Top 17 Gluten-Free American Spots to Enjoy in Santa Monica

Ana Martin

This restaurant is amazing. We went later in the evening and had dinner. It’s such a cool vibe and the food was amazing. I’m celiac and I let the waiter know. He went over the whole menu and all but 2 items on the dinner menu are gluten free or can be made gluten free. He made notes on everything for my allergy. I would highly recommend you give them a try. The only slight downside is the portion sizes are a little on the smaller side so an appetizer is the way to go.

Jayson Myst

Found this little cafe on Christmas Eve and we're glad we did. Went for breakfast. The food was very fresh and tasted great. Coffee was also very nice. Plenty of gluten free options so everyone is covered. Service was fast and attentive.

Jonathan Wesolowski

The absolute best gluten free fried chicken I’ve ever had! Great approachable vibe and the essence of “west coast comfort food”.

Ray Bolden

Honestly, I don’t think I saw this place at its full potential, but I will give you an overview of my personal experience. Hopefully you can find It useful. Food: I stumbled upon Bru’s Wiffle while looking for a restaurant with French toast. This place has a number of French toast options. I chose the Honey Poppers French Toast. These are bite-size crispy chicken in housemade siracha & louisiana hot sauce. I wasn’t impressed. The French Toast was thin and flimsy. It tasted like It was made on sandwich bread. I should’ve known better than to get chicken poppers. I asked for a of chicken thigh. It was juicy and crunchy. Had I known better, I would’ve chosen this chicken option to begin with. Next, I ordered an avocado toast topped with eggs. The melted cheese is a great addition to this dish. However, I prefer sliced avocado rather than the avocado spread. My partner had the Basil Pesto Crispy Polenta Avocado Toast with egg. This is a gluten free meal. The egg is an add on to both Avocado toast options. Beverage: This place has a Watermelon Mimosa that I’ve been trying to imitate for the last four days. It was sweet and fruity. Payment: Bru’s Wiffle doesn’t accept American Express. As an Amex Gold Member, one of the benefits of the card is the 4X points at restaurants. If this was a quick order to go, I wouldn’t mind. But, on an $150 bill, knowing this sooner would’ve probably impacted my choice to visit. Overall, I think that this restaurant had some options would be pretty tasteful. Unfortunately, I didn’t get to try them during this visit.

Julia Fry

When I went to Mel's, I was happily surprised that they had both gluten-free and vegan options. Also, my waiter, Jason, was very attentive to my needs.

Josh Fuks

Gluten friendly. =)

Ashley Sundquist

I've wanted to eat here for a long time and it was worth the wait! It's a really fun place to enjoy outdoor brunch on Montana Avenue in Santa Monica. They have a few gluten-free and vegan options. It's quite tiny, so expect to wait for the restroom as there is only one.

Mateo Fenoglio Hernandez

It’s amazing Has a huge menu From brunch chicken and Waffles to tacos Pizza Pasta Salads you name they Got it and if your vegan they have a page just for you and Gluten free options galore and a full bar Crazy good food and service

Laurel Clark

Great experience at Patrick's Roadhouse. It is a very laid back restaurant with fun, very unique decor. We sat outside, there were heaters but it was pleasant out so they turned them off for us. My friend had gluten free pancakes and I had the breakfast burrito with no meat along with a slice of pie. We did wait a while for the food but it was worth it. Prices are perhaps a little high but the food is worth it.

Julia Kramar

We came with our child who has celiac disease, and they have a dedicated gluten-free fryer — which is a rare and wonderful find. The place was packed, but we discovered a standing area along the bar near the kitchen staff and servers where we could still enjoy our meal. The staff was incredibly kind and attentive, and the food… simply outstanding! It’s clear they care deeply about both the quality of their food and the needs of their guests. Highly recommend — especially for families managing dietary restrictions.

Puja Sheth

Beautiful location as they're only a few blocks from the beach. The warm wood tones are inviting and friendly. The staff is welcoming and attentive. The food always smells delicious when you walk in. There is always a lingering smell of char or smoke in the air, which wets the appetite. Definitely a delicious meal, and I've been here several times. If you have dietary restrictions, please read my additional comments about vegetarian and gluten free options.

Brady

I have a wheat allergy + am vegetarian so I got the Impossible burger on the gluten free bun. It was sooooo delicious and affordable! Only like a 1.79 upcharge for the gf bun which is definitely cheaper than most places. The staff was super kind too, I got helped by Luis (according to my receipt so I think it's him!) and he was great! I was having a bad day and this improved it for sure

Guillaume Bourcy

Lunetta is hard to define as it is a nice place for lunch with a diverse menu and indoor outdoor areas (with a wonderful patio), as well as a very romantic place at night with a speak easy vibe and last but not least a to/go service available. Food wise the menu offers some revisited classic like their mussels or their burger. Personally I really enjoyed their chopped salad and the flourless caked - gluten-free friendly but also a great taste and texture. The wine list is also interesting as I had the opportunity to taste a Merlot from Mexico (and it rhymes!). Service was good even at peak.

Ben Black

Rick Lupert

We had a great experience at Art's Table yesterday afternoon for MLK day brunch. We don't live in the area and were searching for a brunch spot near where we were, and this place came up on the what felt like hidden local gem of the street Montana, which felt like the antithesis to what one might experience on Third Street. Thanks to Yelp reservations we were seated right away inside, when every other table inside and outside was occupied. Let's start with the coffee; I've said many times if a brunch/breakfast place doesn't have good coffee it has no business being in business. Art knows what he's doing with his coffee. It's richly dark and bold in taste, with no acidity and served in delightful ceramic owl mugs that are exactly what they seem… It would be worth coming to Art's just to get a cup of coffee. The only caveat with the coffee is that a cup costs $4. I've seen premium pricing for coffee when they bring you a French Press but this, despite how good it was, seemed pricy for a basic cup of coffee. There are plenty of gluten-free options on the breakfast menu including Johnny cakes, a cornmeal-based pancake that looked amazing (though we didn't have it.) And the dish my wife and I both got a version of , The veggie eggs, which is served with gluten-free potato pancakes topped with greens delicious portobello mushrooms that are perfectly cooked, and two poached eggs, topped with a wonderfully spiced bernadine sauce. The eggs were poached perfectly. The potato pancakes (and to be fair to all concerned if a restaurant that I've never been to before has potato pancakes on the menu that's all my body will allow me to order) were a little thin for my taste, but speaking of taste, they tasted pretty good albeit a little greasy, but considering the very nature of potato pancakes it's hard to complain about there being oil involved. In our "eye-vesdropping" that we did of other dishes walking by it seems there were other options which had more substantial potatoes and, again, potatoes of any kind will draw me closer to your heart. The dish was served with a generous salad that was tasty though in terms of volume, but visually overpowered the rest of the dish. We would definitely come back to Art's Table and try some of the other tantalizing things that we saw walking by (to be clear they were being carried by serving staff and not walking by under their own power.) The only thing which was a slight downer was our super friendly and cool waiter who seemed to really know what he was doing when he took our order and greeted us, but then never spoke to us again until after we finished eating and wanted to know if we were ready for the check. Again he was awfully nice but you kind of expect, or at least hope that a server will check in with you after you've received your food just to make sure that everything was OK. Everything was OK so we would've had nothing to complain about but it would have been nice to have seen him again before it was time to get the check.

Frank G.

Really fun and lively brunch/lunch spot. If you want a quiet little corner, try outside when it's nice. Inside has a lot of fun energy, and maybe a couple rounds of Happy Birthday. I appreciate the gluten free bread option. Everything I've tried is flavorful and creative.

Jillian Pratt

Not my first time coming here, but a special visit. My parents in town wanted to go to a nice restaurant. This was decided last minute. I suggested tar and roses. My main concern was gluten contamination. I called the restaurant and was assured gluten free options were available. At the restaurant it was started that cross contamination is possible. Next concern was we didn't have a reservation. But we got there as soon as they opened and they gave us a table under the condition that we'd get out of there in time for the next reservation. Which was completely awesome of them. And of course more than plenty of time for us to get through a quick meal. But normally yeah make a reservation. Because of this the dishes we picked were the least likely to be exposed to cross-contamination. And they were completely safe.For reference we ordered the hanger steak and it was delicious and did not expose us to any gluten. The food is absolutely delicious. Every item perfectly cooked. The wine selection is wonderful. My wine aficionado father did not recognize all the names on the list and that is quite a feat. The atmosphere is upscale and the vibe is chill. Very California. The servers are lovely and very attentive. Your water glass will never go dry. There is seating available inside, in the slightly more open atmosphere and inside and then some sidewalk seating. They have heaters available for you while you wait outside to get into the restaurant or while you're eating outside. Parking in this area is busy. It's downtown Santa monica. There are plenty of parking garages a couple blocks away. Street parking for the most part is it going to be metered where you can use coin or card. It's not impossible to find a spot but on a busy Friday or Saturday night you might circle the area if you're determined to get nearby street parking. Add to the owner and head chef if you are reading this. The tomato that comes with the hanger steak... Which kind of tomato is that and how is that prepared? Hands down the best piece of tomato I've ever had in my life.