Gluten Free Madrid: A Complete Guide

Tips for Eating Gluten Free in Madrid

After a week spent eating our way through Madrid (gluten free, of course), we have a few things that we think you should know before arriving.

One thing we noticed on this last trip is that a bunch of our favorite gluten free restaurants in other Spanish cities – namely Barcelona (make sure to read our guide to gluten free in Barcelona if you’re heading there!) – have begun to expand into Madrid, and vice versa.  

Spain is among the easiest countries to travel gluten free thanks to good labeling laws and active local Celiac associations who arm restaurants with the knowledge they need to serve safe gluten free meals.

As you can probably imagine, there are still a few things to watch out for. 

Gluten free beer is actually gluten-reduced. Or gluten removed, depending on the wording you’re used to at home if you’re from the US and Canada.

For some odd reason, despite being ahead of the US and Canada in labeling in a lot of regards (no “gluten free” oats, barley and rye need to be bolded in the ingredient statement, etc), in the EU, it is legal to call a beer brewed with barley gluten free.

In the EU, every last gluten free beer I came across was gluten-reduced. You can imagine my frustration when I sat down at dinner in Florence, saw gluten free beer on the menu, and spent 6 Euros on it only to find out that malted barley was the first ingredient. Infuriating.

Celiacs shouldn’t drink gluten-reduced beer. See here for why. Or here. 

If you feel good about your Spanish, you can ask them to make your food in a separate area and do some extra cleaning, but it’s going to be risky.

Or, you can invest $9 in a gluten free restaurant card from Jodi over at Legal Nomads as a way to bridge the potential communication gap.

I personally brought this card in multiple languages on our three month European adventure, and highly recommend them as a tool to make gluten free travel less stressful. 

Our recommendation for tapas would be to stick to either 100% gluten free places, or places that are certified by the Celiac Association of Madrid. 

Our Favorite Gluten Free Restaurants and Bakeries in Madrid

And now, on to the restaurants and bakeries!

Over the years, we’ve realized that it’s important to us to prioritize supporting the businesses that support the Celiac community. And that means doing our best to make it to every single dedicated gluten free restaurant and bakery in a city to include it in our guides. 

In this case, Matt did it (with only a couple of exceptions)! 

Generally speaking, I’m not someone who is going to wait until I show up to a restaurant to spring my questions on them and expect them to be able to serve me UNLESS it’s a place that gets great reviews from other people in the gluten free community. 

I use a combination of Google Maps, Instagram, and Find Me Gluten Free to find restaurants that have been recommended by other Celiacs, and I go from there. 

A couple of rules for me: I don’t do pizza places or bakeries that are mixed, because I have recently gotten into baking bread and making pizza at home and flour ends up EVERYWHERE.

It must be impossible to keep them separate in a normal kitchen unless you have a completely separate prep area and oven, which most places just don’t have. 

It’s worth repeating – your experience may be different than mine. 

So much of being able to get safe gluten free food when traveling hinges on your ability to communicate your needs to servers and other waitstaff – whether it’s asking if the plantains are fried in the same fryer as tequeños, or asking if the gluten free bread is toasted in the same toaster as regular bread.

This is especially true in places that are not dedicated gluten free, where the risk of cross-contact is higher. 

You will need to be able to communicate those things in Spanish.

We, luckily, are able to cobble together enough Spanish to get by, but I still invested in a gluten free restaurant card in Spanish just in case my fifth grade Spanish wasn’t enough.

If you’re not sure about your ability to speak Spanish, I’d recommend doing the same. It’s well-worth $9 for peace of mind and reducing the food-related stress when traveling, in my opinion. 

We made it to ALMOST every place on this list, though not quite all of them. In each section, you’ll find our thoughts on the food and recommendations on what to order if we did visit. 

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

Wondering what our favorite spots are in Madrid? There’s a lot of places listed in this guide (good news for gluten free foodies!), but if we had limited time and had to choose, we’d make sure to eat at Grosso Napoletano Senza Glutine (great pizza), Okashi Sanda (excellent Japanese food), Sana Locura and La Oriental Sin Gluten (our two favorite gluten free bakeries in Madrid), and Churrería Chocolateria 1902 (churros con chocolate available gluten free).

Dedicated Gluten Free Restaurants in Madrid

There are a bunch of dedicated gluten free restaurants in Madrid where you can get everything from traditional Spanish tapas to gluten and dairy free Japanese food (which is something that’s hard to find!). 

Okashi Sanda (Japanese)

Okashi Sanda was my absolute favorite gluten free food experience in Madrid, mostly because gluten free Japanese food (that goes beyond sushi) is pretty difficult to find anywhere, even here in Portland where we have TONS of great options. 

Immediately after eating here, I Facetimed Alysha raving about how good my meal was. Then, I stopped myself, and realized that actually, I have NO IDEA if it’s “good” or “authentic” or not because I’ve NEVER had anything to compare it to before, gluten free or not. 

It’s a dedicated gluten free and dairy free establishment, and their whole goal was to go beyond sushi and sashimi, which is the predominant type of Japanese food that you can find gluten free. 

We went here on our previous trip to Madrid, but we got takeout because we weren’t feeling comfortable eating inside restaurants at that point.

It was still really good – despite being carted across the city by me before we got to actually eat it – which made me SO excited to return and actually eat it right out of the kitchen. 

The two best things I’ve eaten here are the takoyaki – a fried ball filled with octopus that is sort of like a croquette or arancini – and the katsudon, which is sort of like runny eggs cooked in a sweet sauce topped with crispy strips of fried pork served over rice. 

Highly, highly recommend for a unique food experience that you aren’t likely to find a whole lot of places around the world. 

Save room for dessert, because they have a bunch of housemade desserts that are also worth trying! I had the Japanese cheesecake (“cotton cake”) and it was delicious. 

They also have a newer location in Valencia, if that’s a part of your trip to Spain. 

However, I want to make it super duper clear that this pizza is somewhere near the top of my “best gluten free pizza” list in the world, which includes extensive (we’re talking multiple month-long trips) travel in Italy, which is a great country for eating gluten free (read about it in our guide to gluten free Italy!). 

Grosso Napoletano has a couple of locations, and six of them are ENTIRELY gluten free. There are no gluten-filled pizzas prepared in the kitchen, or cooked in the wood-fired pizza oven.

It’s traditional Neapolitan-style pizza straight out of Naples. It took them four years, but now you are able to experience their pizzas even if you have Celiac Disease. 

This pizza is up there with the best gluten free pizzas we had in Italy. In fact, I’d say it would be in the top two or three if Madrid was an Italian city. It’s legit good.

The crust, because it’s cooked in that wood-fired oven, is nice and crispy and bubbly. The toppings – which are a little skimpy in Italy – were loaded on without the crust becoming watery and soggy. 

We decided we had to try the calzone and the pizza, since calzone isn’t something we had seen much in Italy (at least offered gluten free). Both were really, really good.

The calzone was stuffed with spicy salami and ricotta cheese, and had a slightly different texture than the pizza crust – a little thicker and fluffier. 

They have a bunch of locations that are exclusively gluten free (it used to be just one, now there are SIX at the time of writing!). I’ve been to two of them – you can see the current list of gluten free locations here. 

Casa San Juan (Tapas)

This tapas spot in the center of Madrid is dedicated gluten free, and I stepped in out of an intense rain storm to find comforting classics like patatas bravas and huevos rotos con jamón (fried eggs on top of a bed of fries with cured meat on top, one of my favorite discoveries on this latest trip). 

They also have a wider menu featuring paella (which I would save for when you get to Barcelona or Valencia, because it’s not really a thing that gets eaten in Madrid), main dishes of meats, seafood, and veggies, and more. 

I ordered WAY too much food for one person, but I wanted to try three classics here – a tortilla con patatas (con cebolla – with onions – which is the only acceptable way to eat it), patatas bravas, and huevos rotos con jamón. 

The food was pretty good – not my favorite in Madrid, but perfectly worth a stop (for lunch) given the central location. 

The ambiance is very old school, with lots of wood paneling, but the staff were very friendly. 

Croquettes are a quintessentially Spanish dish, but they’re usually coated in breadcrumbs AND fried in the same fryer as other gluten-filled things, so they’re almost always off-limits for Celiacs. 

At Solo de Croquetas, you can try allllll the croquetas your heart desires. They set out to make croquettes accessible to a range of different dietary restrictions – gluten free, lactose free, and vegan, mostly. 

They have a mix of innovative sweet and savory options, with vegetarian and vegan options too.

We tried a selection of six, and really liked the chocolate brownie (not surprising, hard to mess up a fried ball with chocolate inside), the arroz con leche (which had some nice baking spice flavors going on), and the Mojo Picón, a vegan croquette with a spicy filling. 

There are two locations in Madrid, but the one you want is on Calle de Echegaray in Barrio de las Letras (here on Google Maps), just west of the Prado Museum (a MUST on any Madrid itinerary).

There’s another location further north, but it’s probably too far for most tourists to go. 

We shared the Zucchini Queen of Africa, which is stuffed roasted zucchini topped with a pistachio sauce, and the Greek Moussaka.

Both were good, but would have been better if we had enjoyed them right after they were made rather than walking 15 minutes back to our apartment with them.

We’d recommend dining in, even though it is more expensive. 

They have some delicious-looking gluten free desserts like tiramisu and a mango peach cake (at the time we were there, anyway), but we had already had two pieces of cake from a nearby bakery, and were too full to try them. That doesn’t mean you shouldn’t try them, though!

Another good sign? The entire menu is gluten free (which was a change they made between our previous trip and this most recent visit). 

Since I was alone, I only ordered a couple of things to enjoy on their sunny patio. I went with the patatas bravas (duh), which come in a staggering number of versions (I went with the straight bravas sauce – the delicious tomato-ey spicy sauce) and a cheese plate, which comes with some gluten free crostini.

Make sure to tell them you are a Celiac! “Soy Celiaco” (or Celiaca, if you’re a woman). 

One other thing – I’d suggest making reservations. Nearly every table was booked.  

Pizza Natura (Pizza, but Make it “Healthy”)

Look, we love pizza. We’ve recently gotten into making gluten free pizza here at home (our pantry now has three 25lb bags of gluten free flours that Matt mixes to make the crust). 

However, at a certain point, you kind of just have to understand that the pizza is inherently going to be somewhat unhealthy, given the crust and cheese. 

At Pizza Natura, they’re trying to make the pizza healthy while maintaining the taste, texture, and deliciousness.

And, if we’re being honest, they didn’t really hit the mark on that front. They use a combination of flours including quinoa and millet (which I use at home too!), but the crust came out thin, soggy, and fairly “meh.” 

The one thing I will say is that they have a more progressive set of toppings than you usually see at more traditional pizza places. They also have vegan options, which is another thing you usually don’t see all that often. 

I had the truffled egg pizza – a splurge that the server recommended – and could barely taste the truffle, which only added to the disappointment. 

The takeaway here is that it’s safe for Celiacs, but there are better gluten free pizzas to be had in Madrid (at Grosso Napoletano) if you’re looking for a classic Italian pizza.

Go here if you also need to eat vegan, or are looking for some less traditional, more fun topping options.  

Pink’s Burgers (Smashbugers – One Location Only!)

One phenomenon that I’ve found in Spain – and only in Spain – is the existence of restaurant chains that are NOT gluten free that have one specific location that is totally gluten free. 

Which, for the record, I am 100% here for because it makes a place more Celiac-safe than trying to serve gluten free meals at every single location out of a mixed kitchen (which means a higher risk for cross-contact with gluten) 

Pink’s is a popular no-frills smashburger chain in Madrid that does just that. It’s a very popular chain, and it reminds me a little bit of In-N-Out here in the States in that the menu is simple, and they do what they do extremely well. 

They only have one location that is 100% gluten free, and it’s this one north of the city center (I walked from Malasaña). 

They basically have two things on the menu: burgers and fries (which you can get with or without spicy seasoning). You also get to choose your sauce for the fries (I went with spicy mayo). 

Smashburgers are all the rage these days (according to my hip cousin in LA – hi Aubrie!), and this was my first experience with that type of burger, where the meat is pressed super thin and carmelized on a flattop grill (that maillard reaction!). 

La Tape (Tapas, but More Modern)

I was staying relatively close to La Tape, and decided to make it my lunch stop on one of my last days in the city.

They’re on a sunny corner in Malasaña, which is our favorite place to stay in Madrid, though you should know that it’s more expensive to sit on their outdoor terrace. 

It’s a craft beer bar that also happens to be dedicated gluten free (remember that the gluten free beers are what we know as “gluten-removed” or “reduced” in the States, which you can’t call gluten free here). 

I actually didn’t realize it when I showed up, but on weekdays at lunch time they have a fixed price lunch menu with two courses, which is what I ended up getting. The food was pretty good, and the price would be hard to beat. 

The food on their main menu here (not the fixed price lunch menu) is less traditional than some of the other spots, but looks interesting. I had my eye on the burgers, but they weren’t serving them when I was there. 

Arde (Burgers)

Arde is a hip burger joint on the northern border of Malasaña, close to the Bilbao metro station. I was not prepared for the vibe when I walked in and was greeted with low light and pink fluorescent lights spelling out “F#ck Gluten” and fake graffiti all over the walls.

Everything here is gluten free, and the burger was really solid. I had the “Satisfied” with bacon and caramelized onions, and enjoyed it. The fries are good, too. 

They also have smashburgers, chicken burgers, and even a vegan burger (with Beyond Meat), along with some starters like nachos, chicken fingers, and mac and cheese. 

Overall, I enjoyed it, but I preferred Pink’s in terms of the food (though there are far less options at Pink’s as far as burger toppings). 

Dedicated Gluten Free Bakeries in Madrid

There are (at least) five dedicated gluten free bakeries in Madrid, and all of them offer something slightly different. If you can’t tell based on reading the blurbs below, we have some pretty clear favorites. 

Sana Locura (Best Pastries + Bread)

While some of the bakeries below specialize in pastries or bread, Sana Locura does both really, really well, which is why it’s at the top of our list of both gluten free bakeries in Madrid, and the top things we ate in Madrid. 

As you walk in, you’re greeted with a veritable cornucopia of baked goods – sweet pastries, tarts, savory pastries, breads of all shapes and sizes, and even panettone (a sort of sweet bread that’s eaten around the holidays). 

The croissants are spectacular – buttery, flaky, and everything you want out of a croissant. They might be the closest to a regular croissant that I’ve had since my diagnosis – they’re that good. The other standout was the Napolitana filled with cream.

The Napolitana pastry is one of our favorite pastry-related discoveries in Spain – it’s kind of like a pain au chocolat that you’d get in Paris, but it can be filled with multiple different fillings (cream and chocolate are the most common). It’s part croissant, part filled pastry. 

Last, but certainly not least, was the apple crumble tart that we had, which was also great and was gone so fast that I completely forgot to take a picture of it. 

The only downside is that it’s a little far from the center of Madrid. It’s up in the Salamanca neighborhood, which is northeast of the city center.

It takes about 20 minutes to get there on the metro, and I’d highly recommend making the journey. It’s a lovely, leafy neighborhood, and the bakery is worth the price of admission (which is, in this case, the price of metro tickets and whatever pastries you choose). 

It was so good, we went back a second time despite the distance.

This time, we loaded up on croissants to enjoy in Granada, where we were headed later that day, and ventured into the savory pastry case to try a couple of filled savory pastries – one with cheese and onion, one with spinach and raisins.  

This review may or may not be influenced by the fact that the woman behind the counter complimented my Spanish, AND remembered me when I showed up a couple of days later a second time, this time with Alysha in tow. Everyone inside was very friendly, and very helpful in explaining exactly what every single pastry in the case was (in Spanish). 

Pastelería La Oriental (Incredible Pastries)

Pastelería La Oriental has two locations immediately next door to each other. Why, you ask? Because there is one full of gluten (the one on the right, in green), and one 100% gluten free.

They wanted to create a place where they could bring their pastry expertise to serve the gluten free community, but realized the only way to do that is to have a completely separate bakery and kitchen. 

They are certified by both FACE and the Madrid Celiac Association, which is a good sign that they’re doing things right in terms of creating safe gluten free pastries. 

The entire, relatively small space is full of pastry cases, which are in turn full of all sorts of pastries. The pastries are the highlight here, though they also have breads and cakes, among other things. 

If Sana Locura was the best gluten free croissant we’ve had in a while, this one was a close second. We also had a Berliner, a new favorite discovery, which is a German doughnut that is fried and then filled with cream (though I’m sure there are other flavors).

And, of course, we had to get a beloved Napolitana, which was every bit as good as any other version we had in Spain. 

LAIB (Best Gluten Free Bread)

We got a loaf of bread at LAIB, and it was moist and soft on the inside, crusty on the outside, and all-around nearly perfect in terms of texture, taste, and consistency.

Their whole thing is to prove that it is possible to make amazing bread with alternative grains – namely rice, millet, and buckwheat. They were making sourdough (which is added to their breads to give it a little bit of tang, which we like) well before it became cool in 2020. 

We had their Hogaza, which is a giant round loaf of bread with the crusty outside and chewy inside.

If you’ve had your fair share of gluten free bread, you know how difficult it can be to nail that texture, and we think LAIB did just that. 

I love that they have an entire machine dedicated to slicing the bread – the man behind the counter asked me if I wanted it sliced, I said yes, and within about 15 seconds he had dropped it into this machine and it had come out perfectly sliced. Like magic. 

We were also hungry when we stopped by, so we grabbed a baguette con pasas (raisins) to enjoy in Parque el Retiro, which is a few blocks away. Whoever came up with the idea of putting raisins in bread should be made a saint, or maybe given a Nobel Peace Prize, or something. 

You can see a selection of their products on their online store. Their bakery is south of Parque El Retiro, close to Madrid’s main train station, Atocha (here on Google Maps). 

Celicioso (Cafe with Cakes + Sweets)

Celicioso is part cafe, part cakeshop. And the part that I think you should focus on is the cakeshop. Everything is both gluten free and organic, and they have vegan options. 

They’re one of the oldest gluten free bakeries in Spain, opening their doors in the dark ages of gluten free food way back in 2012. Since then, they’ve expanded into a mini-gluten-free empire in Madrid. 

They have many locations around the city at this point, after expanding significantly over the past several years.

Each of them has a big pastry case full of a variety of cakes and pies – some vegan – and cupcakes. Carrot cake, cheesecake, more traditional Spanish cakes. All the cakes! 

We got a slice of berry cheesecake and a slice of Tarta de Santiago, which is an almond-citrus cake traditionally from Galicia in northern Spain that turned out to be the clear winner in terms of the Celicioso cake shootout.

Apparently it’s usually made with lemon, but this one heavily featured a citrus flavor. Give us anything with citrus in it please. 

That’s not to say the cheesecake isn’t good, just that the Tarta de Santiago was spectacular. 

They also have more of a cafe-style menu with things like sandwiches and salads, which would make it a good stop for lunch or an afternoon snack. 

0% Gluten (Cafe with Pastries + Sandwiches)

0% Gluten is part cafe, with a menu that includes sandwiches and toasts among other things, and part bakery, with pastry cases full of handmade pastries.

You can see straight through to the open kitchen, at least at the location we found up in Chamberí. They also have locations all over Spain, including in Barcelona and Cádiz. 

Accredited Gluten Free Restaurants in Madrid

In this section, all of these restaurants are certified by one of the local Celiac Associations (though they are not 100% gluten free).  

In these cases, more so than the dedicated gluten free restaurants above, you’ll need to be super clear with the wait staff that you need to eat gluten free.

If you’re not confident in your ability to communicate your needs in Spanish, I highly recommend investing in a gluten free restaurant card from Jodi over at Legal Nomads, which covers everything – including cross-contact (which is something most cards miss). 

I speak rudimentary Spanish, and I still bought one for my trip (though I never actually used it). Well worth the $9 for peace of mind, in my book. 

Churrería Chocolateria 1902 (Churros!)

If you want good gluten free churros con chocolate (more on this in a second), you should go to Churrería Chocolateria 1902, which is on a busy street in the city center. 

On our previous trip to Madrid, we went to a different churro spot with gluten free options and walked away VERY disappointed. So disappointed that I didn’t even consider going back on this latest trip. 

However, this place was fantastic, and is probably a must-do while you’re in Madrid. 

This was absolutely a situation where I was walking around Madrid’s center between stops on my itinerary, and happened to notice the logo for the Celiac Association in the window. So I hopped on Find Me Gluten Free and Google Maps to see what the reviews had to say. 

Sure enough, it seemed that they have processes in place to minimize cross-contact (such as separate fryers and different colored plates to signify gluten free). 

It’s a counter service situation (sort of), where you’ll walk in (more likely, wait in line because this is a very popular spot), order at the register (make sure to say “sin gluten” when you order), and take your receipt to a table, where a server will grab it and bring back a delicious plate of churros. 

Your churros should come out of the kitchen on the second floor (where they prepare gluten free churros), and they should come out on a plate that is BLACK. I’d also make sure to confirm with the server who brings them that they are gluten free (you can just say “sin gluten?”). 

Maestro Churrero (Churros)

Look, if you want churros con chocolate, this is… an option. Though they sell regular churros, they’re accredited by the Celiac Association, and have separate preparation areas for the gluten free churros. 

Here’s the blurb on their website about the gluten free churros. 

“We are the only churros that offer gluten-free churros. Made in an external workshop and taking maximum care of any cross contamination that may exist.”

However, before you go in, you should know that you’re going to be disappointed.

Between the long wait (which I’m totally fine with, but it probably took 20 minutes to get our food), subpar chocolate (we’ve had much, much better in Spain), and the undercooked churros, it’s not great. 

I say that as someone that went in with relatively low expectations after reading some pretty scathing reviews. 

It’s worth going if you REALLY want to try gluten free churros (though we’d still recommend 1902 instead), but I would say find a place that has gluten free hot chocolate and just sip on that instead if you’re not too worried about missing out on churros. 

Oh, and if you are going to go to. Maestro Churrero, go to this location, where the service was much, much better. 

Other Places in Madrid with Gluten Free Options 

Think of this as a section of places that showed up in my research, but I didn’t personally eat at while I was in Madrid for whatever reason. 

Because Madrid is a big city, there are way too many gluten free restaurants to visit in a single trip. 

Or, in this case, even in multiple trips that span more than two weeks. 

Where to Find Gluten Free Groceries in Madrid

If you’re planning on spending your time in Madrid in a place with access to a kitchen and are wondering whether or not you’ll be able to find gluten free products at the supermarkets in Madrid, let me stop you right there. 

Yes. Yes you will. 

The grocery store selection in Spain is the best in Europe in our experience, as long as you know where to look. 

If you’re wondering what to look for on packaging in Spain to see if something is gluten free, head over to my guide to eating gluten free in Spain, which has an entire, detailed section on just that. 

One of my, Matt, favorite pastimes is going into every grocery store imaginable to look at the selection of gluten free products. For two reasons.

One, I love food, specifically gluten free food, and more specifically new gluten free food.

Second, I used to work in the food industry, and like seeing what different grocery stores look like in different countries (for inspiration in case I end up back in that world). 

We have a few grocery store chains that we loved, and went back to over and over and over again all over Spain. Most of them have a completely separate gluten free section somewhere in the store where you’ll find a collection of the best gluten free products they have.

Though it’s mostly bread, pasta, and stuff like that, and you’ll actually find even more things labeled “sin gluten” if you poke around the aisles a bit. 

Here are the grocery store chains we loved. Though, you should know, you’ll find gluten free items at just about every grocery store in Madrid. Especially at more health-oriented stores. 

• El Corte Inglés: This is a massive department store, with all sorts of different sections from electronics to clothes (they have a whole section exclusively for Nespresso machines). And they have a supermarket. Though the selection generally varies by location, the gluten free section is huge, and stocked with all sorts of gems. Seriously, you should go at least once. It’s amazing. This was the best location in terms of gluten free food in our experience. 
  
  
• Carrefour (and Carrefour Express): The Express version of Carrefour, which is mostly what you’ll find within the city center, still has a nice gluten free selection despite the small footprints (but nothing close to El Corte Inglés, if we’re being honest). They’ll usually have things like gluten free bread and pasta, but might not have more specialty items like baguettes or cookies, depending on the location. Bigger Carrefour stores (not labeled “Express”) generally have a better selection. 
  
  
• Mercadona: The least fancy store here with the best prices. Their selection is smaller, and varies wildly by store. They’re generally on the outskirts of Madrid, and you’d likely have to go out of your way to find one if you’re staying in the center. 

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