Top 36 Gluten-Free Kid-Friendly Spots Across Downtown Asheville

Iris Spik

My husband and I chose Strada for our wedding rehearsal dinner catering. Our wedding was originally the weekend of Hurricane Helene, but even amidst the chaos, the Strada catering team got in contact with us to communicate that their kitchen was down, and issued a prompt refund. When we rescheduled our wedding for June 2025, we reached out to see if they would be able to provide catering- this time, my husband was on a strict dairy, soy, gluten and egg free elimination diet. The Strada team worked with us to ensure he had a meal he could safely eat, and also worked to accommodate the vegetarians in our wedding party and my celiac disease. They clearly labeled every allergen, which made everything much easier when we served the catering at our venue- and the food was delicious. We were Strada fans before, but now we’re Strada stans! Highly recommend them for your catered event.

Iris Spik

My husband and I frequent Old Europe for their delicious cakes and coffee, so when it came time to pick a vendor for our wedding desserts, it was an easy choice! Abby helped us choose a variety of small cake flavors, and made sure each one was gluten free (I have celiac disease). She also walked us through customizing a larger cake for the two of us. Everything turned out beautiful, and our guests raved about how pretty and delicious our desserts were. Also of note- our original wedding was the day after Hurricane Helene. Old Europe made it super easy to reschedule for our new date!

Barbara Gulten

We had salads and pizzas delivered for our large group one night. They were fast and efficient. Salads were fresh and delicious (Greek salad). The pizzas satisfied our cravings and went perfectly with the wine we had at home. Solid crust and ingredients. We had a guest that was gluten free and she was able to pick her option and enjoy a great pizza alongside everybody.

Kim Erb

A great experience from start to finish. My cousin has a gluten allergy and our waitress Carly and the manager Ian personally made sure everything was safe for her to eat. We appreciated going above and beyond for that. Try the elote dip!

Ryan McDonald

I love this place. I've been here a few times and I like it more the more I visit. The food options are numerous for me (Gluten allergy) and I'm all about organic foods. They are also very conscious of allergies and accommodate accordingly. The staff is friendly and playful, too! They clearly care about the principles of this place. And atmosphere is nothing special, but gets the job done. 5 stars for sustainability though, with their steel cutlery and plates. Come check it out! Totally worth it.

Randall Johnson

Stopped in for breakfast on a Friday morning around 9am. Was able to be seated immediately. Our server Garrett was great. The food itself was just ok. Their Biscuit French sounded great but not that flavorful to me. Also had the two egg breakfast which comes with eggs, fried potatoes, and one biscuit. Bacon or sausage are add-on sides. Have gluten free options which is nice. The atmosphere was fairly plain but clean and comfortable. We were in the front room. The backroom looks more interesting with tables along the windows. The location is good near the Flatiron building on Wall Street. Convenient to walk to if staying downtown. I would try again but different menu items.

Amber Easterling

Had a wonderful brunch at Chestnut! The pimento cheese tater tots were amazing! I can’t wait to go back for dinner and try the fried green tomatoes! All gluten-free items are noted on the menu. The servers are very helpful if you have any questions!

Kat Duszynski

Beautiful gluten free fried (yes fried - with a designated frier)!

Rhys James

Great cocktails, great gluten free food for coeliacs (highly recommend the Buddha bowl), and so good for veggies and vegans too! Cool atmosphere would hands down recommend.

Dan Jones

Great gluten/dairy free donut!

Mike LaBarbera

friendly staff and food was great. i briefly mentioned it was my girlfriends birthday and they surprised us both with this. very nice. gluten free options which is a plus

Bill L

Went there for a bite to eat before seeing a show nearby. There's a great selection of tacos, along with gluten-free & dairy free options for them. All of them were excellent! Plenty of seating, friendly & prompt service. We'll be back again!

Lo Hd

Buffet food is excellent& yummy server yatin help us for vegan & gluten free food thanks for plenty of choice

Autum Kirgan

Delicious! Everything. I took my staff there for a holiday gathering. Lots of variety, veg, vegan, gluten free. Food, drinks,and service were on point!

Erik Quintanilla

The gluten free cheesecake was amazing. My bf almost regretted getting the tiramisu but it was just as good to him. The drinks are great too, not too sweet but not bland. Staff was friendly and helped with recommendations too. The whole place is calm and lots of art and fixtures to admire. My favorite little cafe to come to when I visit from DC.

esther ortega

The gluten and dairy free food choices are amazing!! My pup loved his Pupalof ☺️ Will be returning for more.

KaraLeigh

Gluten free bread options available with the crispy panini sandwiches & burgers🥪 Yummy fresh made deli foods & a nice staff. The drink choices were plentiful, including sparkling water, kombucha & sodas, plus beer & cider on tap. The watermelon cider we tried was crisp & refreshing🍉

Nathan Fisher

What a wonderful experience made possible by Michael and team. Reserved Table for a surprise engagement dinner and it far exceeded expectations. Michael worked ahead of time with me to pair down the menu to make things simpler for the kitchen staff. Pricing was a flat fee per person and we received that value if not more. Service was wonderful and we had the restaurant to ourselves by the end of the evening. The nut, dairy and gluten free member of our party was fully accommodated and even had altered appetizers brought out specifically for him. Can’t say enough about the food, still think about the hand made cavatelli and rabbit sugo. Michael even printed out a customized menu for us which we have since framed. Impeccable experience, wouldn’t have done it anywhere else. Cheers.

Josiah Kenyon

This is a great place to get a taste of Asheville and enjoy good southern cooking with a creative twist! I got the pork and WOW! I love honey and hot sauce, so this was absolutely perfect for me. With my gluten, dairy and sugar issues, there weren't a LOT of options, most things are fried (which my friends loved). But the pork was safe, fries, collard greens and a few other things.. just not a ton of options for my allergies. Cub took care of us and he was really efficient, cool, and made sure our waters stayed full (which was perfect cause we were dehydrated). They have a good bit of outdoor seating (shaded) and tons of space inside- along with a nice bar. If you're looking for a lunch or decent meal downtown, this is worth a stop! Spent about 30$ for a nice meal with 2 sides.

Calvin Shanks

Just ok. Good beer selection. Gluten-free pizza crust was ok...I've had worse but I've had way better. Spices and flavors on the pizza were underwhelming. Not bad per say, just not great. The atmosphere was not quite what I was expecting either. Good service,

How it is Liz

The Lobster Trap is one of the best places for lobster and seafood options in Asheville! Delicious comfort food served in a fun, casual atmosphere. We were thankful to be able to book a late night reservation for a busy Saturday night on OpenTable. The host then gave us the kind courtesy of calling us an hour prior to our reservation, letting us know a table had become available if we wanted to come in early. We ordered the maple bacon scallops, lobster stuffed mushrooms, caesar salad, house salad, and the lobster roll, which we upgraded to the overstuffed option. One point to mention for those on a budget is that the overstuffed option adds around 30 dollars to the original 31 dollar price, making it a 60 dollar hefty sandwich in more ways than one. It's so good, it's worth it! Great drink options, vegetarian options, and gluten-free choices! There is something here for everyone!

Aradhana Dasi Ainsley Bresnahan

I was having a BIG french fry craving but so many places had long waits. I saw that this place had tater tots so I thought, "What hell- I'll give this place a try". OMG! This place has the best tater tots I've ever had in my life!!! I'm so happy that I couldn't get into other places because otherwise, I would have never found this restaurant. Everyone here was so nice and I can't wait to go back! I have a gluten allergy and I'm mostly vegan- this place seems to have quite a few nice options. If you don't feel like eating a meal here, for the love of god, get some of those tater tots!!!

Rhys James

Jessie was an amazing server - really helpful with advising on gluten free options, (I recommend the beef burger which is available as gfree on the day & late night menu). Good vibe, loads of TVs, great food and drink. Thanks Jessie! - from the British guys.

Gregory Anderson

Food is pretty good. Have a few gluten free options. Has excellent cider.

Susan Eckelman

I have celiac and a soy allergy. Other members of my party have seafood, fish and nut allergies. We were able to eat here safely having no health issues! The safest for celiac and soy are the curry dishes. Yellow curry is my favorite!! But a party member got the red curry and loved it! And one member got the duck curry too! Delicious meals! And the curry sauce is one I could just drink one it’s own! Love love love!!

Michael Micholic

Kind. Accommodating. Delicious. Dog friendly. Kid friendly. Celiac and Gluten Free friendly. Friendly friendly. Don't sleep on the coconut scallops.

Laura Horowitz

I think in terms of the Brazilian steakhouse this is the first Brazilian steakhouse where I've been so limited on the meat options. As someone who is celiac I can say that the only options you can have here are the stake. Which is totally fine but I would have liked to have more options than just the steak The salad bar is extremely fresh and nothing I eat was anything less than wonderful. It is also very clearly marked what is gluten-free and what is in gluten-free. The fried bananas are gluten-free and that was the best thing of them all. So is the cheese bread which was okay. I've had better. Overall I had a nice experience but I definitely would like to see more gluten-free meat options available. The house special was by far the best if you like something fatty. Everything else was just okay.

Helen Earley

K. Hope

Yum yum yum!! This is the place to be. Super fresh fish! Yummy non pink Pickled ginger. Wasbi was very potent though probably still horseradish based. They even can make a seaweed salad roll. I guess locals don't care for it by itself. Lots and lots of different options as well. If you're gluten free just let them know so they don't add crunchies but they are super nice about it. We thought we would be the only people in right when they opened but more people came pretty fast. There is also a cute market behind them that runs on Saturdays so worth getting something to eat and walking around or vice versus!

E L

Interesting menu, very good and thoughtful with dietary restrictions, from the wait staff to the kitchen. I had a gluten free, dairy free cod with roe and i needed it to be sugar free so they made the sauce compliant. A little heavy on the salt but that might just be my palate. I would have wanted more greens on the plate. But again, that might just be me. Tasted very good. Service is great.

Lisa Kaye (Lisa)

Love this place!! The fryer is dedicated to only the potato chips so they are gluten-free. They stayed fresh all the way home too!!

Kelly S

Menu well labeled for gluten-free people. Excellent creative drinks! Great views of Asheville. Would come here again.

M.E. Gray

Okay this is an institution locally in Asheville. We can never get in but were able to snag a two top for our engage-anniversary. Firstly the Margaritas were excellent and well worth the price. We had the combo Ceviche and it was tasty - 3 different types with different seafood. I am gluten free so I was limited on menu items. I ordered the vegetarian chili relleno - it was okay - interesting let's say. My husband had the enchiladas - the sauce on this one was very good. They restaurant gave us a little sparkling wine and chocolates which was nice! I do like the ambiance in there.

Lilly

Amazing lattes here. Every drink has been so good. I will say I wish they had more interesting sandwich combos. Like salmon, cream cheese, avocados, leafy greens, etc. Or more sweet options. Lol maybe one day I'll try the king sandwich even though I am slightly puzzled about the ingredients. Service was friendly and quick. Wish there were some chairs at the tables for couples XD. Most importantly tho, the beignets ofc are delicous and I like that they have options for gluten free hash browns if a customer is inclined.

Lauren Butler

Carol R

Wow! We only had breakfast there but my goodness was it good. The home fries, incredible, the gluten free bread was amazing and of course the egg dishes were on point. We ordered the any style eggs, the bec sandwich and it was delicious!