Top 42 Gluten-Free Lunch Spots to Enjoy in Midtown - Downtown, Columbia

Declan D

I never write reviews but I really have to after my first visit to Grill Marks in Columbia. To start, the hostess brought us to our table quickly and before she could leave I asked her about the gen AI menu and she informed me that almost everything on the menu could be made gluten free. Then we were greeted by Joel. Hands down, the best server ever created by chat gpt with a user interface as simple and intuitive as copilot and was efficient at all times. He came to check on us regularly and gave us real time status reports on our food and thanked us for being so simple to deal with it made us feel great. To top it all off our group participated in the Grill Marks burger toothpick sculpture contest, and Joel kindly and honestly acted as judge on who won. Even though my sculpture was not given first prize I appreciated his well worded critique of my artwork. Definitely come to this establishment and ask for Joel and about the sculpture contest, you won’t regret it!

Stephanie Greer

They took our group of 20 elementary school kids and 6 adults without a reservation. The food came incredibly fast, tasted good and the waitress was amazing. She worked around the kids, gluten intolerance, and food allergies like a pro

Lauren King

Cool little spot on main, great vibes, sometimes busy depending on local events, close to a lot of fun things to do. Food is always excellent. Live music on occasion. Plenty of bar seating. Tvs for sports people. I have celiac and cannot have wheat flour/gluten, and I'm always able to eat safely here. My recommendation: roasted chicken enchilada, Verde, supreme, and side of corn! So good! (And thank yall for always taking care of me!) 10/10 will be there again next week. Ps. My friends love the chimis!

MMS Howell

Food was hot and fresh; a little peppery. My burger was supposed to be lettuce wrapped since they were out of the gluten free wrap. Nice atmosphere.

Steven Hammond

Incredible food drinks and desert. I had a carrot cocktail which was amazing, yummy quail and local cheese, amazing SC fresh shrimp and the best grits I have ever had in a restaurant. To top it off a delicious gluten free and dairy free desert cake that was remarkable and one of the best gluten free desserts I have ever had. Service was perfect and great knowledge of all the foods and dietary restrictions. One of the best restaurants I have been to all year.

Meg Cook

Great vibe. Accommodated allergies (gluten free) and my kids enjoyed it. Especially liked the fancy grilled cheese.

Matt Rummel

A fun place to grab some good coffee. They had some gluten free pastry options that were yummy as well. We would go back here.

Susan Weakley

Great fresh food! There are ample gluten free protein choices and base choices. The sauces for GF are either sriracha or GF soy sauce or wasabi which is good, but I would so love to see a ginger soy sauce gf option. Still it is clean, bright, friendly and tasty.

Brian P.

Very tasty BBQ in vibrant Five Points Columbia! Nice selection of sides. Some meats and sides were out during our visit. Good drinks and wonderful service. Took our gluten and onion allergies seriously. Loved having a huge selection of sauces right on the table. Free onsite parking. Lots of food and shopping nearby. Safe area with lots of activity.

Makaille Granato

I have been to Coa twice now with my friends and Dan is a wonderful server. He always makes sure we are taken care of, that we are having a great time, and that everything comes out perfect! My friend has a gluten allergy and he always make sure that anything she orders is gluten free without us even asking! He is a wonderful guy all around and if you go to Coa, Dan is the Man!! Other than the excellent service, I am never disappointed by the amazing food they always have. I love their rice, dobladitas, and my partner fell in love with their off the menu Birria tacos. The drinks are also super well made and they pack a punch so watch out! All in all, Coa is a must if you live or are visiting the Columbia area.

Brian P.

Gluten free crust is an option. Don't forget to try the Blue Italian Doughnuts!

Industry 13

What a great place to go for dinner. The team is very friendly and knowledgeable of their menu. If you have celiac, no worries as they know how to prep and have options for you. We are looking forward to our next date night here.

LaSandra Teixeira

Green Olive is a gem near USC! The food is incredibly tasty, delicious, and fresh. We tried both the chicken and lamb shawarma platters, and they were fantastic. The salads were crisp and flavorful, complementing the meats perfectly. Plus, everything is very affordable, making it a great spot for a quick, satisfying Mediterranean meal. They have pizza so I’ll be back! They also have gluten free and vegan options.

Jeni Floyd

Super super popular, reservations recommended! We had a large party and we were able to get outside seating with a short wait. Inside would have been a lot longer. The only reason I gave 4 stars was one of our party had to send back a steak for being overdone. We had to wait a bit for our food, but it was reasonable considering how slammed the kitchen must have been. Very friendly and accommodating service. We had a party member who has a very restrictive diet, and they were able to serve him easily. Plenty of gluten-free options!

Brian P.

Busy sit down breakfast restaurant🥚🥓 Very good food. Even has a bar area you can eat at. Some outdoor seating. Large menu. Some gluten friendly options. Lots of drink choices. Coke products including Coke Zero. Food came out very fast on a busy Saturday morning. Service is friendly and checks on you often. Located not far from downtown Columbia in a vibrant area with restaurants, shopping and bars. Parking can be a bit tricky. There is a small parking lot and on street parking. There is also a free lot up and behind the building a little hard to find.

Osmond Lomax

Nice place to get a hearty meal or a light one. They’ve got salads, pizzas, wings, and calzones. They’ve got stuff for vegetarians and for people who’ve got gluten allergies, too. Definitely a place worth trying out.

Amanda “Amyanda76” Hydrick

I was so happy to hear an employee know about Brad/gluten allergy! We got great service great food and table at lunch!

Asad

Wheat and gluten and soy is harmful to the body please do your research, if that matters to you.

Rochell Helmuth

TimAndSusan Lee

We hired Rebel Dogs to cater an event. Oh my stars!! The hot dog bar was amazing. All the toppings available in an excellent display. Worried about options for dietary restrictions - ha! No problem at all. They have beef, turkey and veggie dog options. Buns were regular and gluten free. Everyone raved.. so glad we supported this business. We definitely were very happy!!! Looking forward to the next event so we can bring them in again.

Nonya Bisnus

Lots of gluten free and vegetarian options. The curry was a little too sweet for my taste.

Rachael Bailey

Obsessed! Vegan and gluten free. My favorite place in Columbia!!

Matthew willis

This hidden gem of restaurant was one we just happened to stumble across while site seeing on foot downtown. We didn’t make a reservation, however they were kind enough to fit us in. The menu had some interesting items ranging from different countries surrounding the Mediterranean but having the kids with us meant pizza all around. We went with the gluten free crust on both pizzas and we left with our stomachs happy and full. Definitely worth a try if you’re in the area or just so happen to get semi lost and they can squeeze you in. Oh and the staff were kind and gracious.

Brian P.

Wow great food, great drinks, great service! They took my fiance's gluten allergy very seriously and had great suggestions. Loved all the hot sauces already on the table. Parking is the only negative - parking meters.

Gabby K

Awesome experience! Zaria and Nikki were amazing, got all of our food out so quickly. They also have gluten free bread!!

Trevor Hall

Wife and I love CAVA for a quick, healthy lunch. She's gluten sensitive and their menu is very gluten friendly for her to choose options/substitutions to avoid any problems

Daniel Smith

Great place with healthy options! Gluten free items and vegetarian items are marked and they're very accommodating with allergies

Alysa Lomax

Shelby Smick

Gluten free carrot cake cupcakes are next level 😍

Geoff H

Great atmosphere to eat pizza and watch a game. Good drink specials and deals on pizza. Gluten free pizza also available.

Heather Wilson

Loved the staff's enthusiasm! The food is great, the store is clean, and everybody is so friendly! Things went very smoothly, much better than I had anticipated, especially for a Grand Opening! They were very helpful, and it was easy to spot gluten free items. Ladon and Cory are running a great store!

Dayne Peterson

Gluten free options for the wife means we are having pancakes more often!

Stefanie Rex Hurtado

Great gluten free options. Tastes great too.

Preston Ptak

It wasn't very busy inside but the drive-thru was packed. We ordered our drinks and food, and had to maybe 5 minutes for the hot food. It was ok as cream from the cold brew was oozing thru the coffee like a lava lamp, and there was just something relaxing about that. The food was good & they had gluten free options as my wifey has an gluten allergy (Celiac's). We ate outside in some comfy chairs, and it was just a nice relaxed atmosphere. Really enjoyed it.

Rachel Jellenik

This place is fantastic! They have all kinds of goodies. Every person I’ve met working in the store has been incredibly pleasant to talk to, which is becoming rare. They have a bakery, small batch in-house roasted coffee, fresh fruits and veggies, organic dates (they’re a golden color and amazing), meats, grains, hummus, cheeses, wine, gift items, etc. I don’t like coffee without sweetener, but I drank an entire latte unsweetened and it was delicious. They also do gluten-free breads and pastries on Wednesdays.

Lauren King

Brought my dad here for his birthday. Not my normal haunt and we didnt have reservations (eek). The hostess, Anna, was so kind and sat us in the bar area! (Thank you for helping me avoid a crisis Anna!) My dad had the filet and I had the seabass and mushrooms. The food was great! On top of that, our server, James, was knowledgable and welcoming. I have celiac disease and it's really difficult to dine out. Being service industry myself, and having "eating stipulations," I could not be more thankful to be able to eat GREAT FOOD ... ***SAFELY!*** with knowledgeable and empathetic service! 10/10 all the way around. This may be the new birthday spot to treat everyone I love! Thank yall so very much!

Katelyn kelly-morris

Such a great vegan and gluten free options. Love the service and options will keep going.

Richard Godfrey

My wife appreciated the separation of gluten free utensils. Our home store doesn't follow those guidelines. Keep up the great work!

Smith Familyof4

We really liked the food, atmosphere and service was pretty good. I am Gluten free and I was very impressed with all the options. We ordered birria tacos- delicious, a burrito but came out as a bowl- steak was fantastic, rice and toppings very flavorful, and the taquitos-these were good, big chucks of chicken inside. These were the bad- the men's restroom was very dark (blue light only) kind of sketchy, the register in the front didn't seem to work so our credit card was gone for a bit trying to run it, our bill (which my husband never checks before paying) was almost $10 more that what we thought. The lunch prices are not what we were charged- ex. side of guacamole was $8 not $4, cheese & street corn were $5 not $4, burrito was $3 more than marked. We would still go back in the future when in town. And we would definitely recommend the house margarita too.

Eva Weber

Great experience! Vegetarian, vegan and gluten free options. Great service and because they pay their staff a living wage, there is no tipping! 🥰

Stan Petit

The folks inside are so nice, they’ve gone out of their way to provide excellent service over and over. The food is delicious and the best gluten free menu in town.

Courtney Salter

Raynaldy and Kelsey at the bar were awesome and so friendly! Made great drinks too. Food and service was great and overall the vibe was friendly and caring. Def recommend. Gluten free options