Top 16 Gluten-Free Vegetarian Havens to Explore in Santa Cruz

Sven Pedersen

Cute cafe with great food that caters to dietary restrictions like gluten free, vegan and vegetarian.

April Giesbrecht

Best pizza ever tasted! They were so helpful with my Gluten Allergy and made me the bestest pizza i had ever had! Haven’t got sick from it so far and i have a pretty sensitive gut! Shoutout to them making it a good experience. Only thing is it’s not cheap eating. Thanks a lot though.

Robert Wilson

Every time I have gotten a meal here, I have had a fantastic meal, outstanding customer service and a good experience. All of their produce is organic, and there are plenty of options for everyone, including vegetarian, vegan, gluten free and meat options. Some of their options include teriyaki chicken, garlic tofu, and teriyaki salmon, which come with jasmine rice (or noodles) pickled vegetables and spring onions, or they have sandwiches, soups, salads and noodle bowls as well. The meals are well priced, and you can choose takeout or to sit down in their covered patio area. The staff are friendly, and there is parking (but, on a busy night, it could fill up). Overall, this is a great, affordable and yummy option in Santa Cruz and I would highly recommend it!

James Ehret

Awesome Gluten Free Buns. Great food. Love the portions.

Minecraft Power

We went there today and even drove an hour to get there because we saw that it’s gluten free and vegan and NOT EXPENSIVE which is REALLY hard to find. And then you’d think there must be a catch, it can’t be vegan, gluten free, inexpensive AND delicious but damm it was it was really tasty and so filling, and overall the food felt like a warm hug and the owner was really nice as well :) so 5 stars, would recommend

Morgan Sandusky

Great sushi and the menu labels what’s gluten free!

Luke Swartz

Very fast, friendly service and generous positions at this popular spot. Pretty good with dietary restrictions: most of the menu is gluten free (or can be adjusted to be GF), although celiacs should know that the fryer does have cross contamination so avoid the tempura, etc (personally I’d label that as “low gluten” but the staff seems knowledgeable so just be sure to communicate what kind of restrictions you have). The food was a bit more mixed: really nice appetizers (salads, Akira fries, etc) and the fish is pretty fresh (the hamachi was especially tasty), but despite the rolls being very large (seriously we probably could have had 1 per person) they seemed surprisingly lacking in flavor, almost bland. Also I liked my sashimi but it came with rice that was downright bad: stuck together and overcooked. I’m half Japanese so maybe I’m picky, but people forget that “sushi” refers to rice, not fish, so it’s disappointing when a sushi place gets rice wrong. Overall a good experience, albeit with some caveats.

Katie Teschler

Steamer Lane is the place to be! Everything on the menu is delicious, and the staff are very friendly and care deeply about the community of Santa Cruz. Their menu has expanded over the years, and a lot of care is taken by the whole team to make sure the all of their offerings are really tasty and inclusive to all dietary needs. I have celiac disease, and typically feel safe eating here. They have a handful of very tasty gluten free items, and are very friendly and accommodating. I love the breakfast tacos, poke and other fish bowls, fish tacos, chicken leg plate, and the burger (with no bun). As with pretty much all places, not guaranteed to have no cross contamination, but if you want them to take extra precautions, just ask! I remind them I have celiac and they do a great job :)

Eric Ordonez

Greg Gomez

Shun Feng is our go-to Chinese restaurant in Santa Cruz. Jesse consistently takes excellent care of our orders, ensuring everything is gluten-free for my wife. We absolutely love all of their delicious dishes!

Belinda Hendricks

Clifton Whitehead

Ralph ibarra

First time here it's was delicious food taste fresh and was gluten free bread .Very clean great service.Meal does come with a candy mine was a 🍭

Caroline Martin

I’m SO thrilled we have a downtown location of PGA, I’ve been a fan for many years. I ordered takeout 2x recently and will be continuing to order regularly. My diet has changed a lot since I used to go to the old location, but luckily PGA has plenty of options for gluten free, dairy free, vegan. I love their emphasis on fresh local produce and the fact that they have their own farm is next level legit. Recently I ordered - the chopped salad, the beet salad, and the passion fruit chia pudding. All super healthy and delicious. I did add my own honey to the pudding which I recommend. The second time I ordered the California burger on a GF bun and fries. It was delicious. Tasted like a much fresher, more flavorful, healthier version of fast food The breakfast sandwiches are all delicious as well, i used to eat them often. This place rocks!

Theresa Miller

Edward Evers