Gluten, who knows you? 11 spots to indulge in gluten-free goodies

The fact that Argentina’s most famous Italian chef moved his flagship restaurant in Bajo Belgrano to the gluten-free team (the Palermo one has been gluten-free for some time) speaks volumes about the boom of this type of cuisine. Donato de Santis spent the entire pandemic experimenting with gluten-free flours until he achieved the desired results. The menu at Cucina Paradiso Senza Glutine has the classic Italian structure, with antipasti like potato croquettes; a good variety of pastas, impeccably made from a mix of rice, corn, and cassava flours; and desserts with a fan club, such as tiramisu and pistachio cannoli. This is an excellent restaurant and the first 100% gluten-free Italian restaurant in Latin America. Takeout is also available.

Tip: They have a gluten-free version of the iconic Raviolone Nino Bergese, a large round ravioli filled with spinach, ricotta, and an egg yolk that spills out when cut.

Where: Castañeda 1873, Bajo Belgrano; Arévalo 1538, Palermo.

Las Flores is set in a large greenhouse-like space with a unique garden in Buenos Aires. At the entrance, there's a counter offering cakes, alfajores, and puddings of the day, and a lab where they experiment to make tastier gluten-free products. Due to her gluten intolerance, owner and pastry chef Chula Gálvez has become a gluten-free world reference and is a magician when it comes to experimenting with gluten-free flours. They also offer vegan and lactose-free options. Their breads and pastries, which have been the focus of much research, are very well executed.

Tip: On Fridays, Saturdays, and Sundays, they offer filled doughnuts (like bolas de fraile with various fillings) and pastries such as palmeritas, fosforitos, milhojas, and the star, Napoleón, a milhojas with pastry cream, dulce de leche, lemon glaze, and chocolate.

Where: Gorriti 5870, Palermo.

Sintaxis was Argentina’s first gluten-free restaurant and has a loyal clientele that has followed them from the beginning. Owner Nora Herz was selling diet products when she was diagnosed with celiac disease, and today she continues the business with her children Ludmila, Yamil, and Danilo. They’ve opened several branches and have a production plant distributing to over 800 sales points nationwide. Their customers’ favorites are the pastas for lunch, country bread toast for breakfast, and brownie squares and dulce de leche alfajores for afternoon tea.

Tip: Kids love it here, and there’s a special menu for them. They also make birthday cakes to order and have a well-stocked store of gluten-free products and frozen goods.

Where: Nicaragua 4849, Palermo; Bucarelli 2181, Villa Urquiza.

“I didn’t want to be stigmatizing; I wanted a place for celiacs that everyone could enjoy,” says Javier Rubén López, owner of this French-inspired patisserie, 100% gluten-free. Besides being a successful entrepreneur with branches nationwide, Javier is an active communicator within the gluten-free community, with one book published and another on the way. Their mini cakes, made artisanally with high-quality raw materials, are their hallmark. The stars are the lemon pie and the pure chocolate supreme. They also have macarons and éclairs, which you won’t find at any other gluten-free patisserie in Buenos Aires.

Tip: Not everything is French. They’ve just launched a cinnamon roll, and the red velvet cake is a customer favorite. A lactose-free, vegan, and sugar-free line for diabetics is on the way.

Where: Juncal 2124, Barrio Norte; Av. Lacroze 2117, Belgrano; Montevideo 1480, Recoleta.

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Opened in 2019 in a small locale in Palermo, La Unión now has nine branches, with 11 more on the way, after being bought by a major gastronomic group. The key to their success is that their bakery quality won over non-celiacs, especially their breads, which have very well-achieved flavors and textures. Cakes, alfajores, croissants, pastries, and other delights are displayed in their counter and can be enjoyed all day with good coffee and drinks. They also have tarts and sandwiches for lunch, and vegan options, both sweet and savory. They use no additives or preservatives.

Tip: They have lactose-free and vegan breads made with slow-fermented rice sourdough, improving their assimilation. For the sweet tooth, there’s chocotorta on Fridays and Saturdays.

Where: Cabello 3426, Palermo Botánico; Manuela Pedraza 2100, Núñez; Av. Lastra 3811, Villa Devoto.

Owners who lived in Israel and the United States didn’t stop until they replicated the flavor, texture, and shape of the falafels they tasted there. They brought in a mold shaped like a small, high coin, allowing a quick fry that leaves them crunchy on the outside and tender on the inside. At Falafelandia, they grind chickpeas in a grinder that gives a special sandy texture. The spices are toasted and ground daily.

The bread is not made in the same kitchen, so there’s no airborne flour, but they can’t guarantee there’s no cross-contamination. They are careful and change gloves to prepare the salad, which is the gluten-free version. The portion is quite hearty: eight falafels with hummus, fresh vegetables, and pickles, sweet and sour cucumber pickles, and fried eggplant cubes, with two sauces.

Tip: It’s a street food stall but has a counter for eating.

Where: Av. Córdoba 5190, Villa Crespo.

One of the gastro hotspots in Chacarita, they offer tacos made with gluten-free nixtamalized white corn tortillas, made fresh daily. The most Argentine filling is beef flank, and the most original is pork with chutney and pickled onions. They also have gorditas – two toasted taco tops – and cachapas, typical Venezuelan sweet-savory pancakes made from yellow corn and corn flour. Everything comes with homemade sauces and pickles, finished with fresh herbs. At Georgie’s, there might be cross-contamination (they are very careful), and the only flour used for desserts is a certified gluten-free rice and almond premix.

Tip: They offer a taco and gordita kit with fresh tortillas and separate ingredients to cook at home.

Where: Charlone 499, Chacarita.

Il Mandorla specializes in smoked meats in sandwiches, empanadas, and even pizzas (they have a pulled pork and an asado and pesto pizza). Run by three Venezuelans, they discovered during the pandemic that 8 out of 10 friends were gluten intolerant, so they decided to be 100% gluten-free. Their signature cut is brisket, a lean meat cooked for eight hours until it falls apart. They also have ribs and gluten-free certified chacarero sausages. The fried empanadas come in various vegetarian options. The downtown location is super convenient.

Tip: In Palermo, they have a larger smokehouse that serves, in addition to their signature dishes, good cocktails and desserts, all 100% gluten-free.

Where: Suipacha 749, Centro.

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Cocelia is a typical Buenos Aires neighborhood confectionery with everything Argentinians love to eat. For breakfast or tea, there are butter croissants, maicena alfajores, pasta frola, and toasted ham and cheese sandwiches made with homemade bread. For lunch, they offer milanesas, shepherd’s pie, cannelloni, and lentil stew. They also have special products for every occasion: Easter cake at Easter, panettone at Christmas, locro, and pastries on national holidays. Owner Christian Álvarez decided to create it after being diagnosed with celiac disease, so everything is guaranteed 100% gluten-free.

Tip: It also functions as a bakery, so you can take home biscuits or fat cookies for your mate.

Where: Av. Acoyte 449, Caballito.

The famous churrería from the Argentine coast opened its first “den” in Villa Gesell in 1968 and now has several across the country, including two 100% gluten-free (one in Pinamar and another in Belgrano). El Topo’s churros are made with a pre-mix of rice and cassava flour. They offer classic churros filled with dulce de leche, with or without a chocolate coating, and several with special fillings.

Tip: They offer warm chipás all day (this product, made from cassava starch, is always gluten-free, but here there’s no risk of cross-contamination).

Where: Virrey del Pino 2617, Belgrano.

Vegetable bohios, potato knishes, meat lajmayin, pastrami empanadas, cheese sambusek, pita bread, and other Middle Eastern delights, all celiac-friendly. Isn’t it a dream? At this takeout, you can order everything via WhatsApp or their online store (link in their Instagram profile) and pick it up. Ideal for celebrations or stocking your freezer.

Tip: They also sell an amazing vacuum-packed pepperoni and mozzarella pizza. The dough is long-fermented with their proprietary mix of six flours.

Where: Av. Nazca y Álvarez Jonte, Villa del Parque.