The best gluten-free restaurants in Chicago

CheSa’s Bistro & Bar in Irving Park started out of owner Chesaree Rollins’ desire to find delicious food that she could eat. After being diagnosed with celiac disease, Rollins was on the hunt for reliably delicious gluten-free food, and decided to start making her own. She started with a food truck, and opened up CheSa’s Bistro & Bar in 2022, serving up her own interpretation of Creole recipes, like a crawfish cornbread starter—cheddar jalapeño cornbread that's topped with crawfish, cheese, honey and butter. The restaurant also serves Chesa’s seafood gumbo, made with chicken, shrimp, andouille sausage and vegetables and served with a scoop of rice.

After finding out she was gluten intolerant, Amelia Fonti, the co-owner of Wheat’s End Cafe, began learning how to make high-quality, gluten-free food. She, along with fellow co-owner Susan McMillan, first started cooking gluten-free baked goods for their friend’s restaurant, before opening up Senza, a fine dining concept that earned the first-ever Michelin Star granted to a gluten-free restaurant. Senza eventually transformed into Wheat’s End Cafe, which in addition to serving up breakfast and lunch dishes like Belgian waffles, breakfast tacos and spicy chicken sandwiches, also has a lengthy list of gluten-free baked goods that can be purchased frozen to bring home. Many of the cafe’s menu items are dairy free or entirely vegan as well.

No matter what dietary restrictions you have, it’s always important to have a sweet treat. That’s why Defloured, an entirely gluten-free bakery in Chicago’s Andersonville neighborhood, is so convenient for people following a diet. The bakery offers a wide variety of baked goods, from desserts like pies and cakes, to pizza and even everyday items, such as gluten-free sandwich bread. Rather than using wheat flour, Defloured primarily uses a combination of rice flour, tapioca flour and potato starch that's mixed by the bakery. Defloured isn’t just accommodating for gluten-free diets, either. Many of the bakery’s items are also corn free, and vegans or anyone who has a soy intolerance can find items that fit within their diet as well.

The menu items at Bloom Plant Based Kitchen aren’t just vegan—everything, from the restaurant’s yucca gnocchi to the bbq bacon ranch flatbread, is also gluten-free. The Wicker Park restaurant is owned by chef Rodolfo Cuadros, who's also the executive chef and owner of Latin American restaurant Amaru, as well as Lil Amaru located in Time Out Market Chicago. Bloom Plant Based Kitchen serves brunch and lunch, with options including avocado toast, chilaquiles and churro waffles, and an extensive dinner menu.

Typically, pizza is off-limits for anyone with celiac disease or avoiding gluten. Most pizza crust doughs are made from wheat flour, which contains gluten. That’s certainly the case at Spacca Napoli, a Neapolitan-style pizzeria in Ravenswood. But the restaurant also offers a separate gluten-free crust, so everyone can enjoy pies like the tre pomodori (provolone cheese, garlic, oregano, fresh tomatoes, sun dried tomatoes and Leccino olives). Spacca Napoli says that its special dough is intended for customers who are gluten-free by choice, rather than those who avoid it for a medical reason, and the restaurant cannot assure its kitchen is an entirely gluten-free environment.

While completing her pastry and culinary degree, Mindful Baking Cafe owner Diane Mejia was diagnosed with a severe gluten intolerance. Instead of giving up on baking, Mejia instead learned how to prepare recipes with gluten-free ingredients. Now, she serves her gluten-free and vegan baked goods out of Mindful Baking Cafe, a bakery and cafe in Lincoln Square. Guests can enjoy items like quiches and eggs and toast from 10am to 5pm every day. The bakery also accepts online orders for cakes.

It only makes sense that Art of Dosa specializes in its namesake dish—dosa, a South Indian savory crepe made from rice and ground black gram, a bean grown in South Asia. The naturally gluten-free, and vegetarian, dish is prepared with a variety of all-natural ingredients at this stall located inside Sterling Food Hall in the Loop. One of the standouts is the masala dosa, which is filled with potato curry and cabbage, and served with coconut chutney, sambar and an intricate spice blend.

Most marshmallows are naturally gluten-free, so it would make sense that a marshmallow cafe would have plenty of gluten-free options. XO Marshmallow is the world’s first marshmallow cafe and the dream project of founders Kat Connor and Lindzi Shanks. The two first teamed up in 2016 and began selling gourmet marshmallows online before opening a cafe the following year, where guests can enjoy the namesake confectionary alongside a range of s’more options and drinks. A highlight of the cafe is the build-your-own s’more bar—customers can pick out their own marshmallow flavor and chocolate, before it’s sandwiched between gluten-free graham crackers.

Takito Kitchen, a Mexican restaurant in Wicker Park, offers a gluten-free menu featuring favorites like tacos, which are served on handmade popcorn tortillas, and pineapple guacamole made with grilled pineapples, sun-dried tomatoes and goat cheese. The food menu is ideal for diners with celiac disease or a gluten sensitivity, and the beverage options are similarly noteworthy. The restaurant has a house margarita made with Jose Cuervo tequila, lime juice and a house-made cordial; there are also several other flavors, including one that adds tamarindo puree and cilantro to the recipe. Indecisive guests can opt for a margarita flight to choose three flavors.

Arya Bhavan doesn’t just provide gluten-free menu items, it teaches interested customers how to make them as well. The Indian restaurant, which is known for its vegan and gluten-free meals, offers cooking classes. Each class goes through three different recipes, and you'll learn everything from how to cook with an abundance of vegetables to whipping up masala. You don’t have to be an aspiring home cook to enjoy the meals at Arya Bhavan, though. The restaurant’s menu is packed with classic Indian dishes, such as chana masala, and vegan rifts like the organic tofu tikka masala.