Gluten Free Amsterdam: Complete Travel Guide for Celiacs

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The reason? There are two.

One, everyone in Amsterdam speaks great English, for the most part.

Two, I never really got into a situation where I needed to communicate my needs in the moment because I already had done the research to create a restaurant list that I felt good about prior to my trip.

However, for peace of mind, I still spent the $9 to have a backup plan in case I ran into a situation where I was having trouble communicating. 

Watch out for gluten free beer (which is actually gluten-reduced, if you’re American). I am always flabbergasted by this one, because typically I think of the E.U. as having better regulations around labeling. However, apparently gluten free beer is the exception here.

I remember sitting at a beer bar on my very first trip to Amsterdam with my little brother and ordering a gluten free beer, excited to be there and have a safe option. Until it showed up and right there on the ingredient list was “barley.” So Connor got two beers that day, and I got none. 

Every single “gluten free” beer I’ve seen in the Netherlands is actually what we Americans know as “gluten reduced,” which means it’s brewed with barley and then an enzyme is used to break down the gluten.

I’m not going to legislate whether this is safe for Celiacs here (I don’t believe it’s safe), but you can read this piece by Gluten Free Watchdog (who is way smarter than me) and make your own decision. 

Our Favorite Gluten Free Restaurants and Bakeries in Amsterdam

And now, on to the restaurants and bakeries themselves!

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 one exception)! 

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 Findmeglutenfree 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. 

There are a couple of pizza places in Amsterdam that get good reviews from gluten free people – De Italiian and Loulou Pizzabar – but I did not go to either for the aforementioned reason. 

At the end of the guide, we’ll include a handy map of these gluten free Amsterdam restaurants and bakeries so that you can visualize how it all fits together and make plans for your specific trip. 

So when I returned to Amsterdam a couple of weeks later, after two weeks of stuffing my face full of all sorts of gluten free food, Craft Coffee and Pastry was quite literally my first stop. 

The first thing you should know about this gluten free bakery is that there is almost certainly going to be a line, particularly if you’re here on a weekend. 

I happened to show up 15 minutes before they opened, and found a small line already starting to form. By the time they actually opened their doors, it was probably 50 people long. 

Craft Coffee and Pastry is the best gluten free bakery in Amsterdam, and I don’t think it’s close. They have a range of pastries – including multiple types of croissants with various fillings (my favorites were almond, ham and cheese, and chocolate, in that order), some other nice sweet treats, and a bunch of different types of bread. 

Now, you can order in advance on their website for pickup to ensure that you get the baked goods that you want. HOWEVER, it is worth noting that you will need to wait in that long line even if you’re just picking up your goodies. 

I wanted to make sure to include this tidbit because I saw this happen to a woman who showed up when they told her to show up for pickup only to find that she would have to wait in that long line. 

On the one hand, I really appreciate the fact that it’s dedicated gluten free, which is a rarity in Amsterdam. 

On the other hand, I didn’t think the food was good (although I should say that I did enjoy the baked goods!). 

I hesitate to even write something like this about a dedicated gluten free small business because I know, after years of doing this and asking questions and connecting with gluten free restaurant owners, it’s a tough business. 

But on the other hand, I also think that my role as a writer is to help you figure out where to spend your hard earned money (and arguably more importantly, time) on your trip. Which means telling you what I really think about the food options at any given place. 

Despite a relatively poor experience on my first trip, when I had an aggressively mediocre burger (perhaps the most aggressively mediocre burger I’ve ever had), I returned a second time to see if it was a fluke, or if I ordered the wrong thing, or if there was some other reason that it didn’t go great on that first trip. 

Nope, the sandwich I got on the second trip was equally disappointing. It was basically a baguette stuffed with a LOT of vaguely truffle-flavored mayo, some cheese, and a few slices of tomato and cucumber. 

It also takes forever, which makes sense considering it’s a tiny kitchen and only a few staff. But it’s relevant because you shouldn’t come here in a hurry. It took ~20-30 minutes both times I ate here, which is wild to me considering it’s mostly sandwiches. 

In summary, I’d say it’s nice to have a safe gluten free option in central Amsterdam (especially for lunch), and if you’re in need of a meal while you’re out and about in that part of the city, this is a solid option. But I probably wouldn’t recommend making a detour to make sure to eat here. 

But seriously, I am the kind of person who avoids cross-contact at gelato shops by asking for those two things (I’m a regular at an ice cream place near our house that does it all the time with a smile!), and it’s truly a privilege to walk into a place and not have to ask the staff to go the extra mile because everything is already safe! 

I’ve been diagnosed as a Celiac for 15 years or so now, and it still makes me incredibly giddy when it happens.

Anyway, the gelato at Miuz is great. I went here twice on my trip to Amsterdam – once on a cold, rainy day, and once on a warm sunny day – and both times it was the same person (who is one of the owners) serving me, and they were extremely helpful and friendly. 

I even asked about their pistachio flavor – my favorite – and why it’s vegan, and they explained to me that they wanted to highlight the pistachio-ness, and the addition of milk just makes it a little less flavorful to them, so they decided to make it vegan to turn the dial up to 11 on the pistachio-ness. 

The cones are also gluten free, so this is a rare occasion where you get to have your gelato in a cone, too! Another treat that brings a smile to my face every single time it happens. 

Their kitchen is 100% gluten free, and they are a member of the Dutch Celiac Association (and have been for years). I also appreciate that their kitchen is oat-free, which is a positive in my mind (because oats are complicated for Celiacs). They have an entire page on their website dedicated to talking about allergies and dietary requirements. 

Bloem is up near Artis, about 10-15 minutes east of Amsterdam Centraal near the zoo. It’s a 100% gluten free and vegan cafe, and I walked in very jet lagged and craving vegetables on my second day in the city. I chose a table upstairs with great natural light, and settled in for a lovely lunch. 

I started with the simple but delicious pumpkin soup – which is served with a seedy sourdough bread that I really liked, and finished with the eggplant sandwich – the tomato chutney and lime sauce combination really blew my mind. Keep in mind that the sandwiches are almost open-faced – it’s not a sandwich that you’ll be able to pick up and eat. 

I enjoyed my lunch so much that I decided to prioritize a return for dinner a few days later. Their dinner menu is similar, but has a 3 course option that I was interested in. 

When I returned for dinner, they had a three course menu available with a few choices for each course (including dessert). 

I really enjoyed the buckwheat blinis (little pancakes topped with kimchi and a sauce that I wish I could put on EVERYTHING) and the falafel.

One sunny afternoon I accidentally walked past their location near De Pijp and decided to stop in for my favorite thing on their menu from previous visits; their vegetarian banh mi. 

And, to be honest, it was really good. While it’s not a real banh mi in the sense that the ingredients they use are things you’d never find in a traditional Vietnamese spot, it tastes good, the bread is good, and the sauce that they put on it is magic. 

The thing that I don’t like about Wild & the Moon is the pricetag. That banh mi costs €11.90, which is egregious considering it’s not particularly big. But good ingredients are always going to cost a little extra, I suppose!

Both times, I was really impressed by the service. Someone greeted me and stepped out from behind the counter to walk me through the bounty in their pastry case, answering my questions about dairy-free options (most – but not all – of their products are dairy-free) and their use of gluten free oats (they do use them sometimes, and they have ingredient lists in a binder behind the counter). 

They also have their ingredients listed on their website, if you want to take a look in advance. 

I actually didn’t realize that you could use oats in products in the Netherlands and call them gluten free, so I didn’t think to ask about it on my first visit (though I did ask about it on my second, and the oats they use are certified gluten free). 

Generally, I avoid oats because they’re kind of a complicated mess, which means (sadly) the plant-based cheesecakes they have are out for me on future visits (the mango yuzu cheesecake is great, though, if you don’t care about oats!). 

If we’re being completely honest here – and I do try to be completely honest so that you don’t go spend the money on gluten free treats that are going to be disappointing – I did not enjoy their products. But I’m also not the target audience for them – give me all the refined sugar (it’s the reason I play a lot of soccer – so I can eat more). 

I even went back a second time to make sure it wasn’t just the flavors I chose on the first try! Turns out, after five flavors tried, I can confidently say that it just isn’t my thing. 

The reason to come here is if your dietary restrictions include avoiding refined sugar. As you might imagine, the particular set of dietary restrictions here also comes with a hefty price tag.

Despite telling the server that I have Celiac Disease and need to eat gluten free (and being solo), they still brought me a basket of bread. Thinking I had somehow made a mistake and actually ordered the gluten free bread, I asked “is this gluten free?” and the server responded with “no, do you want gluten free bread?” 

I just told them that I didn’t want or need the bread they had brought, and they took it away (looking very confused). 

Anyway, the menu here is clearly marked, and when I asked about shared fryers they were able to answer my questions (on the second try, the first try got lost in translation). A vast majority of the menu is gluten free, and I personally didn’t see any issues with things being marked gluten free but not safe for Celiacs based on my questions. 

I had the stuffed eggplant with yogurt to start, and it was great. Smoky, tomatoey, and the yogurt is a nice topping. 

Then I had the Hünkar Beğendi, a rich stew made with eggplant, onion, and cheese topped with tender lamb, and I think it was my favorite thing I ate in Amsterdam. Even the rice was amazing (it was clearly doused in butter, but it was delicious!). 

I would have definitely overlooked that particular dish, but the server said if I liked cheese (I do) it would be a good choice, so I went for it. 

Make a reservation if you can – even on a Monday evening, there was a wait. 

It’s kind of like an arepa (or a taco, or a sandwich – every culture has something like it!) where you have a tapioca crepe on the outside, which is made from little pearls of tapioca cooked on a hot grill, and stuffed with your choice of fillings. 

When I was in Amsterdam, they were closed for dine-in because they were in the midst of a renovation of their space, but they were open for delivery, which I snagged for lunch one day. 

I got the chicken and cheese and, of course, an order of their pao de queijo – which is basically cheese bread, also made with tapioca, that we also love (and make fairly regularly at home). 

They also have bowls, but I’m less interested in those (plus, the granola contains oats). 

However, if you watch them work, you’ll notice that there is a completely separate fryer area with big wide vats (they almost look like copper woks, in some cases) where the fries are fried, then they’re taken out of the fryer and put onto a tray (or similar) where they’re scooped into cones or containers, topped with sauce, and handed to the customer. 

The croquettes are in a different (but nearby) part of the kitchen and ARE NOT GLUTEN FREE. 

I made the decision to indulge in these specific places, and you’ll need to evaluate the risk and make that decision for yourself. 

It is worth noting that Vlaams Friteshuis Vleminckx does one thing, and one thing only; fries. So the risk of cross-contact is much lower there (they do have sauces that contain gluten, which the staff can help you with). 

Vlaams Friteshuis Vleminckx: A nondescript little window on a narrow street just off of Koningsplein in Amsterdam’s historic center, they only serve fries here, so you don’t even have to worry about cross-contact in the fryers. They do have sauces that contain gluten, so you’ll want to ask the staff to help you. 

Fabel Friet: Apparently this shop in the Grachtengordel (the Canal Belt) got famous through Tik Tok (I wouldn’t know – the app sees the gray hair in my beard and sideburns and says “nope” when I try to open it), but I found it because of the fact that it gets good gluten free reviews. They do both fries and croquettes, but after watching through the window for a solid 10 minutes, I felt good about the fact that the fryers are suitably separate. But the real star here are the toppings! You can get them topped with shaved cheese (parmesan or cheddar) and sauce (truffle mayo was the star). It’s a popular spot, but it’s worth the wait if the line is relatively short (peak time is 3-4pm). Get the fries, parmesan, and truffle mayo and thank me later. 

Manneken Pis: I’m familiar with this name because there’s a statue in Brussels of a young boy peeing with the same name. This spot (there are actually two of them in Amsterdam’s Centrum) does Flemish-style fries and croquettes, and they have a helpful allergen menu on their website that tells you which sauces are gluten free. Same deal here – I watched them make food for a while to see how they handle the fries vs. croquettes, and felt good after seeing they have a very similar setup to the other spots here. 

Heertje Friet: The last of the spots I visited, they also have a useful allergen menu on their website which lists the sauces and which ones contain gluten (the fry sauce DOES contain gluten). They also have croquettes and bitterballen, all of which contain gluten but are fried in a separate part of the small kitchen. 

So I’m going to use this section as a place to house other recommendations I’ve gotten (or found myself) for gluten free restaurants in Amsterdam that I haven’t personally made it to yet, but that doesn’t mean you shouldn’t!

Plus, that will make it easy for me next time I’m in Amsterdam, because I’ll have my “must-do” list in one place.

De Glutenvrije Winkel: I tried to go here on my latest trip, but they unexpectedly changed their hours at the beginning of a week that included a bank holiday, and ended up being closed the entire week that I was there. Sad! It’s a dedicated gluten free grocery store AND bakery, and though it’s a bit far out, it’s relatively easy to reach on the tram. This is a good spot to get gluten free bread, which they make fresh almost daily.

Café Piazza: I ate here on one of my previous trips, but not this one. This feels very much like eating gluten free in Italy, where their Celiac Association guides restaurants with different processes to ensure gluten free meals are prepped and served separately to be safe for Celiacs (like different colored plates and utensils, which this place also uses). They have an entire page on their website dedicated to their gluten free menu, and have gluten free pasta (multiple types!), but don’t have gluten free pizza. 

Gluten Free Amsterdam, 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. 

Where to Find Gluten Free Groceries in Amsterdam

If you’re looking for a place to buy gluten free groceries, there are plenty of grocery stores in Amsterdam that fit the bill. 

The most plentiful is going to be Albert Heijn, which is great as far as local grocery stores around the world go. Each of their locations – and I went to several – have a completely separate gluten free section with a variety of products including plenty of Schar (love Schar!). 

Jumbo also typically has a separate gluten free section, and is roughly the same (but less plentiful). 

As I mentioned above, another good option is De Glutenvrije Winkel, which is part gluten free grocery store (as in everything is gluten free), part gluten free bakery. But it does require a separate trip, because it’s not in the center.

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