Top 9 Gluten-Free Kid-Friendly Spots to Explore in Lyon Village, Arlington

Heather Bodenhamer

I am a regular Korean BBQ eater. Maybe it's not entirely fair to compare Japanese BBQ to Korean, I know different countries entirely, however, being in Northern Virginia it is hard not to compare a similar concept to KBBQ. The atmosphere is great, the meat was delicious, the sides lacked any flavor because they were just regular veggies (corn, not cheese corn, zucchini and cremini mushrooms), it came with a salad and miso that were flavorful. We ordered the value meal for 2 people with one cocktail $14 and a diet coke the total was $106, after tipping 22% I spent $130.. The meat was perfectly marinated and the quality was high, however the portions were insanely SMALL. I left hungry and wishing I went to Kbbq instead but it was an experience. I also noticed all the marinades and sauces were sweet- the sauces on the table were Ponzu, Sweet Soy Sauce and a Spicy Sauce that was also sweet, I found myself wishing for a more savory sauce to balance out all the sweetness. Our server was super friendly and attentive. For example I had taken the lemon from my gfs cocktail and put it in my diet coke, our server noticed and without me saying anything brought me a refill diet coke with a lemon (this didn't go unnoticed!). I personally don't see myself coming back but glad I gave it a try. Oh and I will add that everything we ordered was gluten and dairy free naturally so that was a huge plus.

Irene Walshe

Ambar is a very nice upscale restaurant with a delicious menu, specially for Sunday brunch. They have a Gluten free/vegan menu, but our waiter was a bit wary about recommending anything, because, as she said, they do not take any care about mixing/cross-contaminating dishes. I really do not understand why they bother saying they offer gluten free options if there is no effort in separating a bit of the kitchen to make the Gluten Free dishes. The mimosas are nice, but served almost at room temperature. We tried almost all the dishes in the menu, and they are perfect for individual consumption. The tomato soup was excellent. The balkan kebabs were a bit raw for our taste, but everything was nicely presented. The only gluten free dessert is the granola, fruit and yogurt plate without the granola, but it was very nice and refreshing. The restaurant is modern and cute. Fast service. Good prices for the experience. Will visit again.

Talia Waugh (OnyxandBlue)

If you are ever in the Arlington Washington DC area please check out Liberty Tavern. They were amazing with my allergies(gluten and dairy) and took it so seriously. My burger came with the gf bun (no extra charge btw 🙌), but still had cheese on it. I alerted our server who promptly whisked it away and brought me back a separate (not-small and freaking delicious) side salad for me to eat while they had to remake the burger. Burger came out this time with just the bun and absolutely nothing else on it (and yet more ginormous side salad). I laughed and started eating it anyways and it was honestly the best tasting burger I've ever had, even plain (the gf bun was also perfectly toasted iykyk). Manager comes over and asks if they didn't put cheese on this time. I joke that they didn't take any chances and put nothing. He is very frustrated at this point and comes back with my lettuce/tomato/onion, and apologized again. Server comes back to make sure everything is good and tells me they're comping the burger because Manager was mortified that someone with an allergy might've had something that could've made them sick. As someone who has had less-than-stellar experiences with my allergies, I appreciated everything they did to make me feel like I wasn't a problem and to serve good food, which btw everyone we ate was amazing. Also I had zero reactions from the food. We sat in the lower level tavern area since it was that weird happy hour period before they serve dinner, had some great drinks and I loved the atmosphere. Our server noticed my husband watching a Lakers game on his phone, and put the game on a nearby TV for us (they bonded over Luka and Jokic since our server was from Serbia as well). If we're ever in the area again we'll definitely be going back.

Irene Walshe

Nice, upscale italian restaurant with great atmosphere. Excellent menu, from appetizers to pizza, fish, pasta, desserts and cocktails. They have Gluten free pasta. The service was a bit slow on a Thursday night, with only 4 tables, it took 1 hour to get our pasta, but it was worth it!

John Sweetnam

This place is amazing. Couldn't believe the quality of their gluten free pizza. No sign of cross contamination and tasted amazing. Lovely ambience and rapid service. Go here and keep them in business or I'll kick you in the shin really really hard.

David Bain

Fresh but Lacks gluten free bread despite being located across the street from Whole Foods.

Axé

Love three whistles!! Turtle latte is delicious. Food is tasty and they have gluten free options! Can always find street parking!

Brandi Staples

James Lucas