We walked in to scope it out but were overwhelmed (it’s very small inside and was PACKED) and not incredibly hungry so we moved on. Tear.
• McDonald’s – Select locations have gluten-free buns!!! Offered on their quarter pounders, cheeseburgers, burgers. Be sure to check the menu on the app for locations though as not all have it. (Note – disclosing that I work for McDonald’s but this is in no way affiliated – just gotta let my GF people know in case they’re into it)

Dinner

• Brothers Hartering – Upscale, very cozy – they have a la carte and pre-fixe menus. Don’t mess up like we get…you must get the prime rib. We got the coursed menu, which that night happened to be a heavy emphasis on organ meats. 😐 So get the prime rib. I beg you.
• De Kas – Michelin Star, fine dining – they grow their own organic food on site (also earning them a Michelin Green star for their sustainability. It’s absolutely delightful and if you can’t get in for dinner, go for lunch (like we did). INCREDIBLY GREAT WITH GLUTEN-FREE.

  

  

• Restaurant Breda – Upscale but super modern, cozy, and amazing service. They do a coursed menu and were absolutely amazing about gluten-free accommodations – they even had gluten-free rolls!

  

  

• Café de Klepel – One of my favorite meals of all time and also our favorite meal of our time in Amsterdam. Expect a coursed menu, incredible warm and friendly service, and amazing wine. This is a straight from their website and says everything you need to know: “a casual culinary experience in a cozy setting where honest, delicious cuisine is combined with beautiful, pure wines. The warm and personal hospitality makes this an almost un-Dutch eating and drinking experience.’”
• Salmuera Restaurant and Mezcaleria – Argentinan and Mexican spot, incredible cocktails, and more than 80 mezcals. Easy peasy with gluten. I’d recommend especially if you are in Amsterdam for more than a few days and are looking for something a little different.   
• Cafe De Piazza – The food was totally fine. We were slightly underwhelmed BUT there is sooo much to be said for a safe gluten-free and Celiac-safe dining experience so sharing to make sure people know this is a safe option. From their website – “We understand the seriousness of the Gluten Allergy and Celiac Disease so we take extra precautions by having separate stations, tools, refrigeration and utensils for all of our Gluten Free dishes.” Chefs kiss alone for that statement.

Bakeries (because what is a euro trip without excessive consumption of baked goods!!!!)

• g’in west: food/store – More of a dry goods spot for all things gluten-free, but they do serve coffee and some pastries.
• Craft Coffee & Pastry Amsterdam– Dedicated gluten-free bakery/cafe in De Pijp neighborhood. This is a must stop. Get everything.

  

  

  

   

• DeGlutenvrije Winkel– another gluten-free bakery…close to De Kas so you can hit them both! This one sells bakery items but also dry goods. They have a ton of gluten-free beer for purchase – but note that in Europe, the labeling rules are different – so most of the gluten-free beers are actually made from wheat/barley, etc – they just fall under the 20 ppm. However, they did have a couple 100% gluten-free beers.
• Glutenvrije Dromen – this bakery is located outside of Amsterdam, but both DeGlutenvrije Winkel and g’in west sold products from them. I tried their jam tart (jamkoek) and it was one of the best baked goods I had on the whole trip. 

Cocktails/Drinks and Light Bites

• Bar Pif – Bistro and wine bar; we got drinks and appetizers here. They’re related to Alex + Pinard and Rebel Wines and it’s stinking cute in there. Their menu gives a shoutout to us allergy people and there is lots that can be done GF.
• Foodhallen– Huge indoor food hall, with probably about 20 stands. We only got drinks here, but it’s a fun place to meet up and walk around. I did scope out for GF, and there were quite a few options for us gluten-free folks so fear not.
• Flying Dutchmen – Ok, so this is a bar and not a restaurant and we didn’t eat any food here. But please just go – it’s a super cool vibe and great cocktails. You’ll need to make a reservation or prepare to wait as it’s small inside.

Not recommended –
Cafe de Parel – This place was on allll the Eater lists but after making a reservation and noting Celiac/gluten-free in the comments, they reached out to say they couldn’t accommodate. Appreciate that they did that but sharing as a heads up so you don’t get your hopes up!

That’s it for now – enjoy gluten free Amsterdam!! Until next time.

Kate