Gluten Free Florence, Italy: A Complete Guide for Celiacs

Be Skeptical of Any “Gluten Free” Beer

Compared to other Italian cities, there’s a lot of gluten free beer to be found in Florence. Which I was excited about! 

Until, of course, I read the labels and saw “barley malt” on every single label. Barley, as you may know, is one of the grains that contains gluten.

Which means these beers are made with barley, then an enzyme is added to break up the gluten, which interferes with the test for gluten’s ability to detect gluten. Seems sketchy, right? That’s because it is.

In both Canada and the US, you can’t call these beers gluten free.

It’s legal in the EU to label these beers as “gluten free,” and often the only way you’d know it contains barley is by looking at the ingredients.

Here’s a quick read on the difference, and why people with Celiac Disease shouldn’t drink gluten-reduced beer. Here’s another one. And I loved this open letter. 

Gelato Shops are a Minefield of Cross-Contamination

The gelato goes on the cone, the scoop touches the cone, the scoop goes back into the tub, repeat as needed.

Unless you are able to communicate that you’d like a fresh scooper and a fresh container that hasn’t been opened AND they’re able to accommodate that request (most places don’t have extra tubs sitting around like some ice cream shops do in the US), then I’d stick to the 100% gluten free gelato shops, which you’ll find more information on below.

Gluten Free Wheat Starch is Fairly Common in Pizza Crusts

Another problematic ingredient! But, in my opinion, less-so than the gluten free beer example above. 

In Italy, and many other EU countries, they use an ingredient that is essentially gluten free wheat starch, which offers some nice texture benefits when it’s used in things like pizza crust.

All of a sudden, you go from only being able to do thin crust pizzas to being able to have thick, bubbly pizza crust. MAGIC!

Admittedly, I know less about gluten free wheat starch than I do about gluten reduced beer, but I will once again refer you to Gluten Free Watchdog’s take on it (she’s so much more knowledgeable than I am on this kind of stuff) so that you can use that information to make your own decision. 

However, the reason that I’m including this in its separate section is that it absolutely does matter for people with a wheat allergy!

If you are eating gluten free because you have a wheat allergy, you’ll need to ask at every restaurant, particularly pizza places.

You Should Really Follow Catalin, the Celiac in Italy

Catalin is a Celiac expat in Florence who is one of my favorite Instagram follows, and she’s super knowledgeable about eating gluten free in the city she now calls home.

She’s also a fantastic resource for planning a trip to Italy and offers a bunch of travel guides, gluten free experiences in Florence, and crucially, trip planning services (which is something we don’t offer).

If you’re nervous about visiting Italy with Celiac Disease, she is a great resource (especially if you want to have a conversation with someone who lives the gluten free life in Italy on a daily basis!).

You can find here at her website The Celiac in Italy, or on Instagram @CeliacinItaly. 

Our Favorite Gluten Free Restaurants & Bakeries in Florence

I’ve split up the options in Florence into three different categories. There’s the 100% gluten free restaurants (and gelato shops), the 100% gluten free bakeries, and the AIC-accredited restaurants. 

Putting my cards on the table here – I think that if you’re a Celiac traveling in Italy, you should focus on either dedicated gluten free restaurants and bakeries, or restaurants that are not 100% gluten free, but ARE accredited by the AIC. 

For that reason, the restaurants you will find below are either dedicated gluten free – that means no gluten in the kitchen, so the risk of cross-contamination is low – or AIC-accredited, which means that the staff has been trained on how to prevent cross-contamination and how to cater to Celiac customers. 

Now, is this a perfect way to avoid cross-contamination? Probably not. Eating out with Celiac Disease always carries some level of risk because it depends on the individual staff members following the procedures put in place.

It’s still up to you to communicate your needs to staff members and make sure they can meet your needs. 

Is it an easy shortcut for finding places that are set up to serve Celiacs safely? I believe the answer is yes, which is why that’s how I’ve organized this guide. 

If you’re curious what our process for discovering and vetting gluten free spots looks like, you can read our gluten free FAQ. 

Dedicated Gluten Free Restaurants in Florence

Here are the places in Florence that are 100% gluten free.

There are several great options, and you could spend your time ONLY eating at dedicated gluten free restaurants in Florence, where you can order ANYTHING on the menu (which, despite 10+ years of Celiac Disease, is still a great feeling!). 

Sgrano

Sgrano is, hands down, my favorite gluten free spot in Florence. I go here for their fantastic Schiacciate – which are similar (but different!) to a panini or focaccia sandwich – every single time I find myself in Florence, usually multiple times. 

The street that it’s on – Via dei Neri – is home to a couple of the most famous restaurants in Florence, which all serve up some version of Florentine street food (mostly in the form of sandwiches).

If you have Celiac Disease and want to partake in the phenomenon of hundreds of people plopped on the curb, huge sandwich in hand, this is the place for you.

They have a range of different fillings, though most of them involve some sort of cured meat (though they do have a few vegetarian options). 

It’s worth pausing here to note that they have two storefronts right next to each other.

The original, which is on the corner, has seating and an expanded menu, while the one on the right is to-go only, and has a more simple menu and, crucially, a different style of sandwich. 

I tried both – for science, of course – and would highly recommend the sandwiches from the original location on the corner.

It tends to have a longer line and a longer wait, yes, but the sandwiches are much, much better with a bigger range of flavors to choose from. 

Even if you’re getting it to go, I’d get it from the original location. You just have to walk in to the counter, order, and pay, and they’ll bring it out to you. 

The sandwiches from the to-go window are smaller with more limited fillings (so they can crank them out faster), and while they were good, they were not nearly as good as the originals (in my opinion, anyway). 

My favorite of the many that I’ve tried is the Bomba, which is filled with pancetta (yum), grilled peppers (yum), and gorgonzola with a honey drizzle.  

Everything in the restaurant is gluten free AND they’re accredited by the AIC, so the risk of cross-contact here is low (if not zero). 

They do have gluten free beer, but remember – it’s gluten-reduced and if you have Celiac Disease, you probably shouldn’t be drinking it. 

They also have a couple of gluten free desserts (if you still have room) including tiramisu (which is what we got), cheesecake, and a chocolate cake.

L’Osteria Della Sgrano

This is an expansion of an already successful gluten free franchise in Florence (Sgrano).

The newer Osteria Della Sgrano is a more upscale and formal dining experience, though that’s not to say it’s stuffy or anything like that. 

They serve authentic Tuscan cuisine, and on our first attempt to eat here, Alysha spent a solid half hour at least an hour (Alysha would like the record to show that it was more than a half hour – she was excited!) on a Monday Googling the dishes on the menu to figure out what she wanted to order when we stopped by for dinner.

The only problem, we realized, was that they were only open on weekends at the time, so we didn’t get to make it there.

Matt finally made it to L’Osteria della Sgrano for lunch on a later trip with his mom after a morning at the Uffizi Gallery, and had a lovely experience.

The menu consists of things like handmade pasta and ravioli, which is slightly different from their other, more casual location just a few blocks away, which as we mentioned above is all about the pizzas and focaccias. 

Since you’re in Tuscany, there are a few things we think you should order.

First, assuming you’re okay with wild boar, is the tagliatelle al Cinghiale, which is pasta with a wild boar ragu.

This dish was Matt’s (and his mom’s, who isn’t a particularly adventurous eater) favorite discovery on that birthday trip to Tuscany.

Second is a dessert – cantucci with a dessert wine. Cantucci are, essentially, biscotti, but they come from Tuscany rather than Emilia-Romagna.

They’re served with a small glass of dessert wine (vinsanto), which you dip the biscuits into before eating.

Third, and our favorite of the three, is their pappa al Pomodoro, which is a Tuscan specialty made with juicy tomatoes, crusty bread, and basil.

The English translation, according to one of our tour guides in Tuscany, is “bread soup.” In this case, it’s topped with a soft cheese. YUM.

It opened a couple of years ago and is in the Santa Croce neighborhood, just a few blocks away from the neighborhood’s namesake church.

It was, sadly, closed for renovations when Matt was there this spring, but it should be open in time for summer travel!

Ristorante Quinoa

Ristorante Quinoa was our first gluten free restaurant experience in Florence – and also the first gluten free restaurant in Florence, opening way back in 2014, the dark ages of gluten free travel (compared to today, anyway) – and it certainly didn’t disappoint.

Everything on the menu is gluten free, and the fresh gluten free bread that was brought to the table at the beginning of the meal was fantastic.

The space is great, particularly the outdoor courtyard, which is filled with greenery (and statues of sheep and cranes) and sits in the middle of a former 16th Century cloister. 

The dinner menu ranges from traditional Italian dishes, like risotto and pastas, to more internationally-inspired cuisine – there was a green curry and a couple of Latin American themed dishes on the menu when we were there.

There was even a vegan bunless burger! The dinner menu rotates seasonally, changing every couple of months or so. 

We had a lovely homemade pasta (side note, all pastas including ravioli and gnocchi, are made in-house) with a celery / ginger / garlic sauce that was surprisingly flavorful and delicious, along with a mushroom risotto that was rich and creamy.

The best thing we ate, however, was the orange cake (forgive me, all I remember about the description was “it’s a traditional Jewish cake made with oranges and almonds”) that we had for dessert.

It was light, moist, and VERY orangey. In a good way. A really good way. 

They actually have a bunch of gluten free desserts to choose from, like cheesecake (they had two versions, one dairy-free) and profiteroles (basically, cream puffs). We went with the orange cake for its uniqueness, and loved it. 

The lunch menu is slightly different – it changes daily based on the ingredients they have on hand, which I think is kind of fun!

One important note here: I got very, very excited that they had Greens gluten free beer, which I know as a gluten free beer made with naturally gluten free ingredients (versus gluten-reduced) from my experience at home in the United States.

Not so here! My beer showed up, and there was barley malt waiting for me in the ingredients! Lucky for me, I thought to take a look at the back before drinking it, but still, I was very disappointed.

None of the beers they have are actually gluten free, they’re all gluten reduced, which means if you have Celiac Disease, you probably should stick to their wine and cocktails instead. 

L’OV Osteria Vegetariana

This is the one dedicated gluten free spot in Florence that we have not personally visited, mostly because we were too full from all the other amazing gluten free food in Florence to fit it into our trips. 

It’s owned by the same people as Ristorante Quinoa (which we wrote about above), and has a similar vibe.

Except this one is across the river in Oltrarno, which is a very charming part of Florence that feels miles away from the craziness of the historical center, but is just a 10-15 minute walk across the river. 

L’OV Osteria Vegetariana is 100% gluten free AND vegetarian. They’re open for lunch and dinner, and the experiences are slightly different depending on when you go. 

For lunch, it’s a rotating menu that takes advantage of the bounties of fresh produce coming from the area around Florence. 

The dinner menu is slightly more fixed, though it still rotates seasonally. We were eyeing the Mozzarella in Crosta (Fried cheese? Yes please!) and the fresh pasta with garlic and chili sauce, but like I said, we didn’t quite make it. 

One thing to know going in is that portions are relatively small for the price, which isn’t exactly surprising for a 100% gluten free and vegetarian restaurant in Italy, but is worth knowing going in.

Antica Gelateria Fiorentina

This tiny gelato shop, which is 100% gluten free (including the cones!), served me what I think is the best scoop of pistachio gelato that I have ever had (Pinolo gelato at home in Portland is a close second). 

There is, of course, a Grom location in Florence, but while Grom (which we’ll talk about below) is really good and consistent, this gelato from Antica Gelateria Fiorentina was the best we’ve had in Italy. 

Plus, the staff was incredibly friendly and complimented my Italian (I speak Spanish and French, so I have the grammatical structure and accent down for the most part), which may or may not have influenced how much I enjoyed the gelato. 

The standout flavors here were the pistachio, the amorino, and the stracciatella, though I’m sure all of their flavors are excellent based on our experiences here three out of four days. 

I went here multiple times over my latest trip, and I would absolutely go back.

Grom

If you’ve read any of my guides about visiting Italy, you’ve almost certainly come across a mention of Grom, which is a 100% gluten free gelato chain with shops all over Italy (and even some locations in other places like Lisbon and Paris). 

You might think that the scale they’re producing gelato at means that the quality is lower, but I actually think Grom is really good gelato, gluten free or not. 

A few years ago, I did a tour-de-gelato in Rome, trying all of the 100% gluten free gelato shops in the Italian capital (and there are a bunch – four or five at the time of writing).

Grom came out tied for first place in that head-to-head tasting (I tried the pistachio flavor at all of them, and then a wild card flavor that looked good over two visits). 

One of the key things to look for when you’re looking for high quality gelato is whether they store their gelato in covered stainless steel containers – a sign that the gelato is fresh and uses fewer stabilizers than the ones you see piled up out of the container.

Grom does that, which is generally a positive sign. 

I really like the pistachio and hazelnut, though the chocolate hazelnut (“gianduia”) is the flavor I find myself going back to over and over again. 

Last time I checked, the cones they use do have gluten free wheat starch in them, so if you have a wheat allergy, you’ll have to get it in a cup. 

Dedicated Gluten Free Bakeries in Florence

There are two dedicated gluten free bakeries in Florence, one of which has multiple locations in the historic center, and one of which requires a bit of a journey to reach (but is worth it, provided you can tolerate gluten free wheat starch, which is generally considered safe for Celiacs in Italy). 

Cortese Cafe

I’m a little mixed on Cortese Cafe, which is a popular gluten free and vegan bakery in Florence, because I know they use gluten free oats in many of their products, which are hit and miss back home and I’m unclear whether they are a) allowed or b) equally problematic in Italy. 

The philosophy here, which uses words like “raw food” also sets off some flags in my head, because I know how hard it is to make a pastry gluten free, vegan, AND delicious (in general, you get to pick two). 

That being said, I did enjoy the gluten free cornetto with jam that I had here, and I would be hard-pressed to pick it out as vegan if I didn’t know it already.

It’s layered, buttery (though I assume it’s not actually butter), and the jam was perfect. 

My mom and uncle did comment on an aftertaste that they got, but I definitely didn’t notice it before they mentioned it and still don’t have any idea what they were talking about. 

They only make the cornetti in the mornings, and we were lucky to snag the two last sweet ones on our first visit here. 

Also worth noting that they have gluten free and vegan gelato, and that if you order a milk-based drink here, it will be made with plant-based milk. 

Bottega Artigiana del Gusto 

Bottega Artigiana del Gusto is a little bit of a journey from the center of Florence, but if you have Celiac Disease, love good food, and are into pastries, this is the place for you.

It’s the one of the only dedicated gluten free bakeries in Florence, and they also have a bunch of ready-to-eat options for lunch like pizzas, panini, and other delights. 

We think it is 100% worth the journey – about 20 minutes each way by bus (or 45 minutes on foot) – to go here.

It is worth noting, however, that they do use a lot of flour that uses gluten free wheat starch, which is generally considered safe for Celiacs (as long as it’s labeled gluten free) but IS NOT safe for people with a wheat allergy. If that’s you, we wouldn’t bother making the journey here. 

It’s in a charming, more residential and local neighborhood east of the center. And to be honest, it’s a nice change of pace from the craziness of the center of Florence. Which is beautiful, energetic, and charming in its own right, but it’s A LOT. 

As if that wasn’t enough, it’s also a 100% gluten free grocery store, stocking a bunch of different gluten free products like crackers, breadsticks, bread, pastas, cookies, and the list goes on. 

Anyway, back to the pastries. They have both savory and sweet options.

The sweet options are what we focused on (obviously) and we had a cornetto (a croissant, ish), a bombolini (a donut, ish, filled with cream or chocolate), and two wild card pastries that looked good, but I’m still not quite sure what I ate.

Don’t worry, we ate them over the course of the next couple of days, not all at once. 

We went around lunchtime, and they were in the process of making more and more tasty items for us to choose from.

We ended up with a slice of buffalo mozzarella pizza, and one of our favorite discoveries in Italy – scarpazzone – which is kind of like a Hot Pocket, but actually good. 

It’s a stuffed savory pastry, in this case stuffed with eggplant, tomatoes, and parmesan. We found it multiple times (including in Milan) and it’s one of Alysha’s new favorites. 

Oh, yeah, and their gluten free bread is fantastic, too. We got a loaf to make our own cheese plate at our apartment, and it was light and fluffy on the inside, crunchy and crusty on the outside. Like bread should be!

AIC-Accredited Restaurants in Florence

I want to remind you, before we get into this section, that this is definitely not meant to be a comprehensive list of every restaurant in Florence that maybe, might be able to serve you a gluten free meal that might be safe. 

Instead, this is a list of restaurants that are well-reviewed on the AIC app (along with other apps) AND that we had a good experience at. 

That’s right, I ate at all of these restaurants. 

Your experience may vary, of course, because it comes down to communicating your needs to the staff and them following the protocols they have in place to prevent cross-contamination. 

If you’re worried about not being able to communicate, spend the $9 on an Italian gluten free restaurant card, and you won’t have to stress about pulling up “I have Celiac Disease, is this gluten free” on Google Translate. 

Hostaria Il Desco

On my latest foray into the world of Florence, I was with my mom and uncle (who are not gluten free, but ate gluten free so we could share everything) and Hostaria Il Desco was the unanimous pick as our favorite overall meal in our eight days in Italy. 

As usual, I tend to gravitate towards places that let you experience the local cuisine (rather than, say, Paris, where all the best options are anything but French), and this place checks that box. 

When I was planning where to eat on the trip, this was the place I was most excited about, and I immediately made a reservation for our last night in Florence to make sure we didn’t miss it. 

When we arrived and were seated in their low-light (not candlelit, but made to feel that way) dining room, the first question they asked was whether or not anyone was gluten free so that they could note it and give you a gluten free menu. 

We basically knew what we wanted as soon as we sat down minus one dish, which we did a quick “you pick two and I’ll choose between them” exercise to narrow down to a third main to split. 

We had the pappa al pomodoro – a delicious tomato and bread soup that I highly recommend eating as often as possible in Tuscany – pappardelle al cinghiale, and the cinghiale al umido with polenta, and the risotto with burrata and bacon (which was the dish we decided on last minute). 

Turns out, I think the risotto was our favorite dish on the table (though they were all excellent, including the pistachio cheesecake for dessert). 

Also worth noting that the house wine – the white was a nice, crisp vernaccia when we were there – is also fantastic. A reminder that in Italy, house wine doesn’t mean it’s bad wine like it might in the US. 

I’d make a reservation so that you don’t miss this place if you’re looking for a safe place to try some Tuscan classics.

Da Garibardi

Da Garibardi, which is in San Lorenzo near the Mercato Centrale, is the other place to try Tuscan specialties like pappa alla pomodoro and pappardelle alla cinghiale (pasta in a wild boar sauce), two of my favorite dishes in all of Italy. 

They’re on a piazza and have a nice covered and enclosed outdoor terrace along with TONS of space inside. 

I’ve been here a couple of times now, and each time the meal I had was in my top three of my entire trip to Italy.

On the first visit, Alysha and I enjoyed a nice meal on their terrace, which marked my first experience with cinghiale (wild boar, which is quintessential Tuscany). 

A few years later, I returned with my mom and uncle in tow to enjoy a great tour-de-Tuscan-cuisine that included convincing my mom to try trippa alla Fiorentina (which turned out to be my favorite dish on the table) and enjoying our favorite bottle of wine of the trip, a vino nobile di Montepulciano. 

They are also accredited by the AIC, and the server became exasperated when, after bringing each course, I asked (in Italian) whether it was gluten free to double check (something I always recommend doing!). “You don’t trust me?” he asked in a relatively jovial tone. 

They have a separate gluten free menu that they will bring you, and almost everything can be made gluten free with the exception of a couple of filled pastas and other things that are difficult to adapt. 

My advice here is to skip the pizza and focus on the Tuscan dishes, which means definitely order the pappa alla pomodoro, which was excellent, and try a pasta or two.

Plus some Tuscan wine, which is mostly red but is a lot less intense than some of the red wines you’ll find in, say, California (which I’m into). 

Mama Eat

Mama Eat is another gluten free franchise that has rapidly expanded across Italy.

I first discovered them a LONG time ago at their location in Trastevere in Rome, and have since found them in many of Italy’s major metros, including Naples, Milan a few years ago, and now Florence. 

It started because Mama, who has Celiac Disease herself, wanted to create a place where gluten free people could come and enjoy the same food as the people who aren’t gluten free (which is vastly different than many places at home in the states, where there’s maybe a salad and a grilled chicken breast for you). 

They’re accredited by the AIC, and have separate prep areas for gluten free meals to minimize the risk of cross-contact. 

I’ve eaten at Mama Eat many times – I go there every time I’m in Rome, which has been quite a few times in the past few years – and BY FAR my favorite thing they make is their pizza (which does use gluten free wheat starch, in case you have a wheat allergy). Specifically, the diavola. 

They also have quite a range of pastas, starters (the arancini are always good – it’s hard to mess up fried rice balls stuffed with cheese and other things), and desserts (their tiramisu was my favorite in Rome). 

Overall, a reliable place to get a nice pizza, but not the place to go to try Florentine cuisine specifically (which I recommend!).

Mister Pizza

After walking by both of their locations – one right on Piazza del Duomo, one over near Santa Croce – multiple times over the course of our time in Florence, we finally stopped in to Mister Pizza and I am glad we did, because it was the best gluten free pizza we ate in Florence.  

I had discovered it through the AIC app, and read rave reviews about their gluten free pizza crust, but it wasn’t until later in our longer stay in Florence a few years ago that we decided to go for it. Mostly because I was skeptical based on the name. 

We arrived right as they opened, and the server, Sharon, was incredibly friendly, chatting with us and letting us know that the ovens were still warming up, and it would be a few minutes.

We ended up talking to her about our travels around Italy (we were in Italy for over a month on that particular jaunt), and we bonded over our shared love for pistachios.

Though she argued that the best pistachios come from Iran, where she was from. Guess we’ll have to put it to the test, someday, but the pistachios from Sicily are pretty spectacular. 

They do one thing, and they have it down to a science. That one thing is pizza, and they have separate equipment and ovens for the gluten free pizzas they make.

The crust was great – kind of bubbly (though not quite, because, you know, gluten free), nice and thin, and it held up great under the toppings. 

The toppings probably could have been more robust, but we enjoyed the Calabria pizza with a nice kick of spice anyway.

The gluten free pizzas come out with a little “gluten free” flag in them, but it’s always best to make sure to double check with the server when it comes out to be super sure it’s gluten free. 

Ciro & Sons

Ciro and Sons gets allll the hype when it comes to gluten free pizza in Florence, and my expectations were fairly high after reading that they had won a gluten free pizza competition. 

So, I made a reservation for a Saturday night, and prepared all day to stuff my face with delicious Neapolitan-style pizza. 

We arrived right on time, ready to sit down for our reservation, and found a line of people out the door, all clamoring to either put their name in or be seated for their reservation.

Except, I don’t know if you’ve ever been to Italy, but the concept of a line is mostly lost on Italians.

Instead, it’s every man or woman for themselves, creating an all-out free-for-all, which clearly overwhelmed the poor hostess who was the hero of the night, running around clearing dishes, taking names, and getting people seated. 

It took nearly an hour after our reservation before we were seated, and we quickly learned that the list in the hostesses’ hand meant nothing, and it was all about who was standing at the front of the line (whether they had waited in it or not).

Sure enough, we made it to the front and got seated!

So, my first tip is to go either for lunch, or get there early for dinner. We were there around 8:00 pm on a Saturday, and it was madness from then until around 10:00 pm. Also, probably don’t go on a Saturday if you can avoid it. 

We sat down, I explained that I have Celiac Disease and would like to eat some gluten free pizza, and the server took our order and confirmed that the pizzas would be “senza glutine.” 

The pizza crust was pretty good, though the middle of both pizzas was a mess, and the crust had essentially dissolved under the moisture coming from the toppings.

Which brings me to my second tip, which is first to lower your expectations for Ciro and Sons, then go to Mister Pizza or Sgrano instead.

Is this place good? Yeah, it’s pretty good. Is it overhyped? I think so. Can you do better in Florence? Yep, definitely. 

Gluten Free Florence, Mapped

As promised, here is a map of all of the restaurants and bakeries listed in this guide so you can visualize where everything is. 

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