The 15 Best Gluten-Free Feeds in Melbourne, Including Six Coeliac Australia-Accredited Spots
If you're coeliac, you're probably used to missing out on late-night gyros and actually good chewy pizza bases — until now.
The 15 Best Gluten-Free Feeds in Melbourne, Including Six Coeliac Australia-Accredited Spots
If you're coeliac, you're probably used to missing out on late-night gyros and actually good chewy pizza bases — until now.
In Melbourne, it's not hard to find nosh that's gluten-free. But food that is completely not contaminated by gluten? That's a harder task.
If you're simply conscious of your gluten intake, most spots accommodate with gluten-free options and even whole menus dedicated to your dietary needs. Mexican taquerias are a great place to start — we've got three on the list — but you can also find micro-bakeries, milk bar sangas and Balkan feasts around the city.
For coeliacs trying to leave the house without a Pyrex full of emergency snacks, we've also shortlisted six with accreditation from Coeliac Australia. This means that all of their gluten-free food is prepared in a contained area separate from the gluten-containing food. That might not mean much if you don't self-destruct whenever a smidge of gluten enters your digestive system, but it means heaps for someone who's out for three days when it does.
Wherever you fall on the gluten-free spectrum, there are some of the best feeds to book into without worrying.
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Once the undisputed heart of suburbs where neighbours met over groceries and dim sims, milk bars can feel like a piece of suburban folklore described with wistful nostalgia — especially for a generation raised on supermarkets and delivery apps. At Carlton North’s Pickles Milk Bar, the retro hub receives a modern homecoming. From hot snacks and sandwiches to baked goods and even old-school candy, Pickles serves up everything a local milk bar would. The kicker: everything’s plant-based (and mostly gluten-free).
Classic sangas are reimagined as vegan-friendly options. Bacon egg rolls lean on tofu, while cheesy bean burritos bulk up with tofu scramble and potato gems. Fried chicken sangas — they come via seitan (a savoury what-based meat alternative) — are canvases for a monthly rotating flavour. Currently, it’s a zesty za’atar version with baba ganoush, pickled turnips and veggies served in a pita wrap. For the gluten-free crowd, seitan is replaced by a fried enoki patty that also stars in a riff on Caesar salad. You can’t leave a milk bar without grabbing some hot snacks. Find potato cakes, hash browns and two types of loaded fries — one modelled after the HSP and another with American-leaning chipotle BBQ sauce — alongside the ever-changing bakes sitting on the wooden counter. There will be at least two gluten-free sweet treats going.
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14
Perched on Brunswick Street, Elektra is a local for the lucky residents of Fitzroy. Opened by two Nepalese mates, the cafe remixes Himalayan flavours into some of Melbourne’s favourite brunch orders. Inside is bright, bohemian and slightly bonkers: exposed brick takes a backseat to bold colours and curios lining the walls.The menu is notoriously dietary-friendly, catering to the vegan and gluten-free crowds without losing an ounce of soul. Expect hearty Himalayan-inspired riffs on familiar brunch plates. Eggs Benny is reimagined on rice crepes and pancakes take a savoury turn with a green lentil batter, hummus and coconut yoghurt. If you’re chasing a sugar hit, there’s a morning porridge made with black rice, quinoa and coconut milk. Pair everything with Himalayan sticky chai. It’s made from Nepal-grown black tea leaves, perfumed with seven types of spices and organic honey, and brewed in earthenware pots.
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13
Holding its own on Collins Street since 2010, Mamasita, one of Melbourne’s most dynamic and sought-after Mexican restaurants, continues to deliver in spades for the gluten-conscious diners. The evolving (and fully gluten-free menu) spans snack and taqueria plates, tacos and sharing mains. The elote corn on the cob with chipotle mayo is perhaps one of its most-loved gluten-free snacks, and alongside the guacamole with toasted pepitas and chilaquiles, you’ll be off to a flying start.
Move on to scallop tostadas with passionfruit-spike salsa, and work your way through the tacos, including a crispy sweet potato number for the vegetarians, a slow-braised chicken with salsa macha, and a moreish battered fish with verde jalapeño crema. Save a bit of space to share a few mains between the table, whether you go for a chargrilled chicken asado, the twice-cooked pork belly with pickled fennel, the brisket barbacoa with chimichurri rojo, or the slow-roasted eggplant with rhubarb and labne. We suggest sharing as much of the menu as possible, or opting for the filling $88 Feed Me menu.
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12
While Santito hasn’t been officially certified, it’s entirely gluten-free. The Mexico City-Inspired taqueria is from the team behind Ripponlea’s Mission District – an actual coeliac-accredited venue. It occupies the former Hotel Jesus site in Collingwood, bringing back the familiar smell of fresh tortillas and spit-roasted meats to the neighbourhood.
At the heart of the operation is a focus on producing high-quality tortillas and Mexico City taqueria staples. including tacos al pastor shaved from the spit, slow-braised brisket and house-made uncured sausage. Other highlights include a fresh-tuna tostada with jalapeño mayo, Baja fish tacos, squash blossom quesadillas with Oaxaca cheese, and slow-roasted lamb shoulder with salsa roja and feta. A cheeky selection of margaritas includes a spicy version with jalapeño blanco, a seasonal frozen variety, a Lager-ita that combines a classic margarita with a Corona beer, and a Watermelon Coco Jalapeño margarita with coconut tequila and lime.
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11
The good news is that cevapi is made from scratch at Chevapi Grill in South Melbourne. Even better news: the venue has the green light from Coeliac Australia, so the gluten-free crowd can join the barbie. Tucked along the quieter stretch of Clarendon Street, Chevapi Grill’s minimal shopfront can easily pass for a local cafe — but inside, it’s all smoke and sizzle.
Cevapi arrives at the table with sides like cabbage salad and a roasty eggplant-and-pepper ‘ajvar’ spread. Order it with pillowy lepinje flatbread and condiments like paprika and feta dip to build your own Balkan-style pita pocket, or opt for a mixed meat platter featuring pljeskavica (Serbian minced meat patty that also makes its way into burgers), beef sausages and more. The kitchen isn’t a one-trick pony. Other Eastern European dishes stake a claim for the spotlight: hearty red peppers stuffed with pancetta, beef and rice; a lineup of savoury bureks including plain cheese and leek and potato; and polenta chips or crispy whitebaits to replace the quintessential chippies.
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10
There’s a lot to like about modern Cantonese diner Yum Sing House, tucked away down a quieter part of the city on Sutherland Street. Part-restaurant, part-bar, part-private karaoke room, this late-night dining and party spot keeps good times rolling until the early hours of the morning. Start at the futuristic, playful restaurant on the ground floor. Loved for its cheeky Cantonese-style plates, 70% of Yum Sing’s menu is naturally gluten-free, and 20% is adaptable. Pacific oysters with ginger-and-lemongrass granita are an easy start (and $3 on Wednesdays), followed by baby abalones paired with glass noodles and caviar and five-spiced crispy spatchcock in lemon sauce. For mains, classic Cantonese fried rice studded with lup cheong and fried barramundi with sticky tamarind.
Upstairs, a moody, late-night bar and five private karaoke rooms stay open until 5am on Friday and Saturday night. Plus, the snacks menu is available until 3am — so you can order up loaded wagyu mapo fries while you sing (another) rendition of Bohemian Rhapsody.
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9
At the heart of Lygon Street is La Spaghettata, one of the oldest trattorias on the vibrant strip — or ‘pasta house’, as the owners call it — where the Cattafi family has been serving handmade pasta and Sicilian hospitality for the past 45 years. Today, the institution remains an unapologetic bastion of old-school Carlton dining. Marked by a proud neon sign announcing its status as Australia’s first pasta house, the double-storey Victorian terrace opens into a cosy farmhouse-style dining room. Upstairs, a coveted terrace balcony is the best vantage point for people-watching over a spritz or two.
The legacy tratt is known for its customisable homestyle pasta: six pasta shapes can be paired with a staggering 22 sauce lineup. Play it classic by matching creamy gorgonzola sauce with ridged penne, or opt for a briny spaghetti vongole (although the kitchen is more than happy to infuse the clams into a risotto instead). Coat spinach-infused fettuccine with nutty pesto for a hit of colour, or bring a salty twist to ravioli with a punchy puttanesca. Groups are well-catered for with a $55 platter featuring a trio of the table’s picks, plus a friendly BYO policy to keep the day affordable. Gluten-conscious diners can get in on the fun, too — wheat-free penne is available for a $1 supplement.
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8
At the tip of Melbourne’s sandwich wave are delis that go by their first names (Hector’s, Nico’s, Ruben’s), but some neighbourhood favourites prefer staying under the radar. Like Carlito’s, with its unassuming storefront on Collingwood’s Stanley Street. It’s marked only by a cheeky electric blue signboard bearing a graffitied smiled face, and the windows are lined with Cielo sodas. Yet, the eggplant parmigiana sanga — a special-turned-mainstay dressed with pesto and red sauce, topped with a slice of prosciutto cotto — always sells out by noon.
Seven Italian sandwiches rule the menu permanently. From classic mortadellas and BLTs that champion Iris the Bakery‘s fluffy focaccia, to a chicken cotoletta (essentially a thicker schnitzel) ciabatta with two types of pickles, most of them fall under $20; the only outlier is a $25 steak option. Weekly specials are casually scribbled on the board above the counter; past editions have starred Italian meatballs, pork and fennel, lamb shoulder and chicken cacciatore. Carlito’s is one of the few spots in Melbourne without a gluten-free tax — in fact, customers ordering gluten-free bread get a $2 discount. It’s not officially coeliac-accredited, but the team is known to be helpful with swaps and cautious about cross-contamination.
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Frenchie brings classic French flavours, techniques and dishes to the city, with one obvious difference — the price tag. Frenchie’s big drawcard is that everything on the menu is priced at $14. Yes, you read that correctly. All plates, cocktails, bubbles, and beers are $14, so grab a glass of red and settle in.
The menu, created by co-owner Lucas Boucly and Head Chef Sylvain Bernard, is bold, enticing, and accessible for gluten-free guests. Start with a pair of market fish skewers with a classic sauce Grenobloise, proper anchovy-dressed Salade Niçoise. Move on to fall-off-the-bone confit duck paired with duck-fat potatoes and a smoky cheddar Brussels sprout gratin. Of course, everyone can partake in caviar bumps for a taste of the good life.
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6
You’d be forgiven for not even noticing the fact that tiny CBD bakery-cafe Kudo, with its wafting scent of freshly baked bread and tempting-looking pastries, is 100-percent gluten-free. Nestled around the side of The Hotel Windsor’s ground level, the hole-in-the-wall spot is the work of husband-and-wife duo Felix Goodwin and Elena Nguyen. Four years in the making, Kudo was born out of the couple’s desire to find reliably tasty baked goods they could both enjoy (Goodwin is a coeliac). Through extensive research, experimentation and taste-testing, the pair has created a daily-changing menu of creative cakes, pastries, breads and other gluten-free treats to star at their diminutive debut venture.
Native ingredients get quite a look-in here, via creations like a choux layered with late-summer Tasmanian cherries, fior di latte from That’s Amore and basil cream. Traditionally crafted canelés might come in flavours ranging from piña colada to tiramisu. Further your sweet tooth with some choux puffs (perhaps some limited-edition ones filled with brûléed buttered popcorn custard) an intriguing chilli-and-chocolate praline madeleine, or the chewy mochi cookie with matcha, macadamia and white chocolate. The rotating lineup of gluten-free breads could include anything from sesame rolls to a take on a Danish-style seeded rugbrød. Admire Kudo’s timber-filled, terrazzo-floored fitout by architect Kei Kitayama as you wait for your Ona coffee.
Images: Parker Blain
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5
Inspired by owners Stephen and Niharika Hogan’s recent jaunts across South America, Onda brings a healthy dose of colour and good times vibes to Richmond. It’s a playful Bridge Road space with a vibrant fitout of botanical artwork and polished brass. Stephen, who is also the restaurant’s head chef, uses South America flavours throughout the menu and leans on his experience in kitchens across Melbourne and New Zealand (Chin Chin, Bistro Guillaume, St. Ali and Sir Charles to name just a few).
A bright and lively menu complements its surrounds, starring generous plates like the grilled wagyu rump cap with bone marrow-toasted croutons, chimichurri and beef jugo; and a barramundi baked in corn husk. Light, fresh additions include a kingfish ceviche with purple yam crisps and coconut chicken wings, while vegetarians will be just as satisfied diving into dishes like whole roast cauliflower with puffed buckwheat crumb or mozzarella chipa puffs (Paraguayan-style cheese rolls) with dark mole sauce. When you’re done, we recommend ordering the black sesame and chocolate dessert cigars. Loaded with dulce de leche and banana, the cigars look as good as they taste.
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4
Italian might not be the obvious choice when you’re hunting for gluten-free eats, but Shop 225 is pretty keen to shake up that thought process entirely. Up in Pascoe Vale South, this neighbourhood pizzeria is dishing up a rare culinary combination: it’s championing simple Italian fare, while also specialising in both vegan and gluten-free dishes. Boasting Coeliac Australia accreditation, the restaurant’s got all the proper processes in place to minimise cross-contamination and ensure long-suffering diners can finally sit down to a whole menu filled with choices.
A hefty range of traditional pasta dishes also includes a plethora of plant-based alternatives — from mushroom fettuccini to a rigatoni bolognese — with gluten-free casarecce, spaghetti or gnocchi interchangeable for most. And when it comes to woodfired pizzas, the options are even more bountiful, thanks to a wide-ranging lineup of vegan ingredients and Shop 225’s impressive coeliac-friendly bases (worth the extra $4). It swaps the usual wheat situation for a blend of Ardor gluten-free flour and rice, tapioca, maize, soy and pea flours. For toppings, plant-based options abound, crafted with lactose-free Local Craft cheese and vegan-friendly meat alternatives. And, of course, they haven’t forgotten about the discerning dessert fiends out there either — you’ll spy Nutella-loaded pizzas and calzones, creamy panna cotta and proper Sicilian cannoli, all available in both vegan and gluten-free variations.
Images: Hi Sylvia Photography.
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3
Eat Cannoli founders Kate and Dom Marzano really love their Sicilian pastries — just without gluten. The duo’s Preston cafe is serving up 100 percent gluten-free fare to the masses — and it’s got a Coeliac Australia accreditation to prove it, too. All cannoli are made from scratch and filled to order, going for $4.50 a pop. The menu changes often, with the original ricotta regularly featured — the deep-fried pastry shell is filled with ricotta, chocolate chips, candied orange and honey from the shop’s beehive. Other fillings include Aperol spritz, lemon cheesecake, amaretto, creme brûlée and passionfruit. Shells come infused with the likes of charcoal and raspberry, too, and vegan cannoli are also available for order.
But the Preston shop isn’t just limited to cannoli. It also serves up other desserts like tiramisu ($6) and semifreddo sandwiches ($4.5), along with coffees by Hallelujah ($4–5) and a daily granita ($4.50). For savoury options, the duo is baking piadini in-house — an Italian-style flatbread made from a 48-hour sourdough starter. The toasted bread is used for sandwiches, including the slow-cooked beef brisket with pickles, sauerkraut and peppers; and the pumpkin and ricotta with mozzarella and rocket ($10.50 each).
Images: Parker Blain.
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2
Shimbashi is one of the best-kept secrets in Melbourne’s inner north. The specialty soba bar first opened in Sydney back in 1993, before it brought the Japanese staple to Melbourne in 2012. Today, traditional soba-making meets Tasmanian buckwheat noodles in Carlton North, Collingwood and Northcote — and it’s all certifiably gluten-free. Chilled soba noodles, served with a dipping sauce or in a saucy salmon salad, are a refreshing summer order. When the seasons change, opt for winter warmers instead. Vegan mushroom soba noodles sit in a light vegetable broth, a chicken version is simmered with truffle mushrooms, and there’s a hearty beef soba bathed in a creamy soy milk and mushroom soup. For a classic soba pairing, turn to an assortment of lightly-battered seafood and vegetable tempura.
Beyond soba noodles, all three stores offer rice bowls — they’re loaded with a range of toppings like chicken katsu curry and sashimi cuts — and salmon sushi rolls topped with lotus chips, available plain or seared with spicy mayo. There are also grab-and-go teriyaki salmon bento boxes for the office crowd, which are repackaged as leisurely teishoku sets and served with miso soup at the Northcote shop. Pair a selection of Japanese sakes with some izakaya-style snacks. Pop some edamame beans before a vego feast of agedashi tofu and deep-fried eggplant glazed with sweet miso sauce arrives. If you’re eating meat, Japanese fried chicken is always a great shout. Some rotating dishes might be exclusive to one location, like a matcha-infused seiro set in Carlton North last year. We recommend checking the store’s Instagram for updates before visiting. -
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Stalactites is a late-night Melbourne institution — it’s pumping out its signature souvlakis since 1978. But it’s only been this year that the 24-hour restaurant has added options for coeliacs. It has recently introduced an extensive gluten-free menu — along with new cooking and serving processes — that has been certified by Coeliac Australia. That means that everything from the pita bread and souvas to the chips and grilled meats can be done gluten-free — which is huge news as late-night food is usually fried, bready or otherwise laced with gluten.
The restaurant’s souvlakis are a late-night rite of passage for Melburnians — complicated, meaty and ready to hit your tum with what it needs at 2am. You should try the lamb gyros ($17) or, if you’re late enough (that is, between 6–11am on weekdays and 7–11am on weekends), the brekky souvlaki with bacon and eggs wrapped in a pita ($15). And hot tip: if you’re closer to Elizabeth Street, Stalactite’s take away shop Hella Good is also Coeliac Australia-accredited.
