Chain restaurants with gluten free options in the UK 🍽️
A round up of chain restaurants across the UK who cater for those gluten free and your answer to 'gluten free restaurants near me'
Philippa Lee
June 06, 2024
We all know by now how challenging it can be to eat out whilst having to stick to a strict gluten free diet. Lucky for you, our much anticipated Gluten Free Glee eating out app will soon be available, featuring thousands of reviews made by a real gluten free community.
Whilst we’re busy bees finalising the designing and testing of the app, here’s a list of UK chain restaurants that cater to gluten free needs. Of course, there are so many small independent businesses who are fantastic for gluten free, but the restaurants listed here are more likely to be accessible to most readers.
Remember:
⚠️ Always inform your server of your dietary requirements or allergies, never assume that just because you’re ordering from a gluten free menu that they will automatically take extra precautions with your order
⚠️ Don’t feel embarrassed to ask questions about their kitchen procedures, cross-contamination, separate fryers and what measures they have in place to control this.
⚠️ Speak up if something doesn’t feel quite right; if they don’t state that your order is gluten free when they serve your food, ask to confirm that it is gluten free - it will make you feel more relaxed during your meal than worrying
For each of the listings below we’ve given you the following extra information:
🍽️ What kind of cuisine/dining style and anything special worth mentioning
📍 How many locations they have and a link to find your nearest one
📖 What type of gluten free menu - separate gluten free menu / GF symbols on the main menu / an allergen matrix - with links to the menu to have a read
💰 What kind of price: £ Good Value / ££ Reasonable / £££ Expensive
👶 Whether there are gluten free options for children
❓ What we think about the chain and it’s gluten free offering
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The Lounges 🛋️
The Lounges are informal café bars, open all day, every day for long lazy breakfasts, brunch and lunch, or a relaxed dinner and drinks. They serve a wide range of food and drinks (including full kid's, gluten-free and vegan menus), served in a relaxed, welcoming space.
📍 220+ locations - find your nearest here
📖 Separate gluten free menu - click here to read
💰 Price - £ GOOD VALUE
👶 Gluten free options for children? - Yes
❓ What we think
We LOVE the Lounges and how well they cater for us gluten free folk. Their gluten free menu is huge with so many options for brunches, tapas, mains and even desserts!
Bill’s 🥞
Bill’s restaurants have a huuuuuge gluten free menu and they’ve recently been Coeliac UK accredited which is great for peace of mind when dining anywhere. The staff are very clued up and understanding of dietary requirements and every time we’ve visited, they've gone above and beyond to make us feel reassured and catered for. Their brunch (and their pancakes) are available every day until 5pm.
📍 45 locations - find your nearest here
📖 Separate gluten free menu - click here to read
💰 Price - ££ REASONABLE
👶 Gluten free options for children? - Yes
❓ What we think
As well as their main menus, they also do a bottomless brunch and get this, bottomless pancakes!! 🥞🤤 Need we say more?
Pieminister 🥧
If you hadn’t already guessed by the name, Pieminister offers award-winning, sustainably-made pies, and, what we’re all here for, a gluten free range! All of their gluten free pies are made in a dedicated gluten free kitchen to ensure there is no risk of gluten contamination and you can also buy the pies from most major UK supermarkets.
📍 14 locations - find your nearest here
📖 GF symbols on the main menu - click here to read
💰 Price - £ GOOD VALUE
👶 Gluten free options for children? - No specific kids options
❓ What we think
We have LOVED Pieminister since way before the gluten free life but still love it just as much now. What’s great is that their gravy is naturally gluten free, they just don’t make a fuss about it! They also do a bottomless brunch which we will definitely be exploring soon…
Pho 🍜
Pho is a group of restaurants dotted around the country, serving great value, healthy Vietnamese food that's cooked fresh in each kitchen daily. 98% of the Pho menu is naturally gluten free year round (including desserts) and for Coeliac Awareness Month they wowed us all by removing all gluten from the menu, so anyone with an intolerance would feel the love. ❤️
📍 43 locations - find your nearest here
📖 GF symbols on the main menu - click here to read
💰 Price - ££ REASONABLE
👶 Gluten free options for children? - Yes
❓ What we think
The fact that they put so much effort into raving about their gluten free status is incredible - the whole ‘Gluten pho-king Free’ campaign won us over immediately. Amazing food and a HUGE menu for us gluten free foodies!
Zizzi 🍝
At Zizzi’s Italian restaurants they’re all about delicious Italian food with a twist to surprise and delight all tastes, because good food does more than fill you up, it brings people together. They offer gluten free pizza and pasta and you can also get Zizzi delivered straight to your door.
📍 150+ locations - find your nearest here
📖 GF symbols on the main menu - click here to read
💰 Price - ££ REASONABLE
👶 Gluten free options for children? - Yes
❓ What we think
We really think it depends on the restaurant you visit, we’ve had great experiences and some average ones too. The biggest issue for us is that items are labelled on their gluten free menu when they’re actually fried in the same oil as gluten containing ingredients, which in our opinion, takes away the whole gluten free statement!
Chiquito 🌮
At Chiquito, they’re all about the flavour fiesta. Drawing inspiration from trips to Mexico City and beyond, they've taken traditional recipes and cooking methods to develop their own signature style of food. Discover their sizzling fajitas, tacos dripping with flavour and of course - their dedicated gluten free menu! They also have an offer on until the 14th June with 30% main dishes!
📍 12 locations - find your nearest here
📖 GF symbols on the main menu - click here to read
💰 Price - ££ REASONABLE
👶 Gluten free options for children? - Yes
❓ What we think
Chiquito was one of the first places we visited following diagnosis and they were great! They have a lot of gluten free options and the fajitas are our favourite!
Honest Burgers 🍔
Honest Burgers like to think they’re pretty good at burgers and chips and they’re so right. Good enough just isn’t good enough at Honest Burger and they don’t mean to brag but they’re all about top quality beef, the best potatoes and good times. Don’t just take their word for it though, they’ll let their food and people do the talking. After all, they’re Just Being Honest…
📍 39 locations - find your nearest here
📖 GF symbols on the main menu - click here to read
💰 Price - £ GOOD VALUE
👶 Gluten free options for children? - Yes
❓ What we think
Hands down the best burgers, chips and ONION RINGS! Pretty much everything is gluten free, they just swap the bun on the burger to gluten free and voila! The gravy is also 10/10!
Pizza Express 🍕
Bringing a dining table to life with great food, great music and great company. Lifting glasses and spirits. Getting smiles on faces and sauce on t-shirts. That's what Pizza Express is all about. They have made a real effort for their gluten free customers and keep bringing out new gluten free dishes and making their menu so inclusive!
📍 39 locations - find your nearest here
📖 GF symbols on the main menu - click here to read
💰 Price - £ GOOD VALUE
👶 Gluten free options for children? - Yes
❓ What we think
We love Pizza Express and they’re always a solid choice when it comes to gluten free pizza, pasta and sides. Plus, they almost always have a deal on!
LEON 🍟
Why can’t fast food be good food? Leon’s mission is to prove that it can be by serving naturally fast food that not only tastes good but does you good too. The menu draws inspiration from the richness, flavours and natural healthiness of Mediterranean cooking, the odd dish that evokes childhood memories of sunshine-soaked holidays, and even nostalgic trips to fast food restaurants.
📍 150+ locations - find your nearest here
📖 GF symbols on the main menu - click here to read
💰 Price - £ GOOD VALUE
👶 Gluten free options for children? - Yes
❓ What we think
There’s not much option for gluten free on the go but LEON solves this for us. They offer loads of gluten free options and they have venues in train stations, service stations and other handy places for grabbing on the move. We love the chicken nuggets and rice boxes!
Nando’s 🐔
Home of the legendary, Afro Portuguese flame-grilled PERi-PERi chicken. Nando’s has so many amazing gluten free options, in fact, take out the burger buns, wraps and pittas and you’ve pretty much got the whole menu! Check out our blog here on what’s gluten free at Nando’s for more information!
📍 450+ locations - find your nearest here
📖 GF symbols on the main menu - click here to read
💰 Price - £ GOOD VALUE
👶 Gluten free options for children? - Yes
❓ What we think
Lots of coeliacs go to Nando’s because they are very clued up on allergens and have certain processes they follow when someone with an allergy orders. They wipe down the grill area to prepare your food, the manager usually takes the order and then the food is served with a little allergy flag for that extra bit of reassurance. 🚩 We love a Nando’s, it’s one of our go-to places!
Browns Brasserie 🍮
Visit Browns at any time of day, and you'll enjoy a gorgeous, varied menu of homemade brasserie dishes and fresh seasonal creations. Each day brings a new reason to visit, from Champagne bottomless brunches and Sunday Roasts to traditional afternoon tea. Browns’ menus cater for all dietary needs, with deliciously satisfying plant-based options and an excellent choice of standalone gluten free menus, accredited by Coeliac UK.
📍 25 locations - find your nearest here
📖 Separate gluten free menu - click here to read
💰 Price - £££ PRICEY
👶 Gluten free options for children? - Yes
❓ What we think
Browns is a fantastic restaurant for gluten free - all I’ll say, their rhubarb and apple crumble lives rent free in our gluten free head!
Cosy Club 🍳
Relaxed dining and drinking with a touch of timeless glamour. Cosy Club restaurants are owned by the same group that founded Lounge cafes, so both are part of the Loungers Limited company. Lucky for us, that means another great restaurant chain who takes allergens and dietary requirements seriously and has a gluten free menu worth bragging about. 🙌🏼
📍 35 locations - find your nearest here
📖 Separate gluten free menu - click here to read
💰 Price - ££ REASONABLE
👶 Gluten free options for children? - Yes
❓ What we think
One of our favourite places for brunch and small plates. If you love the Lounges, you will love Cosy Club.
Miller & Carter 🥩
Beef is a labour of love at Miller & Carter. They put everything into pursuing the perfect steak, from the field to the butcher’s block to the grill, so only the finest, most flavoursome cuts make your plate. All chefs are trained at their very own ‘Steak School’ so they’re the experts in how to prepare and cook each cut to your exact personal preferences. They’ve also recently made sure that each of their restaurants has a dedicated fryer so that all their chips are now gluten free!
📍 100+ locations - find your nearest here
📖 Separate gluten free menu - click here to read
💰 Price - £££ PRICEY
👶 Gluten free options for children? - Yes
❓ What we think
If you’re a lover of steak, then this is the place for you and you cannot go wrong when most of their sides to accompany the steaks are gluten free!
Wagamama 🍛
Wagamama recipes are created to make you feel rejuvenated + satisfied. A base of noodles or rice to give you energy, quality protein + good fats to sustain you. An abundance of fresh crunchy vegetables to nourish you + finally, spices, sauces + steaming broths to ignite your taste buds.
📍 150+ locations - find your nearest here
📖 Separate gluten free menu - click here to read
💰 Price - ££ REASONABLE
👶 Gluten free options for children? - Yes
❓ What we think
Whilst your former favourite dish may not be available gluten free, they do have a lot of great gluten free options which are super tasty including meat and vegetable curries, Koyo Bowls and even a fair few starters!
Piccolino 🥘
Explore Italian classics prepared to perfection, stunning desserts, unique wines and more. Each Piccolino menu is crafted with exceptional care by their talented chefs, using only the finest ingredients. Gluten free pasta, pizza, starters, sharers and desserts!
📍 21 locations - find your nearest here
📖 GF symbols on the main menu - click here to read
💰 Price - £££ PRICEY
👶 Gluten free options for children? - Yes
❓ What we think
Piccolino was our all time favourite restaurant prior to being diagnosed with coeliac disease, and guess what, Piccolino is still one of our favourite restaurant chains because they cater amazingly for gluten free! The calamari is ‘chef’s kiss’!
Turtle Bay 🐢
As soon as you walk into any Turtle Bay restaurant, you’ll spot their very own island bar taking centre stage and as you take a seat and stay a little longer, you’ll see that there’s so much more. A lot of rum, a never-ending backdrop of infectious reggae beats, and a feast of Caribbean-inspired food for any time of day or occasion.
📍 53 locations - find your nearest here
📖 GF symbols on the main menu - click here to read
💰 Price - ££ REASONABLE
👶 Gluten free options for children? - Yes
❓ What we think
Turtle Bay food is always so delicious and flavoursome, and their cocktails are some of the best - plus, happy hour is almost every hour!
Hickory’s 🍖
Hickory’s is an authentic Texas style BBQ restaurant chain. They have restaurants across the North West, East & West Midlands & North Wales and obviously, the reason we’re mentioning them, is because they have a superb gluten free menu with plenty of options and you’ll be spoilt for choice. There’s everything from American breakfasts, smoked wings, brisket, baby back ribs, pulled pork, steaks, plenty of sides and even a selection of gluten free desserts! I’m talking toasted campfire marshmallows and waffles with peach & blueberry crumble. 🍡🧇
📍 23 locations - find your nearest here
📖 Separate gluten free menu - click here to read
💰 Price - ££ REASONABLE
👶 Gluten free options for children? - Yes
❓ What we think
We are big fans! Each time we’ve been to Hickory’s, the staff have been really helpful and knowledgeable about the gluten free menu and able to answer any questions about potential cross-contamination and kitchen procedures. Usually, a manager will come over to take the order and go through the allergen information on their tablet and let you scroll the full allergen matrix as well as them having a clear and separate dedicated gluten free menu.
Have we missed any?
Drop us a message if you think we’ve left out a great chain restaurant for gluten free dining and we’ll take a look! 👀