Philadelphia’s essential gluten-free restaurants

The joy of eating out in a restaurant city as rich with dining options as Philadelphia can be tempered by the extra challenge of needing to eat gluten-free. Not being able to enjoy bread, pasta, or anything else made with gluten-loaded grains like wheat, barley, or rye — which includes nonobvious ingredients, like most soy sauce and the Korean staple gochujang — can feel so stifling it’s hard to know where to begin. But it is absolutely possible — exciting, even — when one realizes the progress that’s been made over the past decade with options for gluten-free diners.

From serious Szechuan cooking to steak frites, dosas, tacos, and pizza, in places dedicated to the gluten-free cause as well as mainstream restaurants that have refined methods to safely serve customers with dietary restrictions of all sorts, Philly now has a wide spectrum of gluten-free wonders for feasting. I know from personal experience, since my daughter was diagnosed three years ago with celiac disease — an autoimmune and intestinal disorder triggered by eating gluten that can stoke intestinal inflammation — how hard it can be to trust any restaurant. Will they be careful when it comes to avoiding cross contamination and hidden gluten in premade condiments or spice blends? Do they have gluten-free soy sauce, even if it costs three times more than the standard, wheat-based variety? Are there any dedicated gluten-free fryers? Do they have separate kitchen spaces and equipment to safely prepare gluten-free orders with clean hands and new gloves?

» READ MORE: A Gluten-Free Guide to the Shore

In my experience, the best restaurants are prepared to answer those questions — and any others about food allergens — thoroughly and happily. Throughout our journey, we’ve relied in part on a local support network that has grown strong around indispensable resources like Michael Savett’s Gluten Free Philly, whose app and Instagram page detail 2,000 restaurants, supplementing user-driven national sites like Find Me Gluten Free. Over the last three years, my family has put hundreds of places to the test on our own. This extensive list of more than 70 restaurants — as well as a corresponding guide dedicated to bakeries — reflects the best of our gluten-free experiences. Hopefully, it will guide you to some new favorites, too.

All starred restaurants are 100% gluten-free.

Fresh gluten-free pasta is exceedingly rare — many Italian restaurants simply swap in dried gluten-free pasta for their housemade noodles. But chef Matt Gentile has cracked the code for supple egg noodles made with blended alt-flours that are among the best I’ve encountered, whether stuffed with burrata for tortelloni or cut into pliant and snappy tagliatelle. Settantatré is currently not a restaurant (at least not until a move into a planned hybrid retail space this summer), but it sells ready-to-cook pasta weekly from its Delco storefront and at multiple farmers markets and wholesales to local restaurants. Gentile’s former kitchen, Panorama (Penn’s View Hotel, 14 N. Front St., 215-922-7800), still uses his products, as does Stove & Tap (329 W. Main St., Lansdale, 215-393-8277). (Settantatré also produces excellent standard flour pasta, but on separate days, using different equipment and work tables to minimize cross contamination.) A new location in Berwyn with retail, pop-up dining, and a separate facility for GF production is in the works to open in the coming months.

📍605 W. MacDade Blvd., Milmont Park, Pa. 19033, 📞 610-314-0876, 🌐 settantatrepasta73.com

The small plates, from fluke crudo to grilled carrots, are always gluten-free at this intimate Fishtown pasta hub, as well as ricotta gnudi that can be substituted for the gnocchi. Chef Alex Beninato uses either gluten-free corn- or buckwheat-based variations of the outstanding Rustichella d’Abruzzo brand to replace house noodles in the sugo, duck fat carbonara, or frutti di mare.

📍2302 E. Norris St., Philadelphia, Pa. 19125, 📞 267-773-8189, 🌐 tulippasta.com

This Queen Village corner tavern is a favorite among celiacs for a reason: Any of its five pastas can be substituted with gluten-free Jovial fusilli (cooked separately in uncontaminated water). I’m a fan of the Bolognese, fennel-y crab sauce, and spicy vodka nod to Upstate New York’s “chicken riggies.”

📍627 S. Third St., Philadelphia, Pa. 19147, 📞 (267) 534-3076, 🌐 crybabypasta.com

Chef Nicholas Elmi’s rooftop Bala Cynwyd restaurant will substitute GF pasta (Heartland brand) for house noodles. (Get the pork cheek ragù.) But naturally gluten-free dishes are their own draw, from the octopus with prosciutto to salmon crudo with curried crème fraîche, and branzino with charred eggplant caponata.

📍Ironworks at Pencoyd Landing, 611 Righters Ferry Rd., Bala Cynwyd, Pa. 19004, 📞484-434-8766, 🌐larkpa.com

There’s so much more to great Italian cooking than pasta, and Irwin’s proves that much of it can also be gluten-free. Due to logistics, Irwin’s will not substitute gluten-free pasta for its handmade noodles, save for occasional gluten-free specials like chestnut flour gnudi. But nearly everything else on chef Michael Vincent Ferrari’s expansive Sicilian menu is effortlessly gluten-free, from the crudos and essential caponata to the city’s best agrodolce roast chicken. Even the seasonal fritto misto (fried in rice flour and corn starch) and an almond cake riff on tiramisu are gluten-free.

📍Bok building, 800 Mifflin St., Philadelphia, Pa. 19148, 📞 215-693-6206, 🌐 irwinsupstairs.com

This popular South Philly destination for gluten-free and vegan baked sweets has become just as popular for the hearty pizzas made fresh Friday through Sunday. Baked to a crisp in cast-iron pans, the herbed dough is dense but still has rise, with an array of veggie toppings and impressive cashew-based cheeses from South Philly’s Bandit.

📍1929 S. 17th St., Philadelphia, Pa. 19145, 📞267-854-3450, 🌐 highfidelitybakery.com

Most pizzerias that offer gluten-free pies use a prefab industrial crust. SLiCE has its GF crusts made off-site by a co-packer to ensure no cross contamination. The recipe is crafted to owner Marlo Dilk’s specs — a brown and white rice flour blend that ferments like the standard dough and mimics SliCE’s original thin and crispy base. Pizzas are made Trenton-style, with cheese on the bottom, which prevents it from getting soggy.

📍South Philadelphia: 1180 S. 10th St., Philadelphia, Pa. 19147, 📞215-463-0868; 📍South Jersey: 137 Egg Harbor Rd., Washington Township, N.J. 08080, 📞856-302-5099 🌐slicepa.com

There’s no mistaking the difference between the puffy standard crust and more compact gluten-free version of the Detroit-style pizzas at this chain. Still, the GF pies, made daily from rice flour and corn starch and proofed on-site, are delicious in their own right, with Emmy’s signature toppings (Roni Supreme!) and a crispy cheese “frico” crust that runs along the borders of the pan-baked edges in classic Detroit-style.

📍632 S. Fifth St, Philadelphia, Pa. 19147, 📞267-551-3669, 🌐emmysquaredpizza.com

Not only has chef Peter McAndrews revived his Italian Market shrine to lunchtime abondanza, most of his exuberant “Jaeatyet?!” Italian sandwiches are available on gluten-free rolls. The chef works alongside son Aidan, who is celiac, so they’re GF pros. Try the Daddy Wad Italian, the Gustaio combo of lamb sausage, gorgonzola, and sun-dried cherry mostarda, or the underrated Arista with suckling pig. Go early: Paesano’s typically only gets a dozen GF loaves daily.

📍943 S. Ninth St., Philadelphia, Pa. 19147, 📞267-294-3162, 🌐 paesanosphilly.com

This sandwich superstar has always been proactive with gluten-free options, able to make any of its creations GF-friendly (except for the Phoagie). Try the “Celiac Sally” variation of the So Long Sal! hoagie, the Shopsin Club, the breakfast sandwich with house corned beef, or the thick “Latk’d” hash brown crisped in a noncontaminated fryer. When ordering online, be sure to click the celiac button — not just gluten-free — for extra care. A dedicated fryer at the Clubhouse has also expanded the Fishtown menu’s GF options.

📍Center City: 248 S. 11th St., Philadelphia, Pa. 19107, 📞267-930-8344; 📍Fishtown: MC Clubhouse, 1232 N. Front St., Philadelphia, Pa. 19122, 📞267-858-4325 🌐 middlechildphilly.com

This newcomer from Marlo and Jason Dilks, the couple behind SliCE Pizza and P’unk Burger, exudes the heart of an old-school South Philly lunch counter, and its sandwiches are all available gluten-free — including the cutlets encrusted in GF rice flour and crumbs. Pay special notice to the cheesesteaks, whose 12 ounces of tender, marinated meat make it a sleeper pick for the best new steak sandwich in town.

📍2238 S. 21st St., Philadelphia, Pa. 19145 📞484-355-5410, 🌐 nipotinaphilly.com 📷 @nipotinaphilly

One of Philly’s best cheesesteak shops has been offering Taffets’ long rolls as a gluten-free option for years, and owner Joseph Groh says he sells as many as two dozen a day. Joe’s, which remains in the city’s cheesesteak upper echelon with fresh rib eye sliced in-house, takes extra precautions to avoid cross contamination for gluten-free orders, with diligent glove-changing, a separate grill for gluten-free orders (the left one), and a fryer used exclusively for french fries. Joe’s charges $4.50 extra for the gluten-free roll (they aren’t cheap), but considering the quality and heft of these 10 ounce large steaks, layered with caramelized onions and oozy Cooper Sharp cheese, it’s a fair value.

📍1 W. Girard Ave., Philadelphia, Pa. 19125, 📞 215-423-5637, 🌐joessteaks.com

This South Philly watering hole is more sports bar than gastropub, but, with its GF-friendly fryers, few places are more dependable for celiacs to watch a game and indulge in fried chicken wings (go for the habanero BBQ), loaded tots, or cheesesteaks on GF rolls. Brunch draws include GF pancakes or waffles with fried chicken, whose crispy strips are also gluten-free.

📍2535 S. 13th St., Philadelphia, Pa. 19148, 📞267-314-5937, 🌐southhousephilly.com

One of the best of Philly’s new generation of sandwich shops has long offered Taffets’ rolls as a gluten-free option, but production protocols have occasionally been less than ideal. Owner-chef Kevin Kramer says he is determined to tighten that up, and recently added color-coded utensils and cutting boards reserved for gluten-free orders to supplement a dedicated portion of the griddle and a gluten-free fryer. That makes for an excellent GF hoagie option, but also for fans of Woodrow’s signature steak sandwich layered with truffled house cheese sauce and cherry pepper aioli. If ordering online, be sure to note GF status in the space provided for special requests, because the phone is often busy.

📍630 South St., Philadelphia, Pa. 19147, 📞215-470-3559; woodrowsandwich.com

Any gluten-free person longing for the crisp of fried food will be in carnival heaven at this essential stand in Reading Terminal Market, where Rebecca Foxman’s menu of state fair-inspired snacks — from corn dogs to fresh-cut fries, cheese curds, poutine, and funnel cakes — is entirely gluten-free.

📍Reading Terminal Market, 51 N. 12th St., Philadelphia, Pa. 19107, 📞215-608-6796, 🌐foxandsonphilly.com

This all-gluten-free market with two locations, including Reading Terminal, is a fun destination for locally made GF products and snacks, including A&A GF pretzels, fresh popcorn, corn dogs, house-fried potato chips, and “Fairy Floss” candy.

📍South Jersey: 10 Mechanic St., Haddonfield, N.J. 08033, 📞856-209-2955; 📍Reading Terminal Market, 51 N. 12th St., Philadelphia, Pa. 19107, 📞856-209-2955, 🌐sparrowssnacks.com

Carol Ha and Bill Kelly’s takeout window is best known as a South Philly destination for creative, seasonally inspired doughnuts that just happen to be 100% gluten-free. But Okie Dokie also makes sneaky good savory snacks, including an irresistible GF fried chicken sandwich on an unsweetened doughnut bun, dark meat popcorn chicken, gluten-free fries, a corn dog shaped like a doughnut, and also the Riz, an arancini also crisped into, you guessed it, a doughnut-shaped ring. The savory menu is also soy-, nut-, and peanut-free.

📍1439 Snyder Ave., Philadelphia, Pa. 19145, 📞267-237-3786; 🌐 okiedokiedonuts.com

This Queen Village tavern, already known for some of Philly’s best fried chicken, deep cleans one of its pressure fryers for a gluten-free fried chicken pop-up the first Wednesday of every month. My bird was juicy beneath its flavorful masa and cornmeal crust, with moist GF corn pudding on the side. This pop-up is often in partnership with nearby Hale & True Cider Co., where Redcrest delivers free, and all the ciders — made from Pennsylvania apples — also happen to be gluten-free.

📍625 S. Sixth St., Philadelphia, Pa. 19147, 📞215-454-6951, 🌐redcrest.kitchen

This West Philly destination serves one of the most distinctive birds in Philly, a teff flour fried chicken infused with berbere spice that is the creation of Ethiopian-born co-owner, Mebruka Kane, and her American husband, Brian. Teff, traditionally used for injera, allows the chicken to be gluten-free but also lends a nutty, earthy bass note. The mild Alicha flavor is bright with lemon and turmeric, while the spicier Awaze radiates with multiple levels of berbere, both in its buttermilk marinade and a deep red dusting to finish.

📍4533 Baltimore Ave., Philadelphia, Pa. 19143, 📞215-921-6558; 🌐alifamilyrestaurants.com/doro-bet

Rittenhouse Square’s sushi stalwart has long been a celiac favorite for sushi because chef-owner Hiroyuki “Zama” Tanaka assures gluten-free modifications do not compromise his flavors. GF soy is only the beginning: Zama makes GF miso and teriyaki (try it on the avocado maki with barbecue eggplant, a vegan replacement for eel) and even offers gluten-free modifications to its $65 and $100 tasting menus.

📍128 S. 19th St., Philadelphia, Pa. 19103, 📞 215-568-1027, 🌐 zamaphilly.com

Chef Andy Bernard’s secret sushi gem is 100% gluten-free. This delivery-centric operation also has a four-seat counter hidden from street view inside the lobby of a building on Spring Garden, and uses some of the best Japanese-imported fish in town for gorgeous chirashi and other platters. Bernard, an alum of Hiroki, makes all his own sauces, saba, and tamago to avoid gluten. He doesn’t make shrimp tempura, though it is requested daily. “If the day comes when I’m making tempura, I will have come to the GF crossroads,” he says.

📍990 Spring Garden St., Philadelphia, Pa. 19123, 📞 215-740-9475, 🌐 kaisekiphilly.com

This fast-casual homage to Central American street food is a longtime favorite for gluten-free diners who prize the pupusa platters that recall chef Sofia Deleon’s Guatemala City childhood, as well as taquitos, tostadas, and dobladas crisped in a gluten-free fryer. Only the churros and baleada (on the Reading Terminal menu) are off-limits. Bonus: Deleon’s new Guatemalan rum Tenango is also gluten-free.

📍Rittenhouse Square: 2104 Chestnut St., Philadelphia, Pa. 19103, 📞267-457-5952; 📍Reading Terminal Market, 🌐 elmerkury.com

Judith Suzarra-Campbell remains an empanada force of nature. She and husband Robert Campbell, after closing their Venezuelan restaurant on Spring Garden Street, have reemerged as regulars on the local farmers market circuit, where they sell up to 800 gluten-free empanadas a week. Her half-moon handpies of crisp masa dough are filled with an array of handcrafted flavors, including cumin-scented chicken guiso, tangy pork with capers and bay, and the classic Domino combo of black beans and cheese.

📍Regularly at markets in East Falls, Rittenhouse Square, Clark Park, Fairmount, Northern Liberties, Dickinson, and Media, but always check Instagram for schedule updates, 📷 @sazonphilly

Whenever my celiac daughter visits home, a meal from the Rittenhouse location of this Szechuan-Taiwanese standby is required. Few restaurants as busy as DanDan have such reliable gluten-free protocols in place, with solid adaptations for recipes when glutinous condiments (soy, black bean paste, oyster sauce, pickled Szechuan vegetables) are omitted, and clear kitchen systems to keep them separate and cooked in clean woks when diners stipulate gluten-free. Dry pepper chicken, vegetarian string beans, cumin lamb, and scallion fried rice are our standards. But also try the dry pot beef and crispy bunapi mushrooms.

📍Rittenhouse: 126 S. 16th St., Philadelphia, Pa. 19102, 📞 215-800-1165; 📍Suburban Square: 30 Parking Plaza, Ardmore, Pa. 19003, 📞 484-412-8178; 📍Wayne, 214 Sugartown Rd., Wayne, Pa. 19087, 📞484-580-8558 🌐 dandanrestaurant.com

This is where my family celebrates a gluten-free Christmas Eve. EMei is my current vote for the best restaurant in Chinatown, and owners Tingting Wan and Dan Tsao have collaborated with chef Yongcheng Zhao to also make the majority of its Szechuan dishes either naturally gluten-free or easily modified, with clear menu notations. Condiments are made in-house; gluten-free soy sauce is used; and a noncontaminated fryer is employed for the majority of the menu’s items, which are crisped by default in corn and sweet potato starches. Don’t miss crispy whole sweet-and-sour bass, salt-baked seafood, Chongqing chicken, or tea-smoked duck.

📍915 Arch St., Philadelphia, Pa. 19107 📞215-627-2500; 🌐emeiphilly.com

Chinatown’s classic Shanghai-style destination, Dim Sum Garden, sells gluten-free versions of several of its dumplings either cooked or frozen to go, including crystal vegetable dumplings and spicy shrimp dumplings, with gluten-free dipping sauce upon request. All of the ho fun, mei fun noodles, and rice stir-fries can be made on-site gluten free.

📍1020 Race St., Philadelphia, Pa. 19107, 📞 215-873-0258, 🌐 dimsumgardenphilly.com

One of the suburbs’ best Szechuan restaurants will modify nearly 80% of its menu to be gluten-free, in part because its new owner, Linna Li, is gluten-intolerant. Guangdong roast duck, Gen. Tso’s chicken, and rice noodle dishes are popular, but cumin lamb and boiled fish in chili sauce are also worthy choices. Longtime Mama Wong chef Hongbin Luo is also a veteran of the locally based Han Dynasty chain, which has long been a solid go-to for gluten-free Szechuan fare.

📍268 Eagleview Blvd., Exton, Pa. 19341, 📞 484-713-8888, 🌐 bestmamawong.com

The Ethiopian staple grain of teff, traditionally used in injera, has become a darling of the gluten-free world in everything from waffles to pasta. It makes Ethiopian cuisine appealing for gluten-free diners; however, most American Ethiopian restaurants that make injera usually blend teff with wheat or barley flour. Kaffa Crossing is one of the few local Ethiopian restaurants that reliably offers the option of freshly made, 100% teff flour injera. I love chef Zuleka “Hanna” Abdumolla’s cooking, too. Amsale Cafe (4817 Walnut St., 215-397-4420), Buna Cafe (5121 Baltimore Ave., 610-615-8575) Alif Brew (4501 Baltimore Ave., 215-315-8427) and Doro Bet (4533 Baltimore Ave., 215-921-6558) also occasionally have pure teff injera available, but always call in advance to verify availability.

📍Kaffa Crossing, 4421 Chestnut St., Philadelphia, Pa. 19104, 📞215) 386-0504, 🌐 qmenu.us/#/kaffa-crossing-ethiopian

About 85% of the menu is either gluten-free or can be modified at Christopher Kearse’s modern French destination in Old City, where house fennel-scented flax seed crackers sub for brioche on the cheese plate, tartare, and foie gras mousse, and the scallop entrée and signature aged duck for two splurge are fair game.

📍233 Chestnut St., Philadelphia, Pa. 19105, 📞215-644-9395; 🌐forsythiaphilly.com

The stellar frites alone draw gluten-free pilgrimages from far and wide to this landmark brasserie on Rittenhouse Square. As at all Starr restaurants, the staff is highly trained to handle food allergies and there is a separate menu of GF options. The warm shrimp salad, crispy artichokes, roast chicken, steaks, trout amandine, daily specials (bouillabaisse, lobster risotto), and crême brûlée are among the many options.

📍227 S. 18th St., Philadelphia, Pa. 19103, 📞215-545-2262, 🌐 parc-restaurant.com

Indian cuisine can be challenging for gluten-free dining due to potential fryer contamination (no samosas, sadly!) and premade spice blends that can contain gluten. Amma’s takes a deliberate and handmade approach to its GF offerings, especially with South Indian staples like dosas, the fermented rice and lentil batter crepes that are naturally gluten-free (except for semolina-based rava dosas). A GF request, though, also triggers a series of precautions, including a separate sambar drawn from a base broth that does not already contain asafoetida, a spice that’s sometimes cut with flour when packaged. We’ve had good luck at the University City branch.

📍Center City: 1518 Chestnut St., Philadelphia, Pa. 19102; University City: 103 S. 39th St.; South Jersey: 700 Eagle Plaza, Voorhees Township, N.J. 08043, 📞 808-762-6627, 🌐philadelphia.ammasrestaurants.com

This family-run Indian and Pakistani steam table is one of the gluten-free highlights of Reading Terminal Market. The menu is clearly marked with options like chicken korma, tikka masala, and vegetables, with dairy-free items, as well.

📍Reading Terminal Market, 📞215-678-2789, 📷 @naneeskitchen

Gluten-free Korean food is hard to come by because the essential spice paste gochujang often contains barley malt. This Korean gastropub in Graduate Hospital is one of the few local spots that mixes its own gluten-free gochujang, making 30% of its menu available gluten-free, with modified versions of its bibimbap, bossam, galbi jjim, and bulgogi ssam lettuce wraps.

📍1801 Lombard St., Philadelphia, Pa. 19146, 📞215-560-8443

Most of the modern Israeli restaurants owned by CookNSolo offer versatile menus for gluten-free eating, with strong practices to avoid cross contamination, although extra-sensitive people should know that pita baking is often done on-site. The entire menus at both Laser Wolf and Goldie are gluten-free with the exception of the pitas, which are usually replaced with cucumbers for dipping into that silky hummus. (The store-bought version of the hummus is also gluten-free.) Two of the three rice platters at the recently reinvented Dizengoff are gluten-free (including sabich, whose eggplant is the first ingredient in the fryer each morning). At Zahav, the menu is 90% gluten free with a couple of exceptions; the famous smoked pomegranate lamb shoulder with crispy rice, fried cauliflower, and coconut malabi for dessert are all fair game.

📍Laser Wolf: 1301 N. Howard St., Philadelphia, Pa. 19122, 📞267-499-4660; 🌐 laserwolfphilly.com; 📍Goldie, 🌐 multiple locations; 📍Dizengoff: 1625 Sansom St., Philadelphia, Pa. 19103, 📞215-867-8181; dizengoffphilly.com; 📍Zahav: 237 St. James Place, Philadelphia, Pa. 19106, 📞215-625-8800; 🌐zahavrestaurant.com

This charming restaurant and bar with a splendid patio in University City has clearly marked GF options on its popular brunch and dinner menus, which showcase traditional Palestinian flavors. Celiac orders trigger glove changes and new cutting boards in the kitchen, which also has a gluten-free fryer. The shakshuka is the go-to move for brunch, where corn tortillas are offered instead of pitas. Turkish hummus, grilled kofta, and the epic lamb shank are worthy draws for dinner, while rice bowls topped with chicken shawarma are landing on the spring menu and a GF gazpacho is planned when tomato season begins.

📍3940 Baltimore Ave., Philadelphia, Pa. 19104, 📞267-275-8254, 🌐 renatas-kitchen.com

The menu at this sprawling and beautiful Fishtown destination for Lebanese food from the Defined Hospitality restaurant group is 90% gluten-free. It offers crudité in lieu of pita for the mezza (including the intensely smoky baba ghanoush) and nothing with gluten touches the live fire grill that produces some of the restaurant’s most memorable flavors, from the various kebabs to the head-on prawns and samke harra branzino.

📍1528 Frankford Ave., Philadelphia, Pa. 19125, 📞 215-302-1900, 🌐 surayaphilly.com

The Center City flagship of the upscale Greek restaurant group has a seafood-forward menu with multiple options that are already gluten-free or easily modified. Estia has a separate menu with gluten-free options, from lamb chops to swordfish souvlaki. Whole fish can be cooked in a clean pan rather than on the grill (which risks cross contamination). Just be sure rice is substituted for orzo.

📍Estia:1405-07 Locust St., Philadelphia, Pa. 19102, 📞215-735-7700, 🌐estiarestaurant.com

I love so many Mexican restaurants in Philly for different reasons. But Mission Taqueria is the one we feel most confident eating in safely with our celiac daughter because it is 100% gluten-free, from the chips to the fish tacos fried in rice flour tempura to yes, the churros. Mission is also nut-free, which explains why it no longer serves mole, which also often contains gluten.

📍Above Oyster House, 1516 Sansom St., 2nd Floor, Philadelphia, Pa. 19102, 📞215-383-1200; 🌐missiontaqueria.com

Aside from being one of Philly’s most exciting Mexican restaurants, Cantina’s menu is 80% gluten-free, from the aguachiles to the machete quesadilla, weekend barbacoa, and chips cooked in a dedicated fryer. The menu’s few flour-based items are fried separately to avoid cross contamination.

📍2800 D St., Philadelphia, Pa. 19134; 📞267-519-2142, 🌐cantinalamartinaphilly.com

Like other restaurants in the Defined Hospitality group (Kalaya, Lebanese-themed Suraya), gluten-free options abound at this modern Mexican destination, where the tortillas are made from house-nixtamalized corn and the staff is well-trained in avoiding cross contamination. The entire menu is gluten-free except for two items, the quesadilla and fish tacos. Even the mole negro, which uses blue tortillas instead of bread or cookies for thickening, is celiac safe.

📍1830 Ludlow St., Philadelphia, Pa. 19103, 📞267-930-5600, 🌐condesaphilly.com

One of my favorite South Philly taquerias has made great GF strides over the years, adding separate fryers for the chips and other corn tortilla-based dishes. Don’t miss the weekend tamales, huaraches, and pozole. The family’s upscale new cantina off Head House Square was also built with GF procedures in mind, good for dishes like the outstanding lamb quesabirria.

📍South Philadelphia: 1163 S. Seventh St., Philadelphia, Pa. 19147, 📞215-465-1665, 🌐tamalexphilly.com; Society Hill: 122 Lombard St., Philadelphia, 19147, 📞 223-228-4025, 🌐 tamalexbarandgrill.com

Within the Starr universe, these two crosstown siblings stand out because co-owner and operator Aimee Olexy is gluten-free herself. About 70% of the menus are either GF or easily modified. Highlights include shrimp and grits for brunch at both places, as well as the tuna tartare. Black pepper corn bread (or biscuits) are freshly baked when a GF diner is noted on OpenTable. The salmon and sticky rice bowl is a favorite for lunch at the Love, while gluten-free sausage and gravy is a brunch draw at Talula’s Garden. Olexy’s independent Talula’s Table (102 W. State St., Kennett Square, Pa. 19348, 610-444-8255) can also do its entire tasting menu gluten-free.

📍Talula’s Garden, 210 W. Washington Square, Philadelphia, Pa. 19106, 📞215) 592-7787, 🌐talulasgarden.com; 📍The Love, 130 S. 18th St., Philadelphia, Pa. 19103, 📞215-433-1555; 🌐theloverestaurant.com

The fast-casual sector has many options with protocols for gluten-free dining, from Chipotle to Cava and Dig Inn, but staff training and follow-through varies greatly. Philly’s homegrown Real Food Eatery and its Mediterranean-forward menu allows no room for error because it is 100% gluten-fee. The food is tasty, too, with bountiful salads (go for the Mediterranean) and flavorful proteins (lemon za’atar chicken, Jail Island salmon, or baked falafel) to anchor a meal with sides.

📍207 S. 16th St., Philadelphia, Pa. 19102, 📞215-608-8941, 🌐realfoodeatery.com

One of Philly’s best BYOBs has long gone out of its way to offer creative gluten-free options on its ever-changing blackboard menu. The signature smoked carrots with chèvre is always fantastic, while recent GF offerings include a Brussels sprout latke with shiitake ragù and apple salsa verde, a pork chop with hot grits, banana bread with pecan mousse, and a chocolate caramel tart.

📍1303 N. Fifth St., Philadelphia, Pa. 19122, 📞215-309-2211, 🌐helmphilly.com

Almost all of chef Eli Collins’ seasonal dinner menus are gluten-free or easily modified. Hits include the panisse with sunchoke tahina, the Wagyu bavette steak, the tuna with carrot harissa, mackerel tartare, and crispy oyster mushrooms with black truffle-garum aioli, cooked in rice flour in a noncontaminated fryer. Or you can have one of the city’s burgers, simply without a bun.

📍AKA Rittenhouse Square, 135 S. 18th St., Philadelphia, Pa. 19103, 📞215-825-7030, 🌐 akitchenandbar.com

At least 90% of the menu at Greg Vernick’s modern seafood hall in the Comcast Tech Center can be made gluten-free, from the endive salad with salmon — my prime power lunch pick — to ceviches or the black bass with lemony celery root and capers, which can be pan-roasted instead of grilled. The Dover sole splurge for two can also be dusted in rice flour (in lieu of Wondra) before it’s carved with tableside pomp. The chef’s famous whole wood-roasted chicken can also be cooked GF at the original Vernick Food & Drink with two days’ notice (to replace soy in the brine with tamari).

📍Vernick Fish, Comcast Technology Center, 1 N. 19th St., Philadelphia, Pa. 19103, 📞215-419-5055, 🌐vernickfish.com; 📍Vernick Food & Drink, 2031 Walnut St., 📞267-639-6644 🌐vernickphilly.com

Chef-owner Nicholas Elmi and chef de cuisine Kevin McWilliams assert that nearly the entirety of Laurel’s contemporary plates are available gluten-free, including current favorites like oysters with Thai chile gelée, pink peppercorn duck with parsnips, and the yuzu-glazed scallop with leeks and potato cream.

📍1617 E. Passyunk Ave, Philadelphia, Pa. 19148, 📞 215-271-8299, 🌐restaurantlaurel.com

About 80% of Dave Conn’s menu at this Italian Market gem is naturally gluten-free, where perforated sauté pans and multiple grill grates allow food to benefit from the live fire hearth without cross contamination. The coal-roasted beets, octopus, latkes, and Ibérico carpaccio would start my GF feast, followed by the spectacular poulet for two and absinthe ice cream for dessert.

📍901 Christian St., Philadelphia, Pa. 19147, 📞215-798-6766; 🌐alicephiladelphia.com

We’re fond of this organic, vegan, and gluten-free bakery-cafe off Rittenhouse Square where my daughter once worked as a pastry assistant. It’s noted for its gorgeous cakes and pastries, but I also enjoy the savory menu. It ranges wide from avocado toast to scrambled tofu and GF tempeh tacos, but I especially like items such as the forbidden rice bowl, Mohinga soup, and spicy organic stewed chickpeas with kale that reflect owner Andrea Kyan’s Burmese heritage.

📍1706 Locust St., Philadelphia, Pa. 19103, 📞215-985-1706; 🌐 psandco.com

The turkey cutlet and roast beef sandwich are out. But so much else at one of my favorite new gastropubs is gluten-free, from the baked clams to Philly’s ultimate green salad, deftly broiled fish, the pork steak, fried mushrooms in broth, and chocolate pôt de crème. Aside from the small but appealing wine list, try a local draft of gluten-free Dornick cider from Ploughman.

📍2331 E. Cumberland St., Philadelphia, Pa. 19125, 🌐meetinghousebeer.com

No, the pastéis de nata pastries baked at this charming Portuguese breakfast-lunch cafe in Fishtown are sadly not celiac safe. But there are so many other wonderful gluten-free things it’s absolutely worth a visit, from the potato-kale caldo verde soup with linguica, to zesty piri piri grilled chicken topped with hot frites and irresistible bacalhau fritters whose salt cod is simply bound with potato and eggs.

📍300 E. Girard Ave., Philadelphia, Pa. 19125, 🌐gildaphilly.com

Kalaya, arguably Philly’s most exciting restaurant, is 98% gluten-free. Chef-owner Chutatip “Nok” Suntaranon goes to the extra expense of using only GF ingredients, from the soy and other condiments, to house-blended curries that assure the Southern Thai food thrills are safe for celiacs, too, from the exquisite flower dumplings and crispy gui chai cakes to the colossal crab stir-fry and showstopping tom yum. Only a couple desserts contain gluten, and they can be modified.

📍4 W. Palmer St., Philadelphia, Pa. 19125, 📞 215-545-2535, 🌐 kalayaphilly.com

If Kalaya is a special occasion splurge, Chatayee is a more accessible Thai option that handles gluten-free requests reliably well. The kang dang red curry, chicken larb kai, spicy basil fried rice, chicken satay, and tom yum are among our regular orders.

📍1227 Walnut St., Philadelphia, Pa. 19107, 📞 215-923-8208, 🌐chatayeethai.com

Lao cuisine, with its heavy reliance on fish sauce, is naturally friendly to gluten-free cooking, and these two outposts operated by mother-daughter duo Daovy and Sunny Panthavong have long been havens for GF-friendly options. There are just a few items to avoid: spring rolls, dumplings, and yellow curry. But the legendary khaopoon “king soup,” vibrantly spiced laab, and sai gawk sausages are up for grabs. So is the crunchy rice salad, though GF orders must be specified so it is fried in fresh oil. Bonus: Retail jars of Sunny Panthavong’s Lao-style hot chili oil, Sunny’s Hot Chili, are also gluten-free.

📍Vientiane Bistro, 2537 Kensington Ave., Philadelphia, Pa. 19125, 📞 267-703-8199; 📍Vientiane Cafe, 4728 Baltimore Ave., Philadelphia, Pa. 19143 📞215.726.1095 🌐vientiane-cafe.com

Much of the menu at this family-run Vietnamese cafe is gluten-free or can be modified, including the excellent soups — all the phos (omit the meatballs), the hearty chicken curry, and the house specialty of bún bò Huế. Even without the standard pork roll, which has gluten, owner Andrew Dinh’s rendition of the spicy lemongrass soup is arguably Philly’s best.

📍1606 W. Passyunk Ave., Philadelphia, Pa. 19145, 📞 215-551-2407, 🌐 cafenhanphilly.com

Almost all of the dishes at Philly’s best contemporary Vietnamese restaurant are naturally gluten-free, including the bánh xèo crepes, crisp winter flounder, beef carpaccio, and signature bánh bèo chén (water fern dumplings). My favorite bò lúc lắc is not usually gluten-free, but can easily be adjusted with GF soy sauce in the marinade if the restaurant is notified ahead of time when making a reservation.

📍1837 E. Passyunk Ave., Philadelphia, Pa. 19148, 📞 272-888-3298, 🌐 gabriellasasian.com

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