The best gluten-free restaurants in London

Gluten-free and next door to Sadler’s Wells, this bijou bistro-style restaurant really does have its own gastro-niche – whether you’re into buttermilk fried chicken, bangers and mash, wild mushroom gnocchi or doughnuts (dishes that would normally have coeliacs running for the hills). Everything on the massive menu meets dietary requirements, and Niche even has a special selection for IBS sufferers on a ‘low FODMAP’ diet.  

Not just the smallest omakase counter in the UK (it seats only six people), but this is also a gluten and nut-free paradise. Two chefs deliver the handful of guests 15 courses of sushi with a Mexican twist. The menu varies, but expect creamy kani king crab with ponzu butter, hamachi yellowtail with crunchy cereal, and pink, perky tuna that's so melt-in-the-mouth it will have practically dissolved by the time your teeth got anywhere near it. You'll find Juno upstairs at Notting Hill's Los Mochis, tucked away at the back of the first floor dining room. 

Chef/author/TV chef Yotam Ottolenghi struck culinary gold with his game-changing Ottolenghi cafés, but Nopi is his more formal, more grown-up take on proceedings – although its bold fusion food shares the same eclectic magpie ethos. Finding something that’s gluten-free isn’t a problem here – in fact, the menu is peppered with possibilities (marinated beetroot with sumac chutney, wasabi labneh and taro, anybody?) 

Launched by Highbury locals Claudio Vescovo and Gianluca D'Angelo, Zia Lucia serves up an old-fashioned Italian family feast in a contemporary setting. Four 48-hour fermented doughs give the menu its USP, with a gluten-free option sitting alongside a traditional version, one with a deliciously nutty wholemeal base and a dramatic-looking ‘vegetable charcoal’ riff. Toppings are trendy, and there’s also a vegan option involving butternut squash cream.

Indian cuisine tends to be more forgiving to diners with food allergies and intolerances, with many dishes free from dairy and gluten. However, Dishoom is a cut above when it comes to accommodating special diets: most of its grilled meats, salads, vegetable sides and curries (including the signature black dhal) are gluten-free or can be tweaked to suit coeliacs, while staff take any questions about the menu in their stride.

Mexican meets Japanese at Los Mochis City which is gluten and nut-free, as is the Notting Hill branch. They have a huge à la carte menu of sushi, tacos, crudos and more, plus multiple tasting menus including a vegan option. Up the ante with a visit to the huge 3,000 sq ft outdoor terrace which has epic panoramic views and is open until 3am.

Stunning 360-degree views and 24/7 opening are the big selling points at this hot cookie up on the 40th floor of Heron Tower, but the food isn’t far behind. There are always plenty of ‘gluten-conscious’ offerings on the eclectic carte – from snacks such as bacon-wrapped dates to raw yellowfin tuna with pickled watermelon or the signature ‘duck and waffle’ combo (preferably served with hojicha-stem green tea on the side).

Now with over 30 branches (and counting), this not-so-mini chain has managed to grow quickly because its food is downright delicious, and its concept is bang-on customer-friendly. So it’s no surprise to learn that everything on the menu can be cleverly tweaked to rid it of gluten – and that includes the option of gluten-free burger buns.

Like its siblings, this branch offers a bespoke ‘allergy menu’ highlighting just about everything from celery to sulphur – so you can easily see if your favourite dish contains gluten. There are rich pickings among the inventive salads, small plates and ‘classics’, and they’re also known for giving good brunch – gluten-free if you want it.

When Le Relais opened in Paris in 1959 it was way ahead of the game in terms of no-choice menus. Fast-forward more than half a century, and the central London outpost of this old-school brasserie-style restaurant is still serving up its house speciality of cooked-to-order steak with a ‘special’ sauce and a bucket-load of fries to gaggles of contented diners. Happily for coeliacs, this cracking plateful just happens to be gluten-free, too.

You can't really go wrong with anything on the meat-heavy menu at the Hawksmoor (sorry, vegetarians). However, if you are still unsure, the well-drilled staff are on hand to talk you through the options. Even better, the beef-dripping chips are also 100 percent gluten-free, so you’ll have something tasty to snack on while you agonise over your decision.

By definition, poké is almost invariably gluten-free, so you can graze to your heart’s content from the cornucopia of virtuously healthy Hawaiian-inspired raw fish salad bowls on offer at this daytime poké peddler. As one of the trendy frontrunners, Island offers a build-your-own conveyor-belt system in a tiny interior that marries a South Pacific beach-shack vibe with a heavy R&B soundtrack.