Top 50 Gluten-Free Dinner Spots to Enjoy in Santa Cruz

April Giesbrecht

Best pizza ever tasted! They were so helpful with my Gluten Allergy and made me the bestest pizza i had ever had! Haven’t got sick from it so far and i have a pretty sensitive gut! Shoutout to them making it a good experience. Only thing is it’s not cheap eating. Thanks a lot though.

Travis Mccleery

Amazing food and staff. Great vegetation and vegan options. It’s all glute free and celiac safe.

Robert Wilson

Easily one of the best chicken sandwiches in Santa Cruz, and possibly the best one I've ever had. The dining situation can be a bit funky at times as they share the space with a couple of other businesses, but usually everyone is super nice, and the atmosphere is great. They do offer takeout if you want to take it home, to the beach, or anywhere else! Aside from their original or spicy chicken sandwiches, which are locally known (and for good reason), they offer chicken tenders, sides like mashed potatoes and gravy, french fries, mac and cheese, and more. This restaurant offers gluten-free options and takes the proper precautions in doing so to prevent cross-contamination. However, I would suggest talking to staff about the measures they take, as they will happily explain them, which will help guests feel at ease eating there. They do offer vegetarian options, but they are made in shared fryers if that is an issue (but everything in those fryers IS gluten free). From good food to great staff, this is one of the places that make Santa Cruz Santa Cruz.

Robert Wilson

Every time I have gotten a meal here, I have had a fantastic meal, outstanding customer service and a good experience. All of their produce is organic, and there are plenty of options for everyone, including vegetarian, vegan, gluten free and meat options. Some of their options include teriyaki chicken, garlic tofu, and teriyaki salmon, which come with jasmine rice (or noodles) pickled vegetables and spring onions, or they have sandwiches, soups, salads and noodle bowls as well. The meals are well priced, and you can choose takeout or to sit down in their covered patio area. The staff are friendly, and there is parking (but, on a busy night, it could fill up). Overall, this is a great, affordable and yummy option in Santa Cruz and I would highly recommend it!

Robin K.

Didn't like being stuffed back into the corner. Dark back there. BUT they have a gluten free menu. Food very tasty. Gluten free menu. Server nice. Would go back!

James Ehret

Awesome Gluten Free Buns. Great food. Love the portions.

Koko Paulli

Late night pizza experience accomplished! Accommodating the Vegan gluten free request to max a whole pizza myself for a road trip was perfect. Thanks Pizza My Heart!

Shachar bar

A great place. great street location. Comfortable seating for a family. The food was really good and served fast. There are many Gluten free options and the staff are aware of Cross contamination. Highly recommended

Minecraft Power

We went there today and even drove an hour to get there because we saw that it’s gluten free and vegan and NOT EXPENSIVE which is REALLY hard to find. And then you’d think there must be a catch, it can’t be vegan, gluten free, inexpensive AND delicious but damm it was it was really tasty and so filling, and overall the food felt like a warm hug and the owner was really nice as well :) so 5 stars, would recommend

Erica Carrasco

Hubby and I are new to Santa Cruz. We were shopping at Trader Joe's this evening and decided to go across the street to the indoor food mall. We almost missed it. It's a hidden gem. If you love Puerto Rican food, you will love Pana. Funny thing is, I was looking for something gluten free. They are gluten free! The flavors! The service! If I had questions, they were answered. The yucca fries 🍟 were delicious and filling. The fried plantains were perfecto! The green garlic sauce was divine! I enjoyed the dish with the beef, plantains, I added basil, mozzarella and avocado 🥑, black beans wrapped in a gluten free corn DELICIOUS wrap!! Guys! Please go find this place! So much food, we have leftover plantains and yucca fries. Air fryer tomorrow morning 😄. They cut everything fresh! You can watch them prepare your food while you read all the printed reviews that the restaurant has posted. Abbott square is the mall. They are located in that area. God bless them! Keep up the great work ! Be back soon!

Megan Fischer

They are very nice and friendly to families with kids that can't have gluten.

Lynn Sweet

Alberta Dennis

Crystal Daily

Great find. Lots of gluten-free options; pizza and pasta. Even my kids cleared their plates.

Pamela Wagner

Such a great addition to Midtown SantaCruz! Hubby and I went after a friend recommended Sugo. We had such a great dinner! Prompt, attentive service, and incredible menu with vegetarian and gluten free options. Great cozy, clean, bustling atmosphere. After sharing a salad-plenty for two- I enjoyed the Mushroom ravioli. Hubby had a very nicely done margherita pizza. We will definitely be back, and try the order to pickup as well.

Chris Lamb

I’m celiac. Their gluten free pizza was great. Best GF pizza I’ve had outside of Italy.

Morgan Sandusky

Great sushi and the menu labels what’s gluten free!

Luke Swartz

Very fast, friendly service and generous positions at this popular spot. Pretty good with dietary restrictions: most of the menu is gluten free (or can be adjusted to be GF), although celiacs should know that the fryer does have cross contamination so avoid the tempura, etc (personally I’d label that as “low gluten” but the staff seems knowledgeable so just be sure to communicate what kind of restrictions you have). The food was a bit more mixed: really nice appetizers (salads, Akira fries, etc) and the fish is pretty fresh (the hamachi was especially tasty), but despite the rolls being very large (seriously we probably could have had 1 per person) they seemed surprisingly lacking in flavor, almost bland. Also I liked my sashimi but it came with rice that was downright bad: stuck together and overcooked. I’m half Japanese so maybe I’m picky, but people forget that “sushi” refers to rice, not fish, so it’s disappointing when a sushi place gets rice wrong. Overall a good experience, albeit with some caveats.

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 :)

Donna Finch

Doris Smalls

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.

Robin K.

Gluten free options marked on menu marked by 'G' on the menu. Server was great.... Had the seafood risotto and it was fabulous. Will go back!!

Vicky White

Cynthia Browne

Noelle Stanger

Great Mediterranean food dishes. Gluten-free vegetarian options available.

Christopher Delcambre

Eric Ordonez

Juanita Feltman

Marie Green

Janet Wade

James Ash

Danny Pence

Richard O

lucy wyatt

Loaded fries were insanely good and gluten free

Natalie Levasseur

Greg Gomez

Shun Feng is our go-to Chinese restaurant in Santa Cruz. Jesse consistently takes excellent care of our orders, ensuring everything is gluten-free for my wife. We absolutely love all of their delicious dishes!

Marci Robertson

I love the food and that they have gluten free crepes that are actually good. I love their dill sauce!! The atmosphere is my fav! Outside it's like eating in a garden and I love all the little nooks they put their tables in. The service is always great!

Belinda Hendricks

Frances Pelayo

John Dixon

Ralph ibarra

First time here it's was delicious food taste fresh and was gluten free bread .Very clean great service.Meal does come with a candy mine was a 🍭

Adam Tyree

Linda Bell

Eugene Campos

Lewis Chapman

Lillie Schulze

Caroline Martin

I’m SO thrilled we have a downtown location of PGA, I’ve been a fan for many years. I ordered takeout 2x recently and will be continuing to order regularly. My diet has changed a lot since I used to go to the old location, but luckily PGA has plenty of options for gluten free, dairy free, vegan. I love their emphasis on fresh local produce and the fact that they have their own farm is next level legit. Recently I ordered - the chopped salad, the beet salad, and the passion fruit chia pudding. All super healthy and delicious. I did add my own honey to the pudding which I recommend. The second time I ordered the California burger on a GF bun and fries. It was delicious. Tasted like a much fresher, more flavorful, healthier version of fast food The breakfast sandwiches are all delicious as well, i used to eat them often. This place rocks!

Carolynn Salyers

Katherine Wilson

Wow, this place is the real deal. My friend and I came here for lunch. My friend who got one of the moles was immediately in love. She has a super sensitive sense of taste and smell, because she is a chef. I'm gluten free and vegan for medical reasons, and they have a huge menu to fit both needs!! The tacos, which is what I had, with vegan carne asada were super tasty, and the beans they came with are unbeatable. I would order more of those beans as a side! The guacamole was *delicious*. Their salsas are outstanding. The chef there is a woman, and we were informed that she wanted to bring her recipes from Oaxaca to her new residence, in Santa Cruz. We are LUCKY to be this woman's guests. The tortillas were handmade corn, and GORGEOUS. I felt like each recipe was a home recipe, safe for me to eat but also far more delicious than I could think up or make at home. My friend saw one of the larger dishes, go by and we both gasped. It looked like a baby dinosaur! If you haven't been there, ask your server how much you want to eat. Some of the dishes are huge and some are smaller, like the tacos (perfect for lunch, I thought). The food is so good there that you might be tempted by the desserts there as well. I have said restrictions, but someone else would probably go for it! Their servers are super nice too. I can't remember our server's name unfortunately, but we had really sweet young lady on Friday 3/21/25, so thank you!! She was communicative, attentive, sweet, and never said a mean word even though I asked her a couple times about something. Super nice. I definitely will keep this place in mind, even though I don't go out much, I love food, and their place is right down the street from my place. Thank you Copal!!