Top 40 Gluten-Free Mediterranean Spots to Explore in the District of Columbia

Samantha S.

Mid experience. Good service and attention to detail. Prefer their reveler’s hour location/partner. Appreciated plenty of gluten free options

the cozy experience

This restaurant has great atmosphere, really accommodating servers and really beautiful decor. We called ahead they do allow outside cake but we needed to bring our own serving materials so we came prepared cutlery, plates, and knives, but it turns out you only need bring a knife and cut it yourself to avoid the $3 per person cake fee that we learned about upon arrival. (On the phone they just said bring everything and they ended up bringing out plates and silverware??) But no cake fee was incurred so that was nice! THE MENU did a great labeling of dietary restrictions cause our group had a celiac, nuts allergy, and dairy allergy separately which made it hard to share plates and eat family style as intended. However our server didn't know which dip was which on the sampler platter and we had a brave allergic and restriction-less soul figure it out but she wasn't sure other than the fishy one. Also I had a coconut allergy and that ingredient wasn't listed but must have been in some of the dishes cuz my throat was a little itchy when I left. However this is a fancy restaurant and I was disappointed in almost everything I tried. Dip platter was hit and miss the cauliflower was the best but it's hard to mess up cauliflower, the rice seemed like it had cloves in it, I wouldn't have ordered it if I'd noticed that in the ingredients list, the borek was most disappointing of all, and the portions where tiny. The beef noodles the meat was hard. My friend that ordered the lamb kebab seemed most happy and she's the only one who finished her portion without comments. I will say other people liked the borek and maybe Turkish neighbors at the dupont farmers market raised my expectations for that particular dish too high cuz they give me really good and big borek every week lol. Price: We spent 50-100 per person that included a compulsory 20% tip but it would have been in the 35-40 range if we hadn't been covering for the birthday girls portion.

Melanie Jackman

Absolutely fabulous experience. Our waitress was wonderful, customizing our "tour of the world" to accommodate my gluten allergy. Every single dish we had was amazing.

S Lee

If you are on a gluten free diet, this restaurant is a real treat. This is the ONLY restaurant I know of in the entire DC area that offers gluten free French toast!!! It is really yummy. It is gluten free cinnamon raison bread that they make into French toast. It is served with maple syrup that has few slices of bananas in it. It is always served warm. (Be sure to look for the bananas. If the French toast is served with sliced strawberries, that is the wheat based French toast.) This restaurant also has gluten free bread so most of their sandwiches can be made gluten free upon request. And they can make their eggs benedict gluten free by using their gluten free toast. It is a very pleasant experience dining here. I usually dine outside. They are located on a small street in Georgetown. Georgetown can be crowded but on this small street, it is never very busy. On a nice weather day, it is a pleasant experience to eat the gluten free French toast while enjoying the weather. The service is always good too. I enthusiastically recommend this restaurant.

Mark Peterson

Everything is so flavorful here. My go to rice plate is usually, chicken roti, red cabbage, hummus, feta with tzatziki and red pepper sauce. My partner has Celiac disease and at some places we get eye rolls and sighs from people when we ask them to wash their hands a change their gloves. Not at Roti though. They are super accommodating and take all practical precautions to prevent cross contamination from wheat.

Suki Skye

Always consistent, good food, has options for vegan, vegetarian, and gluten free.

Brenna Morlan

The food is amazing! We had a conference where we rented the whole place and they did 4 courses with 13 dishes. Each dish was a five star dish! I definitely recommend going here! We also had a person with us that can't eat gluten and they made her separate dishes that were all gluten free, making the service awesome too!

Eve S

Gf marked on menu ( and most can be made gluten free if you ask) and have a separate fryer for falafel, so it’s celiac safe.

Jake

One of the best combinations of high quality food, service and atmosphere in DC. They were accommodating for gluten free restrictions.

Elsie Shinn

I’m not usually a huge fan of Greek food (I mean, it’s fine, just not my favorite). When I saw this place makes homemade gluten free pita, I just HAD to try it and I am SO glad I did!! Not only the only gluten free fresh pita I’ve ever had, it was delicious. Everything g my husband and I ordered looked, smelled, and tasted fabulous. Will absolutely eat here again. I’ve you’re not overly familiar with Greek food and want to give it a try, start here! You won’t be disappointed.

Anne Namuth

I really like CAVA and was glad to find one while traveling. I am glad I double checked their GF items online before ordering. I thought their falafels were GF - but they are not. Maybe I’m thinking of another place where they are gluten free. The staff was friendly but not knowledgeable. Had a basic grain bowl with chicken - hummus - and veggies.

Stamos Soto

The "chefs street falafel" and gluten-free pita w roasted veg was delicious, perfect portion size, and made fresh on the spot. With a Mexican Coke =$ 38. Service from Ornela was fast and professional. Thank you, May, for considering switching gloves to make the gluten-free meal. Sorry, no pics... we were starved!

dipika

Meze is a truly a gem on 18th. The service here is fantastic - Rocky was so kind and helpful - and THE FOOD. The menu is incredibly vegetarian/vegan/gluten-free friendly, everything tasted fresh and well seasoned, the kitchen was able to make accommodations even beyond those available by the menu, and the bartenders were quick and attentive with their cocktails. There is a lot of seating too, both indoors and outdoors, which makes this a great place for a large group.

Shira Lyss-Loren

One of my favorite nice meals out. Many gluten free options. Delish wine. Highly highly recommend for a fancy night out or special occasion

Chelsea Finger

The gazpacho deserves 5 stars. So delicious. The service was excellent and has great outside seating. I love when the menu is labeled for gluten-free!

Kim Rodela

This is absolutely my favorite to eat. The manager here is amazing and helped me figure out exactly what I wanted in my bowl. All the staff was personable and friendly. They even helped my friend that had gluten issues. 100% would recommend

Monica Sohn

Cute place but left a bit underwhelmed. Had reservations for Friday at 6:30pm for 3. We were sat upstairs, but were left waiting at the front and asked 3 times who we were and to please wait (once by the original hostess, and twice by the same person within in the span of 5 minutes...) Parking: street or garage Service: our waitress was nice and accommodating (one of our friends had gluten restrictions). We were offered vegetables instead of pita bread for the hummus (which was usually an extra cost, but it was waived). She became really busy, and it was hard to get our drinks refilled. Food: we got the warak inab ($14), hummus nil lambe ($20), spinach fatayer ($14), kibbeh ($16). All were so good. The friend with gluten restrictions had the warak inab, hummus nil lambe, and makanek (all easy to pick because it was dictated on menu). All the drinks were so good! It costs more than the food but very tasty. Friend got the caramella (their spin of espresso martini) -which was my favorite. I tried their beruits passion which was also good- sweeter side.

Dana Delos Santos

Booked a 45 person private dinner with their prix fixe event menu and it was absolutely fantastic! The reservation process via their online request portal was smooth and they were very accommodating when it came to food allergies. Our servers were flexible, friendly, and very attentive. The food itself was delicious. The Fennel Tawook was so tender and the Mushroom Shish Kabob was wonderfully seasoned. There are so many gluten free options which our group was grateful for. Looking forward to planning an event with them again.

Vera Cardinale

Excellent, creative, flavorful food, beautiful, trendy atmosphere, excellent service, and numerous options for gluten free, dairy free, and vegetarian diners. Pricey, but I suppose everything in the Wharf will set you back, along with the parking!

Dunstan Thompson

Great late night spot! My girlfriend is gluten free and we both had plenty of options! The owner was so nice!

Levi Wasmundt

Loved this place. I did feel a little underdressed wearing a T-shirt and shorts after a long day of exploring DC/Arlington. They have a huge wine selection, so there's a good chance you'll find something you like. I got a bread basket that contained the best bread I've had after traveling from Boston to NYC to DC. Their house smoked salmon was an excellent starter. I got the salmon filet which was well balanced with the greens and potatoes. My gluten free girlfriend was very much excited when she received her carbonara that had gluten free spaghetti (not penne pasta like most places). My word to the wise is wear a collared shirt if it's convenient, but they won't judge either ways.

Dolores Luza

Fresh with natural ingredients. Gluten free options.

Clinton Canady IV

Food, service, and ambiance were great! The starters -- grilled halloumi cheese bites and the cucumber-tomato-onion salad both came out lightning quick! The meats also arrived impressively fast! All the food was delicious and the off-menu fig-infused bourbon old fashioneds were sublime. Plenty of Gluten free options, vegetarian and vegan options 10/10 will be return for another meal!

Rachel

Lovely experience at Maydan! I’ve eaten here twice now and did a choose your own the first time and the prepared Tawle meal the second time. Enjoyed both immensely! The service is wonderful and was very accommodating of a gluten allergy. The food is amazing but you will go home with leftovers!!! Cannot recommend enough for a fancy date or celebratory dinner.

Sergio Baselga

Good food quality, warm atmosphere. Gluten free options

Eileen Strock

Fantastic schwarma and salads! It's great to have another kosher restaurant in DC. The gluten-free fries and falafel are cooked separately from the schnitzel, which is a dream come true for those with celiac disease. They offer both indoor and outdoor seating options. The kids meals, priced at $9.99, come with fries and a juice box, which is much appreciated.

O H

Pretty terrible matcha for a place that is charging 7 dollars for it. Took 10 minutes for my drink to get made (after ordering it from the kiosk) while I watched others get their much more complicated orders get made. My matcha was a swampy green color that was not mixed very well, I don’t think this was very good quality matcha. Or maybe the barista was having a bad day. I don’t know. Don’t believe Google Maps when it says this is the highest rated cafe that you should go to. Outside and inside seating is non-existent; and the view from outside is not particularly nice. Also, the only gluten free thing is the Turkish Delight. Would skip this one frankly.

Betty Davis

Emily K

We were sat at the bar and loved the atmosphere. The bar tender/server was very nice, had a lot of recommendations and advice on what to order and how much to order. I am gluten free and they knew what I could have and there were tons of options! And the food was all delicious. A restaurant worth the price point.

GF Please

Their food is good and filling. Dishes are full. I would recommend half salad and half rice! They are working on labeling the dietary restrictions in the menu. However, the waiter was helpful and knowledgeable about Celiac and gluten allergy.

Sylvia Houser

Ben Morgan

Took care of gluten free , and vegetarian . Clean and very nice

Marcelle G Afram

One hasn't had falafel until they try it from Hilana. The owner and staff put exceptional love and care into the food and service. Also, the falafel balls themselves are gluten free and can be served on a salad. Traditional Jerusalem style falafel, this is food that feeds the soul.

Rachel Yount

Truly Phenomenal! One of the best meals I've ever had in DC! The atmosphere and vibes are perfect. I love to bring out-of-towner friends here when they visit. Even my foodie friends are blown away. They do a good job of accommodating gluten and dairy free restrictions as well.

Miriam Chaponniere

This restaurant was excellent and perfect for our Girls Night! We were seated right away, and the ambiance was chic and cozy. We shared a bottle of the Pinot Noir and had the Bruschetta appetizer which was not too dry & full of flavor. For dinner, I had the Shrimp Florentine, which they made Gluten Free which I LOVED. Wonderful setting, excellent food and great service!

Sonya Hu

Solid Mediterranean bowls, salads, and pitas topped with a variety of fresh ingredients and perfect for a relatively tasty, quick, and affordable meal. The concept is pretty similar to CAVA -- you can either build your own by choosing a base, main, and toppings, or you can pick from one of their chef-curated options. I usually opt to build my own with their salmon fillet or roasted butternut squash over kale, and topped with all the veggies and hummus. All of their veggies are super fresh, and their sauces all pack a ton of flavor (watch out for the spicy ones -- they actually are quite spicy). Their salmon fillets tend to be very small and a touch dry, as I assume they've been sitting under the heat lamp for a while, but they still pack a good flavor. Although the food is solid, it's generally not my first choice for fast-casual Mediterranean fare, as (1) they're not always aware of which allergens are in their food, and (2) despite being a fast-casual spot, service can often be quite delayed. Starting with the first -- the staff is wonderful at handling dietary restrictions; they'll put on new gloves, make sure your order is on a clean service (i.e., new foil or bowl), and avoid working on other orders at the same time as yours. However, I'm worried they haven't been told what all the allergens are in all of their ingredients. For example, I've received their gluten-free falafel pita box at several catered office lunches, and, unfortunately, ended up feeling pretty sick afterwards. Although I appreciate that they have a gluten-free pita (although it does taste pretty dismal) and that they have gluten-free options for desserts and sides, I don't believe their falafel is gluten-free (or maybe it's something in the rice or one of the toppings...I'm not entirely sure what it is or if there's just some cross-contamination, but something in those boxes definitely isn't sitting right with me). Beyond dietary restrictions, the only other drawback to Roti is that it's not always as speedy as advertised, which is not at all the fault of the employees. Every time I go in, there are usually only 1-2 people working the entire restaurant, fielding a slew of both in-person and mobile orders. This naturally creates a delay in getting out all orders; for example, I'll sometimes wait upwards of 30+ min. for a line of five or so in-person customers because the staff is so swamped with mobile orders. On the flip side, if you get a mobile order, definitely go to pick it up instead of using their delivery service (which includes third-party apps like UberEats, as Roti opts to use their own drivers for those services). I usually have to wait over 45 min. for a delivery order, despite the quoted wait time of 15 min. and that my apartment is less than 2 miles away from the restaurant. All in all, I think Roti is a solid place for fresh, flavor-packed Mediterranean bowls, salads, and pitas. However, I would recommend caution if you have dietary restrictions or if you're in a huge rush.

Michael Hanson

Linda Moore

Always courteous, Yensi was great ! Clean and great food for vegan gluten free !

Pablo Hairston

RJ Fuentes

Food is consistently terrific. The only thing that would raise it to five stars is a gluten free bun for the terrific burgers.