Gluten Free Portland: A Complete Guide (By Locals)

DesiPDX

DesiPDX is one of our first loves in Portland. It’s in our favorite food cart pod – the Prost! Marketplace at the corner of Mississippi and Skidmore – and it’s a food cart that brings together Indian flavors and local ingredients. 

Deepak, the owner, was a software developer when he decided to quit his job and make cooking his full time gig, which was a dream he’d had for years. 

One of the things we like about DesiPDX is that they do a great job being inclusive with their menu, and making it easy for a group with multiple dietary restrictions (gluten free, dairy free, vegetarian/vegan, etc) to eat here.

There are plenty of options for everyone, and the entire menu is gluten free. And, of course, delicious.

The first thing you’ll notice about everything at DesiPDX is that the food tastes FRESH. They do a great job sourcing their ingredients, and it shows. 

The menu consists of items that are served either as a bowl, which is the dish plus rice, or as part of a plate, which means you get all the fixings like pickled vegetables. 

The highlights of the menu are the cardamom chai chicken, which is excellent and a must-order if they haven’t run out.

The masala pulled pork, which is braised in a sweet tamarind sauce (but it’s not overly sweet), is also great.

And last, but certainly not least, are the Methi Mirchi shrimp, which are perfectly seasoned with an herby, spicy seasoning. 

After being featured on an episode of Somebody Feed Phil a few years ago (our favorite travel / food show, for what it’s worth), they’ve gotten super busy. They basically serve food until they sell out, so get here early for the best selection. 

Zilla Sake

Usually people are fairly surprised when I tell them that it’s actually surprisingly hard to find gluten free sushi (“isn’t it just rice and fish?”).

However, between cross-contamination issues stemming from fried tempura and soy sauce in the kitchen and cheap substitutions like imitation crab that may contain gluten, it’s actually kind of a nightmare. 

Enter Zilla Sake, which is 100% gluten free (they use gluten free tempura batter and exclusively tamari soy sauce). 

The other thing to know is that they have a female chef, Kate Koo, which is relatively rare as far as the sushi world goes.

There are two different ways to experience a meal at Zilla Sake: ordering a-la-carte, or putting your destiny in the hands of the chef and doing an omakase experience, where you don’t really order, they just start putting things in front of you and you do one thing: eat (and probably drink sake between courses). 

Alysha is a little picky about fish, so we haven’t done omakase yet, but I have plans to when a friend is in town this spring!

The other thing we love about Zilla Sake is that they have an incredible selection of sake.

In fact, it’s one of the best in the country, with somewhere between 40 and 90 bottles at any given time. 

Now, if you’re like we were before attending Fuyu Fest put on by Sunflower Sake in Portland, you might not really know much about sake.

We were in that position on our first visit to Zilla, and we asked our server to help us put together a sake flight with three very different sakes. 

They were super enthusiastic, asked us questions to see what we were looking for, and delivered a flight of three sakes that they explained to us, and we loved it. 

Honey Butter Country Fare

This is a food cart that serves 100% gluten free fair food. When was the last time you had a gluten free corn dog? Probably not recently. 

Their truck is currently operating outside of Mutantis Brewing, a gluten free brewery in northeast Portland (more on them in a section on gluten free breweries below), but is in the process of moving to a new location at the time of writing. 

Honey Butter Country Fare is only open for relatively limited hours, just on weekends for now, but it’s 100% worth prioritizing a visit here if you’re only in town for a short trip. The owners are super friendly, and the food is incredible and unique. 

The menu changes often, but there are two staples that are always on it: funnel cakes and corn dogs.

They have a variety of corn dog options, from your garden variety corn dog to what they call “zingers,” which are corn dogs topped with a few toppings (like Alysha’s favorite, the Linus and Lucy, with peanut butter, chili oil, and scallions).

They also have done fried chicken (or tofu) and funnel cake in the past, which is their take on chicken and waffles. It was excellent, especially with the cornmeal funnel cake and savory topping (we tried both sweet and savory to see which we preferred).

The other cool part here is that they have a huge selection of vegan and vegetarian options.

They have a vegan corn dog variant with a piece of fried tofu in place of the “dog” – which we order fairly often even though we’re not vegetarian or vegan.

They also have a dedicated vegan fryer, and their sauces are homemade and are either naturally vegan, or have a vegan variant available.

Portland Fish Market

After a dedicated gluten free fish and chips spot closed over the past few years, a lot of Celiacs in Portland were despondent. Where would you be able to get gluten free fish and chips now?

Enter Portland Fish Market, which is one block off of Woodstock in southeast Portland. They use a gluten free breading on all of their fish, so no contaminated fryers here. 

It’s mainly a place to buy locally sourced fresh fish, and if you walk into their storefront on Woodstock you’re likely going to be a bit confused. However, around the corner is a little window to paradise where you can order safe gluten free fish and chips.

These fish and chips are the best in the city, and they’re definitely in the top echelon that we’ve ever had. 

Choose from a variety of fish types, which are served with tartar and perfectly cut and fried fries.

Kate’s Ice Cream

We used to live literally two blocks from Kate’s Ice Cream, which opened up a location on Mississippi Avenue in Northeast Portland a few years ago, and that is dangerous.

We would go here a lot, and walk by it even more often. I don’t think I’ve ever seen it both open and empty. 

The reason? They do ice cream that is both gluten free AND vegan, and I’m not sure you’d ever be able to tell if you tasted them blind next to their dairy and gluten-full versions.

We’ve run into people here who have driven in from 30-45 minutes away just to get their hands on this ice cream! 

Yes, the cones are also gluten free (though see the note below – they do contain gluten free oats, if you avoid them). 

The best flavor they’ve ever made, in our humble opinion, is the peppermint patty flavor that they have around the holidays. Of their base flavors, we love the mint chocolate fudge and rocky road. 

They recently opened a second location in Northwest Portland on NW 23rd, which might be slightly more convenient if you’re in Portland for a short visit. 

Important note: They do use gluten free oats in certain flavors, which we personally avoid unless they are purity protocol oats. However, every time I have asked, they have been more than happy to bust out the ingredient binder and double check the ingredients for me. Also, you can see all of their flavors and ingredients on their website in advance.

Kann

Kann is a gluten free and dairy free restaurant from Gregory Gourdet (of Top Chef fame) in Portland.

We have now been three or four times (at the time of writing), and it’s generally the place we bring friends from out of town who are visiting for a special occasion (birthdays, mostly). 

They cleaned up in terms of 2022 awards, with places like Esquire and the Oregonian naming them the best new restaurant in the country / in Portland in 2022, and have since been all over national restaurant rankings (including in the New York Times).  

The draw here is the wood-fired cuisine inspired by Gourdet’s Haitian heritage.

As you’re sitting in the restaurant, which features an open kitchen, you’ll see the wood fire at the back of the kitchen, with chefs maneuvering whole chickens and fish in and out of the fire. 

On our first visit, we tried to get reservations here for a few weeks before deciding to just show up at opening and see if they had anything available. We managed to snag a table for two after about an hour of waiting, and it was magical. 

Now, after all the accolades, reservations are even more competitive.

However, we’ve noticed that if you look in the early morning, there are occasionally reservations available for the same day (usually they’re at off peak times, early or late). 

We have mostly been able to snag reservations by looking at their availability daily to look for cancellations, but usually end up finding one when they release a few extra reservations a few days before the day we’re trying to go. 

Definitely order the jerked cauliflower main, which is the standout dish for us, along with the twice cooked pork. 

The rub is sweet and spicy, and we were this close to ordering a second one (or asking the people next to us, who tragically didn’t finish theirs, if we could have it). If Alysha ate beef, we would have ordered the smoky beef rib. 

The other thing to know here is that we enjoy the sides and small plates equally, if not more than the main dishes.

The menu rotates fairly often, so we usually ask our server to help us figure out what to order, and end up with a wide array of different, interesting dishes. 

The sides, in particular, are worth exploring, because they feature flavors and ingredients that we don’t usually encounter in our day-to-day lives, like the peanut creamed greens with peanuts and tomatoes, or the Diri Ak Sos Pwa, which is a stew of red kidney beans served over rice.

Oh, and just order all of the desserts. The baked haiti is a really special dish with tons of complexity and different textures. 

Phaya

Over the course of the past few months (since they’ve been open, really), Phaya has quickly become one of our favorite places to eat in Portland. Also, my mom’s favorite place to eat (she demands it when she comes down to visit us). 

It’s fast-casual, order-at-the-counter style, though they do have a big seating area (and a lovely outdoor patio for when it’s nice out). 

Here’s how it works. 

They have a wide range of entrees taking inspiration from Thailand, some of which are vegan.

They’re sitting almost buffet-style, heated in stainless steel trays and refreshed throughout the day. This is the backbone of their food offerings. 

Their menu has three basic parts to it.

The first is the combo, where you choose one, two, or three entrees that come as part of a rice bowl. 

The second is a single entree, which is just one big portion (and is not served with rice – you order a side of it to go with it). 

The last is their noodle dishes (that come with your choice of protein – the fried tofu is our favorite) which we think are pretty clearly the best thing that they make.

Particularly the wide rice noodles, which are divine (Alysha likes the drunken noodles, my mom likes the Pad See Ew). 

We generally split one combo and one noodle dish.

Our favorite entrees are the Phaya chicken, the fried catfish, and the massaman chicken curry, though almost everything we’ve ever gotten has been great. 

Tierra del Sol

If you know us, then you know we love Mexican food. Like, real Mexican food.

Fresh corn tortillas (or any other shape that masa can be made into), fresh grilled (or stewed!) meats, pickled onions, you get the idea. 

However, in the United States, we’ve found it fairly hard to eat at most Mexican restaurants for one very specific reason: burritos. 

Any place that serves burritos made with flour tortillas is basically immediately off of our list because cross-contact with gluten is nearly impossible to prevent.

Either the cooktop is shared between corn and flour tortillas (and sometimes rolls for tortas), the topping and condiment containers are shared, or – and this is the case for most places – both.  

If you made us choose a regional cuisine from Mexico that would be the only thing we could eat for the rest of our lives, we would immediately choose Oaxacan food. 

While we haven’t been to Oaxaca yet, a mountainous region in southern Mexico (that produces some of the country’s best coffee, too!), when we see Oaxacan food, we are immediately intrigued. 

Tierra del Sol is a food cart – really, two food carts – serving up Oaxacan specialties like tlayudas and tetelas (two different shapes of masa that hail from Oaxaca), along with Oaxacan specialties like various moles (which are thickened with masa, not flour or breadcrumbs). 

And we’d say this is the best – and most authentic – Mexican food we’ve ever had in the United States (which is a relatively short list because of the aforementioned issue with burritos). 

Our favorite thing we’ve eaten is the tlayuda, which is a huge corn tortilla grilled until it’s crispy and then topped with beans, oaxaca cheese, greens, and your choice of meat or veggies (we like the chorizo as a topping/filling for basically anything they make).  

It’s MASSIVE. Like, two full meals for two people. It comes in one of those giant takeout pizza boxes!

Your Side Chicks

If there was one gluten free food item that illustrates the prolific nature of the gluten free food scene in Portland, it’s probably gluten free fried chicken. 

In other cities, it’s relatively rare to find gluten free fried chicken made in a dedicated gluten free kitchen, and when you do it’s basically a must-order because who knows when you’re going to find it next. 

In Portland, there are at least three places that serve gluten free fried chicken (and probably more that I’m forgetting) made in a dedicated facility. 

After extensive testing (read: stuffing our faces full of fried chicken), we think that Your Side Chicks is the best of the bunch. 

The chicken is SO juicy, and the breading is crispy. I’m always flabbergasted when I bite into the chicken here because anytime I make fried chicken at home, it’s either juicy and soggy OR tough and crispy. 

I guess that’s why Daniel, the chef, owner, plater, dishwasher, and salesman of Your Side Chicks is the expert and not us. 

This is a food cart a block off of NW 23rd in NW Portland, and if there’s one thing you should do in Portland, it’s eat at a food cart. 

The menu is pretty simple. It’s fried chicken tenders, fries, kale slaw, or a combination of all three. Plus, they have chicken nuggets too (which I really like for the higher breading to chicken ratio). 

The other thing that’s really fun is the combination of sauces (the black garlic ranch and BBQ sauce are great) and rubs for the chicken (the Honey Habanero is our favorite). 

Yes, there are some unexpected quirks like the fact that it’s an extra dollar for a to-go container (which reflects the cost of the container, silverware, etc), and the good sauces cost extra (they also cost extra to make!).

But it’s a small business (usually it’s quite literally a one man show), and they can’t absorb those extra costs as easily as a huge multinational corporation. 

Sellwood Fish and Chips

Anyone who was around to experience Portland’s gluten free scene back in 2016 or so will remember Corbett Fish House (and Hawthorne Fish House, too!), which were staples in the city’s gluten free scene for a long time. 

However, they both closed relatively recently.

Luckily, Portland Fish Market has more than filled that void – their fish and chips are among the best we’ve ever had, if not the top of the list – but more options is always better! 

I always joke that I used to always order gluten free fried chicken when I saw it on a menu somewhere, but now that Portland has a handful of places to get gluten free fried chicken, it doesn’t seem that special anymore. 

Hopefully the same will be true of fish and chips thanks to Sellwood Fish and Chips opening recently in a food cart pod down in… you guessed it, Sellwood. 

I had always wondered if the people behind Corbett Fish House would ever get back into the gluten free fish and chips game, and when I was poking around on the Sellwood Fish & Chips “about” page, I learned that they were involved here (their about page appears to be directly from the Corbett Fish House website with no updates?). 

We stopped by to check it out and enjoyed the fish and chips (they also have fish tacos and sandwiches on the menu), but I would say that, if you’re only going to try one, we’d opt for Portland Fish Market. The batter here felt much heavier and less crispy, at least when we were there. 

It’s still great to have multiple options in town to get good gluten free fish and chips, to be clear!

Sousòl

If you’re unable to snag a reservation at Kann (which isn’t surprising – they’re probably the most hard-to-get tables in the city at the moment) but you still want to try Gregory Gourdet’s food, then this is the next best option. 

Kann is open and bright, with high ceilings and an open kitchen. Sousòl – the bar underneath Kann run by the same team – is dark and sexy, with an air of romance. 

Note: It’s so dark inside that I had real trouble getting good pictures, so this section shall be pictureless!

It is worth noting that this place definitely leans more heavily towards the bar end of the spectrum, but they do have a relatively large menu of shareable dishes that offer a taste of the style of food that has made Kann a sensation over the past couple of years. 

Rather than focusing exclusively on Haitian food, they’ve expanded that purview to include inspiration taken from other Caribbean countries like the Dominican Republic and Trinidad and Tobago (among others). 

Reservations are still somewhat competitive – especially for Portland, which isn’t a particularly reservation-heavy city – but they’re decidedly easier to get than Kann itself (we booked ours a week or two in advance for a Saturday night, and there was plenty of availability). They’re available on Resy. 

The cocktails and mocktails – something we’re seeing more of recently, and we’re here for it – are the highlight here, we think. 

They’re inspired by Caribbean flavors, and feature inventive flavor combinations that top the list of the most interesting cocktails I’ve had in 2024 (which, admittedly, is not a terribly long list given the fact that one cocktail means a four day hangover these days). 

The Heron Vèt – a combination that includes pisco and salted plum that is shaken with an egg white like a pisco sour – was the highlight of the evening, at least for me. 

The food, though, is definitely not something to dismiss.

The accra – saltfish fritters – are excellent (at least partially because the sauce is marvelous), and you should absolutely save room for dessert to get their house banana split. 

Crave Crêperie

Having spent some time traveling around France, I (Matt here) am a big fan of savory galettes, which hail from northwest France and are traditionally made with buckwheat, which is gluten free. 

The only problem that you usually run into is the fact that the sweet crêpes are generally made with a batter that is NOT gluten free, and they’re all cooked on the same surfaces with the same utensils, which makes them not safe for Celiacs. 

Not so at Crave Crêperie, a dedicated gluten free food cart slinging both savory and sweet crêpes, all of which are gluten free!

It’s very much a one person show here – I’ve only ever seen the owner, Alana, working – and it can take a second to get your food during rushes. But it’s worth it. 

We like the Figgy Piggy and the Besto Pesto best, but all of their savory options are great (we’ve never actually had their sweet options yet).

La Mai Plate

La Mai Plate is another great food cart option that we’ve only recently discovered, and everything in the cart is gluten free.

The menu is “Asian fusion” (their words not mine), and the food definitely leans heavily into flavors and combinations from Thailand and other parts of Southeast Asia. 

They’re in a food cart pod in the northern end of Sellwood, and they have signs posted all over the cart that say “our food is 100% gluten free” (and calling out the fact that they don’t use fish or oyster sauce either). 

They have a wide range of gluten free fried items that you can’t really find made safely elsewhere, like crab puffs and dumplings, which are fun to try. 

The best thing they make, we think, is their ginger orange chicken. Which is just divine.

Though I would also say that the curry puffs are a close second (along with the sauce they come with). Plus the sticky mango rice. 

Bastion PDX

Bastion PDX is a gluten free restaurant down in the Sellwood neighborhood.

We’ve only ever been here for brunch, which is served all day Friday to Sunday, but they also are open for breakfast and lunch (which is basically brunch, right?) Wednesday and Thursday with a slightly different menu. 

A couple of things stand out here at Bastion. 

First, they have beer on tap, and they’re ALL GLUTEN FREE. Which is pretty unique – many of the places on this list have gluten free food and regular beer, and we love that they’ve fully committed. They usually have beer from Bierly and Mutantis, though it rotates. 

Second is the fried chicken and waffles, which are grain free (though you’d never know it).

It’s a brunch item, which means you can only get it Friday, Saturday, and Sunday.

Tacovore

Tacovore is a Mexican restaurant up on NE Fremont Street that is 100% gluten free, and has a nice indoor and outdoor setup that makes it a solid year round dining spot. 

Their tacos are made with locally sourced ingredients, coming from Oregon farmers and producers, and they have some really fun flavor combinations going on.

Our favorite, though, is a classic that reminds both of us of the tacos we had growing up – the Old E – which is an elevated take on the hard shell beef taco. 

Other than that, we usually go with one of their taco specials, which are constantly rotating and are piled high with various toppings.

You can also get a fried fish taco, which is fairly uncommon when it comes to gluten free tacos, and they have plenty of non-meat taco fillings that are equally creative. 

They’ve also got locations in Eugene and Corvallis if you happen to find yourself in one of those nearby places (IMPORTANT NOTE: The other two locations ARE NOT dedicated gluten free).

Schilling Cider House

Schilling Cider is one of my favorite gluten free places in Seattle, but at that location they don’t serve food.

At their Portland Cider House, which is in the process of moving into a new space in Southeast Portland, they have 50+ taps of cider, and a 100% gluten free kitchen that serves up unsophisticated bar food – and I mean that in the BEST possible way. 

Think corn dogs, chicken wings, fully loaded tater tots, risotto balls, and more. It’s AMAZING.

I love cider, and think you will too. The cool part about Schilling is that they have a wide variety of ciders, mostly from producers in the Pacific Northwest, in addition to the ciders that they make. 

Their menu is color-coded to help you pick a cider to suit your tastes, and the staff is super helpful in that regard too.

From bone-dry, to sickeningly sweet (in my opinion, anyway), there’s going to be something for your tastes.

Mestizo PDX

We tried Mestizo – 100% gluten free – for the first time when we lived in Portland for a month during the winter to see if Alysha could handle winter in the Pacific Northwest, and it was pretty solid.

In addition to being 100% gluten free, they have tons of options for vegans and vegetarians too. 

We got the lunch specials – banana blossom tacos and fish tacos – which come with two tacos and some yucca fries. There’s also a bowl on the lunch menu, but we opted for the tacos. 

The funny part was that after biting into them, we could not, for the life of us, tell which one was the vegan taco and which was the fish.

Which is generally a good sign (we figured it out eventually, but it took a solid minute or two of examining the fried items). 

The yucca fries and plantains are also fantastic, because of course they are. 

The dinner menu has far more options, including some delicious looking vegan options and fun cocktails. 

El Pilón

If you know anything about us (or have followed us for a while), you know that arepas are essentially our favorite food group. 

If you’re not sure what an arepa is, let us explain – it’s basically a sandwich, with some sort of filling (usually braised meat, cheese, avocado, and sauce) stuffed inside a corn cake that is cooked to perfection on a hot griddle.

One of the first things we look for when we’re traveling is places making arepas because they’re usually gluten free, and they’re almost always delicious. 

El Pilón is a food cart serving up delicious Colombian food, including arepas, empanadas, and patacones. And it’s all gluten free! 

We spent six weeks in Colombia a few years ago, and fell in love with the country.

However, it wasn’t the easiest place to navigate with Celiac Disease, so we were ecstatic to find this cart that serves up some of the foods we fell in love with, without having to worry about whether or not things were safe for Celiacs. 

We’re big fans of the arepa El Pilón, which is stuffed with chicken, cheese, and spicy sauce, and the veggie empanadas, which have a herby potato filling. 

Celiac Note: On their website, they say that everything is gluten free, but do acknowledge that they work with flours that might be processed in the same facilities where gluten is present. This is pretty common, and most places don’t bother acknowledging it, which we think is a good sign! We eat here often, but wanted to give you all the information to make an informed decision. 

Harlow

Harlow has a few locations around Portland now, and they’re all 100% gluten free and vegetarian, with lots of vegan options. 

They serve things like grain bowls, juices, smoothies. Honestly, though, while the food is safe and is fine, we’ve had a couple of experiences with the food that were pretty “meh.” 

We probably wouldn’t prioritize going here if you’ve only got a short trip, but it is nice to have a safe option in places like Division or NW 23rd Ave. 

If you do go, get the vegan mac & cheese and biscuits and gravy!

Verde Cocina

Verde Cocina has a bunch of different locations in the city and surrounding area (three, to be exact) and they blend local Northwest ingredients with classic Mexican flavors and dishes.

It’s not the best, or the most authentic Mexican food we’ve ever had, but it’s pretty good, and worth a stop if you’re craving pozole or enchiladas. 

Oh, and they’re a 100% gluten free restaurant – no gluten in the kitchen, although they do serve beer. 

I’ve been to the one in the Pearl District, which is probably the one you’re going to end up at too. A little on the expensive side, but the food is good.

The real move, though, is to go to the PSU Farmers Market on Saturday morning, where they have a stand serving up a more limited menu of things like chilaquiles. 

The Whole Bowl

Pretty simple food here! The Whole Bowl offers essentially one dish, with a few possible customizations.

It’s a rice bowl with a tomatoey bean stew, avocado, cilantro, olives, cheese, and sour cream topped with their signature sauce.

It’s not fancy. It’s not going to blow your mind. But it’s gluten free, pretty delicious, and relatively affordable, which makes it a good option for a quick lunch. 

Rangoon Bistro (NOT 100% GF)

One of the things we love about Portland’s gluten free scene is the diversity of foods you can find.

You’ve got some of the more common cuisines represented in other city’s gluten free scenes – foods from Mexico, Thailand, even El Salvador – but you also have influences from more uncommon places, like Haiti and Burma. 

Rangoon Bistro is perhaps our favorite restaurant for a gluten free date night at the time of writing this guide.

And it is also our favorite example of the explanation for why Portland’s food scene is so good. 

Matt has a whole soapbox on how food carts allow for more innovation and experimentation at a lower cost of entry and how that translates to a more dynamic food scene than, say, San Francisco or Seattle (two relatively uninspiring gluten free food scenes). 

Rangoon Bistro started out as a food stand at a local farmers market, and eventually graduated to opening one, then two brick-and-mortar locations in Portland. 

The first – and our local spot – is on SE 50th just off of Division in SE Portland, and the other is right on the main drag on NE Mississippi Avenue (ironically just a few blocks from our old place in Portland), which makes a beautiful one-two gluten free punch with dinner here and then ice cream at Kate’s a few doors down. 

Not everything here is gluten free – they have noodles that are not gluten free, which is the main thing to watch out for (though you can swap them for gluten free noodles). 

However, the majority of the (clearly marked) menu is naturally gluten free, and some of our favorite dishes they make are gluten free without modifications.

Every time I ask to double check that the fryer is still gluten free, they say something to the effect of “yes, and it wouldn’t be marked gluten free on the menu if it wasn’t” (still good to double-check, though!). 

We’ve had a little bit of experience with Burmese food from living in San Francisco and loving Burma Love (sister restaurant to the famous Burma Superstar), and we were ecstatic to see that Rangoon Bistro was a relatively safe gluten free option. 

The menu rotates fairly often – there’s often a new main dish and a couple of specials when we come in – but there are three staples that are absolutely spectacular and we would definitely make sure to try; the Lahpet (which is a tea leaf salad), the Khao Pyane Sane (“really large dumpling”, their words not ours), and the fried chicken. 

The tea leaf salad is the standout (we’ve ordered two of them for a group of three before because it’s so good), with all sorts of different textures playing together. 

The really large dumpling is a soft, chewy outside stuffed with a mixture of pork and cabbage and doused in a sweet and salty sauce (with a hint of vinegar for good measure). 

The fried chicken is juicy, crispy, and spiced perfectly. The red sauce it’s served with is also fantastic. It comes in two sizes, depending on how many people you’ve got eating it. 

The other standout here is the salty coconut drink, which is super interesting and is one of Alysha’s favorite things to eat or drink in Portland. 

Jade Teahouse (NOT 100% GF)

I was fairly skeptical of this place because they do have a few items that contain gluten on the menu (mostly burgers and sandwiches, really), but after some research and visiting for the first time, I was sold that they know what they’re doing when it comes to preparing safe gluten free food. 

The vast majority of the Jade Teahouse menu – which is also vast – is gluten free, including a few dishes that are hard to find gluten free elsewhere (like their fried spring rolls, which are hands down the best thing we ate here). 

The location down in Sellwood isn’t particularly convenient for the average tourist who is spending most of their time closer to the downtown core, but it’s a nice option for local gluten free foodies looking for some different options. 

The gigantic menu is broken down into a bunch of different categories, including appetizers, salads, noodles, and main entrees. 

Most everything outside of the “sandwiches & burgers” section is gluten free, and the menu is clearly marked and the staff is able to answer questions about dedicated fryers and noodle prep with ease. 

An important note here – the portions are GIGANTIC, even with appetizers and salads. 

Alysha and I ordered what we assumed were two main dishes and an appetizer, and the person taking our order said “three people, right?” Which should have been our first hint that we were about to get a lot of food.

We basically ended up with a full dish left over because even the appetizer was massive.  

The prices may seem a bit high, but the portions match the price and the value is actually pretty good. 

Taquería Los Puñales (NOT 100% GF)

We love all kinds of Mexican food, and absolutely hate that basically every taco spot in the country these days also makes burritos, which essentially means that every flour tortilla is cooked on the same grill as the corn tortillas, and the food is unsafe for Celiacs. 

No burritos at Taquería Los Puñales! They focus on tacos, specifically tacos de guisados, which feature fillings that are stewed and braised, rather than grilled or roasted.

Which is our favorite style of tacos after our brief foray into the taco scene in Mexico City. 

They’re on Belmont St between 33rd and 34th, which is a fun stretch with a couple of good bars nearby.

They opened in 2020, which was undoubtedly a hard time to get into the restaurant business, but they pulled through (in part thanks to the patio out front, which allows for outdoor dining). 

The menu is 99% gluten free, with the only things to stay away from being the mole tacos (the sauce is prepared in a separate pot from others) and the tres leches cake (which is made offsite).

Everything else, from drinks to tacos to sides, is gluten free – though you should double check with them on arrival, they’re very friendly and happy to help. 

Usually, the menu consists of tacos (or bowls, if you don’t want the handmade to order corn tortillas), sides, and beverages (the horchata is great), but on weekends they also add a few brunch items to the menu that rotate, like chilaquiles and pozole.

Tamale Boy (NOT 100% GF)

The tamales at Tamale Boy are the only thing that they could confidently say are safe for Celiacs, with everything else being cooked and prepared on shared equipment with the tortas (sandwiches) and flour tortillas.

The tamales, though, are made and steamed with special equipment, and wrapped in a non-edible container, so they should be safe. 

I’ve heard people say that they’ve eaten here “without getting sick,” but that doesn’t mean it’s safe – they don’t have the processes in place in the kitchen for items other than tamales.

Tamale Boy started as a catering company, evolved into food trucks, and now is a full-on empire in the Portland metro area. They have three brick-and-mortar locations with two in northeast Portland. 

Their tamales are both excellent and HUGE – it’s plenty of food for one person, and possibly two.

They come in two varieties – Oaxaqueño, a style from Oaxaca that is wrapped in banana leaf, and Norteño, which is wrapped in a corn husk (this is the type you usually encounter in the U.S., at least in our experience). 

We gravitate towards the Oaxaqueño versions, and the cochinita pibil is, by far, our favorite. 

Bamboo Sushi (NOT 100% GF)

I first discovered Bamboo Sushi up in Seattle when I was visiting family, and only when we moved to Portland did we realize that they have a bunch of locations here, too. 

The menu here is a little perplexing, but it IS safe for Celiacs because they use tamari, gluten free tempura batter, and the only items that contain gluten are not sushi, so all of the sushi is prepared in a safe environment. 

I say perplexing because the only items that are not gluten free are things that don’t feel like they should be on the menu in the first place, namely the burger and the steak.

Weird choice, but you do you Bamboo!

Gluten Free Bakeries in Portland, Oregon

Portland is on another level in terms of the gluten free bakeries here.

Seriously. In most bigger cities, there are a couple of bakery options, some good, some not so good. 

In Portland, there are AT LEAST three or four gluten free bakeries that would immediately catapult into just about any city’s top two or three gluten free bakeries. 

Los Angeles and New York City are the closest comparisons we can think of in terms of the number of excellent gluten free bakeries, and those two cities are roughly six and eleven times bigger in terms of population. 

It’s great, and it’s part of the reason we moved here permanently. 

New Cascadia Traditional

Look, we’ve been to our fair share of gluten free bakeries, both in the United States and around the world. New Cascadia Traditional is up there with the best of them.

We’d put it in the top three, tied with Boulangerie Chambelland in Paris (read our guide to gluten free Paris for more!) for the top spot. 

The thing that New Cascadia is world class at is baking gluten free bread. 

Their bread products are incredible. Their Farmhouse Bread is our go-to everyday bread, and their Rustic Italian loaf is a special treat. 

A few years ago, we moved to be within a few blocks of New Cascadia, and it was one of the best decisions we have personally ever made. 

I tried to get into baking gluten free bread at home at one point recently, and decided that, while delicious, it’s simply not worth it given the fact that I can walk to New Cascadia – some of the best gluten free bread in the world – in seven minutes flat. 

We’re not saying that their pastries aren’t good – their brioche donuts and cheddar chive biscuits are also great – but the bread is where we think they stand out. 

Their expertise in bread also carries over to their pizza crust, which makes sense because, as we’ve learned through our recent experiments baking our own bread, is essentially bread. 

Their pizza crust is phenomenal, and despite Matt becoming an amateur pizzaiolo over the past year or two, we still come here roughly once a month for pizza. The pepperoni and bianca neve are standouts for us. 

If you’re into pizza, we’d say that you should time your visit to when they’re offering pizza on their menu, which we’re pleased to say is now every single day (and they’re open late on Thursday through Saturday nights for pizza too!).

Petunia’s Pies and Pastries

Petunia’s is a dedicated gluten free AND vegan bakery in downtown Portland, a few blocks away from Powell’s Books and Pioneer Courthouse Square (if you find yourself down there).

They recently celebrated their 13 year anniversary, and have consistently been one of the best gluten free options in the city. 

Now, a quick note at the top here. Usually, when we see “gluten free and vegan,” we immediately set our expectations lower because, in our experience, it can be difficult to get the texture right. 

While New Cascadia are experts at bread, we think Petunia’s is an expert in sweets (though their vegan breakfast biscuit sandwiches are pretty great too). 

The highlight at Petunia’s, at least for us, is their doughnuts on the weekends.

If you have never had a real fried gluten free donut, you should make it a priority to go to Petunia’s at opening on a Saturday or Sunday.

They’re legitimately in our top three gluten free doughnuts of all time. Crunchy on the outside, doughy on the inside.

They’ve nailed the texture (especially when you consider they’re also vegan), and we’re here more than we’d like to admit. 

They only do them on the weekends, and they DO sell out, so get there around the time they open if you want them. 

They also do cakes (whole or slices), cookies, pies, muffins – the list goes on, and you’ll find them all in their beautiful display case.

Blue Moon Bakery

Blue Moon Bakery operates a little differently than the other places on this list, and it might not work if you’re traveling to Portland for just a couple of days.

They do have a brick-and-mortar out in Hillsboro, but it’s a long drive from Portland (30-40 minutes, depending on traffic). 

However, if you’re a Portland resident (or a resident of the Portland metro area), we’d highly recommend checking them out because they do offer a dropoff service in Portland. 

In 2008, they started as a tiny operation, baking out of a home kitchen and selling at farmers markets around the Portland area.

Today, they operate out of a kitchen in Hillsboro (just outside of Portland), and do pop-ups at specific days and times all over the region. 

The key here is that you HAVE to order in advance (by Wednesday at 11:00 am), and select a pick up time and location.

Then, you have to be there within 15 minutes of your pickup time because they have to move on to the next pickup spot. They have a list of pickup times and locations on their website. 

We’re telling you that it’s worth jumping through a couple of hoops to get your hands on their baked goods, which are excellent.

We’ve never ordered something that we’ve been unhappy with, and we order from them often. 

The highlights for us are the doughnuts (especially apple cider, which is in the fall), the biscuits (which are always in our freezer), and the savory galettes (the Greek galettes with olives are YUM).

Berlu Bakery

Berlu is the brainchild of Vince Nguyen, a ridiculously talented (and acclaimed) chef who has worked in some of the most prestigious restaurants around the world, including Noma in Copenhagen.

He has taken those experiences, along with flavors, techniques, and combinations from Vietnamese cuisine, and created a space that is part restaurant, part bakery (at the time of rewriting, they’re working on securing and moving into a new, expanded space). 

If you don’t believe us when we say he’s talented, you might trust James Beard (who made him a semifinalist in their 2022 James Beard Awards) or Portland Monthly (who named him best chef of the year in 2022). 

Every time they’re open, which has historically been weekends only (but that may change when they open their new space), we make it a priority to go here. 

We’ve been here for baked goods many times, and also for an impromptu ice cream pop up over the summer. Every time, we walk away with a smile on our face and satisfied stomachs. 

There are two things we really – and we truly mean this – love about Berlu. 

First, Vince and his staff, which occasionally includes his mother, who chats with the patrons lining up for her son’s baked goods like we’re part of the family, are incredibly warm and friendly.

He remembers us – and many of the other repeat customers before and after us – almost every time we’re in. Which, we think, is special. 

Second, we love Vince’s creative approach that is all about experimenting and trying things that most other chefs would likely never even think to try.

It’s a testament to his background and experiences that he’s able to find the boundaries and push on them to move into new territory. 

The baked goods at Berlu Bakery are truly unlike anything else that’s offered in Portland (or anywhere else on the west coast that we know of). Specifically – and we should clarify this – anything that’s offered is gluten free and safe for Celiacs. 

Our first time here, we got a “one of everything,” which is where we fell in love with their Bánh Khoai Mì Nướng (a cassava cake with a really interesting texture) and the fruit/5 spice cake (the fruit rotates seasonally, and the cake is sweet and spicy, but in a baking spices way, not a spicy peppers way). 

Whatever you order, you’re going to love it because it will be a combination of flavors and textures that are fairly uncommon, especially in the world of gluten free baked goods. 

Everything here is both gluten free and dairy free.

Mikiko Mochi Donuts

Mochi Donuts! We love mochi donuts, which are definitely a different genre of donuts than the other donuts on this list.

They’re flatter and chewier, and at least at Mikiko, they come in fun, expressive flavors like Peach Green Tea Boba and Ube. 

Mochi donuts are something that we’ve seen more and more here in the United States over the past few years, and we’re here for it.

It’s unlike a fried donut, which we’ve covered above with Petunia’s (and New Cascadia) – it’s more chewy and doughy, and that’s not a bad thing. They use rice flour, and it’s baked – not fried. 

The best thing we’ve eaten here is their mochi donut breakfast sandwich, which is two unflavored mochi donuts, an egg patty, ham, cheese, and a delicious katsu sauce. YUM. 

All of their donuts are gluten and dairy free. If you’re avoiding dairy, their breakfast sandwich contains dairy.

Another highlight, at least for us, is their mochi waffle fried chicken sandwich. It’s weekends only, and it usually sells out by noon or so (sometimes earlier).

It’s worth the detour to get your hands on it, though! It’s the perfect blend of sweet, salty, and a little spicy. 

Kirari West

Kirari West is a gluten free bakery from southern California, and I was extremely surprised to see that they were planning to open a location here in Portland over on NW 23rd.

They actually began in Japan, opening up a bakery there more than a decade ago, before they moved stateside to Redondo Beach back in 2014 (which is the location we’ve been to before they came to Portland). 

I remember having positive feelings about their baked goods way back then, and I was excited to revisit their baked goods now that we’ve made eating gluten free bread and pastries a full time career and have tried a wider variety of gluten free baked goods. 

The thing to remember about their pastries is that they’re explicitly marketed as “brioche,” which means you’re not going to get that flaky, buttery texture you might get with French pastries, but you are going to get a nice, rich, moist brioche dough.

It’s not better or worse, it’s just different. 

The broader menu in Portland is a little less robust than their original locations, and has a few pastries alongside a bread-focused menu of sandwiches and toasts, both sweet and savory. Plus some bowls and salads.  

The cilantro lime chicken panini is the best thing we ate here, period. Though the almond brioche is a close second, we’d say. 

Gluten Free Gem

Gluten Free Gem is in the Lloyd District on Broadway. 

It is a little bit out of the way for visitors to Portland (there’s not really a whole lot to do and see nearby if you’re a tourist), but is well worth a visit.

They have certified gluten free (by GFCO) baked goods, including donuts (and brownies, cookies, custom order cakes and pies, coffee cake, scones… the options are seemingly endless!). 

Their savory scones and coffee cakes are pretty good, as is their gluten free quiche.

You can also find their baked goods at New Seasons Market, a local grocery store chain, if you can’t make it out to the bakery itself.

Hold the Wheat

We’ll be honest. It took us a few minutes to wrap our heads around what a gluten free bakery from Minnesota was doing opening a new location in…Beaverton, Oregon?  

Turns out, the answer is that someone involved with the bakery moved out to the Portland metro area (though I can’t quite remember the exact details and am still waiting for them to confirm).

This is probably a better option if you live in Portland and are looking for something new, because you need a car to get there, so it’s not particularly convenient if you’re here for a weekend or a short trip. 

They do a good job with their pastries, and they have a nice selection of pastries that you can’t really find elsewhere.

Things like fruit danishes, which bring me back to my childhood and some of those pre-packaged filled fruit tarts (the ones that are like a cold McDonalds apple pie). 

To be clear, these are way better. 

Their selection is split between sweet and savory, with some fun options in both.

Gluten Free Breweries in and Around Portland

You know what else Portland is world-class in? Gluten free beer. Again, there is usually – at best – between zero and one gluten free brewery in cities of Portland’s size.

And usually, it’s zero. For example, Seattle has exactly one, and it’s a bigger city than Portland. 

There are four dedicated gluten free breweries in Portland. More accurately, four within an hour of the city (three of them are inside the city limits). 

If you’re into delicious gluten free beer, Portland might be the best city in the country for you. 

Groundbreaker Brewing

Groundbreaker is one of the OG gluten free breweries in the country – they started brewing way back in the early 2000’s, and haven’t stopped since.

You can find their beer in stores across the country, but they have them all (including the hard to find seasonals) at their pub in Portland. 

Plus, they usually have a fun experimental beer or two on tap. A few times back, I got their “Ginger #5” which is their IPA no. 5 brewed with a “sh*t ton of ginger” according to the bartender. It’s probably my favorite beer from them. 

The last time we were there, we were lucky enough to have one of the brewers pouring beer, and I got to ask all sorts of fun questions and learn about both their operation, and gluten free brewing in general.

She was super happy with her carrot cake cream ale, which they had just released and was nothing like what I was expecting (it was not sweet at all!). 

At the time of writing, they have Salvi PDX – an El Salvadoran pop up / food truck (all the food they make at Groundbreaker is gluten free) – operating out of their kitchen making things like pupusas, a loaded hot dog (“the Salvi Dog”), and gluten free fried chicken.

It’s delicious, and is a good accompaniment to their beers.

Mutantis

A relative newcomer to the Portland scene, Mutantis was started by a former Ghostfish Brewing (a highlight of eating gluten free in Seattle) brewer who moved to Portland and started Mutantis to do small batch, more experimental beers for a more local audience. 

Their location is up in northeast Portland, a few blocks north of Alberta, where they do both the brewing and the pouring. 

Not only do they make fantastic beer (the Guava IPA and Vanilla Stout I had were great, and Alysha liked the Passionfruit Sour), but they also have a tap for each of the other gluten free breweries in Oregon, along with their beer in bottles and cans. 

I would say that this is a must-stop for gluten free beer lovers, because you can get all of Oregon’s gluten free breweries in one place.

Evasion Taproom

Evasion is one of the several gluten free breweries with a space inside Portland’s city limits (Groundbreaker and Mutantis being the other two, with Bierly over in McMinnville). 

Evasion recently opened up a taproom in Portland at the Goat Blocks in the Central Eastside (next to Market of Choice and the former Schilling Cider House). 

I like their approach to beer at Evasion (though they do use gluten free oats in some beers, which I really wish people would just stop doing because the question of whether or not oats are actually gluten free is so complicated). 

They have a mix of more traditional craft beers like hazy IPAs and stouts, but they also have the fun side of the menu featuring mixes that might also appeal to non-beer drinkers.

A great example is my personal favorite product they make, “This is My Party Shirt,” which is a mix of their blonde ale, hibiscus, and lime (summer in a can!).

Craft beer snobs might find their upper lip curling into a snarl, but it’d be hard to argue that it isn’t absolutely delicious. 

The food menu is pretty limited, with some crackers and dips available to snack on alongside your beer.

If you’re looking for a more robust combination of food and beer, head to Groundbreaker or Mutantis, which both have great food options. 

Bierly Brewing

We’re going to cover Bierly, which is over in McMinnville about an hour outside of Portland, in a second because their food is top notch and 100% gluten free.

However, I wanted to touch on them here in the beer section too, because it’s also a 100% dedicated gluten free brewery within an hour of Portland.

They have a range of staple beers, and a rotating cast of two to three seasonal beers at any given time. You can find them on tap at the brewery, or in cans at various places around the state. 

If you’re in Portland and not planning on heading out to their brewery, you can find them at Mutantis or at John’s Marketplace, which is the best bottle shop I’ve ever been to in terms of gluten free beer and cider selection, I think.

Gluten Free Restaurants and Bakeries Just Outside of Portland

Within an hour or so of Portland, there are a few other spots that we want to put on your radar in case you find yourself nearby. 

Bigwig Donuts (Salem)

100% gluten free donut holes fried fresh-to-order. Need I say more? They are truly excellent when they’re right out of the fryer. 

Bigwig Donuts is in downtown Salem, which is a bit of a trek, but it makes a great stop on the way back from Silver Falls State Park or the Willamette Valley. 

They have rotating flavors of their donut holes, so you’ll have to check the menu the week of your trip.

They generally have a few staples – like cinnamon sugar – and some more adventurous flavors like the amazing lavender earl grey.

You get to mix and match flavors, so you can try them all if you’d like! 

You buy them by the dozen, so come hungry!

Columbia Gorge Bakery (White Salmon / Hood River)

If you find yourself out near Hood River, there’s a great 100% gluten free bakery across the river in White Salmon that you should definitely pay a visit to.

We’ve stopped at Columbia Gorge Bakery multiple times, and while the baked goods aren’t quite at the same level as some of the Portland bakeries, it’s a good option to have out in the Gorge.

Bierly Brewing (McMinnville)

Bierly is one of FOUR dedicated gluten free breweries in the Portland area (or within an hour of the city), but that’s actually not the reason they’re on this list. 

They’re here for the donuts and other baked goods, which are a weekend-only thing they do at their location in McMinnville, a small town about an hour west of Portland (another good day trip from Portland, especially for wine lovers!). 

Similar to fried chicken, which I mentioned above as a good example of Portland’s gluten free prowess (usually there’s one option for good gluten free fried chicken in a big city, in Portland there are a handful), gluten free doughnuts are a Portland specialty. 

Which, now that I say it, kind of makes sense, because Portland is at least partially famous for Voodoo Doughnut, the quirky doughnuts topped with things like Cap’n Crunch (definitely not gluten free). 

They have several flavors every weekend – the old fashioned is the best, especially straight out of the fryer! – and a rotating flavor that changes by the week. 

Over the past few years, they’ve really grown up, opening a taproom in McMinnville on Third Street (the main drag), where they have a more extensive food menu that includes onion rings, corn dogs, pesto grilled cheese, and donuts from Friday to Sunday. 

Get your doughnuts (they also have soft pretzels and great breads) and enjoy one of their great beers in their taproom.

We have driven there from Portland for the day several times now, and we’d do it again in a heartbeat. The doughnuts are that good, as is the other food.

Eats & Treats (Philomath)

I had heard many stories about Eats & Treats, a family-owned barbecue joint – that is also dedicated gluten free (their entire family avoids gluten) – down in Philomath, which is about 10 minutes west of Corvallis. Oregon Celiacs rave about this place. 

But there was never really a good reason to go out there until relatively recently.

We were headed out to Newport for a few days, and realized that we’d be passing right by it en route to the coast, which necessitated a stop for their barbecue!

The specific barbecue items that are offered vary by day, but as you might imagine, the best selection is going to be on the weekend, which is when you’re most likely to be visiting anyway. 

They have all sorts of tasty things that you’ll have a hard time finding elsewhere – loaded potato skins, fried mac & cheese balls, pulled pork sandwiches – and it’s all gluten free, so there’s no worries about cross-contact. 

I was impressed with the quality of their baked goods, too, which I expected to be strictly okay since most of their focus goes towards the barbecue side of their menu.

But the cookies, pastries, and breads that we tried were all good, which is not always the case with “housemade” gluten free breads. 

They also have a brunch menu on Sundays that leans more into breakfast classics like biscuit sandwiches and biscuits and gravy. 

Kyra’s Bakeshop (Lake Oswego)

Kyra’s Bakeshop is a 100% gluten free bakery started by a four-time winner of Food Network’s Cupcake Wars – and she did it with gluten free cupcakes!

Similar to a lot of gluten free entrepreneurs, she was fed up with the lack of good baked goods out there, so she started making her own. 

Their cupcakes are phenomenal and the flavors rotate roughly every week. Which is no surprise, given her credentials.

We really enjoyed the Raspberry Cheesecake cupcake we tried – the frosting was perfect.

They also make donuts, cinnamon rolls, and plenty of other baked goods. But the cupcakes are the highlight, at least for us (we’ve heard good things about their cinnamon rolls too). 

They used to have a location in Portland, but it recently closed and now Lake Oswego is their only location.

Gluten Free Restaurants in Portland, Mapped

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