Portland is definitely known as a foodie destination, but if you’re a Celiac visiting, will you be left out? That was my fear before going, but fortunately, I found out there are plenty of gluten-free restaurants to try in Portland — so many, in fact, that I still have more places on my list for when I return. Here’s everywhere I tried and vetted myself as a traveler with Celiac.
Planning a trip? Follow our Perfect Portland, Maine Weekend Itinerary, and if you’re looking for a place to stay, read our review of The Docent’s Collection hotel.
Maiz Colombian Street Food
Located slightly outside the main downtown area, this 100% gluten-free fast casual restaurant is worth the detour. They serve massive stuffed arepas that are more than enough for a meal, along with bowls and Colombian specialties. Everything is gluten-free, delicious, and they even do cocktails.
Zephyr Ice
The shave ice and all the syrups are naturally gluten-free, but some of the toppings contain gluten. They’ll happily change gloves and prepare your shave ice in a separate area if you mention a gluten allergy.
LB Kitchen
One of the best gluten-free options in Portland. Most of the menu can be made gluten-free, and they have homemade gluten-free bread you can sub in. They have a separate gluten-free toaster and will clean the grill if you mention a gluten allergy. I checked, and they confirmed the granola is made with gluten-free oats.
I went here twice, once for breakfast and once for lunch. The first time, the entire pastry case was gluten-free, so I got the chocolate chip cookie, and it was one of the best I’ve ever had. The second time, there was a non-GF cake in the same display case as the GF treats, so use caution if you’re getting a pastry. The chicken salad was great; just know the gluten-free bread is extremely dense and slightly sweet. They have plenty of dairy-free and vegan options too, plus a small shop selling specialty gluten-free groceries, like gluten-free couscous and Giadzy pasta.
Barkada
A fast-casual Filipino spot that’s good if you want something quick. Gluten-free items are clearly marked on the menu, and each one has its own scooper, so cross-contamination is limited. The server was willing to change gloves when I asked.
Mount Desert Ice Cream
Willing to use a clean scoop and pull from an unopened container in the back. Some flavors are kept in deep freeze, though, so they can’t do an allergy scoop on those. I got lucky and the flavor I wanted, Lemon Poppy Jam, was available for an allergy scoop. Allergens (including gluten) are marked for each flavor in the store. Cups only, no gluten-free cones.
Holy Donut
One of the more famous spots in Portland, Holy Donut serves donuts made from potatoes. The gluten-free donuts are made in a dedicated gluten-free room on dedicated equipment (including a dedicated fryer) and kept on separate racks under plastic covering. The cashier was reassuring and walked me through how careful they are, automatically changing her gloves. Gluten-free donuts sell out early, so go in the morning for the best flavor selection.
I was surprised, though: I’d had frozen Holy Donuts from grocery stores in Maine before and loved them, but I didn’t love the fresh ones from the shop this time. My husband wasn’t wowed by his (non-gluten-free) donut either, so try one before you commit to buying a whole box of flavors.
Coastal Creamery
Gluten-free flavors are marked in store, and they were willing to do an allergy scoop from an unopened container. This was the only ice cream place I found in Portland with gluten-free blueberry ice cream, and it was delicious.
Gelato Fiasco
I had to ask twice for an allergy scoop (the person helping me first wanted to just use a clean scoop from an untouched part of the gelato), but once I was more specific, they went to the back and grabbed a fresh, untouched container. Allergens are marked on Gelato Fiasco’s website, so pick your flavor ahead of time, and have backups, since they don’t keep fresh containers on hand for every flavor.
EVO Kitchen
Most of the menu at this Mediterranean small plates restaurant is naturally gluten-free, and the only thing that goes into the fryer is their gluten-free chickpea fries. They’ll sub fresh vegetables for the pita with the dips, and the vegetables (sourced from a nearby farm) were surprisingly excellent.
Orange Bike Brewing Company
A dedicated gluten-free brewery where you can get flights of beer. Sometimes there are gluten-free food trucks on-site, or you can order from the restaurant next door, but note that the restaurant isn’t dedicated gluten-free.
Maine Flavor
A fully gluten-free ice cream shop with homemade gluten-free waffle bowls, waffle cones, and ice cream sandwiches.
Dean’s Sweets
Everything here is gluten-free. I bought a chocolate-covered Oreo and a chocolate-covered pretzel, and only realized after buying them (everything’s behind glass, so you can’t check the label first) that they contained oats that weren’t labeled gluten-free. Check the ingredients before buying if you’re avoiding oats, or only eat certified gluten-free oats.
Three Dollar Deweys
More of a casual pub than a formal restaurant, Three Dollar Deweys doesn’t look like the kind of place with gluten-free options, but they have a dedicated gluten-free fryer, gluten-free buns, and most of the menu can be made gluten-free. They’re careful with allergies.
Ladyfish
Ladyfish has a great patio on Fore Street and is very knowledgeable about Celiac as well as food allergies. Upon request, you can get a gluten-free menu. Items that can’t be made gluten-free are crossed off, and dishes with cross-contamination risk are written in orange font. For example, one salad had fried sunchokes, so the sunchokes were flagged in orange and you could ask to have them left off to make it Celiac-safe. The menu also noted possible substitutions, like vanilla gelato in place of Grape Nut ice cream on one of the desserts. They had gluten-free crackers to sub for bread with the dips. My waitress was extremely knowledgeable, and every dish that landed at my table was called out as gluten-free. Just be aware the Celiac-safe menu is fairly limited on choice, so this probably wouldn’t be my first pick for dinner unless you’re going with a group that really wants to go here.
