Top 7 Gluten-Free Take Away Spots to Enjoy in Highland, Austin

Maria Cherry

I had one of the worst dining experiences at this restaurant while visiting my kids. They heard about this place and wanted to try it. We love all kinds of Ramen and are always excited to try new places. This place was nearly empty, yet the service and atmosphere were shockingly bad. When we arrived, the only person on the floor was a man who looked like the chef—Asian man in a black chefs uniform who saw us but didn’t acknowledge us at all. Instead, he let us stand there for a while till he turned away and just shouted “DOOR,” seemingly to get an employee’s attention rather than greeting us himself. Someone burst out of the kitchen and we were seated—right next to the expo line, where we had the unfortunate privilege of hearing the staff mock customers based on their appearance and speak very vulgarly about each other and guests. Despite the restaurant being empty at the time, we waited nearly 10 minutes before anyone came to greet us. The chef, who had ignored us earlier, continued to act as if we didn’t exist, even though he keep looking our way through the gaps of the space divider from the expo line to the table right next to it. When our server finally arrived, they looked absolutely miserable—like they hated every second of being there. We had a simple question about nuts in the special, and when our server went to ask, we overheard the chef loudly berating them for not knowing. The poor server came back visibly shaken, and at that point, we decided to avoid asking any more questions for their sake. Later, a short woman with black hair—who I assume was the floor manager—arrived and immediately made everyone’s lives miserable. I watched her micromanage and stress out the already struggling staff, all while we waited 15 minutes for edamame and then almost 40 minutes for food in an empty restaurant. Every employee looked like they wanted to be anywhere else but there. The food itself was completely unimpressive. They only have ONE broth, throwing random toppings on it and calling it different styles of ramen. I’ve had better instant ramen straight out of a plastic bag. I saw someone online compare their ramen to "dog water"—they were not wrong. The vegan option just sad. And dont even bother about coming here if you have celiac. On top of that, the atmosphere was disgusting. Stained ceilings, cracked crown molding, food all over the floor, the tables were sticky and peeling and had food stuck under a circular shaped base that was bolted into the ground (stupid idea), it smelled bad, and despite the restaurant being empty, they sat us right next to the bathroom. To make things worse, they weren’t serving alcohol, blaming it on being "understaffed"—though it seemed more like the managers just didn’t want to do their jobs. If it were super busy, I'd understand but why have a whole bar in an empty restaurant and blame being "understaffed" for not serving me a drink on your menu. Sounds like someone has no idea what they are doing to me. The only bright spot? The servers. They were polite despite everything, but they were clearly under appreciated and mistreated. It was honestly painful to watch. Overall, this was one of the worst dining experiences I’ve had in a long time. Terrible management, gross atmosphere, miserable employees, and mid-tier food at best. I wouldn’t recommend this place to anyone. If i could give this place 0 stars, I'd give it -2

Cindy McCullough

Delicious food! Wonderful service! We are a part of six, had different meals, all of us enjoyed everything! Two of us gluten free and thankfully, several GF choices.

Joe Conley

Latte fine, chai tea latte good, smoothie just ok, Mr. Natural gluten free donuts good (and two of us have celiac disease, so gluten free is key), pretzel fine, vibe good but no one much around Saturday at 1:00 pm.

Cynthia G.B.

First time I've been here, and will definitely be back. The food is so good! So many choices, everything looked good. Vegetarian and gluten free items, too. They had a lunch special when I went - salad, three sides, and beef shawerma. They have regular seating (tables and chairs) and a section with floor seating (cushions and low tables). You order at the counter, pay, they bring your food to your table. Will have to go back soon to try some other food items, as well as the floor seating.

Simon Rachelson

We absolutely love it at China Family! Hands down some of the best and most authentic Chinese food places in Austin. We love their green beans and Eggplant with minced beef. My girlfriend and son are allergic to gluten and always are A-okay after eating any of the dishes with white sauce. The staff is amazing too and we look forward to our regular visits!

Umbra

Gluten free pizza is a 7/10 as far as a GF pizza goes. Still the better option for a gluten-free pizza

Ryan Hoffnagle

This place is delicious, and FAST. I have never waited more than 5 minutes for their outstanding food. I love that they have Bun noodle dishes on the menu now, and Boba drinks. There are a fantastic option for someone that is gluten sensitive, such as myself!