Top 10: Gluten-Free Lunches in LondonBy Alicia Grimshaw
Who says you must have a salad for lunch just because you’re gluten-free? In association with POD, as part of POD Health Week, we’ve found the best gluten-free lunches in town. We promise you’re going to love them:
1. For a Gluten-Free Sandwich: Beyond Bread
Order: Prosciutto, minted goat’s cheese, fresh rocket and tomato chilli jam on gluten-free baguette
Gluten-Free Win: Beyond Bread Bakery opened in Fitzrovia in January to rave reviews. Behind the scenes are expert bakers with years of experience, who constantly challenge expectations with new ways to use gluten-free ingredients. Come for fresh baguettes, morning pastries and delicious cakes – all gluten-free, of course! Gluten-free banana bread? Go on, then.
Where: 2 Charlotte Pl, London W1T 1SB
2. For a Gluten-Free Pizza: Stingray
Order: Deep-pan gluten-free pizza with mushrooms and olives (£6.95)
Gluten-Free Win: There’s no need to go to a chain pizzeria for your gluten-free bases when you’ve got the option of going to friendly local restaurant, Stingray. Expect pasta and 14-inch pizzas alongside their own gluten-free home made pasta and gluten-free pizzas. We’re telling you now there’s no sad, poorly topped pizzas here – it’s a feast for the stomach.
Where: 135 Fortess Rd, London NW5 2HR
3. For a Gluten-Free Burger: Honest Burgers
Order: Honest – beef, red onion relish, smoked bacon, mature cheddar, pickled cucumber and lettuce (£10)
Gluten-Free Win: You can add on a gluten-free bun for £1 onto any of the delicious burgers at Honest Burgers. Try the epic cheese burger with mature cheddar stilton, and veggies can enjoy the cauliflower and sweetcorn fritter burger. We love this honest burger for its plentiful and spicy condiments, and the crisp smoky bacon. The stuff dreams are made of.
Where: Locations here
4. For a Gluten-Free Pie: Niche
Order: Beef and Chorizo pie (£12.75)
Gluten-Free Win: Niche is well, niche. Everything on their menu is gluten-free, but the food is certainly not free from flavour. This contemporary British restaurant creates comfort food with a modern twist. Anything from pies, burgers and steaks – Niche has got you covered. Don’t go without sampling the white chocolate and peanut butter brownie, it’s an absolute taste sensation. Coeliacs, you can thank us later.
Where: 197-199 Rosebery Ave, London EC1R 4TJ
5. For Gluten-Free Sausages: The Trustcott Arms
Order: Truscott Arms gluten-free sausage and mash with onion gravy £12
Why: Trustcott Arms is a little different to your local boozer, they’ve got the whole gastropub vibe going on along with a gluten-free menu to match and we’re not talking about your run of the mill sarnies either. Come for classic pub food – battered Cornish cod and chips, Sunday roasts and pies. They have different gluten-free cake every day along with a range of different gluten-free snacks.
Where: 55 Shirland Rd, London W9 2JD
6. For Gluten-Free Quiche: Romeo’s Gluten Free Bakery
Order: Quiche of the day with salad (£7.80)
Gluten-Free Win: Romeo’s Gluten Free bakery is North London’s first gluten free café and bakery. Open for breakfast, lunch and tea serving drinks, sweet treats and savoury dishes. Think: pancakes, granola along with pizzas and quiches. They’ve also got a great range of savoury sandwiches; with a selection of 15 gluten-free breads, choose from Caramelised Onion, Jalapeno and Cheese and Chive.
Where: Romeo’s Gluten-Free Bakery, 167 Upper Street, London, N1 1US
7. For Gluten-Free Pancakes: Wild Food Cafe
Order: Wild Masala Dosa – dehydrated sunflower seed and coconut dosa stuffed with Bombay-style sweet potatoes and hulled hemp seeds. Served with a selection of raw chutneys (£14)
Gluten-Free Win: Wild Food Cafe is the hip hangout in Neal’s Yard frequented by plant-powered lovers and anyone who wants to feel virtuous. This vegan and vegetarian eatery create exceptionally tasty dishes from veggies that have been locally sourced from independent suppliers. Their Ethos: ‘to promote aliveness and embody a world in which plant-passionate, nutrient-packed food is necessary.’
Where: 1st Floor, 14 Neal’s Yard. Covent Garden, London, WC2H 9DP
8. For a Hot Gluten-Free Meal: Pod
Order: Sicilian Meatballs (small £3.99/medium £6.99)
Gluten-Free Win: POD started a healthy food revolution. The focus here is on fresh, healthy food, that nourishes you – all the dishes contain genuine benefits for your body, mind and soul. With 22 pod shops around London, they are doing something right. Since 2005, they have been pioneering a new kind of healthy fast food and changing the way people eat on the go. They use accredited foods wherever possible, such as RSPCA assured salmon and Rain Forest Alliance coffee beans. Tuck in.
Where: Throughout London – see here
9. For Gluten-Free Sushi: Nama
Order: Sushi Platter – Kohlrabi rice, ‘roasted’ Asian mushrooms, carrot, cucumber, cabbage. avocado, sprouts and nori. Served with sesame dipping sauce and savoy salad (£14)
Gluten-Free Win: Nama is a trendy eatery in West London. Surrounded by independent clothing shops and boutique children’s stores – this cafe is loved by the yummy mummy crowd of Notting Hill – don’t let the pushchairs outside put you off. They aim to buck the trend that the vegan and raw lifestyle can be limited, creating dishing of sushi made from kohl rabi rice and Asian mushrooms to their incredible pizzas with a courgette and walnut base.
Where: 110 Talbot Road, London, W11 1JR
10. For Gluten-Free Vietnamese: Pho
Order: Gỏi xoài – spicy green mango salad topped with pork, dried shrimp & peanuts (£6.90)
Gluten-Free Win: Come to Pho for good, fresh food. Everything is made from scratch on the day. For starters, there’s a lot of dipping, dunking and rolling going on; fresh summer rolls with vermicelli and prawn come with a tangy fish sauce, the vegan fried spring rolls a peanut dip – it’s like a condiment army has attacked on our table and we like it. The Goi salads are fresh, light and delicious and makes you wonder why iceberg lettuce ever gets a look in these days – try the papaya salad with prawns and peanuts, or the chilli and ginger marinated chicken salad with lots of fresh red onion and tomato.
Where: Throughout London
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