Gluten Free Edinburgh

Gluten free pasta

NIbbling truffles in Edinburgh

John and I spent a fun day in Edinburgh over the festive period. Being a Glasgow girl myself I don’t find that I go to Edinburgh too much. It is of course a gorgeous city and very popular with visitors to bonnie Scotland. I should probably visit more often. When I lived here I would head to Edinburgh when it was Fringe Festival time (not to be missed!), when I found a good gig there or we had visitors in town who were desperate to explore Scotland’s capital city. When I do go simply for the sake of wandering and soaking up the city it’s always a really good time. Edinburgh is beautiful, it’s full of culture and there is lots to see and do. Gluten free travellers to the area will be happy to hear that there are also plenty of celiac friendly options to keep you satisfied whist exploring.

When we arrived in the city our first stop was Morningside to check out The Harvest Garden, a chocolate store I’d heard about on Twitter. It’s part florist/part chocolate shop and they stock a large and interesting selection of different chocolates and other sweet treats. I spoke with the owners of the store who are lovely and they told me that they have lots of gluten free options due to the fact that the husband and their daughter are both celiac. I got to try a few of their fancy chocolates which are delicious!

A little research helped me find a number of eateries in Edinburgh with gluten free options. Mamma’s Pizza in the Grassmarket area of the city does gluten free pizza and Roseleaf on Sandport Place is an allergy friendly place that sounds really quirky and interesting. When I first came across this place it instantly made me think of the fantastic Butterfly and Pig in Glasgow. The type of dishes they serve sound similarly delicious and the adorable, unique use of Scots dialect throughout their menu suggests the restaurant and it’s staff may be of a similar awesome ilk to the Butterfly and Pig. Unfortunately on this occasion I did not get the chance to eat at Roseleaf but next time it will be first on my list. If you have eaten here and tried some of their gluten free goodies then I’d love to hear your thoughts!

On this trip we decided to eat at Vittoria on the bridge, an Italian restaurant situated on George IV bridge. It’s rare that we eat out at Italian restaurants and this one sounded very celiac friendly with a menu which boasts many gluten free options. Their risotto dishes are gluten free and they also do both gluten free pizza bases and pasta. Any of their pizzas or pasta dishes can be made gluten free, Yay!, but as in many cases the gluten free pizza bases are quite a bit smaller than the ordinary ones. I decided to go for the chicken and red pesto pasta as I don’t eat much pasta at home. It was really tasty but I felt as though the portion size was way too small. I’m not a big person but I had finished my dish before John was through his second pizza slice. Just because I’m gluten free doesn’t mean I eat less. Celiacs want big portions too! If we return I’ll be ordering pizza or perhaps risotto. John’s pizza looked awesome and he said it was nice and spicy too.

The Harvest Garden

Thanks to some of you for some other great gluten free suggestions in Edinburgh! Tupiniquim (The Green Police Box, Lauriston Place) does gluten free crepes! Bar Frizzante, an Italian restaurant on Lothian Road also offer gluten free goodies.

Edinburgh also has Cafe Andaluz which offers a variety of gluten free options if you’re in the mood for Spanish tapas.

Henderson’s was recommended to me as another great place to try. It’s a Vegetarian restaurant on Hanover Street in Edinburgh and they offer a bunch of gluten free options marked clearly on their menu with a good ole’ ‘gf’

Edinburgh is a lovely city and there are lots of gluten free surprises to be discovered so you definitely don’t have to worry about finding something safe for celiacs here. If you are planning a trip to bonnie Scotland, please don’t forget to include a trip to Glasgow  too. It’s my favourite Scottish city, it’s awesome and it’s also filled with a wide variety of eateries with gluten free options!

Have you travelled to Edinburgh, gluten free? Where and what did you eat?