Top 50 Gluten-Free Spots with Outdoor Seating to Enjoy in Des Moines

Jacinda Daniel

Everything is gluten free which was amazing, I didn't have to worry about only getting to choose from two items on the menu. The salsa options were a bit odd, there was a cheese/yogurt type dip among the four they give you and it just didn't fit with the Latino flavors well, it was more Mediterranean in taste. Definitely pricier for how much food you get but the chips are a free refill. When I asked about diet pop options I was told they didn't have any but they have what appeared to be a full bar with a fountain pop sprayer (which normally would have at least one diet option). The only thing I could have to drink was water there (I'm a type one diabetic and regular pop is a bad situation).

Stephanie Dowdy

Love this place. Great gluten free options & excellent service!

Cortez Jones

Had the BEST experience here. Trying to find a restaurant that offers a gluten free menu as well as regular with no discernible differences in taste is 1 in a million and buzzard Billy’s is exactly that. Any time we ever come back it will be good at BB. Kristen, Kela and shiree are the best servers EVER!

Hunter Gonzales

Food was delicious and decently priced, so many gluten free options. Service was quick and simple nice but not always checking up on you but consistent service overall. Kinda nosy but private as well. Definitely would come back as an outastater 👏

Nicholas Kalianoff

Great place to sit on the patio or watch the games. Very conscious about gluten free options also. Good drinks, reasonable prices.

Haley Downe

This place ROCKS!! Our server Olivia was great and we really enjoyed the coffee, gluten-free pancakes, biscuits and gravy, and omelettes. The only thing holding this place back from a full 5 stars was the portion size of the orange juice. Orange juice was $5.50, and while I understand that it is fresh-squeezed, the portion size was only about 5 total gulps (I’ll do the math for ya - more than 1 dollar per gulp…) which was disappointing. Don’t get it twisted - we LOVE this place and will totally be back again as we have many times before. Just leaving some constructive criticism as we truly want this place to flourish! Thanks again Olivia!

Brett Giberson

Great food! Excellent gluten free options. Awesome location. We will be back!

Penny Zaugg

Great gluten free option!!

Dani Rae Carter

Incredible! The drinks were fun and the menu had a ton of vegan, vegetarian, gluten free options. Beautiful atmosphere as well- Would recommend!

Kassie Scheckel

My family and I came to eat here on 6/20 because of the dairy free and gluten free options, necessary accommodations for some of our family members. The vibe was alright; we called ahead and were seated promptly. The outdoor play area was a neat touch. The server was friendly but did forget to place the order for my 2 year old, which was frustrating. It was highly concerning that our food came out so quickly. My husband and I ordered the Fried Bologna Sandwich; it was greasy and gross and I could not eat it. My brother-in-law got The Dunbar, which also had bologna on it. The 3 of us who had some of the bologna ended up with food poisoning. I attempted to notify the restaurant via Facebook messenger and the 3 attempts “couldn’t send”. I sent them a message through their website, and also contacted the health department. Not a good experience and won’t be back. Update: they did reply back to my message through their website and refunded us, so I appreciated the customer service aspect to help remedy the situation.

Ben Miller

Went in on a quiet Thursday afternoon and the service and food were top shelf. Ribeye steak was cooked to perfection. Brussels were excellent and the cornbread is actually GLUTEN FREE! Start with the deviled eggs or the street corn dip!

Brooke Weber

I have been here several times recently for brunch. This place knows what they are doing and they are really good at it: the atmosphere, the decor, the food, the service. The lattes here are the best in the area, hands down. Even the cups and saucers are beautiful and add to my enjoyment of the coffee drinks. I want the exact cups for my own home. The seasonal latte flavors are creative and never overly sweet. I do love a pumpkin spice latte, and St. Kilda has the best. I was interested in a seasonal mocha and was hesitant to order it for fear it would be too sweet, but the server told me more about it so I decided to try it. It was the best mocha I’ve ever had with the perfect balance of flavors and just the right amount of sweetness. Everything that’s a part of the Big Aussie Breakfast is prepared to perfection: thick cut bacon, delicious blistered roasted tomatoes, perfectly crispy house-made bread. Even the gluten-free bread is excellent. Last week my boyfriend got a hashbrown on the side and it was the best hashbrown I’ve ever had - a lovely soft texture on the inside and perfectly crispy all the way around on the outside. The last 3 times I’ve eaten there, we’ve had the same server. I love her! Very friendly, relatable, and a bit quirky in the best possible way. After our last visit, I decided St. Kilda in Valley Junction is my favorite place for brunch.

Leigh Hannah

Pizza slices are huge and delicious. Also, the gluten free crust is one of the best I’ve had!!

Kenzie Kelso

Great food, tons of vegan and gluten free options, great service.

Gina W.

My first food stop in Iowa was to take a solo walk to get tacos at Malo. This one was a home run at my first at-bat as a Des Moines rookie. Wow. I timed it just right, and they were placing my bag of food on the table right as I walked in the door. I got the avocado and fried onions on corn tortillas, and instead of getting a combo, I got the portobello mushrooms as my side. That way I was able to just put them on my tacos. I also got a side of fruit with sweet chili sauce. It didn't want to have anything super spicy before my marathon (think about it) so I got the pico de gallo. The tacos were delicious, and the fresh tortillas seemed handmade. The fruit was so juicy and sweet, but the stunner here was the portobello mushroom - like steak strips. Savory and meaty but not too salty... Just amazing. I had enough left over for a second meal. Great vegan and gluten-free options.

Shawna Schmidt

Can not say enough good things about our experience at Kava DSM!!! From the AMAZING gluten free/dairy free waffle to the dairy free gelato, to the decor and super kind owner! It was our first time visiting and he went above and beyond to help us understand everything he offered and how it can help me with inflammation! I will definitely be reaching out to his wife also who is a natural health practitioner! I would give them 100 stars if I could! We will definitely be back very soon ❤️

Janee Jackson

Love the food abd drinks! We had our rehearsal dinner here and the food was amazing! They also had a gluten free menu too!

Dawn Green

I cannot give more than one star to a place where a waiter (Nick) refused to walk over to us yelling in front of everyone, “What?? I see you!” When we politely waved him towards us saying, “We have a question.” He didn’t budge and said, “And I have an answer. What?” It was embarrassing. I wish I had a video of it. When we had to answer with enough volume across the seated guests that it was about something we ordered, he finally walked over. He was rude. We said we ordered sashimi. I never had sashimi served on tempura squash, and since one of our group was gluten sensitive, we said we wouldn’t have ordered it. He master-of-factly declared that EVERYTHING (enunciated) was gluten. Including the seaweed salad, Nick? The roll with virtually nothing but fish and roe, Nick? You are rude. On the other hand, Josh was pleasant, and he helped make up for the poor behavior. But the damage was done. While we had planned meals, we had had enough and left.

Rachel Quist

The staff accommodated a large group immediately and we had great service from Annie! They have a whole vegan and gluten free menu if you ask for it. The tofu bites are great! Portions are very generous. A great option in the Des Moines area!

Carole Kern

Update: Mike Larsen contacted me several times to apologize, get feedback, and to locate the record of the sale. The meal bill was fully refunded. He said he spoke with his people to improve the experience. Everyplace can have an off night. I would give them another chance. Original review: Poor service, got the order wrong, sandwich was sparsely covered with contents making it mostly stale bread, salad dressing wasn't mixed, salad had wonton stips which are not Gluten-free even though the order was for Gluten-free. Expensive meal we threw away and went elsewhere to eat.

Jennifer Bartlett

Shrimp and grits, collard greens with bacon...I felt like I was back home. The gluten free options are limited, but they are done well!

Cory Zorn

Food sucked you need to pay attention to people that have food allergies all I could buy was a bowl of soup because everything else had bread in it the waitress said they'll take my croutons off guess what that's not gluten-free

Stacy Kearney

Loved everything we ordered!! They even helped us adjust our sushi orders to be gluten free. The specialty roll I ordered gluten free was so good.

Billie Newland (billiexnewland)

Fun place with great food options! Love they do deals on their burgers and the fact they have gluten free buns available!

Cayla Marie

I always love Culver's because the food's great at a reasonable cost and the service is great as well. I recently needed to try a gluten-free diet and the options they have are good, especially compared to anywhere else. You apparently need to just tell them to substitute the bun for a gluten-free bun and to treat it as an allergy. The bun's an extra $1.60 or so, and comes in a separate plastic bag with a fork and a knife so you can assemble it together, and they package anything that could be contaminated in another paper bag. The bun tasted no different from a regular bun and had a good texture compared to so many other gluten-free "breads". I got fries even though they're not technically gluten-free (maybe because they're fried in the same oil as the breaded sides?), and they made sure to tell me it's not technically gluten-free and they put it in a separate bag. If you have allergies, I'd make sure to give them a bit of extra time and try not to go through the drive through during lunch rush, so they have plenty of time to properly handle your food, same as you would anywhere else. The culvers.com website should have a list of options that are gluten free if you search for it. I'm glad it seems they take the time to treat the health of their customers seriously and offer those options for those of us who are born with or develop dietary restrictions. Today, Lexi was the one who took my order today and she was incredibly accommodating, helpful, and personable when I told her I was ordering gluten-free for the first time and she walked me through their options. I can't upload the pictures of the food for some reason but it all looked and tasted good. I'll definitely be coming again, especially when other options are so limited. Thanks!

Melissa Reyerson

I always have wonderful and quick service while eating here. Very vegan and gluten free friendly and food is always fresh. If you don't get a tortilla - you are offered chips for free, and they do not charge you extra for guacamole!

Jeff King

The gluten-free pizza was decent. My wife said her burger rocked. It was the Frisco melt, and I had the pasta. It was a penne pasta with a southwest Alfredo sauce, plus chicken and tortilla strips. It was fantastic.

Allison Snyder

It was a little nosy but this place had an excellent menu and the pricing was good. Their gluten free options were well-labled and they had a good variety.

Ciarra Wagner

I have recently went gluten free and dairy free for health reasons. I also have a extreme rice allergy. This place is the golden jackpot. Friendly staff to explain the menu. Very clean environment. Great atmosphere. I ordered the fried tacos and my husband got the sweet corn cakes! The food seriously made me feel normal and I could order really anything off the menu.

LW Evans

We had a nice dinner and lots of gluten free options here! Quick service, good house salads and delicious gf chocolate cake 😋

Josh Anderson

This place was awesome, staff was friendly and helpful, did not feel rushed. Staff helped us figure out how to make items Gluten-free for my Fiancé. Some shakes are also Gluten-free l. Just like all restaurants there is a chance for cross contamination but let staff know and they can help the best they can.

Kathy Kay

Great Food...Always! Love the gluten free options

Samuel Taromina

Gluten free and non gluten burger are amazing

Leon Mc

Krista

I would give it 5 stars on food if there were more gluten-free options, especially in the bakery portion. But for non-gluten sensitive people, their baked goods are amazing!! Cinnamon rolls were my favorite when I could eat them. A big thank you to the staff for sharing that even the gluten-free monster cookies are cross-contaminated. All around, great coffee shop.

Sparkies Sparkies

If you are CELIAC, do NOT come here. They do not have gluten free options. On the opposite, they assured me cross contamination was guaranteed because vast majority of their menu has items with gluten.

Monserrat A.

Tasty for a fast food noodle shop. They have keto, gluten free and loads of vegetarian option. Generous portions and great prices. I’ll be back.

Robyn Anderson

Great place. Love their gluten-free items. Picked up this salad the other day…it was besides being delicious, beautiful as well and super healthy.

Lillian Shelly

LW Evans

Asiago chicken with gluten free pasta was a tasty treat! Excellent dish with lots of textures and flavors. This place never disappoints 😚

J M

Utilized Trellis as my catering company for a wedding venue at the Greater Des Moines Botanical Gardens. From the start of the experience to the end, the service was fantastic. We worked with Paige as a our coordinator and found her to be prompt, professional, and an overall pleasure to work with. Pricing and value is competitive with other catering companies. We received several quotes and Trellis won out due to their quality of food and overall experience of dealing with the staff. They also offer options that covers any and all dietary restrictions, which was great for a few of our guests who were gluten free and vegetarian. The food was fresh, delicious, and we were able to take home the leftovers to reduce waste. Would recommend to friends and family if they are looking for a solid catering company with professional service and high quality food. It made for stress free planning for a life event that is usually stressful to plan.

Arrow Austin

I'm on a road trip with my dad and we decided to stop for some food. It was delicious, very well may be the best fajita veggies I've had ever. I'll definitely come back on my next road trip. I'm not kidding when I say they were AMAZING! They were also good with my allergies, I have celiac disease and am allergic to dairy. It's been a few hours and I have no symptoms of cross contamination!

Katherine Ward

There was a mixup with our order, causing it to be quite late, but the owner drove it to us himself and apologized in person. We are very grateful. Also, some of the best gluten free pizza I’ve ever had!

Holly Fettinger

Food was good - plenty of gluten free options, and wait staff informed about what could be modified. Appreciate the extra assurance, as not all restaurants have knowledge around the impact to celiacs and for many of us, it can take us out of commission for days - it isn't a choice unfortunately, I mean who would want an autoimmune disease to randomly show up at 53?

Christopher Porter

Beverly Peterson

Arthur Crawford

Joy Owens

Alicia Grant

Isaac Slings

A wide arrange of drinks! Great variety of food. Didn't get a refill on our waters but had a nice array of 8 cocktails. $100 bill for two with 4 cocktails wasn't a bad time. The mojito options are plentiful. Gluten free buns are also available