You know that feeling when you ask a restaurant about their gluten-free options, only to be told about their vegan ones?
On the most basic level, if a restaurant doesn’t know the difference between gluten free and vegan, it’s unlikely the staff will understand the nuances of cross-contamination — or even which dishes on the menu contain wheat.
Even some restaurants that advertise gluten-free dishes can inadvertently make someone sick. A fish marinated in soy sauce or a house-made sauce that includes a wheat-based condiment is enough to trigger a reaction.
Starting in summer 2026, California chain restaurants will be required to list their allergens.
But for the neighborhood spots we know and love, navigating menus with celiac disease or gluten intolerance can still be exhausting at best — and unsafe at worst — without reliable ways to verify what’s actually safe to eat.
So The LA Local did the legwork for you.
Here are seven celiac-friendly spots in Los Angeles that don’t compromise on flavor or quality.
Kitchen Mouse
Highland Park
5904 N Figueroa St, Los Angeles, CA 90042
Stepping into Kitchen Mouse feels like a cross between a vintage shop, and your favorite auntie’s house.
The space is painted sage green. Cookie jars line the top shelves by the cash register. The staff are some of the friendliest in Los Angeles, and that’s by design
When Erica Daking started Kitchen Mouse, she wanted the space to feel inviting as if guests were being welcomed into someone’s home. That idea extends to the kitchen: everything on the menu is made in-house, from scratch, from sauces to pancakes.
The menu is completely gluten free and vegetarian by default with multiple options to substitute dairy and eggs.
While Daking doesn’t have any food restrictions herself, she told The LA Local that she wanted to create a place that was, “inclusive to all people who ate, no matter how that was.”
This ethos extends beyond the food.
Kitchen Mouse is a place where you’ll see regulars strike up conversations with staff, linger with their kids, or nurse a single cup of coffee for hours — dogs in tow.
Above all else though, Daking’s focus has been on serving good food, and Kitchen Mouse delivers.
Levant Bistro
Echo Park
2112 Sunset Blvd Suite JKL, Los Angeles, CA 90026
Anita Khalek remembers the first day a customer cried in her restaurant.
She rushed over to see what was wrong and the customer explained, “I haven’t had an éclair in 15 years, since I was diagnosed (with celiac disease).”
From that moment on, Khalek told The LA Local, she realized the biggest reward from her business wasn’t financial. It was moments like that.
There were no éclairs the day I visited Levant Bistro, recently, but they had a flavor-packed Baklava tart that topped off my meal.
Levant Bistro began out of necessity.
Khalek and her children had been struggling with allergies, making eating out difficult. So she started cooking meals her family could safely eat while finding ways to honor the cuisine of her native Lebanon.
Over time, she realized there was a need in her community when other parents approached her.
In 2022, her brother Dany Khalek co-founded the LA outpost of Levant Bistro, serving Lebanese food that is entirely gluten-free, preservative-free and free of additives.
The Khaleks grew up spending summers in Lebanon, and Anita has memories of making food from scratch with her family, picking produce from the fields and helping her grandmother make jams and sauces.
The homegrown approach carries into the kitchen today, where everything is handmade, from fresh-squeezed lemonade to sauces and jams prepared in-house.
Amara Kitchen
Highland Park
519 N Avenue 64, Los Angeles, CA 90042
At Amara Kitchen, the restaurant feels distinctly Californian, spilling out onto the sidewalk tables, with plates filled with fresh seasonal veggies.
Last year, Amara was affected by the Eaton Fire, forcing them to shutter their Altadena location and concentrate their operations at their original Highland Park shop, tucked away on Avenue 64.
Nearly everything on Amara’s menu is gluten free, with the exception of tortilla wraps. A gluten-free wrap is also available.
If cross-contamination is an issue for you, make sure you specify your need for celiac protocol, or opt for the dishes that don’t use their shared griddle like the pastries, granola or purple eggs.
Try their delicious house-made Amara milk if you’re dairy-free for a clean, minimal ingredient alternative to oat.
Niya Bakery
Southeast LA
6761 E Carson St, Lakewood, CA 90713
Niya Bakery is a keto, low-sugar and gluten-free bakery operating out of a small shop in Lakewood.
Ilkay Basugar tells The LA Local that she started Niya after developing a health condition that required her to cut sugar and gluten out of her diet.
Niya began as a farmers market stand, serving both fermented products and baked goods. Now, Basugar and her husband, Damien Ross, bake out of their brick and mortar.
They say they are proud to serve diabetic, keto and gluten-free communities with their sugar-free, low-sugar, grain-free and entirely gluten-free options.
The husband and wife duo work hard to source highly nutritious, fiber and protein rich ingredients for their food. Stand outs include their personal-sized, keto carrot cake.
Pikunico
Downtown LA
767 S Alameda St Suite 122, Los Angeles, CA 90021
If “shared fryer” makes your hairs stand up on end — and you, like me, long for a perfectly fried chicken — look no further than Pikunico.
Pikunico was started by Kunico Yagi, who was trained as a fine dining chef at Michelin-starred restaurant Sona, and went on to create hinoki & the bird.
But after years of cooking at upscale establishments, she asked herself, “Who am I cooking for?”
Yagi realized she had many friends with children with allergies who were unable to eat fried chicken at most restaurants that use a shared fryer. Frying all food in the same oil can lead to particles from those allergens crossing into other seemingly gluten-free dishes.
Yagi had found her reason and decided to create a restaurant where she could serve her community.
Located at the ROW in DTLA, this shop offers fried chicken, cookies, curries, soups and salads.
They do serve a sandwich bread, so it’s not a 100% gluten-free facility, but it’s suitable for most folks with celiac disease as the staff are trained in best practices by Yagi herself.
Each fried chicken plate comes with a side of pickles and a housemade ponzu, aioli or parsley sesame sauce — best paired with their house-made vinegary slaw.
On Saturday and Sunday, Yagi says, Pikunico turns into a “kids’ diner,” where children can bring their scooters inside and hang out in the outside area and roam freely.
“Food doesn’t need to be perfect,” she tells The LA Local.
But sourcing good quality ingredients is very important. So she continues to use many of the same vendors as in her Sona days, including free-range Jidori chicken from ten blocks away and local farmers markets for produce.
Yagi says eating fried chicken with her grandma in Japan always brought her joy, and she’s found purpose in serving that same food to her community in LA.
Thunderbolt
Historic Filipinotown
1263 W Temple St, Los Angeles, CA 90026
Thunderbolt may technically be a bar, but it’s one with an extensive, 100% gluten-free, small plates menu inspired by southern and Filipino cuisines.
A combo of their little gem caesar, cheesy grits and chicken drumettes is the perfect kind of girl dinner.
Bonus points for a space — I have never had to fight for a seat at this bustling hidden gem in Filipinotown. The lack of pretentiousness, the ease of ordering, the dietary options for so many palates appear intentional.
Don’t let the friendly neighborhood vibes fool you though, Thunderbolt is serious about their food and cocktails. This James Beard semifinalist has a killer drinks menu that’s perfect for pairing for your gluten-free delicacies.
But if alcohol is no longer your poison, they have plenty of handcrafted NA options that justify the price tag of a fancy juice.
After experiencing everything Thunderbolt has to offer, the sign above the door that reads, “This is a safe and accessible space for all kinds. Mind your manners,” hits differently.
Dave’s Gourmet Korean
Various farmers markets
If you’re hankering for some homemade Korean food like dumplings, pickled cucumbers, kimchi, and even dressings, look no further than Dave’s Gourmet Korean.
Dave’s sets up at farmers markets around LA including West Hollywood on Monday, South Pasadena on Thursday and Hollywood on Sunday, but have outposts throughout Los Angeles County, according to their Instagram.
For the longest time, Dave’s didn’t even have an instagram or any social media account and built its reputation through word of mouth.
It’s a great grab-and-go lunch option for a reasonable price, plus it’s entirely GF, and vegan.
