Gluten Free in the Bay Area: Where I Eat Out When I’m Visiting my Hometown
San Francisco and the Bay Area is probably where I spend the most time outside of Portland where I live. Now that’s mostly because I’m from the Bay Area but it’s also a place I happily return to for the sights, activities, and eats. While SF and the Bay doesn’t have anywhere near the density of dedicated and highly known Gluten Free options you’ll find in spots like Portland or NYC, there are some pretty amazing eats to be found all around the area whether you’re at the ferry building, SFO airport, or across the Bay and even beyond into Napa, Sacramento and more and in this post, I’ll walk you through some of my go to places.
San Francisco / East Bay gluten free overview: 8.5/10
Dedicated GF spots
Mariposa Bakery (SF & Oakland)
About the place: Dedicated GF bakery & cafe / sandwiches, pastries & baked goods
The vibe: Bakery with limited seating in their Oakland main store, public seating at their SF one
Without a doubt one of the best known GF bakeries not just in the Bay Area but probably anywhere in the USA, Mariposa more than earns its incredible reputation. They’ve got two locations, their flagship store and production facility in Oakland which is downright overwhelming with how much it has to offer, plus seating for their cafe/deli meals and a smaller but also well stocked shop in San Francisco’s ferry building. If you’re just visiting the city, the ferry building location is easy to get to and perfect to grab a bite and a treat, then head over to the ferry and ride it to Jack London Square for one of the best views of SF on a nice day.
I’ve been to Mariposa so many times I struggled picking what photos to include as nearly everything I’ve had is spot on, even if it certainly does come at a price. My usual go to lunch is their Turkey Gobbler sandwich but the real draw is their treats and those are nearly impossible to narrow down… I’ve had their chocolate chip cookies, ginger snap cookies, scones, cinnamon rolls, bear claws all at least a few times and would have any of them a few more.
Kitava (all over)
About the place: Dedicated GF / healthy focused bowls and plates
The vibe: Casual dining, sit down style with counter service
Mariposa may be my favorite spot in the Bay Area but Kitava is probably my most frequented as they’ve got locations all around the places I seem to need to go. A dedicated and quick bowl place, they’re the easy option for a meal even if not the most exciting. I first tried them at SFO and while the menu there is smaller than their standalone stores, having a dedicated GF option in an airport is truly awesome. They also have locations in Oakland, Walnut Creek, Albany and the mission (SF).
My usual order is their sesame chicken bowl which is crispy chicken and broccoli served on a rice base and with a ginger sauce. On my last few visits, I’ve started mixing that up swapping in or adding more veggies to make a more elaborate bowl. It’s not a huge menu but it has enough choices to make for plenty of flavor combos.
Game Parlour (SF & Oakland)
About the place: Dedicated GF / Mochi Waffle Sandwiches
The vibe: Casual dining, sit down style with counter service and board games!
Though I’ve only been here once, Game Parlour is a place I regularly think and now that they have a second location in Oakland, I expect I’ll be able to make a visit happen a lot more often. Their dedicated GF menu centers around mochi waffles but before you think, oh, I don’t need another treat, first off, yes you do and second, what if I said chicken and waffles, steak and waffles, fried fish and waffles? And if you’re looking for more than a meal, Game Parlour is, as the name implies, actually a game store (think board games) where you can put down the phone, rent a game, and play.
As for what to get, I had the Reef Waffle (fried fish) Sandwich combo and would be hard pressed to not order it again though pulling up their menu again as I write this post, the King of New York, pastrami on waffles does sound really tempting.
Shared GF spots
Caffe Sport (SF)
About the place: Shared / Italian food including pizza
The vibe: Charming sit down Italian spot
Good GF pizza is one of those things that’s hard to find and even harder to trust to the point that I rarely even bother outside of Italy itself anymore but Caffe Sport in SF’s Little Italy is definitely one of the exceptions and a spot I’d gladly return to. Though it’s absolutely a shared place that uses flour, like many authentic Italian spots, they take gluten free seriously with good processes in place. For me, that’s totally something I trust and they have the reviews to back it up but for some, it may be a lot to accept.
As for the pizza itself, I like to stick to a classic margherita and theirs was certainly good but also most certainly what I think of as traditional Italian style and though it was still good enough to chomp down nearly the entire thing, it lacked the chewy bite that I was hoping for. I would gladly go back but if you’re dreaming of a past visit to Naples, expect something really nice, but certainly more American style.
Mikuni (Concord/East Bay)
About the place: Shared / Sushi & teriyaki
The vibe: Moderately spendy dining, sit down style
Venturing out of SF again is Mikuni, a sushi spot I went to with my family on my last trip after seeing the shockingly impressive reviews only to find out the reviews probably undersold it, seriously. While Mikuni’s core menu is most certainly not GF, they have an entire section dedicated to items that are and adapt a number of sushi rolls, teriyaki plates, even soup for GF eaters. I’m not a big sushi person myself so I went with the teriyaki on my visit and while the sauce was a bit bland as GF teriyaki always feels for me, the dish was otherwise fantastic and came with the nicely reassuring allergeny flags. My father, who is a bit of a sushi connoisseur, quite enjoyed his meal as well and judging from how busy the place was, I’d say this is a good win for a mixed GF/non GF group.
Starbird Chicken (SFO Airport, South Bay)
About the place: Shared / Chicken Strips & Fries
The vibe: Fast Food with seating
Chicken strips and fries, need I say more really? Actually with Starbird I suppose I have to say more as of all the places I’ve eaten since having to go GF, I don’t think I’ve seen any spot ever have quite the back and forth of reviews as their locations seem to have. Why? Probably because how much they do and then don’t focus on GF. While their core menu is heavily GF with a few sandwiches that were not, over the years, their gluten selection has expanded and their focus has shifted towards that always ominous “gluten friendly” label.
I’ve had Starbird chicken several times in their SFO location when I wanted a change up from Kitava and also from their standalone locations. Through that, I’ve not had any issues but like any shared place, I am mindful of just how busy they are and have also skipped them when things seemed slammed, or off, and I always ask when things come out to give it one last, is the vibe right, check.
True Food Kitchen (Walnut Creek/East Bay)
About the place: Shared / Healthy focused - American Grill
The vibe: Casual dining, sit down style with table service
When a friend suggested True Food Kitchen, I was a bit uncertain as they had basically no GF reviews despite a well marked menu, leaving me wondering what was up. After I spoke with our server, I can’t advocate for them enough as few places have come close to the level of confidence and detail as what she described about their kitchen though that’s hardly shocking from a place that details everything on their menu. As far as the food, their menu is health focused but full of great looking options. I went with the peri peri grilled chicken skewers which was like a plate of perfectly seasoned protein, and paired it with fries because when there’s a dedicated fryer, I am taking advantage! Delicious.
Roam Burgers (Multiple locations)
About the place: Shared / Burgers, fries & shakes
The vibe: Casual dining, sit down style with counter service
Another multi-location local, Roam Burgers certainly doesn’t scream GF friendly, you know, serving burger buns on every tray and all but while the Area may not have a ton of GF centric spots, it is a place where people take restrictions seriously and Roam is exactly that. Stepping in, the cashier must have sensed my hesitation but confidently explained they were used to GF and could handle it just fine and I have to say, the result was good! Not only did they serve up my meal lightning fast but the bun was one of the better ones I’ve had to the point where I stopped someone to re-check it was both GF and toasted on its own (it was).
In-N-Out
About the place: Shared / Burgers, fries & shakes
The vibe: Fast food with seating
Sometimes you just need an easy bite and In-N-Out makes that easy. While they don’t have a GF specific menu, their offering is almost all GF, except for buns and their assembly machine is incredibly diligent about controls, cook stations and serving things up. I’m not saying every In-N-Out is perfect but ordering a burger protein style (that’s lettuce wrapped) for a gluten allergy has yet to fail me as it’s always marked, always confirmed. That said, I would skip the grilled onions, or at least ask about them, since those could be grilled on the same space as the buns
Grocery options
As a major metro area, there’s no shortage of grocery stores and no shortage of GF options in those stores of course but what I think sets the Bay Area and really all of California apart is how awesome the produce selection is. Whether in a big store, a local chain, or one of the 80,000 farmers markets around, you can find so much to supplement the meals you do have out that’s fresh and most certainly naturally GF and that’s been one of my biggest hacks when I get hungry between stops.
Airport options
Wrapping up a long post, I’ll briefly touch on the airports as there are 3 in the Bay Area with different options.
- Oakland Airport is your typical experience from what I’ve seen. Plenty of places to eat, but not for us, so I always try and swing by Kitava or Mariposa first, as it beats the (very overpriced) yogurts they do sell.
- San Jose Airport is similarly unimpressive with few reliable bets outside of packaged snacks. There is a Starbird nearby but reviews there have turned not so nice so proceed with caution.
- SFO is the outlier, at least if you’re in or near Terminal 1 where you can find Kitava (also Starbird, at a location that has 100s of reviews to decide for yourself) or Terminal G where you can find Asian Box (not reviewed here but dedicated GF as well).
Final thoughts on a GF visit to the Bay Area
Boudin Bakery
(100% not Celiac safe)
When I first got diagnosed with Celiac, I was surprised that the Bay Area wasn’t stronger for GF spots, especially dedicated ones given how attentive the community is to needs. Over the years since then, more has opened up and I’ve gotten much more accustomed to the idea that, in some places, shared spots are more the go to than dedicated. But mostly, it’s a place where I’m not eating out as often anyways, with family and friends around where I can cook or at least prep some of my meals but as I’ve returned trip after trip, I’ve found more and more spots to enjoy and more I want to go. There are few spots in the bay without any options and plenty of spots with amazing ones to make it an area to keep high on your travel list.
