Top 3 Gluten-Free Lunch Spots to Enjoy in Downtown Richmond

Steelspark

Overpriced, low end of mediocre food served quickly in a blandly functional atmosphere reminiscent of a generic hotel breakfast lounge. Went here for breakfast. The food was... Not great. For a place called Biscuits and Waffles, we expected the biscuits and waffles to be pretty good. We were disappointed. My waffle was merely bland and spongy, soaking up the maple syrup cup without really changing the flavor. Inoffensive, but not exactly bad. The bacon I had with it was a bit overcooked, but again, inoffensive. My friend's biscuit and egg, however, was apparently rather unpleasant*. It was basically dry bread that tasted like too much baking soda in a vague biscuit shape. The egg was all right, nothing special. *Apparently their biscuits are gluten free, so maybe that's just what those are like. I don't know. All in all, it's far from the worst breakfast I've ever had, but I've also had much better at the same price point.

Kate

Great alternative brunch spot! Excellent GF waffles (both sweet and savory), but GF protein choices are limited. This spot consistently makes a kick ass cup of coffee.

Legacy Solutions

Outstanding Gluten Free (GF) and nut free fried chicken sandwiches! Fries GF also! Would definitely return.

Davis Whitaker

I am gluten free and dairy free (by choice) the food was amazing. The drinks were also fantastic. The bartender, I believe his name was Owen, checked on me multiple times and made a great Moscow mule. I will 100000% be coming back. For those fellow gluten free dairy free folks, this is the best pizza I’ve ever had. My first google review because I would like to let my fellow allergy ridden people know this is the spot!

Joyce Drakeford

Absolutely fantastic!! The drinks were delicious and dangerous (in a good way)! Gluten free options everywhere! Housemate pickles were scrumptious! The wait staff looked happy to be there and excited about the food.

Allen Ayuninjam

The service was very good and prompt here. The staff was very polite and attentive. The food was super good and I was very pleased with how many gluten free options were available. Around half of the items were either gluten free already or had a gluten free option, which I find impressive. Usually, other restaurants might have 2 out of 8 main dishes with gluten free options, but not here. Biggest issue was trying to find street parking before hand. Good luck with that! Unless you’re lucky on street parking will be closer to 2nd or 3rd street on broad. I do think there’s a parking garage that’s closer but I’m not sure of the cost. Anyway, I will be back for sure! Oh and I really recommend the shrimp and scallops over polenta for the secondi (second course). That was MAGNIFICENT!

Elizabeth Johnson

Our waiter Badhan was very nice and helpful. I have a gluten allergy (celiac) and he helped me find items on the menu that were safe to eat and made sure there was no cross contamination. Excellent service!

Nature’s Art

I got the classic station2 burger!! Gluten free bun!! It was really good. The bun was sooo soft and delicious. The burger was thick so it could’ve used a lot more seasoning. The chili was okay, there were too many beans in my opinion and I wish they gave me more cheese to add in it but it was still pretty good. yummy! I wish they had a dedicated gluten free fryer because I would’ve been able to get fries here instead of somewhere else.

Casey R

We hosted our wedding rehearsal dinner at Cap Ale downtown and could not have been happier! They were super easy to work with, made accommodations for allergies/dietary restrictions, and the whole thing was super reasonably priced. And of course, all the food and drinks were delicious! My wife and I are both gluten-free and dairy-free, and we decided to not have dessert since the two options on our pre-set menu weren’t gf and df. The team at Cap Ale took it upon themselves to provide a dairy-free, gluten-free cheesecake for the two of us to share! It was amazing and really left an impression that they took the time to do this. Huge shout out to Jessica who took great care of our whole party, and to Amber who helped us with booking.

John Lafferty

This place was great. I had the Devil Mess, which seems to be their signature dish. Was a good level of spice but not too hot. They also were accommodating to my wife with Celiac disease (gluten).

Haydan Mitton

Gabe was the best!!! I have celiac and he was super careful with my food. 10/10 for Gabe!

kyuleep

We had a graduation/Mother’s Day celebration with a party of 7 and Audrey was very attentive and took great care of us. We had a great time and food was amazing! They were very great about helping with gluten or dairy free accommodations.

Joyce Drakeford

Loved it!! I have a wheat allergy and eat gluten free. HANDS DOWN the best fried fish I'd ever have. The waitress was lovely and attentive. We've been waiting for this joint to open for a few months and finally got in. Be sure to try the gf sticky toffee pudding!! It was yummy! I cant wait to go back and try the Thai menu too!!

Jon Smithers

Wonderful dinner with my wife. Calamari appetizer was amazing and gluten free... steak was tender with an amazing glaze... deserts are not to be overlooked. Our server, Gradey, was knowledgeable and made great recommendations. Look forward to trying their Sunday brunch soon!

Laws Calley

This is a great Ethiopian restaurant! We really enjoyed all the food. My friend is gluten intolerant and they actually have gluten free injera! The taste is quite accurate, but they are a bit crumbly due to the lack of gluten. If you are looking for an Ethiopian restaurant in the RVA this is a must try!

Ashley Eagles

Great food and the take celiac disease seriously. Happy hour margarita too

charlotte rector

so good and cute!! i recommend the iced chai latte, any of the croissants (especially the pimento cheese croissant) and the macarons are amazing (and gluten free!)

James Johnson

!!CELIAC & GLUTEN INTOLERANT WARNING!!This place has a nice atmosphere, is dog friendly and has decent food but it was really only saved by the staff and their great service. My wife and I chose this location because she has Celiac and they had several gluten-free options listed. Unfortunately we found out that many of the listed GF items were not actually because they share a fryer which would have made my wife very sick. Thankfully our server double checked with the kitchen instead of just trusting the menu. Instead of just telling us to get something else he let his manager know and she immediately came out and sat with us to go over with my wife what was safe for her. That part was wonderful because we could tell they cared and were trying to accommodate us, but it could have gone very poorly if my wife had just ordered and trusted the several falsely labeled GF items without mentioning it. This is definitely somewhere we would like to visit again in the future but I would suggest the business gets a separate GF only fryer if they are going to list so many GF items.

Jacqueline Koehn

This place is amazing. Super friendly people working there. Amazing breakfast options with gluten free and vegan options. On top of that, there is super cool decor and interior space! So happy I found this place on my visit to Richmond and I wish I had something like this where I live!!

Callie Prewitt

Food was excellent, great selection and service. Menu had several gluten free options. Only giving four stars for environment because our bench seating was uncomfortable. There were other seats it was just where we happened to get seated. Next time I'd like to try their outdoor seating. Food was incredible though and kind of meal you want to eat slow and savor.

Santoshi Tuschak

Awesome oatmilk mocha latte and gluten free brownie. The ambience of this place is delightful...a historical firehouse converted into this light and airy gathering place ..beautiful vibes.

Jerald Smith

The service and food were great. They were able to accommodate my wife who has to be gluten free. Chef/manager answered all of our questions. Only reason I'm giving 4 stars is due to the dirty water smell in our take area. We will be returning!

Evan Templin

The staff was very nice and professional. Helped me and my wife with our food allergies. Great place for breakfast while staying in the Omni hotel.The gluten free bread was also really good!

Andrew Earl

The website alone was enough to have me interested. The hook, however, was the manager having an allergy specific menu to help people with issues with Gluten, Nuts, and Dairy. Staff was amazing, food was second to none. Atmosphere made it dinner with a show.

Caitlin Richardson

Such good food and service! Also don’t sleep on that habanero guava hot sauce. The best part for me is that they have an actually decent gluten free bread option for sandwiches!

Joyce Drakeford

The food was delicious. Make sure you wait at the front. The hostess caught a bit of an attitude because they had removed their 'Please wait to be seated sign', and I walked in and went to sit down. The breakfast has was gluten free and absolutely scrumptious. Great atmosphere. Good coffee.