Olivia TaylorThe Canadian Digestive Health Foundation suggests that over 220,000 Canadians may have undiagnosed celiac disease or gluten intolerance.
If you frequently experience digestive discomfort after consuming bread, cakes, or wheat crackers, it may be wise to consider getting tested.
To help keep your mind (and tummy) at ease, we narrowed down the best gluten-free restaurants in Ottawa.
Pure Kitchen
Address: 357 Richmond Rd, Ottawa, ON K2A 0E7, Canada
Contact Details: +16136805500
Operating Hours: Monday to Sunday, 11:30 am to 9:00 pm
Pure Kitchen, founded by duo Kyle and Olivia Cruickshank, is a casual gluten-free restaurant in Ottawa.
With four thriving branches citywide, it caters to vegetarians, vegans, and gluten-free diners alike, offering a diverse array of delights such as pressed juices, nourishing smoothie bowls, flavorful wraps, hearty noodles, and guilt-free burgers.
The menu boasts healthy salad bowls, juice cleanses, wraps, vegan burgers, and sandwiches. They also offer a lot of healthy add-ons to their main dishes like soy cakes, avocado, kimchi, and tofu, if you want to customize your meal!
| Tips: Pure Kitchen’s juice cleanse program is a gluten-free diet plan for customers who want to detox. You can try the cleanse program for one, three, or five days at fixed prices of $70, $200, and $330, respectively. Note that because the juices are pressed fresh daily, you’ll need to schedule a pick-up at Pure Kitchen if you subscribe to the five-day cleanse. They currently don’t offer delivery for this program. |
Good Eats Cafe
Address: 207 Bell St N, Ottawa, ON K1R 5B8, Canada
Contact Details: +16132313287
Operating Hours: Monday to Thursday, 8:00 am to 9:00 pm, Friday, 8:00 am to 11:00 pm, Saturday, 9:00 am to 11:00 pm, Sunday, 9:00 am to 9:00 pm
Good Eats Cafe is a restaurant that can fire up its stoves to create a meal that matches your dietary preferences, no matter what they are. For gluten-free food, Good Eats offers smoothie bowls, wraps, sandwiches, and breakfast platters.
Their menu changes frequently, so don’t expect to find the same thing on their menu if you visit each week. A staple in the restaurant, however, is the weekend brunch which runs from 8:00 am to 3:00 pm.
Brunch comes with a side fruit salad, and mixed green salad, and can be upgraded to poutine or gluten-free bread for an additional $4 and $2.50, respectively.
| Tips: Good Eats Cafe provides a range of meal options, from pre-ordered dishes to convenient boxed meals, catering to individuals who prefer dining at home. A box meal package starts at $50 and includes a complimentary bottle of prosecco. Additionally, customers can conveniently order through the cafe’s online store and have their meals delivered directly to their doorstep. Orders can be placed via the provided link. |
La Dolce Vita
Address: 180 Preston St, Ottawa, ON K1R 7P9, Canada
Contact Details: +16132336239
Operating Hours: Monday to Thursday, 5:00 pm to 9:00 pm, Friday and Saturday, 5:00 pm to 10:00 pm, Sunday, 5:00 pm to 9:00 pm
Little Italy’s La Dolce Vita is an Italian restaurant that’s certified gluten-free by the Gluten-Free Food Program. The restaurant is run by Nelio and Paula, a husband and wife duo, who both love cooking up hearty and authentic Italian dishes.
They serve gluten-free starters like polenta bites, garlic bread, and jumbo shrimp, as well as pasta, pizza, and Italian desserts. All of their mains are handmade with love and are certified gluten-free (except for their oven-baked calzone).
La Dolce Vita also has a vegan-friendly and vegetarian menu for health-conscious diners. They’re only open for dinner and cocktails, but at least it’s a spot to consider for a gluten-free dinner date!
| Tips: La Dolce Vita’s desserts are not made in-house but instead are sourced from a gluten-free facility called Strawberry Blonde Bakery. Because they are outsourced, La Dolce Vita cannot guarantee that they are gluten-free under the GFFP. You can, however, get more info about the bakery and their gluten-free policies here. |
Wild Oat Baker, Cafe, and Farm
Address: 819 Bank St, Ottawa, ON K1S 3V7, Canada
Contact Details: +16132326232
Operating Hours: Monday to Sunday, 7:00 am to 6:00 pm
One of the most charming things about Wild Oat is that they grow their own ingredients. They’ve been creating gluten-free and vegan-friendly food from scratch since 1998 (although they were doing so by the name Croissant Express).
Their menu changes frequently, but Wild Oat does this to provide healthy dishes for Ottawans at reasonable prices. They make dishes based on what they grow, so you’ll find lots of seasonal items on their menu.
Bestselling items include organic smoothies, kale salads, rice wraps, multigrain bread, and pumpkin-pecan cinnamon buns.
| Tips: Wild Oat’s baked goods, especially the muffins, change daily. Some might not be gluten-free, so make sure to ask the staff about which muffin flavors on display are gluten-free. Wild Oat also houses a mini grocery where you can buy all the ingredients they use to make their cafe and bakery items. Just ask any of the staff members for the recipe and follow the instructions listed there. |
Fiazza Fresh Fired
Address: 205 Richmond Rd, Ottawa, ON K1Z 6W4, Canada
Contact Details: +16137252222
Operating Hours: Monday to Thursday, 11:00 am to 8:00 pm, Friday to Saturday, 11:00 am to 9:00 pm, Sunday, 11:00 am to 8:00 pm
Gluten-free pizza, anyone? If you’re in search of toasty, wood-fired Neapolitan pizzas that won’t disrupt your stomach, Fiazza Fresh Fired’s gluten-free pizzas should be on your food radar.
This Italian pizzeria offers customizable wood-fired pizzas, fire-roasted chicken, made-to-order salads, and a wide array of wine.
You get to choose all your toppings, sauce, and cheese on top of gluten-free cauliflower crust, or have the Fiazza team create a gluten-free pizza for you based on your tastes! Another option is to choose one of their signature pizzas; it’s up to you!
| Tips: Fiazza Fresh Fired frequently launches a Pizza of the Day selection where you can get a different pizza each day for just $10. They update their customers about what’s on the menu on their Instagram page. |
Taj Indian Cuisine
Address: 3009 Carling Ave, Ottawa, ON K2B 7Y6, Canada
Contact Details: +16137266955
Operating Hours: Monday to Wednesday, 11:00 am to 2:00 pm, 4:00 pm to 9:00 pm, Thursday to Friday, 11:00 am to 9:00 pm, Saturday, 12:00 pm to 9:00 pm, Sunday, 2:00 pm to 9:00 pm
Craving authentic Indian cuisine? Fill your tummy without the ache at Taj Indian Cuisine.
This Punjabi mainstay has been serving healthy, gluten-free, vegan, and vegetarian North Indian dishes since 1987. Their menu features classic items like lamb curry, korma, kebabs, and butter chicken, as well as halal-certified meats.
Not all dishes here are spicy, but if they still pack some heat for you, you can wash your palate down with gluten-free mango, classic, or salty lassi (yoghurt drink). Finish your meal off with their gluten-free desserts like gulab jamun (donuts) and pudding!
| Tips: If you love Taj Indian Cuisine’s gluten-free meals, you can hire their catering services for your events, like birthdays, parties, and showers, for up to 40 guests. They will curate a gluten-free and halal-certified menu based on your preferences. |
The Joy of Gluten Free
Address: 250 Greenbank Rd #5b, Nepean, ON K2H 8X4, Canada
Contact Details: +16139071252
Operating Hours: Monday to Saturday, 11:00 am to 4:00 pm
If you love baked goods like bread, pastries, and cakes, you can find a wide array of gluten-free goodies at The Joy of Gluten Free. This bakery is committed to selling 100% gluten-free baked goods using over 20 kinds of flour.
Founder Susan Phipps, diagnosed with celiac disease and over 30 food intolerances, empathises with the challenge of finding tasty gluten-free options. Through The Joy of Gluten Free, she aims to help others like her savor food without limitations.
Aside from gluten-free recipes, they also have soy-free, lactose-free, dairy-free, vegan, egg-free, and peanut-free goodies available for anyone with strict dietary restrictions.
| Tips: The Joy of Gluten Free also serves a lunch menu made with their in-house ingredients and recipes. The menu list is very limited, but if you’re looking for a quick fix that won’t make your stomach upset, you can order meals in advance via phone call or drop by the store. They’re also available for pick-ups until 9:00 pm from Mondays to Sundays. Note that all pick-up orders must be made in advance! |
Fratelli Kanata
Address: 499 Terry Fox Dr, Ottawa, ON K2T 1H7, Canada
Contact Details: +16135920225
Operating Hours: Monday to Thursday, 11:30 am to 9:00 pm, Friday to Saturday, 11:30 am to 10:00 pm, Sunday, 5:00 pm to 9:00 pm
Fratelli is “brothers” in Italian, and the name Fratelli Kanata is very fitting for this neighbourhood Italian restaurant in Ottawa. Run by brothers Robert and Richard, they’ve been serving healthy and hearty Italian fare since 1996.
In the kitchen, their mother Louisa leads the magic, while their father Pasquale manages service. Together, the family works tirelessly day and night, crafting dishes like pizza and pasta to accommodate various dietary requirements.
They have a gluten-free option for their pizza (cauliflower crust) as well as gluten-free pasta (corn penne). Just make sure you tell the fratelli about your preferences and they’ll adjust your meal accordingly!
| Tips: Note that if you want to order food from Fratelli Kanata for take-out, you can only do so by phone. They have a full menu posted on their website. Free parking is available within the restaurant block, but it’s shared by other businesses in the area. |
Johnny Farina
Address: 216 Elgin St, Ottawa, ON K2P 1L7, Canada
Contact Details: +16135655155
Operating Hours: Monday to Wednesday, 11:30 am to 9:00 pm, Thursday, 11:30 am to 9:30 pm, Friday to Saturday, 11:30 am to 10:00 pm, Sunday, 4:00 pm to 9:00 pm
For a more upscale dining experience (that’s also a good option for romantic dinner dates), head over to Johnny Farina for Italian-inspired and gluten-free dishes.
Once a movie theatre, the restaurant has been transformed into a spacious two-floor dining venue. With 35-foot ceilings, diners are welcomed into an open kitchen concept, offering a glimpse behind the scenes where all the magic unfolds.
A few of their bestsellers are the rigatoni and penne primavera pastas, margherita and truffle pizzas, and blackened salmon. A majority of menu items are customizable and can be modified into gluten-free dishes upon request!
| Tips: Note that Johnny Farina charges an 18% gratuity for diners coming in groups of 8 or more. Johnny Farina also hosts a Happy Hour every 2:00 pm to 5:00 pm on Mondays to Fridays. Appetisers, wine, cocktails, and select mains will be discounted during these hours! |
