Top 8 Gluten-Free Spots to Discover in Kensington, San Diego

Frank O'Connor

A nice bit of indoor and outdoor seating, everything was clean and well-kept. All the staff were very helpful and generally friendly and attentive. The burgers were all very good and the fries got rave reviews. It is nice having a place with legitimately good gluten-free offerings, and even vegan cheese for those that avoid dairy. Parking is street parking but there’s plenty of small side streets nearby. Prices were very good when compared to more mainline burger places.

Adam A

Stopped by Stella Jean’s recently after hearing all the hype. The ice cream itself? No doubt, delicious. Creative flavors like Ube + Pandesal Toffee and Mango Sticky Rice live up to the buzz, and you can tell everything’s high quality and thoughtfully made. They even have great vegan and gluten-free options. But here’s the thing: the line was long—really long. Even though staff moved things along, it felt like too much of a wait for something that should be a casual treat. And the price? $6 for a single scoop (closer to $9.25 for a double) is hard to justify, no matter how good it is. Bottom line: if you’re down to splurge and wait in line for some of the most flavorful and unique ice cream in San Diego, it’s a solid pick. But between the price and the crowd, it’s not exactly a low-key stop. Three stars feels fair—great product, just not the most convenient experience.

Lior Seidel

Catalina Engstrom

Toni Thompson

This is an awesome locale to find lots of healthy, including gluten free and vegan, foods to take home and to enjoy a meal or snack in outdoor table. A vegan chocolate blackout cupcake drew us in and we topped it with a green smoothie containing ginger, kale, and spinach and an orange smoothie with sweet potato and carrots. We found several items like Lily's Chocolate on sale, sweet potato and potato chips, vegan chocolate sauce for ice cream, and international foods. The deli section offers breakfast omelets, sandwiches full of quality meats or veggies smothered in lettuce, tomatoes and sauces. They offer lots of canned and bottled drinks, bottled wines, pizzas, and cute charcuterie fare. They offer well marked gluten free and vegan items. They have a kids shopping cart. This is an Accessible venue with fairly wide aisles, legible printed menus. Accessible parking in free street parking that gets crowded on weekends.

S B

While visiting San Diego for the week, we stumbled upon Pappalecco in Kensington and were pleasantly surprised by the delicious food and wonderful service. They had a wide menu (including some tasty looking pizza and gelato), but we were loooking for a light lunch and settled on two gluten free paninis. The bread was so fresh and delicious we had to double check that it was really gluten free. The pollo panini and the Uovo panini were delicious. My husband tried the marocchino and the Nutella biscuit and was impressed. The service was quick and they were kind and friendly.

Carlton Lundgren

Judith Foster