Top 15 Gluten-Free Cafes to Delight in Santa Cruz

Sven Pedersen

Cute cafe with great food that caters to dietary restrictions like gluten free, vegan and vegetarian.

Aly F.

I'm allergic to gluten but after 6 years I'm reintroducing it to myself yay and they have the best morning buns. Worth the slight stomach ache for one I shared with my Mom.

Troy Aikins

Gf loves the gluten free donuts and pastries

Vanessa Christie

Old school vibes, this place serves up reliable delicious breakfast staples and big portions. Perfect for Sunday morning after a night out. They have gluten free toast too, no extra charge. I had poached eggs and bacon, my boyfriend has Popeyes omelette which was huge and very cheesy. It’s cash only, but there’s an atm for $2. Felt like a hidden gem and great to support a long time, locally run restaurant.

Kate Bizyayev

Had breakfast here. Delicious light food that doesn’t leave your stomach feeling heavy. Great vegan options. The breakfast burrito with feta was amazing. They have gluten free bread options which was amazing. Right next to the pier.

Pablo Quiroz

Hot chocolate and gluten free breads were amazing

ACC Cardone

One of the best breakfast / brunch places in Santa Cruz! Be warned that this restaurant is so good that people will wait for hours to get a table on the weekend. I’m not sure if the wait is still as long, after the pandemic, but the food is still as good. I’m not fond of most breakfast foods, especially eggs (which I find to be one of the tastes and textures I despise more than almost any other “food”). However, Cafe Brasil’s egg dishes are actually something I look forward to eating! Honestly, I can count the number of egg dishes that I have ever liked on one hand (before trying the egg dishes here), and still have spare fingers. Yet, Cafe Brasil has several egg dishes that I really like! If you don’t want eggs, though, they have so many other options that you are guaranteed to find at least a few dishes that you will fall in love with, from standard American fare to the very unusual. The most popular item on the menu is the “acai bowl”, which is similar to a frozen smoothie made from raspberries, blueberries, and strawberries (the flavor of the açaí berries) with crunchy vanilla granola on top, and then sliced strawberries and bananas topping all of that. I promise that this açaí bowl tastes even better than it sounds like it would! Yum! I found this restaurant because a friend introduced me to it and I fell in love with the food. Every person I have brought here still talks about it when they visit, and asks to go back. — The restaurant has both indoor and outdoor seating. — The outdoor seating is dog friendly. — There are plenty of options for most people with dietary restrictions; just let the staff know when you are ordering. (I am vegetarian and at least 1/2 of the menu is available for me to order with only a few items needing any adjustments. There are plenty of vegan options as well as gluten-free options. Just note that if you don’t tell your server, you should expect most dishes to come with fresh cooked bread and butter, and often pan fried potatoes.)

Megan Cheek

Had lunch at Far West Fungi today. Gluten free options were limited, by the person taking my order modified the salad to make it gluten free. He put together a tasty bowl of mushrooms with garlic and onions - delicious! My husband enjoyed the risotto balls and empanada

Intelligent Tiger

My friends love this place. It has gluten free bread which is important to them. I'm usually gaping at the gluten filled pizza down the street:) healthy, a bit like Mom used to make, pretty location, good meetup or casual date kind of place.

Mike Allen

Great gluten free blueberry muffin. Enjoyed the monkey bread. Both paired well with the mochas.

Geraldine C

Wow. The service and the food. Ok so this place is a gluten free gem (gf). I had no batter gluten-free fish and chips. They also do gf shrimp I believe. Their fish tacos were the bomb and I don't like fish tacos. Most places are so insipid. These tacos looked flavored and had other items in the meat which made them so yummy. The fish meat was huge chunks. They carry Mexican coke, in the glass Coca Cola bottles so cane sugar rather than corn syrup and a nice selection of kombucha, guarana and other sofas including an Italian sofa bar. They also had shakes and grab squeezed grapefruit juice. They had a full espresso menu, and which espresso was very good and they had oat milk soy and almond milk. I had a blackberry oat milk which mocha. The staff were amazing, both the front counter and the cook, made sure to discuss ingredients due to my allergy. A stone throw from the beach it doesn't have a view but the outdoor picnic table seating was lovely drying the sunset falling over the round about. We grabbed dinner here after the biking to natural brushes as there is a bike rental shop right next to it. I wish I lived next to this cafe and convenience shop, I'd be here every day. Sorry for the bad pic of fish tacos, but you get the picture.

andy martin

One of the best Americanos I have ever had. Coffee was so smooth and rich. Love the concept and Eddie is super fun to talk to! Had some gluten free goodies from Honey B with my coffee, this gem is not to be missed! 💜

Gioia Bishop

Beautiful, clean, uplifting little café with pastries (including gluten-free), teas, coffee, and smoothies. Amazing staff who love and care for their communities! Amy really made me feel cared for!

Katie Teschler

Steamer Lane is the place to be! Everything on the menu is delicious, and the staff are very friendly and care deeply about the community of Santa Cruz. Their menu has expanded over the years, and a lot of care is taken by the whole team to make sure the all of their offerings are really tasty and inclusive to all dietary needs. I have celiac disease, and typically feel safe eating here. They have a handful of very tasty gluten free items, and are very friendly and accommodating. I love the breakfast tacos, poke and other fish bowls, fish tacos, chicken leg plate, and the burger (with no bun). As with pretty much all places, not guaranteed to have no cross contamination, but if you want them to take extra precautions, just ask! I remind them I have celiac and they do a great job :)

James Shaffer