Top 35 Gluten-Free Lunch Spots to Enjoy in Downtown Silver Spring

Mark Robinson

This is a review both of this location and for the recent changes in Bibbibop’s menu. My wife has a gluten allergy and we have loved eating at Bibbibop for years. But since you all removed the signature bowls from the menu and haven’t provided instructions for your employees to re-create them when requested we are seriously considering never dining here again. Fine if you all want to change up your menu, but don’t get rid of the things that were on the menu that people loved and want to order again! That’s just a stupid choice to make as a business! And this particular branch of Bibbibop was pretty disappointing with the portions they gave us, and the fact that the employees who were working the line didn’t know or couldn’t remember how to recreate the signature bowls I was asking for and so we got pretty pathetic variations of the bowls and very small portions of them. I also asked them to be very light on the yum yum sauce for my dairy sensitive daughter’s bowl and they drowned it in sauce. Then when I asked for siracha sauce on mine they left it off completely. Please Bibbibop, fix your menu problem and even if you don’t want to list the signature bowls on your menu, give your employees instructions and guidance on how to still MAKE the signature bowls!

Karen Snyder

I met a client here on a rainy Wednesday. The restaurant was quiet and the wait staff was so attentive. They had a nice gluten free menu and the food was delicious and served with a flair. I'll go back! I didn't take pictures of the food because it was a client lunch but here's one from the chic bathroom decor.

claire bullock

Great food, highly customizable and nice people. Cava is my favorite middle priced fast food. Healthy and hearty. The portions are large for me but everything is relatively good for you. Lots of vegetarian, vegan and gluten free options for people with dietary restrictions.

Ella Hinckley

I have a severe gluten allergy, they always accommodate me, they add a gluten free sticker to make sure there’s no cross contamination. Great food, great service. Can’t thank them enough!

Lori Butkovich

Kara Citarella

The pizza itself was okay, but I LOVED the vegan garlic knots! Can’t say enough about delicious they were! Wow! There are vegan and vegetarian options as well as a gluten free option. Not a lot of places to sit inside and not super comfortable, but fun. And the staff was great!

Rachel Haggard

Everything was fresh and the portions were good. Gluten free and dairy free bowl!

Jerry

I am married to a wonderful lady with approximately 8 billion food allergies and sensitivities. That makes going out to eat a stressful, depressing affair where there's at most one thing on the menu that she can eat. Java Nation is the happy exception! The menu has quite a sizable selection of gluten free and/or vegan options, and just as importantly, every staff person we interacted with was on top of our need for modified food. Every single item came out properly prepared the first time, which happens at other restaurants a lot less often than you'd believe. We will definitely be coming back.

Andrell Laniewicz

No food is good enough to excuse the apathetic server attitudes and inability to correctly state an order. Group of 4, two ordered the same thing except one ordered Gluten Free. A severe glutton allergy. So when the server brings over the waffles and is asked if they are glutton free, the server says "Yes". We decide to wait because it doesn't seem correct. Sure enough another waffle order comes to the table and we demand they tell us which is glutton free. The new ones were. Seriously? This isn't a preference for our friend. Glad we waited or she would have been suffering for days. There are no real servers, no water or water refills, no one to flag for extra napkins or replacement silverware. Get your own to go containers, not a problem, but no one tells you and it isn't obvious. If you scan to access the menu, you have the opportunity to put some basic info there. Online menu and scanned menu do not match.

Philip Alipio

Very popular and welcoming Ethiopian restaurant in DSS -- tasty food at very reasonable prices! For vegetarians/health conscious foodies, recommend the shareable Vegetarian Combo Platter incl. misir wot, kik alicha, atakalit wot, and shiro wot. Plus they have gluten-free injera.

PurpleDanielle

VERY GOOD gluten free buns. It’s hard to find great food that’s gluten free and vegetarian, but this place has it!

Starla Robinson

The fall menu is amazing and chicken succulent. They were able to make some things gluten free to accommodate my sensitivity.

Mike Oei

What a great find in downtown Silver Spring! Authentic Thai food and great customer service. The menu shows where the inspiration came for each dish. Fun and shows that there is a passion for serving food that is sure to delight. The owners are super-friendly and can accommodate gluten-free needs. We want to come back soon!!

Matthew Campbell

Standard Chipotle fair, with gluten free options

Karen S. K.

It’s good. Great Gluten free options for anyone who needs it. The baked ziti was pretty soupy and the pasta could have been cooked more. Great server. The major issue is that the lunch menu does not include the lunch prices. When asked the server the question of the cost of my meal for the lunch portion the server could not say and the dinner menu provided only had dinner prices. The time was noon. I wish I had taken a photo because I’m pretty sure that’s a consumer complaint to the county’s consumer protection division for pricing transparency. In the end didn’t know how much my meal cost till I got the bill.

Pearl Tu

Very friendly and passionate owner. I think there are two, but the one I met was awesome and answered my questions about their cuisine and ingredients. There are options to make it custom to dietary preferences such as vegetarian and vegan. I think most dishes are gluten free.

Deana Heinstein

I am both lactose and gluten sensitive and eating here was absolutely worth it! The coffee is smooth and not bitter, and the floral notes in the rose latte are understated but add to the experience. I also got rhe strawberry loft toast, which had buttery, soft, and crispy bread topped with bananas and strawberry. The strawberry mousse on the side made the whole thing a melt in your mouth experience! The inside of the Cafe is also very cute andcalming, its a wonderful little breakfast spot.

Tara Mease

popped in and asked if they could do a gluten free platter for me, and they were happy to! had a great doro wot (spicy chicken and hardboiled egg)

Anthony Alexander

Kelly Haney

I've been going to one of my favorite restaurants in Silver Spring, Cubanos, for close to 20 years now, and it's always a great time. The food is delicious and made with love (my go-to is the ropa vieja). There are plenty of gluten-free options on the menu. The service is always wonderful and the atmosphere is cozy and welcoming. Great for a date night or with a group of friends.

Dominic Manley

Everytime we come in we are welcomed as if we where coming home. They had substitutes for my gluten-free allergy. The staff is friendly and the food is always delicious. I love this place.

M Jarvis

Arepas are gluten free! The service was amazing and they were willing to check and confirm what was ok for me to eat and what wasn’t.

Jessica Mayville

E E

Today my boyfriend and I visited Lemon Slice Cafe, and I can't recommend it enough. We ordered some super flavorful sandwiches and refreshing and healthy freshly-made ginger lemonades. I'm gluten free, so I was very pleased to learn they had gluten free bread. The owner was concerned that the gluten free bread was smaller than their normal bread, so she offered us home fries on the house (they were delicious). She was so warm and welcoming. We'll definitely be returning again.

Henok Workneh

The best Ethiopian restaurant I know. The food is perfectly made. The special kitffo is made. My other favorite is the lamb tibs which is basically a lamb chops with veggies and an organic Ethiopian butter, home made, with different spices extremely reduced fat. I'm a paleo so I know what I'm talking about. But be-careful of eating the enjera if you are gluten sensitive specifically order for Ethiopian imported enjera, it's a little bit sour but completely gluten free. And not to mention some of the most wonderful and respectful hostesses on the business.

Miranda Verde

I have a gluten allergy and put in an online order. I typically prefer to order online because I can clearly dictate my needs & eat safely (most of the time*) without wasting 10 minutes of everyone's time discussing my gut sensitivity and what ingredients I have to be annoying about... so back to tonight. I paid but when I clicked 'I'm here' when I arrived for pickup, there was an issue in the app. I waited for the servers (who were slammed with the last minute rush before 10) to verify they got my ticket, and they hadn't. I was freaked because a solid gfree meal is a pain to find late night but thanks to the incredibly kind service staff I didn't get stuck waiting another 2 hrs to eat. Thu(? Sorry don't know if I remember correctly) painstakingly retook my order and, with the managers assistance, accomodated changes to the order due to desired items having been sold out since my order was placed. After verifying I had paid the first time, they made sure I had everything in my order, or equivalents, and hurried to help the next guest who was audibly frustrated with the difficulty of my order and how long it has taken to come to resolution. Grateful to be done being a bother, and awkward because of the frustration I heard behind me, I raced away from the counter, not realizing I hadn't given a name for them to call in the restaurant when food was ready. Despite my frazzled vibes, staff were able to get my attention, get my info and then serve the remaining few guests before end of service. Yes it was chaotic, yes we had to wait for the food, and no it wasn't appropriate to lounge and do dinner, but I super super appreciated that I was able to get actual food and started to chow down even before rushing out the door again. I know service is tough - especially late night rushes - that keep employees from getting home, is the worst time to deal with difficult customer service issues and when everyone is tired... but the consideration, grace & accomidation i received from staff tonight was worth setting aside time to leave a deliberate review. Kudos to the staff working close this sat. Really appreciate you.

Mel

I’ve been wanting to try Miss Toya’s since it opened and finally got the chance last night. It was incredible. I had the catfish and grits, and it was hands down one of the best dishes I’ve ever had. I’m also gluten intolerant, and the server made a point of checking with the chef to make sure they could make it gluten free for me. Definitely get a reservation if you can - we got there around 8 on a Friday night and there was an hour wait, but we got lucky and snagged two seats at the bar. I will definitely be back, hopefully for brunch next time!

Fernan Saenz

I had the opportunity to visit the site, since it appeared among the search results for places with gluten-free options. Luckily everything was very good, the food was very delicious and without problems for me, the service was very good and friendly, and the place was very nice. A little expensive, but I think it's worth it. The people who accompanied me were satisfied with the quality of the place and the food. I recommend it for celiacs.

Esther Wei

What better way to celebrate a friend's birthday than with bottomless brunch? And luckily, La Malinche is a great place for bottomless brunch! $30 for all-you-can-eat tapas and bottomless drinks. Not only are mimosas bottomless, but so are 3 different kinds of sangria and bloody mary! The servers were extremely accommodating. I made reservations for 6 people for a Sunday at 11:15. We ended up having 9 people show up, so the servers were able to attach another table to the end and bring over 3 additional chairs. The drinks were hardly empty, and they even accommodated someone's gluten allergy by preparing special dishes just for her. For a larger group, the kitchen will make 2 orders of each dish you order so that the whole table can share it more evenly. I highly recommend the pancakes, chicken croquettes, and bacon wrapped dates (stuffed with cheese!!). Note: the whole table has to agree to participate in this bottomless business.

Rachel Rubin

Beef ribs are DELICIOUS and everything is gluten free with a safe fryer. I am so grateful to eat French fries!!

CC AA

Great sushi at reasonable prices and a super friendly staff! Recommend miso soup and seaweed salad for appetizers, then a special roll for the main dish. Also great they have gluten free soy sauce available!

Linda Shand

Frank Coleman

Lynn Doc

Food was delicious and there were options for gluten-free diets which is important to me. Service was also good and our waiter was particularly charming. The only negative was that the acoustics are not good and it was so loud with talking that it was somewhat difficult to hear the music.

Measu Bellay

By a far landslide, this is the best Ethiopian food in the area. Whether you’re vegan, gluten free, carnivore, etc, all the options are top tier. My favorites include the Asa goulash (fried fish in stew), beef tibs and special kitfo. I also recommend the veggie platter and veggie sambusas. If you’re into unique alcohol, try out their Ethiopian beers. The staff are kind, knowledgeable and so accommodating. Perfect place for dates, family dinners, birthdays, or just a chill vibe.