As you’d expect from an island as bougie as Nantucket, it’s a pretty decent destination for gluten-free. My wife (who has Celiac) and I go to Nantucket every year. These are her favorite (and safest) gluten-free restaurants on Nantucket. Have a favorite not mentioned here? Please tell us in the comments so we can go back on our next trip!
Breakfast/Lunch
Claudette’s
If you’re out in Siasconset (‘Sconset), there’s really only one place to grab lunch—Claudette’s. They have gluten-free bread and will prep allergy orders using clean surfaces, utensils, etc. Claudette’s doesn’t toast the bread for either gluten-free or regular sandwiches, so no worries about a dedicated toaster here. The bread is okay—gluten-free bread is usually better toasted, but it’s nice to have a safe option in this remote area of Nantucket.
Claudette’s also has bags of chips you can have as a side.
Provisions
Provisions, which is located near the Nantucket ferries, is a popular breakfast and lunch spot. They are great with Celiac, and have a separate prep space for gluten-free orders. They have gluten-free bread and a dedicated toaster. Unfortunately, the gluten-free bread is pretty bad, so I’d recommend getting a salad or bowl here instead of a sandwich.
Provisions stocks Nantucket Crisps, which are gluten-free chips.
Dinner
Backyard BBQ
Backyard BBQ is the best gluten-free restaurant on Nantucket. They take it very seriously, and everyone who works there is knowledgeable about gluten. Most of the menu can be made gluten-free, including the macaroni and cheese (which is fantastic). The cornbread is sadly not gluten-free. They even have a few gluten-free beers on the menu.
Backyard BBQ has a dedicated fryer for gluten-free items, and they can do the fried chicken and french fries gluten-free.
The one downside of Backyard BBQ is that they don’t take reservations, but it’s a big place and I’ve never had to wait for a table.
Brotherhood of Thieves
Brotherhood of Thieves is open for lunch and dinner. The restaurant has an allergy book that you can ask to see, which shows which dishes have gluten. Unfortunately, despite what I saw on Find Me Gluten Free, they do not have a dedicated gluten-free fryer, so anything fried is off the table. They do have gluten-free bread and buns.
The Proprietors Bar & Table
Proprietors had bad reviews on Find Me Gluten Free so I was hesitant, but I was dining with friends and they wanted to go there. I was actually pleasantly surprised—our waitress was very knowledgeable about Celiac and was able to point out which dishes were gluten-free or could be modified to be gluten-free without cross contamination.
This restaurant is sharing-style, so make sure you’re dining with people who will either eat gluten-free or won’t cross-contaminate your dishes!
The other downside to Proprietors was that many of the dishes that were modified to be gluten-free lost a key component of the dish with nothing subbed. For example, I got a chicken dish that normally came with a bread stuffing, and they just served me a plain piece of chicken.
Ice Cream
Juice Bar
Juice Bar, the most famous ice cream spot on Nantucket, will do an allergy scoop if you ask them. This means the scooper will wash their hands, use fresh gloves, use a clean scoop, and scrape away the top layer of ice cream until they reach untainted ice cream. I recommend the peanut butter cup flavor! Allergens aren’t marked on the ice cream, but usually flavors you expect to be gluten-free are.
Jack & Charlie’s
This ice cream place is closer to the waterfront and usually stays open late. They make their own gluten-free waffle cones using a dedicated waffle press and mold. They take allergies seriously here. When I asked for an allergy scoop, they said they will wash their hands and use a clean scoop. However, when I asked them to scoop from a fresh container of ice cream, they were more than happy to do so.
Flavors containing gluten are marked on the menu, making it easy to see which flavors are gluten-free.
Drinks
Cisco Brewers has a lot of gluten-free drink options. When I went, they had two gluten-free beers on tap, but I wasn’t sure if they used shared lines, so it’s worth checking if you want one. They have a full bar, so you can get mixed drinks with their gluten-free tequilas, gin, vodka, etc. Cisco also has a wine bar.
There are usually a number of food trucks at Cisco, and a few have gluten-free options. We didn’t eat there, so can’t vouch for how Celiac safe the food options are. However, you could also bring in your own food, so bringing a sandwich from Provisions could be a good safe option.
Where to Stay on Nantucket
Our favorite hotel on Nantucket is the White Elephant, which has a great location near everything and beautiful rooms. Read our full review here.
How to Get to Nantucket
Most people arrive to Nantucket either by ferry or by plane. There are two ferry companies servicing the island. We break down the difference between Hy-Line and Steamship in our blog boat on How to Get to Nantucket.